1973 Team Captains Reflect On National Championship Run
It has been 50 years, but the memories are still fresh. The best ones usually are.
Members of Wittenberg University’s 1973 football team, which won the first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament, have enjoyed opportunities to reconvene on campus over the years, including multiple times when they have been saluted by the home crowd. Most recently, team members gathered during Homecoming Weekend 2023 to be inducted as a group into Wittenberg’s Athletics Hall of Honor.
- Read Dayton Daily News feature story: Archdeacon: Wittenberg’s 1973 title team stepping back into spotlight
- Read NCAA News Game Story: Wittenberg wins 1973 NCAA Division III Football Title
But there’s something special about looking back after 50 years. On the occasion of Stagg Bowl 50, to be played at 7 p.m. tonight at Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia (to be televised by ESPNU), two of the captains from that groundbreaking Wittenberg team will proudly represent their teammates and their beloved alma mater by participating in a pre-game reception and on-field ceremonies, including the coin toss, prior to the game between SUNY Cortland and North Central College.
All three Wittenberg captains, Steve Drongowski ’74, Randy DeMont ’74, and John Paoloni ’74, were invited to participate in tonight’s pre-game ceremonies. DeMont and Paoloni made the long trek from Colorado and Florida, respectively, to be on hand for the event.