Wittenberg wins No. 700

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Wittenberg became the first NCAA Division II or III football program to reach 700 wins when the Tigers opened their 2011 season with a 24-21 victory against Capital.

Wittenberg is just the 19th NCAA program, regardless of division, to surpass 700 all-time wins, joining the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama and Notre Dame. Wittenberg’s all-time record now stands at 700-347-32 since the first recorded game in 1892, a history that spans parts of three centuries and includes five national championships.

Wittenberg, currently ranked 19th in the d3football.com poll, boasts more wins than any other Division II or III team and five national championships, including the first Division III title in 1973 (when the NCAA restructured into a divisional format). The program’s most recent title came in 1975, the same year Wittenberg picked up win No. 400. Previous poll national titles are credited in 1962, 1964 and 1969.

Wittenberg head coach Joe Fincham improved his career record to 137-31 with the win. Fincham, who took the reins in 1996 after six years as a Tiger assistant coach, was also at the helm in 1999 for the university’s 600th all-time victory, a 14-0 decision against North Coast Athletic Conference rival Ohio Wesleyan.

Wittenberg fielded its first intercollegiate football team in 1892, but the program’s first win came in 1893 with a 64-0 victory against Heidelberg. The Tigers opened the following season with a 6-0 win against Ohio State on Sept. 7, 1894, a game played at the Ohio State Fair. An 18-6 victory against the Buckeyes followed just two games later and helped the Tigers to their first winning record (5-2).

The most recent program before Wittenburg to join the 700-win club was Auburn when it beat Georgia 49-31 on Nov. 13, 2010.