FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Retired Old Rat]

Congratulations to River Falls and extra special congratulations to Fred Falcon. Great story. Seems like a good group of guys starting with Matt Walker. 

I think Kaleb Blaha may be the most impactful d3 player I've seen. That goes back 50 years. 

[WarhawkDad]

Congratulations to the Falcons.  Way to bring the trophy back to the WIAC. Congrats to Fred as well!  I am sure it was worth the wait. 

WarhawkDad

[emma17]

Holy giant cahonies!!
Way to go UWRF. Such grit and fortitude.

Thanks for a great Sunday evening w my wife and 89 yr old dad watching the game.

[fredfalcon]

All your kind comments MUCH APPRECIATED! I did not feel comfortable until under 2 minutes left. No better human being than Coach Walker, a deserving winner. Yes, JOHNNIE'S BAR is the best! I tried to get some real Johnnies to go there a few years ago when St. John's last played in RF, but was unsuccessful.

[emma17]

Big shoutout to Pat and Keith on the broadcast. I especially appreciated their understanding of who UWRF and Coach Walker are. Traditional football says kick the field goals, but that's not who the Falcons are and Pat and Keith made that clear. Easy for fans unfamiliar with Coach Walker especially if they didn't listen to the pre game interviews. He made it clear what UWRF would do. He said he doesn't care what others say, including his father. True to his word.

[Ron Boerger]

Congrats to UWRF, its players (OMG Kaleb Blaha, what a freaking game and season), fans, and Matt Walker, all of whom give hope to teams that the mountain can be climbed even if your program may not have a history of success at that level.

I go all the way back to when Walker was a backup QB at DePauw.  Great to see his success with the Falcons, and kudos to the UWRF administration who had the patience to give him the chance to bring the team to where it finds itself today.  An amazing story and definitely an example of #whyd3!

[footballfan413]

Well, hi there, Fellas! 
Long time no post.  A huge congrats to an amazing Falcons team, coach and bringing the Walnut and Bronze back to the WIAC!  Such an amazing game! The D3 play-off system, once again, gave us two great teams who were worthy of their shot at a championship!  I admit to being thrilled that it was a contest between an Illinois and a Wisconsin team!  The contrasting offensive styles was very fun to watch. Blaha is a phenomenal player! And the Falcon defense forcing 2 turnovers in the red zone was the key IMHO. 
   
You boys know what I'm going to say, "Defense wins Championships. Baby!"
       
As someone who watched River Falls closely during WIAC play back in 2004-2007, the programs turnaround from the bottom of the conference to the top of D3 football is nothing short of amazing!
  A big congrats to UWRF's super fan, Fred!  So happy for you, the team, the coaching staff and the Falcons program! 
   

[footballfan413]

I see UWW fitting the boringly better description more consistently in their 10 Stagg appearances. In their 6 wins, I'd point to Beaver, Coppage, Kumerow and Behrendt as offensive playmakers that went beyond the boringly better performance of their teammates. Meinerz was in a class of his own.

Derek Stanley was a stud receiver.

Some studs on UWW's defense.  The ones I remember are A.J. Raebel and Ryan Kleppe. They really stood out to me in 2005.  No Stagg Bowl win but made the game.

Thanks for the shout out, ROR  

[bleedpurple]

Congratulations Fred and the Falcons! A very special team this year.

[D3fanboy]

Hugh's brother, Matt Janus is leaving UW-L for the D2 dumpster fire Northern Michigan...weird

[Retired Old Rat]

Congratulations Fred and the Falcons! A very special team this year.

I see UWW fitting the boringly better description more consistently in their 10 Stagg appearances. In their 6 wins, I'd point to Beaver, Coppage, Kumerow and Behrendt as offensive playmakers that went beyond the boringly better performance of their teammates. Meinerz was in a class of his own.

Derek Stanley was a stud receiver.

Some studs on UWW's defense.  The ones I remember are A.J. Raebel and Ryan Kleppe. They really stood out to me in 2005.  No Stagg Bowl win but made the game.

Thanks for the shout out, ROR  

You're welcome.  Check you pms

[hazzben]

Fred Falcon, take a bow, a victory lap, yada yada ... soak it up sir!!

What a game!! UWRF felt like a team of destiny, from basically the mid-point of the season on.

Blaha, just an incredible player. Agree with ROR, I think he's the best D3 player I've seen.

Walker's interview at the end was the icing on the cake. The raw emotion of it all just pouring out. The leadership and steadfastness to take a team out of the wilderness, survive winless seasons, etc. and keep the staff, admin, and players bought in. How many times did he have to look himself in the mirror and convince himself to stay the course?! It's one thing to take over a team that's had success, but to pull off the turnaround is just a great story. Congrats to UWRF coaches, players, staff, admin, and the city. Enjoy!!

[DuffMan]

Congrats to UWRF!  Wow, that was an incredible game.

[Ron Boerger]

UWLaX in the market for a new coach as Matt Janus leaves for D2 Northern Michigan.

[cubs]

The leadership and steadfastness to take a team out of the wilderness, survive winless seasons, etc. and keep the staff, admin, and players bought in. How many times did he have to look himself in the mirror and convince himself to stay the course?! It's one thing to take over a team that's had success, but to pull off the turnaround is just a great story.

I was impressed with how the telecast shared that the current DC was the former OC before Coach Walker made the tough decision to take over play-calling duties...  That's not always an easy choice to make and usually ruffles feathers.  I give the DC a TON of credit for not taking it personal and adapting to his new position.  Pretty impressive to see that defense pitch a second half shutout last night against North Central!