Wheaton (Ill.) football headlines

  • Gagliardi Trophy semifinalists announced
    December 05, 2025
    Dozens of players were nominated but 15 make it to the semifinal stage. Who are they? Check out the players, then cast your fan ballot for the top all-around student-athlete in Division III football.
  • Snow kidding: It was a great second round
    November 29, 2025
    A half-dozen games came down to the final possession, snow dotted the landscape, three teams from the same conference won playoff games in the same week for the first time, and five road teams won games on Saturday in the round of 32.
  • Wheaton advances in Division III Playoffs with a dramatic 28-24 victory at wintry Wartburg
    November 29, 2025
    Waverly, Iowa – Wheaton defeated Wartburg College 28-24 on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division Football Playoffs. The Wheaton defense swatted away a potential game-winning TD pass as time expired to emerge with the win.
  • Wheaton advances to NCAA Division III Playoffs' Second Round with a 76-14 victory against Crown College
    November 22, 2025
    Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton College Thunder football team  took on the Crown College Polars in the First Round of the NCAA DIII Playoffs on Saturday afternoon at Wheaton’s McCully Stadium. This is the first-ever matchup between the two programs and the first-ever playoff appearance for the Polars, who received an automatic bid by winning the UMAC conference. Wheaton would advance to round two after beating Crown 76-14, displaying strength in all three facets of the game. Wheaton will travel to Waverly, Iowa, next Saturday to take on Wartburg University in Round Two of the DIII Football Playoffs at noon.
  • Hope hands Adrian first L; Mules rally
    October 25, 2025
    No. 4 Salisbury edged Rowan in its first big test of the season, while No. 9 UW-Whitewater rallied at home past No. 8 UW-Platteville, Muhlenberg rallied past No. 16 Carnegie Mellon, No. 7 Wartburg held off No. 14 Central and No. 19 Hope scored on the last play of the game to hand No. 25 Adrian its first loss on Saturday afternoon. Check out the Top 25 recap.
  • No. 24 ranked Wheaton picks up a 50-13 road win at Carthage
    October 19, 2024
    The No. 24 Wheaton Thunder football team took to the road on Saturday for a CCIW contest at Carthage College following two-consecutive games at McCully Stadium. The Thunder defeated the Firebirds 50-13 for the road win, and Wheaton’s 14th-consecutive win against Carthage.
  • Wheaton with a chance to start again
    September 12, 2024
    After a Week 1 loss, the Wheaton Thunder find themselves evaluating what went wrong, remembering the positives, and essentially going back into training camp before they play in Week 3. Brian Lester has more in a D3football.com Feature.
  • Belhaven announces Nightingale as head coach
    December 31, 2023
    Belhaven is excited to welcome CJ Nightingale as the eighth head football coach in program history after the Blazers' first trip to the Division III playoffs.
  • Perseverance gets Weeks, Wheaton to second round
    November 22, 2023
    Giovanni Weeks had to wait two years at Wheaton before he was even able to take the field, but now when the game is on the line, there's nobody else the Thunder want the ball in the hands of. A Road to Salem feature by Greg Thomas.
  • Wheaton defeats Mount St. Joseph, 41-34 in playoff opener
    November 18, 2023
    Wheaton, Ill – The Wheaton College football team (10-1) hosted Mount St. Joseph University (9-2) in the First Round of the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs on Saturday at McCully Stadium, with the Thunder earning a 41-34 victory against the Lions. The Thunder move onto the Second Round of the playoffs facing UW–Whitewater next Saturday at noon. The NCAA will announce the location next Saturday’s matchup tomorrow.
  • No. 12 Wheaton closes the regular season with a 42-26 victory at North Park
    November 11, 2023
    Chicago, Ill. – The Wheaton football team wrapped up its regular season schedule on Saturday afternoon with a 42-26 victory at North Park (5-5, 4-5 CCIW). Wheaton improves to 9-1 overall and 8-1 in CCIW play.
  • No. 12 Wheaton shuts out Millikin, 75-0
    October 28, 2023
    Decatur, Ill. – The 12th-ranked Wheaton football team (7-1, 6-1) shut out Millikin 75-0 on Saturday afternoon. The 75-point effort by Wheaton is the most for the Thunder football program since a 79-0 victory at home against Elmhurst on November 10, 2018 (a span of 43 games). Today’s 75-point margin of victory is the largest in the 68-game history of the Wheaton-Millikin series.
  • No. 13 Wheaton defeats Carroll 52-6 as a pair a pair of single-game records occur on offense
    October 21, 2023
    Waukesha, Wis. – The Wheaton football team, ranked 13th in the most recent D3football.com Top-25 poll, traveled to Wisconsin on Saturday for a road matchup at Carroll. The Thunder cruised to a 52-6 victory against the Pioneers (4-3, 3-3 CCIW). Wheaton improves to 6-1 overall on the season and 5-1 in CCIW play.
  • No. 13 Wheaton defeats Carthage, 50-13
    October 14, 2023
    Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton football team returned home on Saturday evening for a CCIW matchup against Carthage at McCully Stadium. The Thunder scored in every quarter tonight in earning a 50-13 victory against the Firebirds (5-1, 4-1).
  • No. 13 Wheaton rolls to a 61-6 win at Elmhurst
    October 07, 2023
    Elmhurst, Ill. – The Wheaton football team, ranked 13th in both Division III polls this week, took to the road for a CCIW contest at Elmhurst (1-4, 0-4 CCIW). The Thunder defeated the Bluejays 61-6 to improve to 4-1 on the season and 3-1 in CCIW play.
  • No. 1 North Central defeats Wheaton 54-35 in the "Battle for the Little Brass Bell"
    September 30, 2023
    Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton (3-1, 2-1 CCIW) and North Central (4-0, 3-0 CCIW) football teams faced each other on Saturday afternoon at Wheaton's McCully Stadium in the annual "Battle for the Little Brass Bell". The No. 1 ranked Cardinals defeated eighth-ranked Wheaton 54-35 today.
  • Wheaton never trails in defeating Wash U.
    November 05, 2022
  • Revisiting a wild weekend
    September 15, 2022
    We've been spoiled by some great games in the early part of the season, but haven't written enough about them. Greg Thomas revisits both the Whitewater-UMHB game and the Trinity-Wheaton game with the participants in this week's Around the Nation.
  • Wheaton defense excited to get after it again
    November 24, 2021
    After facing one of Division III's most prolific quarterbacks in the first round, the Thunder's defense is ready to take on Central and Blaine Hawkins. More in a Road to the Stagg Bowl feature by Brian Lester.
  • Wheaton names new head football coach
    January 28, 2020
    Jesse Scott, a 2009 graduate of Wheaton and a D3football.com first-team All-America selection as a Thunder offensive lineman, gets the call to follow Mike Swider as Wheaton's coach.
  • 2019 in review: Coaches say farewell
    January 27, 2020
    While the 2019 season was notable for many reasons, it was especially so for the number of prominent coaches who decided to hang it up. In his year in review, Adam Turer talks with Larry Kindbom, Mike Leonard and Mike Swider, plus wraps up the 2019 season.
  • Wheaton's Swider announces his retirement
    December 10, 2019
    After nearly 40 years at Wheaton College, 35 on staff and 24 as head coach, Mike Swider announced his retirement on Tuesday.
  • For Wheaton, No. 2 wasn't good enough
    December 03, 2019
    While most programs would be delighted to post a winning percentage of .800, the Thunder were determined to not repeat the last two seasons, where they went 8-2 and finished as runners-up in the CCIW. Perhaps 12-0 is more their liking. Adam Turer has more.
  • Central, Chapman win in OT; SJU survives
    November 23, 2019
    The Wheaton bracket, on the bottom left, saw three great games. Central rallied to beat UW-Oshkosh in overtime, St. John's survived a shootout with Aurora and Linfield and Chapman needed multiple extra periods to decide it out west.
  • Wheaton secures its first CCIW Championship since 2015 with a 58-0 victory at Elmhurst
    November 16, 2019
    Wheaton, Ill. - The fourth-ranked Thunder football team put the finishing touches on the third 10-0 season in program history on Saturday with a 58-0 victory at Elmhurst College. The shutout is Wheaton's fifth of the season as the Thunder clinched an outright CCIW Championship, their first since 2015 and 17th in program history. With the CCIW title, Wheaton will make its first playoff appearance since 2016.
  • November 09, 2019
  • No. 5 Wheaton shuts out Augustana, 40-0 under rainy and cold conditions
    October 26, 2019
    Wheaton , Ill. - The Wheaton football team, ranked fifth in the current D3football.com Top-25 poll, shut out Augustana 40-0 on Saturday afternoon under rainy conditions at McCully Stadium. Wheaton remains undefeated on the season at 7-0 overall and 6-0 in CCIW play. Augustana is now 4-3 this season with a 3-3 record in conference play.
  • Why isn't my team ranked?
    October 24, 2019
    Adam Turer fields that question and more from readers in this week's edition of Around the Nation. What are the best determining factors for the playoffs, how can my team get into the top four, and more.
  • Thunder remain unbeaten
    October 19, 2019
  • Top 25 roundup: TLU topples HSU
    October 05, 2019
    Texas Lutheran delivered a big blow to Hardin-Simmons' playoff hopes, Wheaton defeated North Central for the fourth year in a row, while Union knocked off Hobart and Hope dispatched Trine from the rankings in Saturday's action among teams in the D3football.com Top 25.
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