Montana Catholic college basks in glow of NAIA football championship

Published: 2004-01-21

HELENA, Mont. (CNS) -- The football team at Catholic-run Carroll College in Helena set records when it won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championship for the second straight year. The Fighting Saints swept past the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Rangers to win the title game 41-28 in Savannah, Tenn., Dec. 20. Carroll actually trailed for the first time in the postseason, ending the first quarter behind 7-3. The Helena school is the only Catholic college in the United States to win the NAIA title, much less repeat the win. The institution, operated by the Helena Diocese, is one of five small colleges to win the championship twice, said Thomas Trebon, Carroll's president. The NAIA is the national governing body for the athletic programs at about 350 small colleges. It was begun in 1940 as the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball and renamed in 1952 when it was expanded to include a variety of sports.

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