Register Now for Hall of Fame Ceremony

The University of Findlay athletic department will enshrine the 1979 Oilers football team in their Hall of Fame on Jan. 27 at the Winebrenner Theological Seminary. In addition, Dean Pees, currently serving as the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Doors will open at 10:15 a.m. and the induction/luncheon will begin at 11 a.m. The registration fee is $25 for adults, $15 for minors and free for children ages 6 and younger. To register in advance, visit findlay.edu/events or call (419) 434-4516.

The Oilers 1979 football team captured the school's first national championship under the guidance of head coach Dick Strahm, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. The Oilers, who fell 7-0 to Concordia in the 1978 title game, out-scored their opponents by a 102-21 margin in the 1979 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) playoffs en route to their championship and finished the season with a 10-1-1 record.

Strahm, who would later lead the Oilers to national championship wins in 1992, 1995 and 1997, was tabbed the NAIA National Coach of the Year during the 1979 season. He also earned NAIA District 22 Coach of the Year accolades and led a team that featured 12 all-Hoosier Buckeye selections, ten NAIA all-District 22 picks and five NAIA all-Americans.

Pees has had an incredible career as a coach across all levels and has two Super Bowl rings to show for it. He got his start at Findlay under Strahm and served as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach from 1979-82. While at Findlay, Pees played a key role in helping the Oilers capture the 1979 NAIA national championship and helped lead Findlay to a 23-6-1 record during his tenure with the program.