Football Postseason Appearances
Total Postseason Appearances: 7 (1969, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 2003)
Record: 2-7
NCAA Division III Championship Appearances: 6 (1988, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 2003)
Record: 2-6
1969 MINERAL WATER BOWL
St. John's 21, Simpson 0 (Excelsior Springs, Mo.)
Simpson claimed its first Iowa Conference title in 20 years when coach John Sullivan's squad went 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the league. Despite an early-season setback to Central, the Redmen won six games in a row to close the regular season, including a 30-7 triumph over the No. 10 team in NAIA, William Jewell.
The strong finish earned the team a trip to the Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo. against Minnesota Conference powerhouse, St. John's. Simpson fans purchased a bowl-record 500-plus tickets for the game, a 21-0 win by St. John's.
Despite the loss, Sullivan was named NAIA Coach of the Year.
The Redmen boasted gutty 200-pound linemen, including Tom Powell and Dave Halford, who held their own against their 300-pound competition. Center Rich Heckman and tackles Jim Oplt and Perry Hunter provided big holes throughout the season while Indianola native Joe Blake, Sr., took the conference by storm.
1988 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - Wis.-Whitewater 29, Simpson 27 (Valley Stadium, West Des Moines)
Led by transfer running back Ricky Gales, Simpson won the Iowa Conference title with a thrilling 14-13 win over Central in the season finale. A missed extra point with no time remaining gave Simpson the win and ensured the school's first trip to the NCAA Division III Championship.
Second-year head coach Jim Williams was named IIAC Coach of the Year.
1989 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - St. John's 42, Simpson 35 (St. John's Field, Collegeville, Minn.)
Ricky Gales put together one of the finest seasons in college football with a record 2,035 rushing yards and 166 points. He helped Simpson to an 8-2 record during the regular season, the lone blemish in IIAC play coming in a 54-30 season-ending loss to Central.
Just as impressive as Gales was the play of junior QB Joe Blake, Jr., who led Division III in passing effeciency (203.3) while throwing for 1,705 yards and 19 TDs. Sophomore kicker Ned Greer led the nation in points by a kicker with 61, going 49-for-50 on extra point attempts and hitting 80 percent of field goal attempts.
Gales saved his best performance for last, rushing for a then all-divisions record 389 yards with 4 TDs on 51 carries in the playoff loss to St. John's. Simpson out-gained the Johnnies 560-440 but turned it over 5 times, including the game-winning fumble recovery for a TD with 44 seconds remaining.
1991 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - Wis.-La Crosse 28, Simpson 13 (UNI Dome, Cedar Falls, Iowa)
Jim Williams' 1991 squad rolled to a 10-0 regular season record, the first undefeated regular season since 1893. A perfect 8-0 mark gave Simpson an IIAC Championship and a trip to the playoffs, where the Redmen lost to UW-La Crosse 28-13 at the UNI Dome.
The 1991 Redmen defense was the best in school history, posting the No. 4 total defense in the country (183.5 yards per game) while allowing the seventh-fewest points (87). Led by Trent Nauholz and Rob Sinclair, the rushing offense ranked 13th in the nation (269.2 yards per game).
Twelve players earned all-conference honors and Jim Williams was named the IIAC Coach of the Year.
1996 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - St. John's 21, Simpson 18 (Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minn.)
Simpson won its 10th IIAC football title with an unblemished 10-0 regular season mark, including 8-0 in the league. The program's fourth trip to the NCAA Playoffs ended with a 21-18 loss to St. John's, snapping a 13-game winning streak.
Junior QB Brad Jorgensen was named IIAC MVP and Jim Williams earned Coach of the Year honors. Jorgensen threw for 1,953 yards and led the offense to a school record 459 points scored.
1997 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - Simpson 34, Wis.-Whitewater 31 (Whitewater, Wis.)
Second Round - Simpson 61, Augsburg 21 (Buxton Stadium, Indianola, Iowa)
Semifinals - Mt. Union 54, Simpson 7
Arguably the greatest season in school history, the 1997 Storm went 10-0 in the regular season, won the IIAC Championship and advanced to the semifinal round of the playoffs before losing to eventual-champion Mt. Union.
The Storm won an exciting opening round game over Whitewater on the road, getting the winning score on a 25-yard TD pass from Jorgensen to Corey Christensen with 36 seconds left. Simpson then went on to route Augsburg at home in the second round.
Simpson set school records for total offense (6,829 yards), points (595), rushing yards (3,837), passing yards (2,931), first downs (295) and total plays (1,113).
Jorgensen became the first player in IIAC history to win back-to-back MVP honors and Williams earned his fifth Coach of the Year accolade.
2003 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - St. Norbert 26, Simpson 20 2OT (De Pere, Wis.)
With a potent passing offense and an opportunistic defense, the 2003 Storm posted a 9-1 mark and earned an at-large bid to the playoffs after finishing second in the IIAC. Twentieth-ranked Simpson lost a heart-breaker in the first round, falling to No. 11 St. Norbert 26-20 in double overtime. Simpson led 20-7 after three quarters, lost the lead but blocked the potential game-winning extra point with 37 seconds left to force overtime.
Led by All-Americans Mike Donnenwerth (QB) and Dusty Kain (WR), the Simpson offense set school records for passing yards (3,540), attempts (422) and touchdowns (33). The IIAC MVP, Donnenwerth set school marks for passing yards (3,461), attempts (413), and touchdowns (32). Kain was the primary target, setting school records with 93 receptions for 1,466 yards and 14 TDs. Donnenwerth was also an All-American punter.
Led by ball-hawking All-American cornerback Kyle Westphal, second-year head coach Jay Niemann's defense generated 43 turnovers (22 INTs, 21 fumbles). Westphal had 10 INTs and forced six fumbles alone.
Along with Donnenwerth's MVP accolades, Niemann took home IIAC Coach of the Year honors.
