Division II’s Football Cinderella: Wayne State

In one of those magical, improbable playoff runs that helps renew faith in the joy of sports, Wayne State University’s football team has pushed itself to the Division II national title game, after having never made the playoffs before this season.

The Warriors (12-3) will play Pittsburg State (Kan.) in Florence, Ala., this Saturday for the national title. Wayne State defeated Winston-Salem State, 21-14, in North Carolina on Saturday, to win its fourth straight playoff road game.

“When I recruited a lot of these guys, I told them that we would compete for a national championship,” Wayne State Coach Paul Winters told The Detroit Free Press. “Now they can see that everything has come together. We’re going to play for a national championship.”

Winters said this unlikely postseason run had been intense, bringing more attention to his football program than it had ever seen.

“I will tell you it is a blur,” Winters told The Detroit News. “I remember there was Thanksgiving somewhere along the line but I don’t remember. I understand Christmas is coming soon, and I’m trying to figure out when I am going to go gift shopping. But this is the best blur I have been in.”

Wayne State, a largely commuter school in downtown Detroit with an enrollment of 31,505, seems to be an unlikely place for a football Cinderella story. Wayne State’s only national championships have come in men’s and women’s fencing. The university is more known for its graduates, like the radio host Casey Kasem, the journalists Hugh Downs and Helen Thomas, and the self-help guru Wayne Dyer.

The Warriors have a few stars driving their team, like offensive linemen Joe Long and Will Khoury, but they are  mostly a group of players working together to win. Long, who is the younger brother of Miami Dolphins lineman Jake Long, a collegiate star at Michigan, is an example of the type of player Winters helps develop.

Long wasn’t ready to play at a big-time program, so he chose a smaller program, with less pressure. Now, N.F.L. scouts are making the trip to Wayne’s campus to check him out.

“Jake could bench-press 225 pounds like it was a toothpick,” Long joked to The Free Press. “I came in and could probably do it three or four times.”

As usual, with success comes the possibility of the coach moving on to a bigger program. Akron may be looking at hiring Winters for its coaching vacancy, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Winters would be a natural fit, as he is in the Akron Hall of Fame for his achievements as a running back and a former standout from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High, the same school where LeBron James rose to stardom. Winters is 36-13 over the past four seasons at Wayne State, with a 48-42 record since 2004.

Akron has been granted permission by Wayne State to speak to Winters after the end of the season.

Winters, when contacted by The Plain Dealer, also wants to wait until the season is over to discuss the Akron job.

“I don’t want to talk about this because it is not fair to my kids,” Winters said. “We are focused on winning a national championship, and nothing else matters.”