On two recent occasions I have had the satisfaction of writing about the success of the Indiana Hoosier football team. After years of losing seasons, or seasons that were predicted to be successful but didn’t live up to the preseason hype, I was elated to be able to share my excitement and enthusiasm for my Alma mater. Those two articles got a good deal of attention from people interested in football or who are alums of Indiana University. We IU football fans have NOT experienced the same amount of success as have IU basketball fans so we could describe ourselves as long-suffering. This season and last have been exciting, and have done a great deal toward reestablishing pride in our football team.
Occasionally, readers of DrGOpines.com will respond to an article with a comment, suggestion, or opinion on a related subject. Such was the case when a longtime friend and former patient shared his excitement at the success of his alma mater, the DePauw University Tigers, in response to my IU articles. His first message to me was, “Bill, It’s ok if you mention our DePauw Tigers undefeated in 18 games-in-a-row over 3 seasons. Just a thought.” Then in response to my second article October 15th, he wrote, “Bill, Remember DePauw University football team has not lost a regular season game since mid ‘22. That means DePauw has won 29 games-in-a-row. This is division III where athletes do not get NIL money, stay in college 4 years, and they tend to go to class.” These comments caught me by surprise because I was unaware of the success of DePauw’s football team, and my focus was on Indiana. So, out of respect for my friend and his concern about the lack of attention to his college team, I did some research into DePauw’s record over the last several years, and he’s right!
If you’re not a Hoosier you may have never heard of DePauw. DePauw University (not DePaul—that’s in Chicago) is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana. Greencastle is 48.5 miles west southwest of Indianapolis, and has a population just under 10,000. DePauw’s enrollment is 2161 undergraduates .It has an excellent academic reputation, and as such, can be very competitive to get accepted. Famous alumni are Bret Baier of Fox News, former Vice President Dan Quayle, and Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics President and General Manager. DePauw’s biggest athletic and academic rival is Wabash College, an all-male, liberal arts college, 29 miles north in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Annually, DePauw plays Wabash in a rival football game called the Monon Bell. Wabash leads the series 60-53-9. But more about my friends comments!
When I looked at DePauw’s won-loss record over the last 10 years, it’s quite amazing. It’s in Ohio State, Michigan, or Alabama territory—there are a lot of wins and not many losses! In fact, since 2015, DePauw has had only one losing season. That was 7 years ago (2018) when they were 4-6. It must have been a tough year because they lost to teams they normally beat.
More recently, since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, DePauw has recorded 44 regular season wins against a mere 5 losses. Looking at this season and the last 3, DePauw is 35-2. Not many schools can claim that degree of success. Some source on Google stated that DePauw was the “17th most winning program in Division III.” They have won the NCAC (North Coast Athletic Conference) Championship the past 4 years. The conference is comprised of 9 Div. III schools in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. And last season (2024) DePauw’s 10-0 record got them into the Division III playoff where they were 1-1. They lost (9-14) to John Hopkins who was ranked in the top10 all year.
I have to admit my friend was definitely right about DePauw. Having only 2 loses since the 2022 season is pretty good for a college smaller than many high schools. It deserves much more recognition than it has received. I’m very happy to share DePauw’s success with you because if the Indianapolis newspaper has mentioned anything about DePauw, I have missed it. And living in Arizona, no one has heard of DePauw. A two-and-a-half season record of 26-1 is something to crow about, though!
The current head coach, Brett Dietz, has been at DePauw since 2020. His list of wins is very impressive as were those of predecessors (eg. Bill Lynch ‘13-‘19, Nick Mourouzis 1981-2003).
I have become a believer in DePauw. Sometimes it takes a person in the know to make one aware of the successes of a team. I have been on the campus of DePauw University only two or three times in my life. The last time was for this friend’s bachelor party and that was a long time ago. So I think I can be excused for my lack of awareness of DePauw’s success at football. But it feels good to be able to share that success with him as well as many readers of DrGOpines.com.
BUT: Go HOOSIERS!
Addendum: The DePauw Tigers lost yesterday, 31-27, to John Carroll, a private college in University Heights, Ohio. That’s their first loss of this season, and the first since last December in the Div III playoff. It’s their last regular season loss since they lost to Wittenberg on October 8, 2022. In the last three seasons, other than Division III playoff games, DePauw has lost only two games.
References: Google searches: DePauw Tigers Football, NCAC Conference, Greencastle, IN,
