College towns like Ann Arbor, Mich., Tuscaloosa, Ala., South Bend, Ind. and Austin, Texas all echo stories down the halls of football immortality.

Springfield, Ohio is the last place anyone would think to add to that list.

Wittenberg University, in Springfield, Ohio, is the winningest program in college football history—Division III that is.

Next year, Staples offensive-lineman Andrew Spector will be headed to the western Ohio school to make his mark on the rich tapestry that is Wittenberg Tiger football.

“It was exciting because I didn’t ever think I’d get a chance to be recruited by a school like Wittenberg, it was a pretty amazing process,” says Spector.

The Tigers have attained five DIII national championships, 25 conference championships and 697 all-time victories. The University’s football team has only had one losing record in the last 56 years, and has been playing football longer than the University of Texas.

Spector was pursued by Ohio Wesleyan University and Cornell College along with Wittenberg, but ultimately ended at the decision of Wittenberg because of the team’s track record. “Ohio Wesleyan and Cornell College aren’t winning programs, I want to spend my four years in college winning.”

While he played more of a supporting role on this year’s squad, Spector made the most of every minute he was on the field and ended up committing to play collegiate football in early April.

“I wasn’t 100 percent sure I really wanted to play,” said Spector. “But I filled out all the questionnaires and I met with a few coaches. I put together a highlight reel from times when I was on the field, and coaches liked what they saw. They said I had things to work on, but also that they could see me playing college football.”

Wittenberg doesn’t take recruiting lightly as the team brings in players from around the nation. Under current head coach Joe Fincham (1996–Present), the Tigers have won seven North Coast Athletic Conference championships and have played in seven NCAA title games; however, they haven’t won a national championship since 1975.

Spector was a part of the Wreckers team that won an FCIAC title in 2009 and came just inches short of a state title that same year. With graduation just a few weeks away, Spector is excited for a change of scenery and the opportunity to continue life as a student-athlete.

“I’m really amped to get a second chance to play football, I feel like my senior year was a disappointment for me and I’m happy I have another chance to play on an even bigger stage than at Staples,” Spector said. “I see championships in the making.”