Your 2014 Linfield College Football Wallpaper!!!!

Can the season just get here?

Very excited today to introduce your 2014 Linfield Wildcat Football Wallpaper.  As with the 2013 wallpaper and 2012 wallpaper, former Linfield Wildcat defensive lineman Chris Miles ('04) is the man behind all three magnificent versions.  Chris is a legitimate talent who's business CMDesign is located in McMinnville.   However, Chris can help you out wherever you might be located with logo design, media guides, web development, brochures, business cards, ect.  The list in ways Chris can help your business or a personal event is endless.  (Visit CMDesign on the web).

Chris spent over 9 hours in creating this awesome wallpaper that you can grab for your phone, tablet, laptop, etc. Again, I can't express my full gratitude that Chris took extra time away from his family and other obligations to give the 'Catdome a great piece that would cost any other customer hundreds upon hundreds of dollars in effort and craftsmanship.  Chris did this, once again, for at ZERO cost to the program.  Why?  Because he loves Linfield College and the 'Catdome and it feels good to give back to a place that means as much as Linfield does to him and his family (I know the feeling).  

Click on this link to download the full sized image or you can just click on the photo above for the full sized image.  Once you've done than you can right click on the image and set as your wallpaper.

A project like this can't even be started without incredible donations of photography from Professor Brad Thompson, Linda MacClanthan and Kelly Bird.  Brad Thompson donated the photos of Alex Hoff (#55), Tavon Willis (#7), Spencer Payne (#28), Evan Peterson (#9), Wes Meng (#16), and Jeremy Girod (#48), Kelly provided the photo of Brian Balsiger (#5), and Linda provided the photo of Eric Pitassi (#62).  Again, these are HIGH END sports photos that are labored for and these photos being provided for this use isn't a small gesture.   

Again, a major thank you to Chris Miles and CMDesign for the fantastic wallpaper. If you're looking for a graphic artist to help with an ad campaign, creating brand imaging, or even a slick T-Shirt, Chris is the right person for the job. Visit CMDesign on the web, go like his facebook page, or drop him a call 541.619.7062.

Links:
CMDesign
CMDesign on Facebook
Brad Thompson's Photo Gallery
Linfield Sports Photo Gallery

Throwback Thursday: Coach Hire clearing the road.

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Our Instagram Throwback Thursday Coach this week is Associate Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach Doug Hire.  Coach Hire was a beast for the 'Cats offensive line (1st team All-American) that saw coach win two national titles for Linfield as a player (1984 & 1986).  Coach dominated from his guard position but might have struck the most fear into defenders when he lead the way in open field.  The prime example of this was the 1986 NAIA Division II National Title game vs Baker College.  Late in the 4th quarter the 'Cats held a 10-0 lead over Baker and marched down on a methodical game salting TD drive.  The final TD was set up on a QB keeper by David Lindley and Coach Hire (#70) cleared the path with a KO block in the open field.  LOOK OUT!

2013 Highlights: Linfield vs CLU

The 'Cats opened the 2013 home schedule in style in hammering the Kingsmen from Cal Lutheran University.  The 38-point margin of victory was the largest against a CLU team in the 2000 season.  This game put an end to a 4 year regular season series that ended with Linfield holding a 3-1 edge and these two squads met in the 2009, '10, and '11 playoffs.  The 'Cats would be victorious in all three recent post-season meetings meaning these two program played against each other 7 times over a 36 game span. 

Throwback Thursday: Coach Haze puts 'em in the spin cycle

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We'll be digging around the archives over the upcoming weeks to roll out clips of our Linfield coaching staff in action. (many who played for the 'Cats). Our first offering is Defensive Back Coach/Recruiting Coordinator, Brandon Hazenberg, who was a two-way player and All-American for the 'Cats through the 2005 season. The play below is from the 2005 2nd round playoff match up between Linfield and Concordia-Moorehead (MIAC Champions). Linfield was actually down 14-7 at half before erupting for 21 2nd-half points in the 28-14 victory. A key play was at the 4:28 mark of the 3rd quarter when Coach Haze took an 18 yard screen pass from Brett Elliott and threw about 5 different moves on his way to a weaving game tying touchdown.

2013 Hardin-Simmons Highlights (bonus vid: GoPro)

OK...I've been a slacker with the blog as of late.  I'll be the first to admit that but after getting a few ducks in a row, I'll be back with new entries as we edge every closer to the start of Spring Football (1st week of April).  Above is the 2013 Hardin-Simmons highlight as the 'Cats open up the season in blistering the Cowboys.  I'm not 100% satisfied with this clip as I messed up the play-by-play recording, my field mic was brutal, and the HSU lack of home crowd took something away from an electric performance by Linfield. 

 BONUS CLIP!  Above is an extra clip that I put together over an evening and it turned out to be a fun clip that utilized nothing but footage from our GoPro cameras we used this season.  You'll see the GoPro footage throughout the highlight video as the little but powerful action cameras could take you places that we couldn't go before. 

2013 - A Season To Remember

2013 was another year to celebrate in the 'Catdome.
(Photo Courtesy of Brad Thompson: View Brad's 2013 Linfield Football photos here. )

By Cory Edmonds

They say all good things must come to an end, and that may be true, but great things are never forgotten. It’s safe to say the second principle applies to Linfield Football's Senior Class. Although their college careers, and for most their football playing days, came to end in a hard-fought defeat to UW-Whitewater (who went on to win the National Championship), this group leaves an enduring legacy. Their legacy is represented in following accolades:

41-5 record over four seasons (with all five losses coming in the postseason)
Four straight NWC Championship Titles
A 24-0 record against NWC opponents
Six playoff victories
Two consecutive trips to the NCAA quarterfinals
A two time NWC defensive player of the year (Forrest)
A NWC offensive player of the year (Yoder)
A two time West Region Defensive Player of the Year (Forrest)
Four All-American Honors
An averege D3football.com ranking of 6th over four years
Thirteen victories against top 25 teams

Additionally, the following stats demonstrate just how well this 2013 team stacked up to great Linfield teams from the past:

Most rushing touchdowns scored in a season
Second most points scored in a season
Third most offensive yards in a season
Third highest completion percentage in a season
Third hightest rushing yards total in a season
Most fumbles forced in a season
Most pass breakups in a season
Fourth most tackles for a loss in a season
Ninth most sacks in a season

Yet, the accomplishments of these young men transcend simple numbers and go far beyond what occurred on the field. Over the course of four years, the members of this team transformed into leaders, into role models, and into responsible citizens. Soon they will be future businessmen, educators, engineers, journalists, and so forth. Their experiences and the lessons they have learned at Linfield will impact all facets of their future lives and they will be better because of it. More than anything they will remember and appreciate the bonds they formed and will always know that a brotherhood exists that will always provide needed support. I know football fans and poetry fans don't often mix, but the masterful Walt Whitman once wrote a series of lines that I believe these young men can all relate to. Whitman penned the following stanza during the Civil War as he served in an effort to reunite the country:

"I will plant companionship thick as trees along all the rivers of America, and along the shores of the great lakes, and all over the prairies;   
I will make inseparable cities, with their arms about each other’s necks;   
        By the love of comrades,   
          By the manly love of comrades."

It is because of this group's companionship and this group’s sense of camaraderie that they were able to accomplish so much on the football field and these same values will serve them well as they forge forth into their bright futures. Best of luck gentlemen, and go Cats!

2013 Linfield Highlight Opening Clip

Here is it!  The opening clip of the 2013 Linfield College Highlight Video.  The start of 1 hour and 26 minutes of wall-to-wall 'Catdome action.  I'll do a post later this week thanking everyone who plays a role in getting this project out each year and I can't wait to do again in 2014.  Go 'Cats!