Engineering a #1-ranked football program: Colorado School of Mines Football primer

The Colorado School of Mines Orediggers aren’t your typical college football team.

And we’re not just saying that because we’re “homers” that work in Mines’ Communications & Marketing Office, either. (We are, though, unapologetically. #GoMines #HelluvaEngineer)

Our Mines football players take the field with their majors emblazoned on the backs of their helmets. Mechanical Engineering, Engineering & Technology Management (that’s a master-level program, for the record) and Computer Science are the top three you’ll see, but a total of 13 different undergraduate majors and nine different master’s programs are represented on the 2023 Orediggers roster.

Across all sports, Colorado School of Mines has the most CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in all of NCAA Division II – and among all levels of college athletics, Mines ranks behind only MIT, Stanford and Johns Hopkins.

Because here’s the thing: At Mines, we are nerds who win. 

Mines QB John Matocha not only won the 2022 Harlon Hill Award – the DII equivalent of the Heisman Trophy – but he was also named the top scholar-athlete in all NCAA Division II. This year, he continues to set records, producing more touchdowns than any player in college football history (190 and counting) while completing a master’s degree in computer science.

The No. 1 Orediggers (14-0) take on the Harding University Bisons in the NCAA Division II Football Championship Game at 12 p.m. CT (11 a.m. MT) Dec. 16 at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas.

Here’s everything you need to know about Mines before Saturday’s big game:

How can I watch the game?

The NCAA Division II Football Championship Game will air live on ESPNU and is available to stream on ESPN+. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. CT (11 a.m. MT) Saturday, Dec. 16. Follow along @minesfootball on X (Twitter) for updates.

Want to attend in person? Ticket information for the game is available on the Mines Athletics website. 

The Colorado School of Mines Foundation also has a growing list of watch parties in Golden, around Colorado and across the country. 

What is Colorado School of Mines?

Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering. We go by “Mines” for short, not Colorado Mines, School of Mines and definitely not School of Mimes (big shoutout to NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan for clarifying that last misconception on Fox NFL Sunday a few weeks ago).

We’ve been around awhile, too. Mines was founded in Golden, Colorado in 1874 to support the local mining industry, and in the 150 years since, we’ve expanded in scope and mission to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. We're shaping what's next in energy, mineral resources, advanced materials and manufacturing, and sustainable environment and climate. Orediggers are sought-after leaders in all of their pursuits - whether doing research in a lab, solving problems with a team, or displaying exceptional skills on the field, stage or page.

In other words, we’re nerds – and proud of it.

Where is Colorado School of Mines?

Mines is located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, in the historic mining town of Golden, Colorado. We’re 20 minutes from downtown Denver and 1 hour to the nearest big ski area, with 24 miles of interconnected trails and 300 days of sunshine. 

Golden’s other claim to fame? The original Coors Brewery – and the only place in the world that brews Coors Banquet beer.

Where do the Orediggers play football?

We’re more than a mile high at Alumni Field at Marv Kay Stadium – the oldest football field west of the Mississippi River, the oldest in NCAA Division II and home to Mines’ football since 1893.

What division does Colorado School of Mines play football in? 

Mines plays all sports – including football – at the NCAA Division II level. We’re a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, which covers the states of Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. 

Fun fact: In the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings, Mines is consistently the No. 1 university in the nation among all schools competing at the NCAA Division II level. And we don’t just play football at an elite level, but we make football look good, too. 

How long has Mines been playing football?

The inaugural season of Mines football was played in the winter of 1888-89. The score of the inaugural game vs. Denver High School is unknown, although newspaper records indicate a Mines win.

The Feb. 2, 1889 game against the Denver Cricket Club was referred to by newspaper accounts as the first-ever "Championship of Colorado" game, although there was no known conference in place at the time. The game was played at what is now Commons Park in Denver. 

How many times has Mines made it to the NCAA playoffs?

The Orediggers are making their ninth NCAA championship appearance this year and have won the Super Region IV final three years in a row (2021, 2022, 2023).  This is the fifth year in a row that Mines has appeared in the NCAA playoffs, the second-longest active streak in the country.

Mines made its first appearance in program history in the NCAA DII Football Championship game in 2022. 

This season, Mines has been ranked No. 1 in the country by the AFCA coaches' and D2football.com media polls since the week of Oct. 16 – another program first. 

Who is the head coach of Mines?

Pete Sterbick was named head coach of the Orediggers in May – the 31st head coach in program history. He had been the offensive coordinator since January 2019 and has been a key driver of some of the nation's most explosive offenses since then, helping Mines to consecutive regional titles and an appearance in the 2022 NCAA Division II national championship game.

In his first year as head coach, Sterbick was named 2023 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year after guiding Colorado School of Mines to an undefeated record and a spot in the team’s second consecutive NCAA DII Football Championship Game.

So, how is Mines connected to Bob Stitt?

Known today across college football as an offensive innovator, Bob Stitt was head coach of the Orediggers from 2000 to 2014, kicking off an unprecedented era for the program. He coached the team to a record 108 wins, three RMAC championship titles and created an offense that broke nearly every single-season offensive record during his time at Mines.

Stitt’s methods gained attention outside of Golden, as well. Coaches at several NCAA Division I schools adopted his techniques to great success, including Dana Holgorsen, who credited Stitt with the methods that helped him coach West Virginia to victory in the 2012 Orange Bowl. And an offensive play he invented – a variation of the fly sweep – has been widely adopted in the NFL. Stitt was inducted to the Mines Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.

Who is John Matocha?

John Matocha is the record-breaking starting quarterback for the Orediggers. Not only did Matocha win the 2022 Harlon Hill Award – the DII equivalent of the Heisman Trophy – but he was also named the top scholar-athlete in all NCAA Division II. 

This season, he continues to set records, producing more touchdowns than any player in college football history (190 and counting) while completing a master’s degree in computer science. He is a 2023 finalist for the Harlon Hill Award and will graduate with his M.S. in December.

Matocha, a redshirt senior, wears No. 10 and hails from Magnolia, Texas. He’s listed as 5’ 11” and received his bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2022.  Already he has a job offer with a Denver tech company, but has also said he wants to explore his options to continue playing football professionally.

Want to learn more about Mines’ QB? Read these recent profiles in the Wall Street Journal, Denver Post and Colorado Spring Gazette. Take a deep dive into John’s statistics at MinesAthletics.com.

How many Mines football players have won the Harlon Hill Award?

Three Orediggers have won the Harlon Hill Award, which is the DII Football Player of the Year. John Matocha won in 2022, Justin Dvorak won in 2016 and Chad Friehauf won in 2004.  

Mines has also had three Harlon Hill finalists – including Matocha again in 2023. The other two were Clay Garcia in 2010 and Michael Zeman in 2021.

I hear it’s hard to get into Mines. Are the admission standards different for Mines football players?

All student-athletes at Colorado School of Mines must meet the same rigorous admissions requirements as any other student interested in attending the university – including having successfully completed the required math and science coursework in high school. 

Once here at Mines, our student-athletes take their studies seriously. And like any other student, in order to earn any bachelor’s degree at Mines, they take three semesters of calculus – not to mention differential equations and physics.

What do football players at Mines major in?

Everyone at Mines is a #helluvaengineer, our football team included. Of the undergraduate students on the 2023 team who have declared majors, 30 are majoring in the university’s most popular major, mechanical engineering, but 13 different undergraduate majors and nine different master’s programs are represented on the 2023 roster: 

Undergraduate Majors

• Mechanical Engineering - 30 
• Computer Science - 7 
• Civil Engineering - 6 
• Business Engineering & Management Science - 5 
• Metallurgical & Materials Engineering - 4 
• Petroleum Engineering - 4 
• Electrical Engineering - 3 
• Chemical Engineering - 2 
• Economics - 1 
• Engineering Physics - 1 
• Geological Engineering - 1 
• Mining Engineering - 1 
• Quantitative Biosciences & Engineering - 1 

Master's Programs

• Engineering & Technology Management - 19 
• Computer Science - 3 
• Chemical Engineering - 2 
• Additive Manufacturing - 1 
• Data Science - 1 
• Environmental Engineering Science - 1 
• Mechanical Engineering - 1 
• Quantitative Biosciences & Engineering - 1 
• Space Resources - 1

As Mines Athletics Director David Hansburg likes to say: “A Mines education is the original NIL.”