Moment In History: 2001 vs Lewis & Clark

During the past two seasons at Linfield home games the Wildcats would run "Today in Wildcat Histoy" spots that was presented by local advertisers. The below clip is a rough cut as the final spot had a different into, outro, and music was embedded in the clip but the action was the same.

Here is the clip that was ran during the Oct 20, 2007 home game vs L&C:

Oct. 20, 2001

Linfield rolled up a school-record 931 all-purpose yards during a 63-20 rout of the Lewis & Clark Pioneers at Maxwell Field. Marty Williams rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns and Tyler Matthews passed for 373 yards and three TDs to pace the Wildcats. As a team, Linfield passed for 511 yards, rushed for 282 yards and also gained 118 yards on kickoff, punt and interception returns.

'Cat Tracker: Alumni News

Former Linfield Wildcats have been making moves in the coaching ranks and in the indoor football leagues this past winter/early spring. Here is your 'Cat Tracker Update:

Former Linfield Offensive Lineman Alecki Pasqua (1997) has recently been named as the offensive line coach of the Portland State Vikings. Alecki has been working hard since leaving Linfield with stops at University of Oregon, Western Washington, Western Oregon, and now has landed his highest profile gig for the Vikings. Congrats to Alecki!

Longtime Linfield Coach and former player (1974) Wes Suan has followed his friend June Jones back to the mainland and to SMU to assume the running back coach duties for the Mustangs. Coach Suan was a fixture at the 'Catdome for 19 years in various duties for the Linfield offense and was also the associate athletic director. Coach moved back home to the islands following the 1998 Linfield season and went to work for Hawaii's head man, June Jones.

A trio of former Linfield greats are in the Boise area looking to make the cut on the Boise Burn's Arena 2 roster. WR Casey Allen (2005) and DB/WR/Holder/Return man/Coach Brandon Hazenberg (2005) are looking to return for their 2nd year with the Burn while former All-Conference fixture Chris Boock (cornerback) will be trying to crack the Burn roster for the first time. Brandon will also be returning to the Linfield coaching staff this next year for his 3rd season on staff. Boock (2005) has been on staff for the West Salem High Titans, who had their best season in program history last year when WSH made it to the 6A state semi-finals.

Linfield fan favorite and conference stand-out Thomas Ford (2004) is down in Prescott, Arizona breaking in yet another new indoor franchise. A Linfield role model and former stand-out running back is looking to help lead the Arizona Adrenaline of the American Indoor Football Association in their first year of existence. Last year, Thomas was an offensive leader for the 1st year Alaska Wild of the Intense Football League. T.Ford spent his first two years with the Tri-Cities Fever (2004-2005) where played a vital role in the Fever capturing the National Indoor Football League's championship in their first year as a franchise. Then, he helped usher the Fever's move into the Arena Football League 2 the following season. Thomas will be back on staff next season for the 'Cats as running backs coach and we're thankful we have him.

Former Linfield All-American and D3 Player of the Year, Brett Elliott, is currently on the Injured Reserved for the defending Arena League champions, The San Jose Sabercats. This is Brett's first year on the Sabercats roster and is looking to break into the indoor game. In the years after Linfield, Brett signed a free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers of the NFL where he spent two training camps competing for a roster spot, and also spent a full season in the now shut down NFL Europe where Brett played for Germany's Rhein Fire.

If you know if any other former 'Cat involved with football in a coaching or playing capacity please give me the iggy on what they are up to: catdomealumni@yahoo.com

Linfield Review: Cats lend helping hand

Just came across this article in Linfield's student run newspaper, The Linfield Review, and here is another great example of the incredible people that reside in our football program.

In an article in the previous edition of The Review, it focused on Junior Darcy Thompson. Darcy recently had a baby boy and decided that she needed to complete her education in order to give her and her baby the best chance of success in the future. The college doesn't provide on-campus living for family living so she moved into a nearby apartment. The article briefly mentioned that Darcy didn't have much furniture in her apartment for her and her baby boy.

Upon reading this Linfield Offensive Line Coach Doug Hire rallied members of the football team to help pitch in and provide Darcy with an apartment full of the necessary furniture to make Darcy and her baby more at home. You can read the story the football team provided here.

We're all very proud of the program for their continued success on the field but hearing these stories of the Wildcats off the field should make fans of Linfield football even more proud.

Great job Wildcats!!!!

Linfield Review Article: Football coach, players dontate time, furniture
Linfield Review Article: Student mom faces housing challenges

March 3rd: New Videos For Catdomealumni.com!

March 3rd 2008 will be the kick off of the new video season for Catdomealumni.com. Every Monday from March till the end of August Catdomealumni.com will be posting up new videos for your enjoyment.

March and April will be bringing you most of the video highlights of all 9 games of the 2007 season.

May will be Linfield Legends month as I have already started pulling clips of two legendary Wildcat running backs, a playmaking Linebacker, and a defensive tackle that was a force of nature.

June we'll wrap up the 2007 highlight DVD with the Whitworth and L&C games and start getting into some new specials (2008 Spring Football, 2005 Whitewater vs Linfield revisted, 2008 football camp, Big Hits III, etc).

To jump the season off Catdomealumni.com will be posting up the team introduction clip that ran before kickoff at every home game this past season. It's a fun 2 minute clip that we hope we can top this next season.

Be sure to let your fellow Wildcat fan know to drop in next Monday to get your Linfield fix.

Senior Moment: Rodd Booth

During this past season at Linfield home games, The local McMinnville Quizno's sponsored quick interviews with Senior Linfield football players called "Senior Moments". These spots were ran during timeouts, halftime, or pre-game. I'll post up the raw footage of these clips from time to time (without the intro/outro bumpers and background music) with the latest being cornerback, Rodd Booth.

Player Blog: Cory Ellis "There is no place like CATDOME"

We're back again with our player blog series and our blogger this time is Junior wide receiver Cory Ellis. Cory has an interesting story to me. He's a transfer from Oregon State where he was a member of the Oregon State National Championship baseball team and he's a two-sport athlete for the Wildcats.

Cory was primed to have a great 2007 football season after starting vs Western Oregon at Wide Receiver but a hip injury during Willamette shut Cory down for the majority of 2007. However, earlier in 2007 Cory had a stand out season on the diamond being named 2nd team All-NWC as a second baseman for the 'Cats and is a looking to help lead the 'Cats back to the top of the NWC this spring.

He’ll be entering the 2008 football season as a senior and I look for Cory to be a big playmaker for our ‘Cats but for now he’s busy patrolling the right side of the infield.

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Unlike the majority of my teammates, I did not come to Linfield directly out of high school. I spent my first two years of college at Oregon State where I was a member of the baseball team. Although I found an enormous amount of team success (Two Pac-10 titles and a National Championship), my playing time was very limited. Once I had made the decision to transfer, I began looking at different colleges. The thing that set Linfield apart was the chance for me to compete in two sports. Coach Smith and Carnahan were both very accepting of me playing the two sports.

I had a lot of anxiety coming to Linfield. I didn’t know one person on the football team and I hadn’t played the sport for 3 years. That is what makes Linfield so special. I was welcomed by everyone and found it very easy to fit in. I had a lot of catching up to do though. There are so many great traditions at Linfield that I had no idea about. Every past and present Linfield football player knows what I am talking about. The sideline reminders, the after practice chants, the pregame prayer, the alumni game, Catjacks, and the legendary “Catdome.” I truly believe that these are the reasons that Linfield continues to have so much success on the football field. In the 52 years of the winning streak, we continue to keep the same core values of Linfield Football.

Another thing that sets Linfield apart is the coaching staff. It is amazing to look at who I have been coached by over the past two years. I get to sit in kickoff return meetings with Coach Rutschman who coached Linfield to 3 football and 2 baseball titles. My head baseball coaches have been Scott Carnahan (14 time League Coach of the Year) and Scott Brosius (3 World Series titles with the Yankees). If I add up all of the Linfield National Championships my coaches have been apart of it comes to over 20. Linfield College coaches have very impressive resumes.

But what really makes Linfield athletics great are the past and present players. The guys here have such a team-first attitude. The goal for all of us is to have as much team success as possible and not worry about the individual awards. It is amazing how much support we receive from former players. They seem to always be watching us and making sure we are getting things done. I have introduced myself to some former players and they go “Yeah, I know who you are.” I wasn’t even a star player and they still know. The saying is true, “Once a CAT, always a CAT.”

I would love to see all of you football fans come out and support the baseball team this spring. It looks like it could be an exciting year. After the spring I will be getting ready for my final football season. With baseball and football, 2008 has a chance to be another great year at Linfield.

“There is no place like CATDOME”
--Cory Ellis
Class of 2008

In Your Face

Yeah, this embedded clip isn't about football but there was nothing better than seeing volleyballers getting pie faced. Enjoy the weekend everyone!

via Awful Announcing

Player Blog: Jared Hinkle "EXPECT TO WIN"

Welcome back to our second player blog entry on Catdomealumni.com's ADvantage Catdome. I contacted Linfield Offensive Tackle Jared Hinkle earlier in the week and his response was almost immediate. Jared was a 1st team all-NWC selection last season and will be entering his Senior season this fall.

With these blogs all I'm asking the players to do is to tell me about their Linfield experience and as you can and will read, Linfield is just as strong as ever in helping shape hard working and excellent young men.

When I read what Jared and Jaymin have to say it makes me even more proud to be a Linfield Wildcat and I didn't think that was possible.

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No words can truly describe what exactly this program has meant to me. Anyone who has ever had a hand in any part of Linfield Football knows exactly what I am talking about. You really have to see it and live it for yourself in order to fully appreciate what it is. But if I had to sum up the Linfield Football experience in one word, it would be family. It is this sense of family that has made my Linfield experience so special.

It‘s not just the coaches and players that make the Linfield Football family special, it is everyone who has ever been to a game at the Catdome or anywhere else for that matter. There is no better feeling than getting ready to take the field up in Spokane, down in California, or over in Texas, and looking up in the stands and seeing more people in the Wildcat section than the home team has in theirs. It is support like that from the parents, friends, and alumni that really makes you feel a part of the Linfield Football family, no matter where you are.

The coaches we have here I would put up against any other coaching staff in the nation, both in terms of their football knowledge and their effort. But that isn’t what makes them special. It is the family atmosphere they have created and strengthened over the years that really sets them apart from anyone else. We know they are doing everything they possibly can to allow us to succeed both on and off the field, which sometimes means neglecting their own families in the process. And while I am sure they would love to see their own families more, I don’t think they mind too much because they see us as a part of their family.

As good as our fans and coaches are, the best part of the Linfield experience for me has been the players. I know that the 124 other guys I go to work with every day are going to do everything they can to make this team successful. No one is getting paid to be here and none of us are going to be first round draft picks. We are here because we want to be a part of something special. We want to be in the weight room 6 days a week pushing ourselves to get that one more rep or that one more set in. We want to be up at 6 in the morning in the Spring, practicing before the sun is even up. We want to be out running gassers in the middle of the summer, when the temperature is up near 100 degrees. We don’t do it because it’s fun, we do it for our brothers, because we don’t want to let them down. We do it because we EXPECT TO WIN. Some other schools may have more talented players, bigger stadiums, or better facilities that us, but no one is going to work harder or prepare more than we do.

Thank you to every member of the Linfield Football family who has supported us in the past and will continue to do so in the future, we really appreciate it. 2008 should be a great year to be a Wildcat.

-Jared Hinkle
Class of 2009

Player Blog: Jaymin Jackson "Why I came to Linfield"

We're starting a new player blog segment on Catdomealumni.com's ADvantage Catdome. I wanted to give the opportunity to current players to share their Linfield experience with the fans of Linfield football and hope to give our Catdome faithful an insight on the players they support and cheer for on Saturdays in the fall.

I contacted Sophomore Linebacker Jaymin Jackson about being our first player blogger and within hours he had poured out his thoughts to me. Jay had a stand-out sophomore season and was rewarded by being named to the Northwest Conference 2nd team defense. As you will read below Jaymin is very passionate and proud to be a Linfield Wildcat and I'm looking forward to watching him next fall.

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The reason why I came to Linfield was because I wanted to be a part of a program that mattered. Of course winning and national titles matter but what truly mattered to me were the things that most people don’t really get a chance to see.

Things like the pride that the former players, coaches, and current players have in this program. Knowing that the coaches are truly motivated to make you a better person than what you came to them as. Knowing that it matters that you play and practice as hard as you can because you have Linfield across your chest. Knowing that if the game is on the line that you EXPECT TO WIN. Having no doubt in your heart that your brother next you is playing for the team not his self. Developing a work ethic that none have come close to matching. Driving by the football offices at 2:00am and seeing lights still on. Busting your butt in the weight room and not thinking anything about it because that’s just how it is at Linfield. Seeing guys like Kyle Warner who break their back, not for individual gratitude but for the team. I came here to be a part of a family that will last a lifetime.

I wanted to become a better person, better football player and WIN. I wanted to be a part of something that was pure and not tarnished with selfishness and greed. I wanted to step on the field with 125 guys who it mattered to as much as it did me. This is the reason why I wanted to be a part of Linfield's program. Being able to love something as much as I do; Linfield football. I can honestly say that I don’t believe that you can find a place where it matters as much as it does here. You truly can’t put a price tag on what you will learn from being a part of a program like Linfield's, that’s why I came to Linfield.

I feel privileged and blessed to be able to wear the purple and white. I can’t wait to strap it up next season… and the cats of '08 are ready to get back on top and keep the streak rolling on.

CATDOME!

-Jaymin Jackson

Linfield Class of 2010

Red and Purple Interview: Pacific University AD Ken Schumann

Welcome back to the Red and Purple Interview on Catdomealumni.com. This is our first interview for 2008 and I had the absolute pleasure to trade email with long time Pacific University Athletic Director, Ken Schumann. For us that follow football in the Northwest Conference over the past few years there have been rumors about the return of football at Pacific. So instead of just let rumors float around I thought I’d go to the driving force behind Boxer athletics to find out more.

AD Schumann was great in being open to talk and I wanted to publicly thank him for taking the time out to give all of us the scoop about Boxer football and more.
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(Wildcat 11) Thank you AD Schumann for joining us here at Catdomealumni.com. For the past three years fans that have been following Northwest Conference football have been hearing rumors and have seen the occasional article about Pacific considering a return to the gridiron. As of today, where does football stand on the priority list at Pacific? Have you been able to gain the support of the faculty and Board of Trustees?

(Ken Schumann) Football is a priority along with several other initiatives which we have been implementing over the past couple of years with the goal of upgrading the athletic program as a whole. Since the completion of our Business Plan in 2005 we have been in a fundraising phase. Upon successful completion of the fundraising process we would then take the football initiative before the University Faculty for a vote. If that vote is positive the initiative would then go to the Board of Trustees for final approval.

(WC 11) In reading the article, “University considers return of football” from Pacific Magazine in spring of ’07, it mentions that estimated start up costs would be in the neighborhood of $1.25 million dollars. How close are you to this number and how has the Pacific alumni base responded to the fundraising campaign?

(KS) We currently are slightly over halfway toward our goal for funding start-up costs over a three-year period. All of the support we have received so far has come from alumni and friends of Pacific.

(WC 11) In 2008 the NWC will now be awarded with an automatic playoff bid for our conference champion. However, many teams in our conference still face the big issue of scrambling for non-conference opponents each season to fill their schedule and wind up either playing NAIA or DII teams or having to take costly flights to the Mid-West. Have the other football members of the NWC been in full support of football coming back to Forest Grove? Do you think the NWC is in great need of an 8th member to help bolster our schedules and to help alleviate some travel costs?

(KS) From the feedback I have received from other football playing members of the NWC there is solid support for the sport of football returning to Pacific. I believe that other conference members understand that it would be of great benefit to the football institutions to have a football program at Pacific for a variety of reasons; scheduling, budgeting and enhanced competition within the conference are just a few of the benefits.

(WC 11) From an outside perspective it appears that Pacific is in a transformation period within the athletic department. The beautiful Lincoln Park Athletic Complex opened up this past fall with soccer. In a short time, the spring sports teams move into their new digs. It feels that the University is making a push to increase the profile of athletics on campus. Is that a fair statement and do you see Lincoln Park being the future home of Boxer Football?

(KS) I would agree that athletics at Pacific are in a transformation period. It is my goal as Director of Athletics to have programs which are very competitive within the Northwest Conference and Division III across the board. The new facilities at Lincoln Park are a part of that effort and are first class in every way. If we are successful in bringing football back to Pacific the home for the program at least in the short term will be Hillsboro Stadium. I do not anticipate football being played at the facilities in Lincoln Park.

(WC 11) The NWC is rather diverse in its style of play, and this is probably putting the cart in front of the horse, but do you have an idea of what style of football you want your future Head Coach to bring to Pacific?

(KS) My belief is that the style of play is secondary to other characteristics the coaching staff would bring that are even more important. First, the Head Coach needs to be an individual of strong character and one who understands and is committed to the D-III philosophy and fits with the philosophy and culture of Pacific. Also, the head coach and staff need to be strong in the area of recruiting and committed to recruiting student-athletes who will be successful academically, athletically and socially at Pacific. As far as style goes, I would think that it would be difficult for a start-up program to have much success with a run first philosophy. Spreading out defenses can be somewhat of an equalizer until the size, depth and athleticism in your program is built up.

(WC 11) This is a little off topic but there’s a movement on a national level within Division III that is looking at a possible split into a 4th division of classification. There is a lot of speculation and unanswered questions about who would want to move and how the divisions would be split. It appears that there are some clear philosophical differences between the newer membership in Division III and the old guard in terms of various regulations within the current DIII. Have you been involved in these discussions at this past National Convention and do you see Pacific and the NWC supporting a possible “Division IV” classification?

(KS) No I do not see the NWC or Pacific being in support of a Division IV or a possible subdivision of Division III. I believe that the conference is united in our belief of the merits of Division III.

(WC 11) OK, last question. With the best case scenario when can we expect the Boxers to take the field again? 2009, 2010?

(KS) If we are able to reach our fundraising goals in the next few months the most optimistic scenario would be to play in the fall 2009 season. However, the most likely scenario at this point is 2010. But again all of this is based on meeting our Business Plan goals for fundraising monies for three-year start-up costs as well as affirmative votes by the University Faculty and Board of Trustees. If those goals are not reached then we will not be bringing football back in the near future.

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Previous Red and Purple Interviews:

Linfield SID: Kelly Bird

SOU former Star Running Back: Dusty McGrorty

Linfield Stand-Out Defensive End: Kelly Bertrand

Central Dutch's Miracle/Mishap in The Mud: Reid Evans

Senior Moment: Andrew Woods

During this past season at Linfield home games, The local McMinnville Quizno's sponsored quick interviews with Senior Linfield football players called "Senior Moments". These spots were ran during timeouts, halftime, or pre-game. I'll post up the raw footage of these clips over the next couple of months (without the intro/outro bumpers and background music) with the first being of Cornerback, Andrew Woods.

NWC’s 2008 New Year Resolutions:

A small unknown fact is like many people, the football teams in the Northwest Conference also start each new year with a resolution to help guide their next 365 days of existence. Everybody knows that following a resolution is a pine-knot tough thing to do but our programs out in the far west are up to the task.

Catdomealumni.com’s investigators were able to uncover these New Year resolutions for the 2008 season and as your independent world wide news leader of all things Linfield football it took a few days to collate this information.

Menlo: To install cup holders in their visitor’s coaching box and to upgrade their sound system.

Since Menlo has to blow a great majority of their budget on flight when the Oaks travel to any away game that leaves very little left over for minor items….like facilities. However, Menlo has committed itself in 2008 to install new cup holders in their scissor lift….er…I mean coaching box and to upgrade their sound system to this sweet new Ipod docking station.

Willamette: The Bearcats 2008 resolution is to milk their first win over Linfield in eight years for everything its worth.

So far, they’re off to a great start with any article on their athletic site that deals with football has to mention their 1-point win over our Wildcats.

Lewis & Clark: Around Christmas, my sources were able to take this photo of a note left for Santa that was found in HC’s Chris Sulages office.

I know, I know…a note for Santa isn’t a New Year resolution but we’re going to go with it.

Puget Sound: To assemble the greatest collection of football talent ever assembled at the Division III level or to at least to maintain their great pre-season rhetoric.

Before the 2007 season, Coach Phil Willenbrock stated that the passing ability of his quarterbacks “is better than any I think I’ve ever had in Division III.” It must be nice to have quarterbacks that can both run and throw the ball. I’m just looking forward to read the UPS season preview this fall where he’s bound to say something along the lines of “our linebackers this year are incredible. Not only can they drop back in pass coverage but they can also play the run too.” The talent at UPS is crazy.

Pacific Lutheran: Start a new facial hair trend in Division 3 football.

The ‘Lutes gained media attention for their fast start and their sweet stashes during 2007. The Lute Seniors have narrowed their 2008 choices down to three: The Van Dyke, The Balbo, and The Napoleon III Imperial.

Whitworth: Deliver Redland’s Coach Maynard a batch of crap cupcakes to open the 2008 season.

As much as I rag on the Rats, they did get hosed by the DIII national selection committee when they were snubbed out of the ’07 playoffs. Redlands and Coach Maynard beat the Rats twice last season. The first time was the Dawg’s 24-12 victory over the Rats to open the ‘07 season and the second time was when Coach Maynard and the National Committee sunk the Rats ship in the playoff selection process.

Linfield: Get back to winning the darn conference.

Elliott to be a 'Cat once again.

Catdomealumni.com sources have let us know that former Linfield 2x All-American Quarterback, Brett Elliott (2005) has inked a deal with the defending Arena Bowl champions, The San Jose Sabercats. There hasn't been an official announcement as of yet but the news is expected to break in the next week or two.

San Jose's current QB, Mark Grieb is the incumbent starter (10th year with San Jose) and is a AFL stand-out. Stay tuned for more news later.

‘Cats will Cowboy Up for at least 2 more years

Linfield Sports and Linfield head coach, Joe Smith announced the 2008 football schedule on Thursday and our mystery opponent was revealed as none other than the Hardin Simmons Cowboys. There were some good guesses from the Linfield posters on the d3football.com northwest conference posting board but when it came down to it, Coach Jimmy Keeling and Coach Smith wanted to continue the series that currently stands at 1 win for each team.

The agreement will be for the next two seasons with Linfield traveling back to Abilene, Texas on September 13 to open their season and with the Cowboys flying back to the ‘Catdome in 2009. I’d like to give Coach Keeling “five alrights” for responding to Linfield’s request and continue a trend of top division III programs hooking up during non-conference play.

In giving the remainder of the slate the eye ball it looks like Linfield is going to have to put on the hard hat and grind out another challenging season. The ‘Cats will have the bye after HSU and have the home opener with long time NAIA rival the Raiders of Southern Oregon. SOU was a physical squad last season and I’m sure will be hyped up to take on Linfield in ’08.

After the SOU game, Linfield will have two more home games in a row with Menlo coming up on Oct 4th for their annual loss to Linfield before we really get down to brass tax. Oct 11th will have the Rats of Whitworth coming into the ‘Catdome with a 2 game winning streak over Linfield that disgusts me to the core. I’m not going to make excuses for the losses to the Rats but I’m not going to put a shine on it either…the losses to them have blown the past two years and it has to stop.

The ‘Cats have a short road trip on Oct 18th to L&C to see if the Pios will have taken any steps forward and then another big revenge game will follow the next week on the 25th with Willamette…nuff said.

Linfield will round out the season with two trips up to Tacoma to play in the Morgue on Nov 1st and then up at Sparks (PLU) for the season finally on the 15th. Sandwiched in-between is the final home game of the year with non-conference opponent, Western Oregon. I’m curious to see how WOU develops next season. They lose a huge senior class that has been responsible for bring WOU into respectability but they seem to have to have talent in the wings to reload rather then rebuild.

Overall, I’m excited with the different order of how the games will be played in 2008. Once again, Linfield has a monumental challenge in 2008 and every Linfield backer is excited to see how our ‘Cats respond.

Links:
Linfield Sports

2008 Schedule thoughts and musings.

Even though the 2008 Linfield football schedule has not be released there are some heavy rumors floating around that should be dispelled before the next thing you know people will have Linfield playing at App. State to open up 2008.

-Azusa Pacific is not happening. It’s true that if the ‘Cats couldn’t find a D3 game to replace Hardin-Simmons that most likely it was going to be Azusa. If that would have happened it would have meant that the only D3 games on Linfield’s schedule would have been NWC opponents. Thankfully we have avoided that misery and have about 99.99% locked up another D3 opponent with a two-year deal.

-The mystery team is not from California. Obviously we know it’s not Redlands or any of the SCIAC schools. Redlands and Linfield had a perfectly matching open date in 2008 but the Dawgs declined Linfield’s offer (again) and choose to front load their schedule with the Spartans of Dubuque (IIAC). I guess Coach Maynard is still sore from those curbings the ‘Cats put on the Dawgs earlier in the decade. Let’s just face facts people…the SCIAC wants nothing to do with Linfield. It’s been four years since Linfield paired off with a SCIAC school during the regular season and I have my doubts if it will happen again in the near feature. Cowards.

-The mystery team is a name that the Linfield faithful know. That’s all I’ll say about that for now.

-Yup we’re still going to be playing SOU and WOU. If Linfield is struggling so bad to find D3 games then you have to know we’re still going to be playing our in-state/out-of-division rivals. Thankfully we have both at the ‘Catdome in 2008 but these are going to be two of the ‘Cats toughest tests. It does look like we’re going to be playing WOU through 2009 and I wouldn’t think that SOU isn't going anywhere either. I feel rather confident when I say that Linfield has one of the toughest Division III schedules in the country.

-Get ready to reset your calendars. Another nugget of information is that there's going to be massive changes in the order of the games in 2008. It sounds like the ‘Cats are going to be kicking off the year at the mystery team’s home field and then we’re going to catch a bye week. After the bye, the ‘Cats are going right into NWC play. The NWC schedule has also been shuffled so there are going to be a couple of HUGE NWC games right at the jump of 2008.

When I get the green light we’ll pull back the curtain and reveal the mystery team but until then just be thankful there is someone in D3 outside of the NWC who has the testicular fortitude to dance with the ‘Cats.

What’s Next for Catdomealumni.com?

Changes. There are changes on the horizon for Catdomealumni.com. I’m going to “upgrade” a few things about the site but it won’t be anything like Johnniefootball.com. I don’t have the cheddar laying around each month to maintain a site of that style. However, we’re going to pull the skin back and give our mothership a face lift. I plan on incorporating a flash player for the videos and leaving YouTube behind (I hope!) and there will be some other tweaks that I hope will encourage the site to be more interactive and easier on the eyes.

Like the previous two years March will be the kickoff of our Video season. Along with the 2007 season highlights we’ll have Linfield Legends month (already selected), Big Hit III, 1984 playoff highlights, a revision of the 2005 Linfield vs Whitewater tilt, and much more.

I’d also like to bring back the Red and Purple Interview but found that it was just too much to handle during football season. Believe it or not, I do have a life outside of following the program. I’ll be tracking down some subjects during the New Year and see if we can bring some hard hitting journalism to the Catdomeosphere.

I’m also excited to roll out a sister site to Catdomealumni.com. I’m not going to say what it is right now but I’ve been working with another Linfield program in building them a fan site. We should have some fun video content for this new site and I should have that rolled out in early January.

If anybody has any suggestions or ideas to improve Catdomealumni.com please feel free to post them up.

On The Eve of the Stagg Bowl.

It’s the eve of the 2007 Stagg Bowl and we have for the 3rd time in a row have a match up of the Death Star of Division 3 football the Mount Union Purple Raiders as they again lock up with the Warhawks of Wisconsin-Whitewater. I really hesitate to throw out the “Buffalo Bills” or “Rowan” tag out there if Whitewater doesn’t get it done this time but seriously how many times do you get handled in the Stagg Bowl by Mount Union before you just throw up the white flag?

I’m not going to spend much time breaking down this game because the bible of D3 has all hit every angle this past week. Bottom line is the Warhawks have the players to get it done but I honestly think by the end of it the game it's going to be all Purple Raiders due to their run defense and a more balanced offense. Phone it in: Mount by 17.

2007 Highlight DVD – It’s in the Can.

The only thing left for me to do for the 2007 highlight DVD is to drop off the video files to the Linfield coaching staff to distribute to the players and to use on the recruiting trails. Not to put myself over too much but I’m incredibly proud of this year's highlight film. Last year's 2006 version is special to me because it was the first season highlight film I put together but it was really a starting point in terms of experience for me. This season I didn’t have the hindering learning hurdles to worry about such as the very basics of the editing software and I was able to be much more creative this time around.

There are four sections to the highlight film this season and they include the main highlight film, the senior tribute, the blooper reel, and the extra footage is of the 2007 scoreboard opening clip. Grand total there is about 60 minutes of original Linfield football action for the players, coaches, families, and soon enough our catdomealumni.com viewers to enjoy.

One of the year’s the biggest changes was to the music. For years Linfield has been using a steady diet of AC/DC and other hard rock classics with a dash of more current tracks. I love this type of music but I really think the players have a different taste and desire to have tracks that speak more towards their generation so I scrapped everything we’ve used before and went with groups like Rise Against, Drowning Pool, Clutch, TI, The Classic Crime, etc. The biggest test to me if this music really worked is if it still sounds right 5-8 years from now.

As for Catdomealumni.com I made the decision to post up all 9 games this upcoming video season. I know 3 of those games were loses but I think it’s good to share the great efforts even in the defeat so when April rolls around we’ll lay out 10 total tracks from the 2007 highlight reel (opening + 9 season games)

I don’t think I can explain how much time and effort it takes to put one of these projects together when you are just volunteering your time and I do need to give big thanks to a core group of people for helping me out in a giant way this season. First and foremost, props need to go to Mrs. 11. She was my Jerry Bruckheimer and test viewing group with just about every clip. She was incredibly patient and supportive with all the hours it takes to pull clips and editing the whole enchilada. The next big thanks go to Jerry Hanley. Jerry is the uncle of Senior Drew Ragan and a professional videographer. Jerry provided beautiful shots and footage during the HSU, UPS, Whitworth, and L&C game. This is my second year working with Jerry and it was a great experience. Third is David Cunningham w/ his student aides and SID Kelly Bird. David runs the video board during the games and his student aides work the two cams that provide the live action for the Catdome video board. They provided great shots at each of our home contests this season and Kelly Bird was huge in getting me set up with passes and various feedback that was very helpful. Also, thanks to the great Mike Rhodes for his footage at the L&C game. His shot of Lance Nelson's TD catch vs L&C was jaw dropping.

Overall I’m looking forward to sharing with you the final product and some great moments of the 2007 ‘Cats.

Breaking down the All-NWC Team:

The All-NWC Conference team has been out for a few weeks now and you can find it here at NWCsports.com. Linfield placed 11 players on the first team offense/defense and 22 overall players on All-NWC team.

Now I do have a beef with this team/overall process. The NWC team has always leaned towards having excess in terms of the number of players on the 1st team than rather making the team more exclusive. For example this years 1st team has 18 offensive players listed and 19 players made the 1st team defense. I just don’t get how you can have 2 place kickers on your 1st team offense. Both Willamette’s Matt Bicocca and Linfield’s Scott Birkhofer are excellent kickers but are you telling me that they couldn’t say one was better than the other? (BTW…I don’t know how anyone is on the same category as Birkhofer, the kid should be an All-American this year.)

I understand the coaches wanting to make sure those talented and deserving players are recognized for their performance but it just makes the team loss some credibility when it’s so overloaded with numbers.

In terms of the 2007 team there are only a few spots that I have issue with. The first item I was surprised with is that Linfield punter Stan Fisher was only an Honorable Mention member. Stan was nails all year long and performed at a high level but when you look at the stats he did sit 3rd in the NWC in terms of avg. per kick at 38.7 behind 2nd teammer Doug Rickabaugh (PLU) 39.3 avg and 1st teammer Clint Moran (Willamette) 39.8 avg. Stan also punted about 20 less than the players above him. That is a tough deal but after digging into the stats the punters above Stan did have great numbers. I think it’s clear that the NWC had great kicking talent throughout the whole conference. Stan had a 1st team performance this season but Moran and Rickabaugh are deserving.

The second issue was the co-defensive players of the year honor. This isn’t a dig at Andrew Eisentrout (DE, PLU) or Tully’s kid but personally I thought the best defensive player in the NWC this season was Linfield’s Brian Mehl (Saftey).

I really believe part of the reason why Mehl gets overlooked is that Brian is about the least flashy player you would see in terms of his on-field demeanor. He just gets the job done and from game one through game nine he was the best player on the best defense in the NWC. Mehl had an incredible stat line this season. He was number 2 in the NWC in total tackles (74), and had 7 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 3 Ints, and 2 pass break ups in nine games this season. If the NWC just went with Tully’s kid I could live with it but since they went with Co-POY’s I really have a beef with Mehl not being the second half of that honor.

I think the rest of the list is fine but I did notice a few things. Chris Ahsing is really a 1st team NWC running back? I guess the NWC is long removed from the days of Russell, Binger, Haberberger, and Reed. I would have been just fine if we would have stopped after Adam Anderson.

Also, Travis Masters was a 1st team as a slot which is wild considering he only played one conference game as a slot. Without a doubt Masters and Whitworth’s Anderson were the best two offensive players in the NWC this season and will be next year but that shows you how much respect Travis carried this year when the coaches basically said “We know you were moved to RB mid-season but you’re so good that you would have been our 1st team player at the slot if you played there the whole season.” Our little number 5 is going to be lights out next year.

Congratulations to our ‘Cats for being on the NWC team!

1st team offense:
QB- Trevor Scharer
WR- Josh Vierra
WR- Tyler Kaluza
Slot- Travis Masters
OL- Jared Hinkle
PK- Scott Birkhofer

1st team defense:
DL- Taylor Summers
DB- Keone Tawata
DB- Brian Mehl
DB- Andrew Woods
KR- Travis Masters

2nd team defense:
DL- Nate Arnold
DB- Andrew Bean
LB- Jaymin Jackson
DB- Bubba Lemon

Honorable Mention Offense:
RB- Pete Cruickshank
WR- Tyson Banker
OL- John Kemper
OL- Danny Kleiber
P- Stan Fisher

Honorable Mention Defense:
DL- Jeff Denney
LB- Drew Ragan

Bas Rutten's Thanksgiving Defense

Let's face facts: Thanksgiving day can be a rough time with family getting together and the mix of beer, food and football can lead to conflicts with family members. So my boy, Bas Rutten is nice enough to offer up some tips in how to get that Turkey drumstick away from Uncle Tony. Never underestimate the kick to the balls.

Video: NCAA trucking the Rats 20007 Playoff Bid

OK the video below is not of the backroom of the NCAA Playoff selection committee but it is of Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan getting absolutely trucked. This is kind of what happened to Whitworth. They felt they were controlling their own fate (Hawaii up late in the game) but out of nowhere came the NCAA selection committee to smash the Rats playoff hopes (Fresno State Safety).