Turns out Matt LaVerde kept elite company during his college days when he played on a Mount Union team that won NCAA Division III national championship in 2000.

Nick Sirianni and Matt Campbell were also on that team. Sirianni is now head coach of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and Campbell was named head coach at Penn State just last weekend, leaving Iowa State for that job. 

LaVerde, 6-2, 225 at the time, was a big star for the Purple Raiders who transferred from Penn State where he was a preferred walk-on after graduating from Oil City. (Both Matt and his older brother Tiger were big Penn State fans growing up.)

LaVerde played middle linebacker for Mount Union, making 81 tackles (11 TFLs) and four interceptions for the 14-0 Raiders, who beat St. John's, 10-7, on a last-second field goal in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl for the Ohio school's then fifth national title. LaVerde made 12 tackles in that game, two for losses.

A first team All-Conference defender who achieved academic honors (3.88 GPA in math), LaVerde also played on Mount Union's 1998 national championship team. 

LaVerde coached the Oilers from 2008-15. (The Grove City High coach once said LaVerde knew every play in the history of football, or words to that effect.) LaVerde currently serves as Erie County Technical School director.

Campbell was a starting defensive lineman for Mount Union in 2000. Both he and LaVerde are seen on the accompanying video. LaVerde wears No. 4 and Campbell is No. 89.

Campbell was a first team All-American in 2002 after stuffing the stat sheet with 101 tackles, 25 TFLs and 13 sacks.

Sirianni was a 6-4 wide receiver who played on three national champions at Mount Union (2000-02). His best season was 2003 when he had 52 catches for 993 yards and 13 TDs.

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