ALLIANCE — His football career has been marked by peaks and valleys and unexpected interruptions, and Alex Goff wouldn’t change a thing.
A 2011 Madison graduate, Goff is the starting right tackle for NCAA Division III juggernaut Mount Union. The third-ranked Purple Raiders host No. 6 John Carroll in a national quarterfinal game at noon Saturday.
Mount Union, which has won 11 national titles since 1993 and is in the national quarterfinals for the 23rd straight season, is trying to reach the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl — the Division III national championship game — for the 10th consecutive year and the 18th time in school history. The Purple Raiders last won it all in 2012, when Goff was a sophomore.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Goff played in four games as a freshman and appeared in 13 of Mount Union’s 15 games during the national championship 2012 season. He broke preseason camp last year as the starting right guard, but a knee injury sidelined him early in the season.
“After being the starter, missing time because of injury last year was frustrating,” said Goff, an exercise science major. “At the time it was what was best for the team. I was doing anything I could to help out in any way possible.”
Goff missed two games in September and all of November, returning for the national quarterfinals. He played in Mount Union’s final three games last year, including a 52-14 loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Stagg Bowl.
A fully healthy Goff moved back to tackle this year and has started evert game for the Purple Raiders (12-0).
“It’s only a couple of feet, but there’s quite a bit of difference between playing tackle and playing guard,” Goff said. “Playing guard, you’re in a phone booth and the type of guys you’re going against are a lot different. They are usually bigger, stronger guys. When I’m playing tackle, I’m going against smaller quicker guys and playing in space out on the edge.
“At first I enjoyed playing inside more because I thought it better suited me. Now I’ve become accustomed to playing out on the edge.”
The Ohio Athletic Conference coaches agreed. Goff was selected to the All-OAC second team.
“I’m not surprised,” said Madison coach Sean Conway, whose first year in charge of the Rams was 2010, Goff’s senior season. “He was a tackle for us and he was the glue to our program in that first year. We were establishing what we wanted to be as a program and Alex was the foundation.
“He was our only captain that year. He bought into what we were trying to do and the other players followed him.”
Goff’s high school career came during a transitional period at Madison. He had three different head coaches during his three-years as a starter.
“I started there for three years and we were 5-25. It was a frustrating situation to be in because (Madison) is a program that traditionally isn’t used to losing,” Goff said. “We had three head coaches in three years and that was kind of frustrating.”
The instability he experienced in high school played heavily into his college decision. Goff could have gone to a bigger college, but instead chose a Division III school with a resume like no other in all of college football. Mount Union was a remarkable 332-24-3 during coach Larry Kehres’ 27-year tenure.
“If I had to do it again, I would still choose to come here,” Goff said. “Just the tradition and the opportunity to go win championships was a big thing for me.”
Kehres retired after winning his 11th national title in 2012. He handed the reins to his son, Vince, a 1998 Mount Union graduate.
The younger Kehres led Mount Union to its 23rd straight OAC title this fall after going 14-1 and reaching the national championship game last year.
“Honestly, there’s not much different. You can’t really change a whole lot after having all that success,” Goff said. “You want to follow the same blueprint.”
While Goff has plenty on his plate during the fall, he still finds time to check in on his alma mater. His younger brother, Nate, is a freshman center at Madison.
“He’s going to be a good one, too,” Conway said. “Having someone like Alex around, our younger guys see what is possible.
“We’re all very proud of him.”
