1993 Mount Union Purple Raiders football team

The 1993 Mount Union Purple Raiders football team was an American football team that represented the University of Mount Union in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) during the 1993 NCAA Division III football season. In their eighth year under head coach Larry Kehres, the Purple Raiders compiled a perfect 14–0 record, won the OAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 582 to 120. They qualified for the NCAA Division III playoffs and advanced to the national championship team where they defeated Rowan, 34–24.^[1]

1993 Mount Union Purple Raiders football
NCAA Division III champion OAC champion
Stagg Bowl, W 34–24 vs. Rowan
Conference	Ohio Athletic Conference
Record	14–0 (9–0 OAC)
Head coach	Larry Kehres (8th season)
Home stadium	Mount Union Stadium
Seasons ← 1992 1994 →

1993 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Mount Union $^	9	–	0	–	0			14	–	0	–	0
Baldwin–Wallace	8	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Heidelberg	7	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
John Carroll	5	–	4	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Ohio Northern	4	–	4	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Capital	4	–	5	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Otterbein	3	–	6	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Muskingum	2	–	6	–	1			2	–	7	–	1
Marietta	2	–	7	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Hiram	0	–	9	–	0			0	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

The team was led on offense by quarterback Jim Ballard who set NCAA Division III records for touchdown passes in a season (54) and in a game (eight vs. St. John's in the semifinals). He finished the season with 4,555 passing yards and 54 touchdowns and won the 1993 Gagliardi Trophy as the best player in Division III football.^[2][3]

The team played its home games at Mount Union Stadium in Alliance, Ohio. Ballard threw eight touchdown passes in the semifinal game against St. John's.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	Adrian (MI)	Docking Stadium Adrin, MI	W 42–0
September 18	Muskingum	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH	W 49–21		[4]
September 25	at Marietta	Don Drumm Stadium	W 37–0		[5]
October 2	at Baldwin Wallace	Finnie Stadium Berea, OH	W 35–7		[6]
October 9	John Carroll	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH	W 21–0		[7]
October 16	at Heidelberg	Columbian Stadium Tiffin, OH	W 24–7	3,988	[8]
October 23	Ohio Northern	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH	W 49–7
October 30	at Otterbein	Memorial Stadium Westerville, OH	W 49–0
November 6	at Capital	Bemlohr Stadium Columbus, OH	W 66–23
November 13	Hiram	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH	W 50–0
November 20	Allegheny*	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH (NCAA Division III first round)	W 40–7	5,800	[9]
November 27	Albion*	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH (NCAA Division III quarterfinal)	W 30–16		[10]
December 4	St. John's (MN)*	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH (NCAA Division III semifinal)	W 56–8	3,333	[3]
December 11	vs. Rowan*	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA (Stagg Bowl)	W 34–24	7,304	[11]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "Mount Union Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
2. "Ballard does All-America double take". The Akron Beacon Journal. December 17, 1993. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Mount Union and Ballard air out fore, gain title game". The Akron Beacon Journal. December 5, 1993 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Big second quarter carries Mount Union by Muskingum". The Akron Beacon Journal. September 19, 1993 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Milan Zban (September 26, 1993). "Mount routs Marietta 37-0". The Akron Beacon Journal – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Mount Union takes charge of race with win over B-W". The Newark Advocate. October 3, 1993 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Raiders roar in the rain". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 10, 1993 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Ballard's passing helps Mount bust Heidelberg bubble". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 17, 1993 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Milan Zban (November 21, 1993). "Ballard makes Allegheny coach a new believer". The Akron Beacon Journal. p. D11 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Mount Union rips Albion; in Final Four". The Times Recorder. November 28, 1993. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Milan Zban (December 12, 1993). "Ballard and Mount Union answer challenge". The Akron Beacon Journal. pp. E1, E11 – via Newspapers.com.