FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[CardinalAlum]

Anyone hear if our guy's phone rang yet? Not seeing anything on the Twitter. Gotta figure someone will invite him out.

Houston Texans for Andrew Kamienski.

Is that a minicamp invite or training camp contract?

Minicamp invite is what I heard.  Might as well go to one of the worst teams in the league for a tryout!

[Gregory Sager]

Wes Welnack, who had been Millikin's D-line coach and strength coordinator, has moved over to North Park. He'll serve as NPU's new O-line coach.

[New Tradition]

Wes Welnack, who had been Millikin's D-line coach and strength coordinator, has moved over to North Park. He'll serve as NPU's new O-line coach.

Former teammate of mine.  Always very technically minded.  This should be a good hire for the East Vikings.

[robertgoulet]

Anyone hear if our guy's phone rang yet? Not seeing anything on the Twitter. Gotta figure someone will invite him out.

Houston Texans for Andrew Kamienski.

Is that a minicamp invite or training camp contract?

Must be rookie minicamp invite, he's not on any lists of UDFA signings.

[USee]

Wheaton's incoming class is 30 strong. 5 transfers including a QB from Liberty, an OT from Princeton, and a 6-4 DB from Indiana Wesleyan. Looks like a good group.

https://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2022/6/3/FB_2022Newcomers.aspx

[Next Man Up]

Troy Hammond, who just resigned the North Central College Presidency, is the current chair of the NCAA Division III Presidents Council so a new Chair might be needed.

[blue_jays]

Sad news from Wheaton: former Head Football Coach J.R. Bishop died.
https://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2022/6/21/wheaton-college-remembers-former-head-football-coach-j-r-bishop-1938-2022.aspx

[CardinalAlum]

Sad news from Wheaton: former Head Football Coach J.R. Bishop died.
https://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2022/6/21/wheaton-college-remembers-former-head-football-coach-j-r-bishop-1938-2022.aspx

Great man and great coach.  RIP, Coach Bishop...

[79jaybird]

Rest in paradise Coach Bishop.  A great football mind and great mentor.  Wheaton football would not be here today without his influence.

[USee]

JR Bishop was a great man and the friendliest, nicest, most loving man you would ever meet. I have never known a single person who didn't like JR. In addition, he was responsible for turning the Wheaton program around and sending it on to where it is now. JR took over the Wheaton Football program in 1982 and was the team's 4th different head coach in 4 years. They were 1-8/2-7 each of those 4 years including JR's first year. In 1983 Bishop's program went 6-3 in the CCIW which coincided with the start of Augustana's 4peat as National champions. JR engineered winning seasons in all but one of his next 12 seasons and won his first outright conference title and NCAA playoff birth in 1995. Mike Swider became JR's defensive coordinator in the fall of 1985 until he took over as Head Coach in 1996. And JR, rather than retire, stayed on as Mike's offensive coordinator for another 4-5 years as the program really began to establish national prominence.

JR will be missed but more than that, he will be celebrated for the man he was. A man who loved people and more than that he loved God. RIP JR.

Services are Monday morning at 11am at College Church in Wheaton (visitation Sunday 2-7pm at Hultgren's funeral home in Wheaton)

[Augie6]

I didn't know Coach Bishop but I do know he was a great Coach and, from what I have been told from people who did, an even better person.  He surely was ahead of his time in bringing a sophisticated passing offense into D3.  I'll never forget playing Wheaton during my sophomore year in 1984, and they threw the ball 75 times against us in that game.  I still find that hard to believe.  I agree with USee that he was the spark that started the Wheaton program on the road to national prominence. RIP Coach. 

[markerickson]

Conversely, did Augie's wishbone run the ball 75 times?

By how many points did the Vikings defeat Wheaton that year?

[markerickson]

Conversely, did Augie's wishbone run the ball 75 times?

By how many points did the Vikings defeat Wheaton that year?

[Gregory Sager]

Conversely, did Augie's wishbone run the ball 75 times?

By how many points did the Vikings defeat Wheaton that year?

Neither Augie nor Wheaton has a full box score for that game, so I doubt that anyone could tell you how many times Augie ran the ball. But Augie won the game, 45-14, which ought to tell you all you need to know about it.

There are some statistical tidbits about the game in the Augustana '84 season summary on the Augie website, though. Of those 75 Wheaton passes, 47 were caught -- but only 41 of them were caught by players wearing Wheaton uniforms. Wheaton gained 432 yards through the air (but only 30 on the ground in 17 carries), but Augustana countered that by rushing for 434 yards and six touchdowns.

The time of possession differential in that game must've been ridiculous.

[USee]

JR Bishops first three years at the helm saw their offense rise to #1 in the country with JR's son, Keith Bishop, rewriting NCAA record books at the time with their "Air Bishop Express" offense. In 1985 Keith Bishop averaged 50 pass attempts a game. Defensively Wheaton was last in the conference those years and the losses to Augie were lopsided as a result. Mike Swider arrived for the 1985 season as Wheaton's defensive coordinator and Wheaton immediately went from last to 2nd in the conference (Augie had the top defense in the conference and the country during their 4 peat run). After scoring 37, 47, and 45 against Wheaton in JR's first 3 seasons, when Swider's defense took over they lost in 1985 14-26 in a game that was tight until the 4th quarter and then in 1986 Augie's 4 years streak should have ended in Rock Island as the Vikings escaped with an 18-17 victory, kicking a FG with 6 seconds left to win. Augie ran the ball 49 times that day and completed zero passes (the officials allowed 1 completed pass that bounced into a WR's hands on 4th and 7 with under 2 minutes to go that would have ended the game-not that I'm still bitter). Augie went on to win their 4th national championship that year, beating everyone in the playoffs by an average of 31-7.