A PSAC West championship. A 13-1 overall record. A Harlon Hill finalist. And a national title game appearance.
What a special season it was for IUP in 1993.
The Indians outscored opponents by an average of 38.4 - 17.1, scoring at least 40 points six times and putting up more than 50 points on Kutztown, Lock Haven and California.
Senior running back Michael Mann entered the season as the program's all-time leading rusher, going on to set school records with 2,027 yards on 373 carries and 19 rushing touchdowns in 1993. He finished fifth in the Harlon Hill voting and was named the PSAC West Player of the Year.
Senior quarterback Scott Woods set a school record with 2,856 passing yards, adding 23 touchdowns through the air and breaking his own single-season total offense record with 2,878 yards.
Mann, along with offensive lineman Matt Dalverny and place kicker Mike Geary were each named All-Americans.
With statistics and stars like those, it should have come to no surprise that IUP advanced to its seventh playoff appearance under coach Frank Cignetti, 1993's PSAC West and regional coach of the year.
After seeing its run of five-straight years in the playoffs come to an end in 1992, the Indians rolled through their regular season schedule with 10 consecutive wins and looked for more dominance in the postseason.
IUP held off Ferris State at home 28-21 in the opening round before a thrilling come-from-behind 38-35 win at New Haven in the quarterfinals. In a steady rain at Miller Stadium the following week, the Indians defeated North Dakota 21-6 to advance to their second national championship game in four seasons.
It was a battle of 13-0 teams in the championship game, as 15,631 fans at Braly Municipal Stadium and an ESPN audience were treated to one of the best games in Division II history.
IUP rallied from a 34-24 deficit with 10 points in the final two minutes, getting a one-yard touchdown run by Mann and a 34-yard field goal by Geary following the recovery of an onside kick.
However, North Alabama embarked on a 69-yard drive in the final 45 seconds, scoring from one-yard out with just 10 seconds left on the clock to claim the victory.
The 2013 season marks the 20-year anniversary of the 1993 team that maintained the winning tradition at IUP. As we get close to the halfway point of this season, the Crimson Hawks look to continue that tradition with goals of another conference title and a deep run into the postseason.
