Wheaton College Athletics

Justin Knapp, a linebacker, led the Wheaton football team in tackles in both 2001 and 2002. As a senior in 2002, he led the CCIW Champions with 109 tackles as Wheaton made its first NCAA Playoff appearance since 1995. Knapp was recognized as the 2002 CCIW Defensive Player of the Year and was honored as a Hewlett-Packard Division III All-American and D3football.com All-American in his senior campaign. He was selected by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) to participate on a Division III All-Star team in the 2002 Aztec Bowl in Mexico, where he established a bowl record for tackles. 
 
Justin mentions, "A great memory for me was walking off the field after defeating Augustana 38-14 and becoming the first team at Wheaton in many years to be undisputed CCIW conference champions was a moment I'll never forget. In that moment, four years of work, a lot of ups and downs, the passing of a teammate, and watching a lot of younger guys rise to the challenge, really hit me. I was overcome with emotion, being simultaneously hit by complete elation and exhaustion. It was a proud moment for the team, college and the program. I'd argue that this victory set the bar for the teams in the years to come." He adds, Dane Lundgren, a fellow Hall of Honor inductee, was my roommate for two years at Wheaton. In fact, the coaches called me the summer before attending Wheaton to let me know that I would be rooming with Dane and that they thought we would become close friends. Little did they know that I would be in his wedding, he would officiate mine and that nearly 20 years after playing together, our families would vacation together every year. Coach Swider always said, it's not a four-year commitment, it's a 40-year commitment, and was he right!  The relationships formed through Wheaton Football are for a lifetime."