Whitworth Pirates Football
Sports Information
Pirates Rated Highly in Preseason Polls
July 25, 2007

Spokane, Wash. -- Coming off of the winningest season in school history, the Whitworth football team is rated highly in three preseason NCAA Division III polls heading into the 2007 schedule.

John Tully is a two-time NWC
Coach of the Year (2001, 2006)

The Pirates are ranked 10th by Street and Smith's, 16th by D3football.com and 24th by Lindy's Magazine.

Click here for the D3football.com poll. See below for the Street and Smith's and Lindy's polls. Defending champion Mount Union is ranked first in all three ratings.

Whitworth went 11-1 in 2006, finishing the regular season with a 10-0 record and winning a Northwest Conference title. The Bucs achieved several "firsts" in 2006. They were the first Whitworth team to win 10 games in a season, the first team to win a post season playoff game, and the first squad to win an outright NWC title (after ties in 1975 and 2001). The Pirates finished 9th in the final D3football.com poll.

Whitworth returns 15 starters this fall, including eight on one of the best defenses in school history, led by 2006 NWC Defensive Player of the Year Casey Clifton (Sr., LB, Spokane, Wash. - University HS). Defensive backs Jay Tully (Sr., SS, Spokane, Wash. - Mead) and Ryan Marshall (Sr., CB, Salem, Ore. - Sprague) combined for 14 interceptions last fall.

On offense Whitworth must replace NFL draftee Michael Allan (TE, Kansas City Chiefs) and quarterback Joel Clark, the school's all-time leader in total offense and touchdown passes. But they return seven starters, including All-NWC wide receiver Steve Silva (Sr., Goleta, Calif. - Coll. of the Canyons).

Head coach John Tully is 61-53 in his 12 seasons leading the Pirates, including a record of 47-20 over the last seven seasons. He is a two-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year (2001 and 2006).

The season opens on September 8th when the Bucs host University of Redlands in the Pine Bowl at Noon. Whitworth will play five home games and five away games this season. Click here for the complete 2007 football schedule.

2007 NCAA Division III Preseason Polls:

Street & Smiths   Lindy's Magazine
1.
Mount Union (OH)
1.
Mount Union (OH)
2.
St. John's (MN)
2.
Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX)
3.
St. John Fisher (NY)
3.
Wisconsin-Whitewater
4.
Wisconsin-Whitewater
4.
Trinity (TX)
5.
Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX)
5.
Wesley (DE)
6.
Rowan (NJ)
6.
Hardin-Simmons (TX)
7.
Wabash (OH)
7.
St. John's (MN)
8.
Wash. & Jefferson (PA)
8.
Rowan (NJ)
9.
Wheaton (IL)
9.
Central (IA)
10.
Whitworth (WA)
10.
Bethel (MN)
11.
Bethel (MN)
11.
Capital (OH)
12.
Occidental (CA)
12.
North Central (IL)
13.
Wilkes (PA)
13.
St. John Fisher (NY)
14.
Springfield (MA)
14.
Springfield (MA)
15.
Millsaps (MS)
15.
Wheaton (IL)
16.
Central (IA)
16.
Wabash (OH)
17.
Bridgewater (VA)
17.
Wartburg (IA)
18.
Wartburg (IA)
18.
Wash. & Jefferson (PA)
19.
Hope (MI)
19.
Wilkes (PA)
20.
Wisconsin-LaCrosse
20.
Calif. Lutheran
21.
Linfield (OR)
21.
Baldwin-Wallace (OH)
22.
Ohio Northern
22.
Alfred (NY)
23.
Carnegie Mellon (PA)
23.
Hobart (NY)
24.
Coast Guard (CT)
24.
Whitworth (WA)
25.
Washington & Lee (VA)
25.
Wisconsin-LaCrosse

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