2011 Saint Xavier Cougars football team

2011 Saint Xavier Cougars football
NAIA national champion
ConferenceMid-States Football Association
DivisionMideast League
Record14–1 (4–1 MSFA)
Head coach
Home stadiumDeaton Field
Seasons
← 2010
2012 →
2011 Mid-States Football Association standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Mideast League
No. 3 Marian (IN) x^   5 0     12 1  
No. 1 Saint Xavier ^   4 1     14 1  
No. 7 Saint Francis (IN) ^   3 2     9 3  
Taylor   2 3     5 5  
Quincy   1 4     4 6  
Concordia (MI)   0 5     0 11  
Midwest League
No. 8 St. Francis (IL) x^   6 1     10 3  
No. 18 Grand View x^   6 1     8 4  
No. 15 William Penn   5 2     9 2  
No. 22 St. Ambrose   5 2     7 3  
Olivet Nazarene   3 4     5 6  
Iowa Wesleyan   2 5     3 7  
Trinity International   1 6     2 8  
Waldorf   0 7     2 9  
  • x – League champion/co-champions
    ^ – NAIA playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll

The 2011 Saint Xavier Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Saint Xavier University as a member of the Mideast League of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) during the 2011 NAIA football season. In their 13th season under head coach Mike Feminis, the Cougars compiled a 14–1 record and won the NAIA national championship, defeating Carroll (Montana), 24–20, in the NAIA National Championship Game.[1]

The team ran a no-huddle spread offense that led the NAIA with an average of 45.9 points per game.[2][3] The national championship was the first for a Chicago college team in nearly a century (dating to the 1913 Chicago Maroons football team).[2]

Key players included quarterback Jimmy Coy, running back Nick Pesek, kicker Tom Lynch (two-time winner of the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place Kicker Award), and brothers Ryan Fejedelem (linebacker) and Clayton Fejedelem (safety).[4][3]

The Saint Xavier football program was established 18 years earlier in 1993. Coach Feminis played linebacker on the first Saint Francis team.[2] The entire athletic budget for Saint Francis was $3.9 million with 24 scholarships shared among 88 players.[2]

  1. ^ "2011 Football Schedule". Saint Xavier University. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d David Haugh (December 23, 2011). "St. Xavier embodies best of college sports". Chicago Tribune. pp. III-1, III-9 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Philip Hersh (December 14, 2011). "Winning combo: Fejedelem brothers playing major roles in St. Xavier's quest for 1st NAIA title". Chicago Tribune. p. III-4 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "St. Xavier vs. Marian". Chicago Tribune. December 3, 2011. p. II-3 – via Newspapers.com.