Where Humility and Greatness Meet

The first college football game ever was held on November 6, 1869 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The game has evolved a ton since that day when 25 players from Rutgers beat the Princeton 25 by a score of 6-4. Scoring and rules have undergone dramatic changes in the ensuing years. But the passion, the love, and the history of college football continues to run deep.

Every autumn for the past 140 years, college football players have banded together and put their school pride on the line as they hit the gridiron. Thousands of players have distinguished themselves with incredible performances and careers. And in over 140 years of college football, no player has ever scored as many points with his foot than unassuming UW Whitewater kicker Jeff Schebler. It's almost hard to take in. No kicker who has ever stepped on the football field at any level of college football has ever scored as many points as Schebler's 446. Schebler broke the all division record on Saturday November 21, in UWW's first round playoff victory over Lakeland College at Perkins Stadium.

Schebler, who also owns the NCAA Division 3 record for most career field goals and highest field goal percentage, has nailed 10-11 field goals this season. Clearly, Schebler is a valuable weapon for the Warhawks as they advance deeper into the post-season.

Jeff takes it all in stride. He was asked to write a blog chronicling his college football experience for InsideWisconsinSports.com. The week after Jeff broke the D3 scoring record (against UW on October 17th) , he wrote this paragraph within his blog:

"In the game, my second extra point put me on top of Division III scoring for kickers. This is quite an honor to have. Kicking all of the extra points for four years and being able to kick field goals was what enabled me to become #1. A lot of what I have done through the years goes out to my teammates because without them, this accomplishment would never have even had a chance to happen. The offense has been able to put the ball in the end zone, and my snapper and holder have always done a great job since I have been here."

Along with properly crediting teammates for their share in his success, the noteworthy aspect of this paragraph is that it is the SECOND paragraph in his blog. The first paragraph talked about the conference victory, the fact that all WIAC teams are tough, and the strength of the UW Stout defense. In other words, he wrote about everything BUT Jeff Schebler. But that is the Jeff Schebler the folks at UWW have come to know.

Both of Jeff's college coaches used the same two words in their first sentence in describing him. Both current UWW coach Lance Leipold and former UWW coach Bob Berezowitz described Schebler as a "great kid". Berezowitz went on to say, "Jeff's the kind of friend you would want your son or daughter to have when you send them off to college.'

The UWW administration nominated Schebler for the prestigious Gagliardi Trophy. He is currently a top 10 finalist for the award that is presented to the outstanding D3 football player, honoring excellence in football, the classroom, and community service. A summary of all the top 10 candidates and the opportunity to vote can be found in the "Playoff Toolbox" on the front page of D3football.com.