TACOMA, Wash. - Colleges and universities around the nation are celebrating the 150th anniversary of college football throughout the 2019 season. As part of the celebration, GoLutes.com will cover some of the greatest moments in the history of the storied gridiron program at Pacific Lutheran University. The third part of this series will cover the Lutes' 1969 season that culminated in the program's first-ever Northwest Conference title.

The 100th anniversary of college football in 1969 was a special season for the Lutes, winning a share of the program's first ever Northwest Conference title.
 
The Lutes, known in 1969 at the "Knights," didn't join the Northwest Conference for football until the 1966 season, previously competing as an independent (1926-1938), a member of the Washington Intercollegiate Conference (1939-1947), and the Evergreen Conference (1948-1964).
 
It wouldn't take long for the Lutes to make an impact in the league, finishing as champions in their fourth year in the conference, finishing 6-3 and 4-2 in league play in the eighth season under the direction of Head Coach Roy E. Carlson.
 
Pacific Lutheran opened the season with a bang, outscoring its first three opponents 100-12, including a 17-0 shutout of Lewis & Clark College in the NWC opener at Franklin Pierce Stadium. The Lutes would notch additional shutout wins over Pacific University (13-0) and College of Idaho (20-0), sharing the league crown in a rare four-way tie with Lewis & Clark, Linfield College, and Whitman College. 
 
The Knights were top rushing team in the NWC, averaging 240.0 yards per game, nearly 40 yards more than the next best squad. Anchoring that ground attack was three First Team All-NWC offensive linemen in tackles Bill Broeker and Rick Johnson, and ironman guard Ross Boice who also earned First Team All-NWC as a defensive end. Guard Randy Jorgenson and center Duane Oyler earned Honorable Mention All-NWC for a line that allowed three running backs to finish the season with over 500 yards rushing. 
 
Carlson's 1969 squad established the Lutes as a force to be reckoned with within the Northwest Conference with PLU finishing third or better in the NWC/Columbia Football Association/Columbia Football League standings every season from 1969 through 2003. 
 
Carlson would coach the Lutes for two more seasons, winning the league title again in 1971 before turning over the keys of the program to a young coach from tiny Lea College in Minnesota named Frosty Westering.