1964 Cobbers Receive NFFMN Legendary Team Award

MOORHEAD, Minn. (2/04/14) – The 1964 NAIA National Championship Team will celebrate its 50^th anniversary by receiving the 2014 Murray Warmath Legendary Team Award given out by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

The 1964 Concordia team will be recognized at the 2014 "Honoring Legends-Inspiring Leaders" Awards Event presented by the Minnesota Vikings.  The seventh annual event will be held on Sunday, May 4 in Minneapolis.   

The 1964 Cobbers were the first national championship team for Concordia. The team, coached by Concordia coaching legend Jake Christiansen, ended the 1964 season with a 10-0-1 record. Christiansen would be named the NAIA and MIAC Coach of the Year. The team was captained by John Nellermoe and Raleigh Lillemoe and standouts Bob Braun, Paul Brynteson, and Bob Nick were named to the MIAC All-Conference team.  

 Jim Christopherson, who went on to become the head coach the Cobbers for 32 seasons, was an assistant coach on the 1964 team. He remembered that ground-breaking squad by saying, "I am very proud to be a part of that championship team. It was a great group of guys and they played as a hard as they could in every single game and every single practice." Christopherson was inducted into the Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000 and went on to be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.   

After winning the MIAC championship with a perfect 7-0 record, the Cobbers entered the 1964 postseason with an overall mark of 9-0-0. By winning the conference championship the Cobbers were picked for the NAIA national championship playoffs.  In the semifinal game, Concordia's defense and a crushing running game overpowered Linfield (Ore.) and the Cobbers advanced to the NAIA National Championship game by virtue of a 28 - 6 victory.

In the championship game, played in Augusta, Ga., Concordia rallied to tie Sam Houston State (Tex.) 7 – 7 in the final quarter of play and had a chance to win the contest in the waning seconds but a field goal attempt sailed wide and the game wound up in a tie. Despite the tie in the championship game, Concordia was ranked No. 1 in the final NAIA ratings.

Christopherson was humbled and overjoyed when told of the honor on the 50^th anniversary of the team. "It is truly an honor to have the team recognized by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation," stated Christopherson. "The 2014 Murray Warmath Legendary Team Award will be a great way to celebrate such a special team."

The mission of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation is to serve Minnesota and the nation by developing leadership, sportsmanship, competitive spirit, and academic excellence in America's youth through promoting amateur football.