By Raymond G. Hebert, Ph.D.
Thomas More University
Sources for this article include: Statistics provided by Michael Pagano Co-Director of Sports Information, TMU Athletics, and print media as noted.
After the magical year of 1991, with its undefeated season, there was still a great deal of success for Thomas More College football through the 1990s and early 2000s. It is probably best symbolized by examining the individual rosters of All-Americans who were nationally recognized. In the late 1990s, Chris Wells, a linebacker and Brett Moses, an offensive tackle, were recognized in several different years: Moses as 2nd Team All-American “Hewlett Packard” NCAA in 1995 plus 1st Team “Burger King” AFCA and “football Gazette” NCAA in 1996, and Wells as 2nd Team “Football Gazette” NCAA and 3rd Team “Hewlett Packard” NCAA in 1995, 1st Team “Burger King” AFCA Coaches in 1997, and 3rd Team “Hewlett Packard” NCAA in 1998.
Zach Autenrieb, 2013 graduate of Thomas More, was inducted into the Thomas More Hall of Fame in 2022. (Thomas More Athletics)
In 2000, running back Will Castleberry was recognized for an outstanding year in one of the competitive skills positions with 2nd Team Honors in the D3 football.com poll and 3rd Team AP Little All-American in that same year. Matt Atkins (OL) was a D3 football.com 3rd Team All-American in both 2002 and 2003, and Tyler Owens (Defensive Tackle) was a 1st Team D3 football.com selection in 2010.
The next major period of team success, though, was in the early 2010s. In 2010, the team went 11-1 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and in 2011, they went 9-2, but this time lost in the first round. Those were the two years when Hayden and Autenreib were the mainstays on their respective sides of the ball. Hayden, meanwhile, after being injured in 2012, returned and had his two most productive years in 2013 and 2014.
Zach Autenreib actually began his Thomas More career in 2009 and shocked everyone with his 9 interceptions, 50 total tackles (27 solo) and a total of 106 return yards, including one touchdown. He did not slow down in that 11-1 season of 2010 with 8 more interceptions, again with one touchdown, 45 total tackles, and 9 pass breakups. This was followed by 7 more interceptions in 2011 and 8 more in only 8 games in 2012 for a nationally recognized 32 interceptions for his career in only 43 games played with 434 interception return yards, 13.6 yards per return, 5 interceptions returned for touchdowns, 4 fumble recoveries, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble returned for a touchdown, 195 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and 29 pass breakups.
Autenrieb set the all-time record of 30 interceptions when he intercepted a pass during a 27-0 game against Grove City. He broke the NCAA Division III record of 29 interceptions. (Thomas More Athletics)
What is special about Zach Autenreib’s career is that he was and still is the NCAA Division III career interceptions record holder. In recognition of that achievement, in a Thomas More College press release dated December 4, 2012, it was announced that, “he was named one of only four finalists for the 2012 Gagliardi Trophy given to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III by Jostens and the J-Club of St. John’s University of Minnesota.” This is the D III equivalent of the Heisman Trophy in Division I.
This was after he had been named “the 2012 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Player of the Year” and 1st Team All-PAC and, and in testament to his 3.33 grade point average in accounting, he was also “named to the Capital One Academic All-District II Team.” Meanwhile, also nationally, in that same year, he was 2nd Team All-American in both the D3 football.com and AP Little America rosters in 2012.
In that same era of winning tradition — together for two years and then after an injury redshirt year staying on for two more years — was Domonique Hayden. In those years (2013 and 2014) he took his game to another level with 2,012 total rushing yards in 2013, averaging a staggering 8.3 yards per carry with 23 rushing touchdowns, and in his senior season, despite being targeted by opponents he still managed 1,426 total rushing yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry with another 25 rushing touchdowns. His super-impressive 223.4 all purpose yards per game in 2013 did come down to 166.4 all purpose yards per game in his final season but even the latter surpassed anything prior to it at Thomas More College.
Domonique Hayden, 2014 graduate of Thomas More, was inducted into the Thomas More Hall of Fame in 2020.
The result was the following, as his career ended:
• Accomplishments: 2013 D3football.com First Team All-American, 2013 AP Little All-America First Team All-American, 2014 D3football.com First Team All-American, 2014 AP Little All-American Second Team All-American First Team All-PAC all four years (excluding 2012). Was named PAC Player of the Year in 2011, and PAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014.
• Holds the program record in the following: rushing yards in a game (336 yards vs. Westminster College on September 27, 2014), rushing yards in a season (2,017 in 2013), rushing yards in a career (5,466), and career rushing average (6.6 yards per carry).
• Tied for program record for rushing touchdowns in a game (5 in a game twice), holds record for rushing touchdowns in a season (25 in 2013 and 2014), and rushing touchdowns in a career (82).
Holds record for career 100-yard rushing games (24), and is tied for season 100-yard rushing game (10).
• Tied for record for points in a game (30 in a game twice), holds record for season points scored (168 in 2013), and career points scored (534).
Holds record for total touchdowns in a season (28 in 2013), total career touchdowns (89), and consecutive games with a touchdown (10).
Domonique Hayden was a two-time All-American, four-time All-Region selection, four-time First Team All-PAC selection and three-time PAC Player of the Year. He was also a 2014 Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist.
• Holds record for all-purpose yards in a game (349 yards vs. Westminster College on September 27, 2014), all purpose yards in a season (2,234 in 2013), and all-purpose yards in a career (6,298).
Appropriately, Hayden also holds the record for All-American designations with two First Team recognitions in 2013: D3football.com and AP Little America, and a First Team (D3football.com) and Second Team (AP Little America All-America) in 2014. Not surprisingly, despite not playing at the more visible Division I level, Hayden’s success earned him a careful look at that next level. As noted by Thomas Carter in the September 16, 2014 Cincinnati Magazine, “his performance also drew NFL eyes, earning him workouts with the Tennessee Titans and Detroit Lions this offseason.” Hayden’s head coach, Jim Halvert, said of Hayden after his injury: “I talk a lot about smacking adversity in the face and that’s exactly what Dom did.”
Later, as reported in the Northern Kentucky Tribune, there was also a serious interest from the Baltimore Ravens, when he was invited to a tryout at the Raven’s Rookie Camp in Maryland during May 2015. None of those opportunities earned him a position at the next level but this Little All-American (which combined DII, DIII, and NAIA athletes) would still come to the closet to a professional contract of any Thomas More College football player.
Clearly, Zach Autenreib on defense and Dominque Hayden on offense, two-year teammates, will always be remembered among Thomas More Football’s most memorable players.
Dr. Raymond G. Hebert is Professor of History and Executive Director of the William T. Robinson III Institute for Religious Liberty at Thomas More University. He is the leading author of Thomas More University at 100: Purpose, People, and Pathways to Student Success (2023). The book can be purchased by contacting the Thomas More University Bookstore at 859-344-3335. Dr. Hebert can be contacted at hebertr@thomasmore.edu.
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Also see this NKyTribune history column: https://nkytribune.com/2023/08/our-rich-history-thomas-more-college-footballs-early-years-an-unlikely-undefeated-season-in-year-ii/
