Northwest Missouri Football
1999 NCAA National Champions
The 1999 Bearcat football team faced a challenge that no team in Northwest history had faced previously: They were defending National Champions. After a 1-1 start to the season, the Bearcats persevered to finish with a 10-1 regular season record and the MIAA Championship.
In the playoffs, Northwest trailed in each game, but came from behind to defeat North Dakota (20-13, OT), Northern Colorado (41-35), and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (20-12) to earn a return trip to Florence, Alabama.
In one of the greatest games of all-time, Northwest trailed Carson-Newman, 24-7, at halftime of the title game. With 3:23 remaining in the game, the Bearcats still faced a 44-29 deficit. Travis Miles proceeded to connect with J.R. Hill on two touchdown passes, and hit Ryan George on “the catch”, a two-point conversion fade route to tie the game at 44 and send it into overtime.
After two scoreless overtimes, the Bearcats and Eagles traded scores in OT No. 3, and Northwest outlasted Carson-Newman in the fourth overtime, claiming the 58-52 thriller and earning its second straight national title.