Stadium Mount Union Stadium NCAA division Division III Head coach Vince Kehres First season 1893 | Seating capacity 5,600 All-time record 742–386–37 (.653) Conference Ohio Athletic Conference Colors Purple, White | |
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Claimed nat'l titles 12
1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015 Conference titles 27
1985, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Location University of Mount Union, Alliance, Ohio, United States Profiles | ||
The Mount Union Purple Raiders football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Mount Union located in the U.S. state of Ohio. They compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division III level and are members of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). The team was established in 1893 and plays its home games at the 5,600 seat Mount Union Stadium. They are coached by Vince Kehres. Through the 2015 season, Mount Union football has won 12 Division III National Championships and 27 OAC titles, which includes a streak of 24 consecutive conference titles from 1992 through 2015. Additionally, the Purple Raiders own the NCAA football record for consecutive victories with 55, set from 2000 to 2003, which broke their previous record of 54, set from 1996 to 1999. The team has also had notable winning streaks of 110 consecutive wins in the regular season from 1994 to 2005 and 112 from 2005 to 2016, along with a 98-game winning streak at home that also ended in 2016. With the Purple Raiders' success, former head coach Larry Kehres holds the record for highest winning percentage .929 for coaches with minimum 200 career wins over his 27 seasons (1986–2012) as coach at Mount Union.
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History
The first football game played by Mount Union was on the school's baseball field in 1893 against Kenyon College. Over eight seasons from the start of the 1996 season through 2003, the team went 109–2 (.982), won six national titles, eight conference championships, and had winning streaks of 54 and 55 games. On October 16, 1999, the team broke the NCAA football record for consecutive victories with their 48th straight win, a 44–20 home win over Otterbein College. The previous record of 47, set by the Oklahoma Sooners, had stood since 1957. The Purple Raiders' winning streak, which began in 1996, reached 54 games before coming to an end December 11, 1999 in an overtime loss in the Division III playoffs. In 2003, the team broke its own record by winning their 55th consecutive game, a 66–0 home win over Bridgewater College, a streak that began September 2, 2000, and ended the following week on December 20, 2003, with a loss in the Stagg Bowl.
Championships
Through the 2016 Ohio Athletic Conference season, the Purple Raiders have won 27 titles. They won their first OAC title in 1985 and repeated in 1986, followed by a third title in 1990. Beginning with their 1992 OAC championship, the team won 24 consecutive OAC titles, with their 2015 championship being the final in the streak.
Through the 2015 season, Mount Union has won 12 Division III National Championships and has 19 total appearances in the Stagg Bowl, including the last 11 consecutively, along with 27 playoff appearances.