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Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers are fond of pointing out how their team has had just three head coaches since 1969.
Ashland University football fans can come up with a better statistic – the Eagles have had just three head coaches since 1959.
- College Football Hall of Famer Dr. Fred Martinelli's first season at then-Ashland College was 58 years ago, and in 35 seasons at the helm, he was 217-119-12 with 10 conference championships and an NCAA Division II postseason appearance.
- Gary Keller led the Eagles for the next 10 seasons, ending his tenure with 51 wins, a Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference crown and a playoff appearance.
- Now, Lee Owens is in his 14th season at Ashland, and he comes into Saturday (Sept. 16) afternoon's game at Northwood with a mark of 99-45, two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles and four playoff berths.
Owens can win his 100th game with the Eagles in Week 3 vs. the Timberwolves. Only Martinelli has won more as an Ashland head coach.
The 2011 Meeting Was An Aberration
On Oct. 1, 2011, Ashland and Northwood faced off in Midland, Mich. That was the last time they played each other on Northwood's home field, and the final score was 6-3 in favor of the Eagles.
Ashland has played 62 games since, and has scored as few as six points only once. Northwood has played 63 games since, and has scored as few as three points only three times.
Ashland-Northwood Series Goes Way Back
Of Ashland's 11 regular-season opponents in 2017, its history with Northwood goes back the furthest:
|
OPPONENT |
FIRST GAME IN SERIES |
|
Northwood |
1963 |
|
Ferris State |
1967 |
|
Wayne State |
1975 |
|
Grand Valley State |
1990 |
|
Northern Michigan |
1990 |
|
Saginaw Valley State |
1990 |
|
Michigan Tech |
1994 |
|
Tiffin |
2008 |
|
Ohio Dominican |
2010 |
|
Davenport |
2017 |
|
Indiana, Pa. |
2017 |
Irby On Pace For Ashland History
The 2017 season is just two games old, but senior cornerback Dale Irby is on pace to break two Ashland single-season kickoff return records.
Irby already has returned eight kickoffs for 234 yards this season. Former Eagle running back Dawon Harvey has the program mark in both categories, setting both in 2007 – 31 returns for 700 yards.
Ashland's Active Division II Career Leaders
Going into Week 3 of 2017, the following are Eagles on the NCAA Division II active players Top 10 career leaderboard in various individual statistics:
- Senior quarterback Travis Tarnowski first in touchdown passes (85)
- Tarnowski second in passing yards (8,857), total offense yards (9,137) and passing yards per attempt (8.31)
- Senior kicker Aidan Simenc third in field-goal percentage (85.3)
- Simenc sixth in extra points made (131)
- Tarnowski tied for sixth in completion percentage (62.2)
- Tarnowski seventh in passing efficiency (154.17)
Meder, Shaheen Continue 2017 Seasons On The Road
After their teams both suffered Week 1 losses at home, former Ashland University All-Americans Jamie Meder (defensive tackle) and Adam Shaheen (tight end) will play their first regular-season road games of the new season on Sunday (Sept. 17).
Meder and the Cleveland Browns will play at 1 p.m. at the Baltimore Ravens, while Shaheen and the Chicago Bears will go at 1 p.m. at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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