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By PAUL SOKOLOSKI; Times Leader Sports Writer
Saturday, December 07, 1996 Page: 1B
WILKES-BARRE — Call them the record setters.
And Melberger Award finalists.
Bill Borchert of Mount Union College, Dante Brown of Marietta College and
Keith Cadden of Lycoming College spent the 1996 college football season
putting their names at the top of school, conference and national record
lists. Now they’ll try to place their name next to three past Melberger
winners.
The three, who combined for 90 touchdowns this year, were named Melberger
finalists Friday by the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Touchdown Club.
One of them will walk away Dec. 21 with a 50-pound trophy made of
anthracite coal, which is awarded annually to the nation’s outstanding NCAA
Division III football player.
Former New York Jets coach Joe Walton, who is currently the head coach at
Robert Morris College, will be the featured speaker during the ceremony at the
Ramada Plaza Hotel in Wilkes-Barre.
Borchert, Brown and Cadden were selected finalists from a group of 78
Division III players by balloting of a panel of 54 media representatives
throughout the country.
Borchert, a junior quarterback for Mount Union, led the Purple Raiders to
their fifth consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference championship and into today’s
NCAA Division III national semifinal against the University of
Wisconsin-LaCrosse.
The preseason All-America completed 165 of his 240 passes this year for
2,655 yards. He also connected for a whopping 38 touchdown passes, setting
school and conference records.
For his career, Borchert has completed 65 percent of his passes for 7,268
yards and 94 touchdowns.
Think that’s impressive?
Well, check out Marietta College junior running back Brown, who burst onto
the scene in 1996 with a 306-yard rushing performance against nationally
ranked Central (Iowa) College.
And that wasn’t even close to his best.
The electrifying tailback from Orange Park, Fla. set an NCAA record for all
divisions with 441 yards in a victory over Baldwin Wallace, and tied a school
record that day by scoring six touchdowns. That was the second time Brown
rushed for more than 400 yards in a game this year.
His spectacular season earned him appearances in Sports Illustrated, USA
Today and on ESPN. He set the Division III record with 2,973 all-purpose yards
this year. He also had 27 touchdowns and 166 points this season, which were
two of the 10 school records that he broke or tied.
Then again, Cadden set new standards himself.
The Lycoming senior passed the Warriors over Wilkes University to win the
Freedom League title in the regular season finale, wrapping up the school’s
fifth unbeaten regular season and ninth Middle Atlantic Conference overall
title.
The MAC’s most valuable player, Cadden set a Warrior record with 2,381
passing yards, while connecting on 169 of his 293 passes for 25 touchdowns.
He’ll lead 11-0 Lycoming into today’s NCAA Division III semifinal against
Rowan.
Interestingly, quarterbacks Borchert and Cadden could wind up battling for
the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl’s national championship next week, while wrestling
for the Melberger.