The Gateway Football Conference went 3-1 in the opening round of the I-AA playoffs, but all three teams will be on the road on Dec. 6, as quarterfinal action takes place next Saturday. This past weekend, Western Illinois won at Montana, 43-40 (2ot); Western Kentucky rolled past Jacksonville State, 45-7; UNI outdistanced visiting Montana State, 35-14; and Southern Illinois fell at Delaware, 48-7.   Saturday, [...]

For the first time in league history, the Gateway has a repeat Offensive Player of the Year and a repeat Defensive Player of the Year honoree in the same season, as QB Russ Michna and LB Boomer Grigsby successfully defended their 2002 individual honors by earning 2003 Gateway Conference top player awards. Additionally, Jerry Kill – a finalist for Eddie Robinson national coach of the [...]

n the final regular-season poll of 2003, four Gateway schools are in the Sports Network/CSTV Top 10, including Southern Illinois, which ranks No. 4 in the nation to lead all Gateway teams. UNI ranks No. 7 in the poll, while Western Kentucky (9th) and Western Illinois (10th) represent the league in the nation’s Top 10. It marks the fourth time this year that four Gateway [...]

Thirty-three student-athletes, including 12 who earned first-team honors, highlight the 2003 Gateway Conference all-academic team, announced by the league office today. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.00 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). Student-athletes must have reached sophomore academic and athletic standing at their institutions (freshmen are not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year [...]

Randy Ball, head football coach at Southwest Missouri State for the past five years, has been given a two-year contract extension in action approved Friday by the SMS Board of Governors. The extension will extend through the 2005 season. The athletics and university administration recommended that Ball’s coaching contract be extended and the Board of Governors unanimously approved that recommendation. Ball’s salary and other contract [...]

Led by Southern Illinois at No. 5, the Gateway’s playoff hopefuls occupy four of the top 11 spots in this week’s Sports Network poll. UNI, which claimed the league’s automatic berth and co-championship with the win over SIU last week, is at No. 8. Western Kentucky (8-3) is at No. 10, while Western Illinois (8-3) is No. 11. All of the Gateway schools are idle [...]

The Waiting Game: The Gateway has four post-season eligible teams and won’t find out until the NCAA I-AA football committee makes its selections on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 12 noon CST on ESPNews. No league has ever received four bids into the I-AA field. Title Town In the league’s 19 seasons, UNI has won or shared the title a league-best 11 times. This year marked [...]

This week’s Gateway Players of the Week are Eddie Galles of UNI; DB Dennis Mitchell of Western Kentucky; RS Steven Rush of SMS; and OG Ross Bohner of UNI. Offensive WR Eddie Galles, UNI Sr., 6-2, 193, Mankato (Minn.) Mtn. Lake Playing in his final regular-season home game for the Panthers, Galles had the best single-game receiving effort in league history. Galles caught a school [...]

UNI led for just :25, but it was the final :25 as the Panthers rallied from a 28-7 halftime deficit and 40-28 fourth-quarter deficit to win 43-40, handing No. 2 Southern Illinois (10-1, 6-1) its only loss of the year. The win gave UNI (9-2, 6-1) a share of the league title and the Gateway’s automatic I-AA playoff berth. Western Kentucky beat Youngstown State, 37-13; [...]

Ten Gateway Conference players have been named to their respective district Academic All-America teams this week. QB Russ Michna and OL Perry Cox of Western Illinois both hold perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point averages and represent the league on the District V team. Joining Michna and Cox on the All-District V University Division Football Team are TE Chris Kupec of Southern Illinois; RB Jake Shields [...]