Occidental College

OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1895-2020)

OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL QUICK HISTORY Established in 1895, Oxy Tiger football debuted with a 5-0 campaign in Division II. Following its inaugural season, the program took a five-year hiatus before returning for the 1901 season. After that, Oxy football held strong through the 1900s and early 2000s, earning 20 SCIAC Championships, producing four NFL players and coaches, reaching seven Division III NCAA Tournament appearances and acheiving a 31-game SCIAC winning streak. The program still holds the conference's leaders in passing and rushing yards, Bryan Scott '17 and Kwame Do '16.  Before joining Division III, however, Tiger football spent the bulk of its existence as a Division II program. The Tigers were 274-236-22 as a DII program. Their pinnacle in the NCAA's second division was a 1948-49 season Raisin Bowl victory in Fresno, Calif. The unbeatten Tigers, led by Roy Dennis, bested Colorado A&M 21-20 with 14 fourth-quarter points to complete a perfect season.  The bulk of Oxy's national success came in the 1980's and 2000's as a DIII program under head coach Dale Widolff. The Tigers earned 10 wins twice in Widolff's time, first led by Oxy Hall of Famer and former NFL player, Vance Mueller in 1984. Mueller ran for 14 touchdowns as the Tigers completed a 10-0 regular season. The 2004 season is still the greatest of any SCIAC football program as the Tigers, led by the late-great quarterback Andy Collins '08, reached the third round of the NCAA tournament (still the only SCIAC school to do so). The Tigers took down Willamette in the playoff opener, 28-14, then travelled to Fargo, N.D. for round two, beating Concordia-Moorhead in a thriller, 42-40.