One Year Later, Dillon Hollin Named Top Div. III Football Center

Dillon Hollin

Springfield, Ohio — It was a terrific run to the national quarterfinals for the 2009 Wittenberg football team, and Dillon Hollin, class of 2010, remembers it fondly. Now living in Memphis, Tenn., and training for a corporate sales position, Hollin got a big surprise during Thanksgiving weekend 2010 — a call from his former coach, Joe Fincham, to tell him that he had recently been selected winner of the 2009 Rimington Award, given to the top center in NCAA Division III.

The Dave Rimington Trophy was created in 2000 to annually recognize the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I college football, and Rimington Awards were created in 2003 to further honor the top centers in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Named for Dave Rimington, a two-time academic All-American at the University of Nebraska who claimed the Outland Trophy as the nation's best interior lineman in 1981 and 1982 and the Rotary Lombardi Award as the nation's best lineman or linebacker in 1982, the Dave Rimington Trophy and Rimington Awards are sponsored by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which supports research and treatment for cystic fibrosis.

Esiason and Rimington were teammates with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League from 1984-87. Esiason founded his foundation in 1993 after his son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with the disease.

Hollin's award came a year after his on-field exploits for the Tigers had ended because the selector for the small college Rimington Awards passed away after a prolonged illness. Don Hansen, founder of the now-discontinued Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette, a publication that promoted small college football for decades, had handled those duties from 2003 until 2008, but he was unable to be involved in 2009.

Dillon Hollin prepares to snap the ball to quarterback Aaron Huffman during a 42-6 Senior Recognition Day win over Wooster in November 2009.

Last summer, the Boomer Esiason Foundation hooked up with Jason Dannelly, owner of the Victory Sports Network, to become the new selector for the small college Rimington Awards. He handled the 2009 selections during the fall and is currently in the process of selecting the 2010 winners.

No matter who selected him, or when, Hollin said it is a great honor that he appreciates.

"Any time you receive an honor like this, it makes you feel good," Hollin said. "Considering the kind of year we had in 2009 and some of the other awards I got, this is just a great way to end my career.

"It also makes me think about my teammates and how I couldn't have won this award without them. On the offensive line, you have to play as a unit to be successful, and we definitely did that last year."

Hollin made 12 starts at center, missing one game due to injury midway through what turned out to be a 12-1 campaign in 2009. He anchored an offensive line that cleared the way for an offense that averaged 36.7 points and 442.4 yards per game in 2009, both of which ranked among the best in not only the NCAC but all of NCAA Division III. According to his coaches, Hollin's offensive lineman grade was consistently in the "mid-80s."

After two second-team All-NCAC honors, Hollin moved up to first team as a senior. He went on to add first-team All-Great Lakes Region and first-team All-America honors from d3football.com.

Wittenberg tied a school record with 12 wins in 2009. The Tigers compiled records of 12-1 overall and 7-0 in the NCAC to win the program's ninth title in 21 years in the league and advance to the program's 13th NCAA Division III Tournament since its inception in 1973. Wittenberg defeated Mount St. Joseph in the first round and Trine in the second round before losing at No. 2-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater, 31-13, in the national quarterfinals on Dec. 5.

Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photos By: Erin Pence