Division III of the NCAA Bethel University of Arden Hills, Minnesota's football team is known as the Bethel Royals. Bethel is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and participates in NCAA Division III (MIAC). The Royals are based in Arden Hills, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.
They began playing football in 1903. From 1903 to 1920 they were independent, but lost every game they played. They then joined the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Association where they have remained since. In that time they have won two conference titles and been invited to two more bowl games. Their overall record is 88-79-6.
The Royal's main rival is Concordia College, both schools being in Moorhead, Minnesota. The two teams have an intense rivalry that often ends in fights between fans of the two schools. Bethel and Concordia have met 99 times on the gridiron with Bethel leading 46-42-3.
Concordia has had some great players come out of their school including Jim Thorpe who was a legendary football player for the Carlisle Indians and Lawrence Lions. He was considered one of the best defensive players of all time. Another great player from Concordia was Bernie Bierman who played running back for the Chicago Bears from 1969 to 1979.
Bethel University teams, known as the Wildcats in sports, compete at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I level, mostly in the Mid-South Conference (MSC). The school's athletic program is overseen by the Bethel College Athletic Department (BCAD).
Bethel began competing in intercollegiate athletics in 1946. They are a member of the MSC and have won more than $500,000 since their first championship season in 1991-92.
Their men's basketball team has made the NCAA Tournament four times, most recently in 2015. The Wildcats' other major sports include football (which they have competed in since 1951), baseball, and track and field.
They play home games on the campus of Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The college is non-denominational with about 2,100 students. Bethel was founded in 1882 by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as an urban university focused on training leaders for ministry. Located in St. Paul, it is about 20 miles south of Minneapolis. The city's population is approximately 550,000 people.
There are only two colleges in the United States that compete at the NAIA level - Bethel and Northwood University in Detroit, Michigan.
Athletic scholarships are available for all Bethel University athletics teams. The value of each scholarship varies and is chosen by the head coach of each sports program. Coaches work with their department to determine how much funding they need and then present a list of requests to the university's financial aid office for consideration.
Students must maintain certain standards to remain eligible for athletic scholarships. These include maintaining a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and being in good standing with other college requirements. In addition, coaches may have some discretion about who they offer scholarships to. They may want to offer them only to high school players or only to freshmen; however, every effort will be made to award them to students who will help the team the most.
If you're interested in applying for an athletic scholarship, check with your sport's coaching staff first because numbers are limited and they might not be able to offer everyone a spot.
The NCAA Division III football season starts this year in August and ends in December. A total of 12 teams will be competing for the George Young Memorial Trophy, which goes to the best overall team during the regular season.
Union is one of 12 schools that make up the National Association of Collegiate Baseball Players (NACB). The baseball season begins this year in April and ends after the college baseball season has ended in December.
Union's baseball team was established in 1887. They play their home games at Union Park in Schenectady, New York.
Union has won more than 100 games five times in the last six years. Their average winning percentage is 0.818. They have also made the postseason all six years including two appearances in the NCAA Regionals.
On November 6, 1887, the Union Army Base Ball Team played its first game as a professional club against the New York Metropolitans. The game was played at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, then part of New Jersey. The Metropolitans won this game by a score of 5-4.