Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame
NAIA Division II National Champions
Just before Linfield opened its 1982 football season against Southern Oregon, fullback Mike Freeman was asked if revenge for a 1981 loss to the Raiders would be a motivating factor.
"No - we just look at this as another step toward the national championship," Freeman said.
And, week by week that autumn, the Wildcats made more and more believers that the goal would be met. By December 11, when Linfield beat William Jewell 33-15 in the NAIA Division II national championship game, there seemed no other way such a season could finish.
"It had a storybook ending, didn't it? Like it was meant to be," said Linfield head coach Ad Rutschman, whose team won the first-ever football national championship by a team from Oregon.
Linfield went 12-0. Eight times - including all three playoff games - the Wildcats had come from behind to win. The 'Cats climbed from seventh to second in the national poll during the season, but were never ranked No. 1 before finishing with the national title.
"We were a team of destiny. There was never any doubt about it," said quarterback Randy Mueller, one of four Wildcats to earn All-America honors. Joining Mueller were nose guard Jim Winston, center Brad Gilbertson and offensive tackle Dave Lorenz.
An indication of the depth of Linfield's talent came with a look at the All-Northwest Conference team, as 19 players earned at least honorable mention; 12 of those were first-team selections. As the 'Cats got ready for the 1982 season, they had 12 returning starters among their 60 returning lettermen.
Mueller, who missed the 1981 season due to an injury, set single-season school records for pass attempts (327), yards passing (2,180) and total offense (2,430) and tied the school mark for touchdown passes (20). Only twice did a Wildcat rush for at least 100 yards during the season - running back Dan Crowell against Willamette and in the national final against William Jewell - but Linfield averaged 201.6 yards per game on the ground. Four Wildcats had at least 300 yards rushing - Crowell leading the way with 516 yards, running back Tim Nacrelli adding 401, Freeman 338 and wingback Howard Hines 306. Coupling that with Mueller's passing, Linfield averaged 397.7 yards per game in total offense.
Linfield's defense allowed a meager 59.3 yards rushing per game. Opponents were able to move the ball 225.3 yards per game through the air but much of that was negated by the Wildcats' school-record 39 interceptions. Among those were nine by Kyle Tarpenning and seven by Steve Belt; 12 different 'Cats had at least one interception.
The season began with a 27-13 win at Southern Oregon, and the opener at Maxwell Field was a 41-21 win over Western Washington. Both were come-from-behind efforts; the victory over WWU had been tied 14-14 until the Wildcats scored 27 fourth-quarter points. At Eastern Oregon, Linfield led wire-to-wire in a 30-20 win. Back home was a showdown with Oregon Tech and Johnny Barnett, the NAIA's leading rusher with an average of 185 yards per game. The 'Cats held Barnett to 84 yards and came back from an early deficit to take a 40-35 win. Next, a 28-point third quarter was the key to a 41-0 homecoming win over Pacific as Linfield yielded just 96 yards of total offense. The closest call of the season came at Lewis & Clark, where Linfield trailed 16-7 late in the third quarter. The 'Cat defense limited the Pioneers to minus-5 yards and no first downs in the fourth quarter, but Linfield still trailed 16-14 when it got the ball back with less than a minute to play. On the first play, Mueller found Kent Bostick for a 52-yard touchdown pass and a 20-16 win. On Rutschman's 51st birthday, the 'Cats came back to take the lead midway through the third quarter and went on to a 43-14 home win over Willamette as Crowell rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown. The next week at Whitworth, NAIA passing leader Mike Martin threw for 397 yards but was sacked seven times and intercepted four more as Linfield romped to a 49-14 win. The regular-season finale at Maxwell Field saw Gordon Smith pick off three passes and the Wildcats come up with four quarterback sacks in a 27-7 victory over Pacific Lutheran that wrapped up the Northwest Conference title. Tim Nacrelli rushed for 95 of Linfield's 295 yards on the ground as the Wildcats secured their first playoff berth since 1978 and prompted Mueller to say, "We're starting to peak. There's no end to what this team can do."
The postseason opened on a sloppy Maxwell Field, but California Lutheran quarterback Russ Jensen was still able to set NAIA playoff records for pass attempts (57), completions (35) and passing yards (437); but he also tied the record for interceptions with seven and Tarpenning had three of those in Linfield's 20-16 win. Mueller tossed a pair of touchdown passes as Linfield came back from an 8-7 halftime deficit. Westminster of Pennsylvania visited for the national semifinals and quickly took a nine-point lead, but Mueller's 49-yard touchdown run started a string of 37 straight points for a 37-9 win. Mueller passed for 178 yards and rushed for 48, while Steve Hoge had four catches for 97 yards. Winston racked up four quarterback sacks to send Linfield to the national championship game for the first time since the 1965 Camellia Bowl. McMinnville was chosen to host the final against William Jewell of Missouri, with the site being McMinnville High's Wortman Stadium. Gov. Vic Atiyeh declared that Saturday "Linfield College Football Day" in Oregon; an overflow crowd of 4,588 filled the stadium and the game was televised live to the state by KATU-TV. William Jewell grabbed the lead on the first play from scrimmage, but it took the Wildcats just three plays to even the score; by halftime, the 'Cats led 26-7 and had rolled up over 300 yards total offense. Mueller completed 19 of 33 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns, and Crowell balanced the offense with 15 carries for 112 yards as the Linfield wrapped up the national title.
Afterward, in the midst of the muddy celebration on the field, linebacker Joel Bertsch summed up the afternoon and the season: "It means everything. It means Linfield College."
