1996 Mount Union Purple Raiders football team

1996 Mount Union Purple Raiders football
NCAA Division III champion OAC champion
Stagg Bowl, W 56–24 vs. Rowan
Conference	Ohio Athletic Conference
Record	14–0 (9–0 OAC)
Head coach	Larry Kehres (11th season)
Home stadium	Mount Union Stadium
Seasons ← 1995 1997  →

1996 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Mount Union $^		9	–	0					14	–	0
John Carroll		8	–	1					9	–	1
Marietta		6	–	3					7	–	3
Ohio Northern		6	–	3					7	–	3
Baldwin–Wallace		6	–	3					6	–	4
Muskingum		4	–	5					5	–	5
Heidelberg		2	–	7					3	–	7
Hiram		2	–	7					3	–	7
Otterbein		2	–	7					2	–	8
Capital		0	–	9					1	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

The 1996 Mount Union Purple Raiders football team was an American football team that represented the University of Mount Union in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) during the 1996 NCAA Division III football season. In their 11th year under head coach Larry Kehres, the Purple Raiders compiled a perfect 14–0 record, won the OAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 669 to 184. They qualified for the NCAA Division III playoffs and advanced to the national championship team, where they defeated Rowan, 5-–24. ^[1]

Junior quarterback Bill Borchert completed 250 of 374 passes (66%) for 4,035 yards and 55 touchdowns, including 505 yards and seven touchdowns in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. He was selected by the American Football Coaches Association as the first-team quarterback on its Division III All-America team and won the Melberger Award as the outstanding player in Division III. ^[2]

Mount Union's 1996 season was the start of a record 54-game winning streak that spanned four seasons, continuing through December 6, 1998. ^[1]

The team played its home games at Mount Union Stadium in Alliance, Ohio.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 14	at Defiance *	Defiance, OH	W 62–10	2,222
September 21	Baldwin–Wallace	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH	W 55–20	3,888
September 28	Otterbein	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH	W 49–13	3,365
October 5	at Ohio Northern	Ada, OH	W 44–7	2,650
October 12	Heidelberg	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH	W 59–7	3,110
October 19	at John Carroll	University Heights, OH	W 27–9	4,085
October 26	at Muskingum	New Concord, OH	W 55–17	2,300
November 2	Marietta	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH	W 61–16	3,666
November 9	Capital	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH	W 42–0	2,888
November 16	at Hiram	Hiram, OH	W 40–0	2,183
November 23	Allegheny *	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH (NCAA Division III first round)	W 31–26
November 30	Illinois Wesleyan *	Mount Union Stadium Alliance, OH (NCAA Division III quarterfinal)	W 49–14
December 7	at Wisconsin–La Crosse *	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI (NCAA Division III semifinal)	W 39–21	2,131	[3]
December 14	vs. Rowan *	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA (Stagg Bowl—NCAA Division III championship game)	W 56–24	5,048	[4]
*Non-conference game

^[5]

References

1. "Mount Union Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
2. "QB has No. 1 season". The Times Leader. December 22, 1996. pp. 1B, 5B – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Borchert leaves La Crosse in a daze". Wisconsin State Journal. December 8, 1996 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Mount Union routs Rowan, 56-24". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 15, 1996. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Final 1996 Division III Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Mount Union)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 31, 2025.