From the NFL to D-III

D3Playbook SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 | written by Steve Ulrich your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III

Welcome to d3Playbook Note: Some of you are receiving the d3Playbook via email because of your role as an influencer in Division III athletics. d3Playbook is available as a subscription email and can also be viewed online here at d3Playbook.com. Our goal is to keep you apprised of what's happening around Division III - the games, polls, news, happenings, awards, calendar of events, and much more. We hope you enjoy d3Playbook and that you'll share this with your friends, colleagues and co-workers. Thanks for reading. Steve >> This morning's word count: 1,168 words - an easy 4-minute read.

Subscribe to d3Playbook

1. From the NFL to D-III (Aurora Beacon News) - The last time many of us saw Don Beebe, he was a member of the Buffalo Bills chasing down Leon Lett of the Dallas Cowboys. Beebe caught Lett, swatted the ball out of his hands, preventing an easy TD in Super Bowl XXVII. Today, Beebe is the first-year head coach at Aurora University and riding high after his Spartans knocked off No. 25 St. Norbert, 50-40, in the season opener. "I'm having the time of my life." >> Quotable: "One surprise to me was how passionate kids are,” Beebe said of the NCAA Division III level. “They pay their own way, some work. I’ve never seen kids so great at time management. They juggle so much." >> Fame: "I'm reminded of (the Super Bowl) play almost every day," says Beebe with a laugh. "I'm not kidding you or exaggerating. At this time of year, it's a half dozen times per day around Super Bowl time. It blows my mind." >> Lessons Learned: "I hadn't realized this before, but I realized that playing in the NFL wasn't about me," he says. "It was about the platform that I had to impact people. I wish more players would understand this, what they really mean to the fans and kids in schools. "I still use that platform today to impact kids and people and I gotta tell you, it's the greatest reward you can have to do that. The Leon Lett play stapled that for me." >> Watch the Play no matter how painful it is for me as a Bills fan.

2. Stevenson, Ravens Team Up to Hit GenZ (Front Office Sports) - "Sandwiched between the Philadelphia Eagles to the north and Washington Redskins to the south, the Baltimore Ravens have always had to work extra hard to get and keep fans. While studying fan research provided by the NFL, the Ravens realized they had a hole in their fan base, according to Brad Downs, the team’s vice president of marketing. Growing up, kids in the Baltimore area are avid Ravens fans. But some lose interest when they get to college, according to Downs. That’s a concern for a club that wants them to buy season tickets after they graduate and start their careers. And a problem for the NFL, which is trying to figure out how to reach Generation Z.  To keep these young customers from flying away, the franchise is testing a new fan engagement program with Stevenson University. The Ravens call their fan groups around the country “flocks.” But the franchise doesn’t see their first college “flock” as the typical fan group. Students at Stevenson who sign up will also get an education in sports business, said Downs. Some will intern at Ravens headquarters in nearby Owings Mills, Md. Team executives from various departments will visit the campus in Stevenson, Md., to teach them the ins and outs of the pro sports industry." >> Why Stevenson?: Stevenson is a natural for the Ravens’ first college flock. The private university is only 10 minutes from Ravens headquarters in Owings Mills. The team has held public practices on campus. Head coach John Harbaugh delivered the keynote commencement address to graduating Stevenson seniors in 2015. The coach was awarded the school’s highest academic degree: a doctorate in Humane Letters. >> Why It Matters: Dr. Takisha Toler, associate professor of marketing, serves as the faculty lead for digital marketing at Stevenson. She plans to incorporate the flock into some of her classes, with students creating marketing strategies for their “client.” “We’ll also have people from the Ravens come out. Not just players but also professionals in the accounting department, the law department,” she said. “They can talk about how to combine your passion with your career. That’s what our students are excited about.”

3. Polls, Polls, Polls Soccer (M) - United Soccer Coaches Tufts SUNY Oneonta Oglethorpe John Carroll Johns Hopkins Amherst Chicago Claremont-M-S Augsburg North Park 11. SUNY Cortland, 12. Franklin & Marshall, 13. Capital, 14. Washington and Lee, 15. Calvin, 16. Loras, 17. Puget Sound, 18. Connecticut College, 19. Stevens, 20. Mary Washington, 21. Ithaca, 22. Penn State-Behrend, 23. Mary Hardin-Baylor, 24. Luther, 25. Brandeis. Soccer (W) - United Soccer Coaches Williams William Smith Messiah Christopher Newport Middlebury Wheaton, Ill. College of New Jersey Johns Hopkins St. Thomas Washington-St. Louis 11. Trinity, Texas, 12. Amherst, 13. Pomona-Pitzer, 14. Lynchburg, 15. Otterbein, 16. Misericordia, 17. NY, 18. MIT, 19. Loras, 20. Centre, 21. Stevens, 22. Case Western, 23. Chicago, 24. Trinity, Conn., 25. Swarthmore. Field Hockey - NFHCA Middlebury Rowan Tufts Salisbury College of New Jersey Vassar Messiah Johns Hopkins Bowdoin Montclair State 11. Franklin & Marshall, 12. Christopher Newport, 13. Ursinus, 14. Rochester, 15. Trinity. Conn., 16. Williams, 17. Amherst, 18. Babson, 19. Hamilton, 20. Endicott Rising: Bowdoin (+6), Ursinus (+6), Christopher Newport (+4), Montclair State (+3), Salisbury (+3). Falling: Rochester (-5), Williams (-5), Babson (-4), Johns Hopkins (-3), Messiah (-3), Trinity (-3) Hello: Endicott. Bye-Bye: Washington & Jefferson. Volleyball - AVCA Emory Calvin Claremont-M-S Berry Johnson & Wales (R.I.) Juniata Colorado College Chicago UW-Eau Claire Carnegie Mellon 11. Trinity, Texas, 12. Saint Benedict, 13. Hope, 14. Wittenberg, 15. UW-Whitewater, 16. Wesleyan, 17. Augsburg, 18. St. Thomas, 19. Carthage, 20. Babson, 21. Ohio Northern, 22. Ithaca, 23. Clarkson, 24. Pacific Lutheran, 25. Mary Hardin-Baylor Rising: St. Benedict (+10), Chicago (+5), Berry (+4), Hope (+4) Falling: Ithaca (-7), Wittenberg (-6), UW-Eau Claire (-5), Mary Hardin-Baylor (-5) Hello: Carnegie Mellon, Augsburg, St. Thomas Bye-Bye: Christopher Newport, Washington-St. Louis, Gustavus Adolphus, Illinois Wesleyan.

4. Top-25 Matchups Soccer (W) (8) Johns Hopkins at (7) TCNJ - watch

5.  Comings ...  Maureen "Mo" White named athletic director at Connecticut College. Matt Higgins named head men's and women's golf coach at Regis. Meredith College announced that its golf program has moved from club to varsity this fall and that field hockey will be added in 2020. John Linnan named assistant men's lacrosse coach at Berry. Katherine Athens named assistant women's lacrosse coach at Berry Tiana Jones named assistant women's basketball coach at SUNY Canton. Rob Smith named manager of athletic video production at Christopher Newport Karen Lipyanek named associate athletic trainer at Marymount. Hannah Wohltmann named assistant athletic trainer at Marymount. Maria Ochoa named athletic training assistant at Averett Katie Smith promoted to full-time assistant athletic trainer at Norwich. ... and Goings Gary Karner announced his retirement as commissioner of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference effective in August 2020.

6.  1 Calendar Thing Happy #PalindromeWeek everyone! Thanks to MIT engineering. >> For the Numbers Challenged: Since it’s the 19th year of the century and the 9th month of the year, you can read the dates, numerically, the same backwards or forwards starting 9-10-19 through 9-19-19.

Subscribe to d3Playbook