June 1, 2007
Record-setter Brehm Concluding Football Career
Record-setter Brehm Concluding Football Career
Had we known Josh Brehm was coming to Alma to wear the maroon and cream football uniform, we could have just waited on updating the record books.
Four years ago – after Steve Slowke became Alma’s all-time everything leader and one of the finest quarterbacks in Alma College history – Alma’s football coaches and especially offensive coordinator John Leister could not fathom having another standout quarterback in the locker room.
But four years later, Josh Brehm is the best in the nation.
Josh Brehm, senior from Ithaca
The Ithaca senior is not just the best in the Midwest or best in Division III, but the best in NCAA football history. His 288 pass attempts without an interception this season is an NCAA All-Divisions record. He shattered the Division III record set in 1997 by Mount Union’s Bill Borchert. Until last Saturday against Albion, he had not thrown an interception. He holds school records in career passing yards (9,712), career completions (791), touchdown passes (74) and total offense (11,034 yards). He is the only player in school history to throw multiple five-touchdown games.
He has more career yards of total offense in his collegiate career than household names such as Chad Pennington or Peyton Manning had in theirs. He needs just 41 more yards to surpass Ben Roethlisberger.
In addition, he has his team ranked first in passing offense in Division III.
But statistics tell only a part of the story. He has the character and leadership skills to back up his athletic ability.
Brehm carries a 3.78 cumulative GPA. He has had a 4.0 the last three semesters and has been named to the Dean’s List for seven consecutive semesters. He will graduate magna cum laude with a double major in business and psychology.
He chose Alma for both its academics and athletic opportunities. He had chased the scholarship dream from Ithaca High School all the way to Michigan Tech. It was there he realized that his commitment to academics and athletics was a better match at Alma College.
He’s a member of Students in Free Enterprise, Rho Chi Epsilon, Psi Chi, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and he single-handedly developed a fund-raising initiative to support the Joe Nelson Memorial Fund, honoring a teammate who was killed two weeks after Brehm and his Scots won the 2004 MIAA Championship.
He is a nominee for The Gagliardi Trophy (the Division III version of the Heisman award for best college football athlete in the nation), the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team and the NCAA Post-Graduate scholarship.
He’s prepared. Always prepared, as associate professor of psychology Dr. Marc Setterlund related in a story from his advanced personality spring term class in 2004.
“I hadn’t intended the class to be as difficult as it was, but we used primary source readings, journal articles,” recalls Setterlund. “At the end, I looked at what I had made them read and realized I had taught a graduate level course without intending to. Josh was a sophomore at that point, and he always came to class prepared, a typical reticent who didn’t really draw attention to himself. But when the going got tough, he was the one who would always step up or add something to the discussion that really showed his preparation for what was going on.”
Josh commits to his sport in the same manner.
Please congratulate Josh when you next see him on campus. He has done more with a football - and textbooks - in his hands than anyone before him. If you can’t find him on campus or preparing for his next quiz or test, take a walk down the halls of the Athletic Department. He’s never far from Coach Leister’s office, constantly breaking down film, scouting his opponents and preparing for the mental and physical test he takes every Saturday afternoon.
Saturday, Nov. 11 could be the last opportunity for the campus community to watch Brehm on the football field as the Scots play their final home game of the season at Bahlke Field. Join us as we cheer on the Scots and recognize the gridiron contributions of one of Alma’s all-time best student-athletes.
-- Lindsay Carpenter
Posted: Thu, October 26th, 2006 at 8:59AM
