St. Xavier Football Champs Bask in Glow of South Side Irish Parade

In honor of its NAIA national championship season, the St. Xavier University football team was an honored guest in the South Side Irish Parade.

From St. Xavier University football coach Mike Feminis, the marching orders were a bit out of the ordinary. Instead of, “Play hard.” It was, “Have fun.” Feminis and the SXU football team marched in the South Side Irish Parade on Sunday, March 11, as honored guests in recognition of the Cougars’ run to the NAIA national championship. Well, not exactly. The Cougars were allowed to ride in a high style befitting a champion. Coaches and players climbed aboard the SXU float. The float was fifth in line as the parade stepped off at 103rd Street and Western Avenue in Chicago. “Coach Feminis and the football team truly enjoyed being an honoree of the South Side Irish Parade,” said Robert Tenczar, vice president of university relations in a news …

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St. Xavier Cougars Celebrate National Fooball Championship

After its best year yet, the St. Xavier football team and coach Mike Feminis celebrated the school’s first national football title Tuesday.

It’s not everyday that you see a football coach get sentimental when talking about the game. But sentiment was part of a range of emotions St. Xavier University football coach Mike Feminis and his assistants felt watching the Cougars take home their first NAIA national title on Dec. 17. Feminis, his coaches and the team were honored by administration, local politicians and supporters in an assembly Tuesday at St. Xavier’s Shannon Center. The head coach, who was named NAIA Coach of the Year, wasn’t shy, nor was he selling himself short when he said his team would bring back a national championship. “Before we left for Rome, Georgia, a lot of people told me I was crazy, because I guaranteed a win,” he told the crowd. “I’m going to make one …

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St. Xavier's National Championship Football Team Will Be Honored at Assembly

Local and state legislators will join in historic celebration of St. Xavier University's national championship football season.

Some political bigwigs want to meet and greet Saint Xavier University’s football big wigs. State senator Ed Maloney, congressman Dan Lipinski, city alderman Matt O’Shea and state representatives Kelly Burke and Bill Cunningham will join St. Xavier president Christine Wiseman at a special assembly to honor the Cougars’ national championship football team. The assembly will be at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 17) at Saint Xavier’s Shannon Center, 3700 West 103rd Street. “It’s going to be one of the greatest afternoons in the history of SXU athletics,” Saint Xavier athletic director Bob Hallberg said in a news release. “We anticipate a large turnout from the community as well as the university faculty, staff and especially students as we celebrate …

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The Sports Report

St. Xavier Defines What Small College Football is All About

St. Xavier University football coach Mike Feminis takes a cast of characters and turns them into national champions. And he goes about his work for the love of the game.

From now on, I will be prepared when somebody stops me and asks, “Why would anyone in his right mind play small college football?” My answer: St. Xavier University. The Cougars capped a stirring run to the NAIA national championship with a 24-20 victory over Carroll (Mont.) on Saturday at Barron Stadium in Rome, Ga. The game was a classic—just like St. Xavier’s season—featuring enough back-and-forth drama and late-game heroics to fill a scrapbook with memories that will last a lifetime. And that’s what small-college football is all about—making memories with friends and classmates, sharing in a camaraderie that comes from a large group working together as one to achieve a single goal. National champions. St. Xavier is the first school from…

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Ron Kremer

2:25 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011

Yep, I think there is more passion in high school and college football. The players are there because they love the game, not to collect a paycheck. Happy holidays!   more ›

Coy, Williams and Lynch Power St. Xavier to NAIA National Football Championship

St. Xavier 24, Carroll (Mont.) 20: Jimmy Coy ran for one touchdown and passed for another as the Cougars captured the first national championship of any kind at St. Xavier.

When St. Xavier University football coach Mike Feminis said his players will be talking about the NAIA national championship game for the rest of their lives, he wasn't kidding. Jimmy Coy ran for one touchdown and passed for another in St. Xavier's heart-stopping 24-20 victory over Carroll (Mont.) in the title game on Saturday at Barron Stadium in Rome, Ga. And he was only one of the heroes for the Cougars (14-1), who won the first national championship of any kind at St. Xavier. Mark Williams, a 5-foot-9 freshman defensive back, made the biggest play on defense for St. Xavier. He broke up a pass intended for Carroll's Anthony Clarke on a fourth-and-goal play from the St. Xavier 9 with 2:03 remaining. Frankfort resident and former Lincoln-…

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The Sports Report

Feminis Pre-Game Talk Will Be One for the Ages, Much Like St. Xavier's Football Title Game Showdown

St. Xavier football coach Mike Feminis likely will depart ever so slightly from his pre-game routine when he addresses his team before the Cougars face Carroll (Mont.) in Saturday's NAIA title game. And, rest assured, he'll speak from the heart.

In the hours—then minutes—before kickoff, St. Xavier football coach Mike Feminis will not waiver his tried and true routine, at least not much. Feminis will call on his captains to speak in a team meeting at the hotel before St. Xavier takes the field to face Carroll (Mont.) in Saturday’s NAIA national championship football game (3:30 CST, CBS Sports Network). Then, ‘Fem’ will open the floor for other players and his assistants to say a few words. Finally, he will finish up with his own thoughts, those thoughts ranging from paying attention to assignment detail and execution of the Cougars’ game plan. I suspect he will go further, though, in an impassioned plea for a show of St. Xavier emotion and pride. Feminis understands this is a …

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NAIA Football: Pesek Looks to Give St. Xavier Reliable Run Option in Title Game

Oak Lawn graduate Nick Pesek's running has provided St. Xavier will balance on offense heading into Saturday's NAIA national title game vs. Carroll (Mont.).

The Sports Report

Nothing Small About St. Xavier's Next Big Football Game

Cougars football coach Mike Feminis outlines three reasons for St. Xavier players, coaches and fans to expect a different outcome in a rematch Saturday vs. Marian (Ind.) in the NAIA semifinals.

Brace yourself college football fans for the Game of the Century, Part II. No, I’m not talking about a potential rematch of Alabama vs. LSU for the Division I national championship, though the SEC rivals remain in line for the game’s next great apocalyptic adventure. Rather, I’m referring to a semifinal matchup of St. Xavier vs. Marian as the cataclysmic battle of small-school college football powerhouses. The two will be meeting for the second time this season, a trip to the nationally televised NAIA championship game Dec. 17 in Rome, Ga., resting in the balance. Kickoff is at noon (CST) Saturday at St. Vincent Health Field in Indianapolis, the very field where the St. Xavier and Marian squared off in a 1 vs. 2 battle on Nov. 5. Then, top…

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Oak Lawn Grad Pesek Has a Hand in Football Success at Saint Xavier University

Sophomore running back Nick Pesek is getting the job done for the NAIA No. 1-ranked Cougars. He leads Saint Xavier in a number of offensive categories and continues to draw praise from Cougar coach Mike Feminis.

Oak Lawn Community High School graduate Nick Pesek ranks No. 1 in a number of offensive categories for the NAIA's No. 1 ranked college football team. Pesek rushed for 68 yards on 23 carries and scored one touchdown in top-ranked Saint Xavier's 42-31 victory over second-rated Saint Franics (Ind.) on Saturday in Fort Wayne. He also caught six passes for 55 yards. Pesek, a sophomore running back, leads the Cougars in rushing attempts (64), yards (391), rushing TDs (6), rushing average per carry (5.8) and rushing average per game (73.8). He also ranks No. 1 in all-purpose yardage (113.8) and is Saint Xavier's second-leading scorer (42 points) through five games. St. Xavier (5-0, 1-0 in Mid-States Football Association Mideast League) next faces…

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