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Wittenberg is first DIII member of 700 club

By Ryan Maurer
For NCAA.org

Wittenberg became the first NCAA Division II or III football program to reach 700 wins when the Tigers opened their 2011 season with a 24-21 victory over visiting Capital.

Wittenberg is just the 19th NCAA program, regardless of division, to surpass 700 all-time wins, joining the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama and Notre Dame. Wittenberg’s all-time record now stands at 700-347-32 since the first recorded game in 1892, a history that spans parts of three centuries and five national championships.

Wittenberg, ranked 20th in the d3football.com preseason poll, boasts more wins than any other Division II or III team and five national championships, including the first Division III title in 1973 (when the NCAA restructured into a divisional format).

The program’s most recent title came in 1975, the same year Wittenberg picked up win No. 400. Prior poll national titles are credited in 1962, 1964 and 1969.

The most recent program to join the 700-win club was Auburn with a 49-31 victory over Georgia on Nov. 13, 2010. 

Wittenberg head coach Joe Fincham improved his career record to 137-31 with the win. Fincham, who took the reins in 1996 after six years as a Tiger assistant coach, was also at the helm in 1999 for the university’s 600th all-time victory, a 14-0 decision over North Coast Athletic Conference rival Ohio Wesleyan.

Wittenberg fielded its first intercollegiate football team in 1892, but the program’s first win came in 1893 with a 64-0 defeat of Heidelberg. The Tigers opened the following season with a 6-0 win over Ohio State on Sept. 7, 1894, a game played at the Ohio State Fair. An 18-6 victory over the Buckeyes followed just two games later and helped the Tigers to their first winning record (5-2).