23 Oct 2017
Steve Torline Named to Benedictine College’s Athletic Hall of Fame
Benedictine College (Atchison, KS) recognized its Athletic Hall of Fame inductees for 2017 at the annual Homecoming celebration on Saturday, October 21, 2017. This year three individuals/teams were inducted: Thad Nowak Sr., a former chair of the Physical Education Department and director of intramurals; the 1967 national champion men’s basketball team, and the 1992 Heart of America Athletic Conference champion football team. Steve Torline (’93) was a four-year running back for the Ravens and was a team captain during the 1992 championship.
1992 was Benedictine’s first year in the new Heart of America Athletic Conference. After finishing the regular season with a 9-1 finish, the Ravens were ranked 10th in the national polls. The first round saw Benedictine face off against Hastings College. Their win against Hastings sent the Ravens to the national quarterfinals against Baker University, who had given them their only loss of the regular season. In what was described as the “most exciting game in Benedictine’s history,” the Ravens beat Baker and moved on to the national semi-final game against the University of Findlay, from Ohio. With the Ravens trailing 24-27 with only seconds left, the game and the team’s national championship run ended as a 47-yard field goal try bounced off the upright. Despite the loss, it is still the farthest any Benedictine football team has ever gone in the national playoffs.
Team captains Steve Torline, Greg Bower (’93), Dave Sellinger (’94), and Chris Tabor (’93) rallied the group once again for their 25th anniversary. Together, all the teammates raised more than $35,000 to establish the 1992 Raven Football Team Fund, the first of its kind created by an alumni team. The new fund will serve as a vital source of revenue for funding scholarships, recruitment, travel and equipment. They presented a check to Head Coach Larry Wilcox at the Hall of Fame Banquet.
Congratulations to Steve Torline and the other members of the 1992 Benedictine football team for this recognition!
