The proud history of the North Central College football program boasts 16 players who have achieved All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) honors in three different seasons, just five of whom made their contributions on the defensive side of the ball.
The first of that group is also the only defensive lineman in the program's history to be so honored. Matt Campillo '81 put his hand on the ground in the middle of the Cardinals' defensive line for all 36 of North Central's games during his career, 24 of which resulted in victories. He was the Cardinals' only three-time First Team All-CCIW selection from 1960 to 2004.
An in-home recruiting visit from co-head coaches Hank and Ron Guenther convinced Campillo he would get the competitive and academic experiences he craved, and he looked forward to the challenge of cracking the starting lineup as a freshman.
"I wanted to combine athletics and education," Campillo said. "I also wanted to go to a place where I could play, because I was very competitive. Division III allowed me to have that opportunity.
"My goal was to start as a freshman. Fundamentally, I knew I was really sound, so I wanted to come in and prove that I could play at this level. (The coaches) didn't really know where to put me, because I could play a variety of different positions. Finally (defensive line coach) Pat Gora got me dialed in to where he thought I would fit best."
As a junior, Campillo anchored a defensive line which played a key role in the Cardinals' ability to limit their opponents' scoring to just 9.9 points per game, which stood as a program record for more than 30 years and has been bettered only once.
"We called ourselves the three O's," Campillo recalled. "It was me, Bobby Lelo '80 and John Rizzuto '80 that started. We weren't really big, but we were quick as hell. The scheme was that we would hit the gaps to disrupt the opposing offense, and we were highly successful.
"It was truly because of Coach Gora. He was hard on us, but he wouldn't let us quit. I think that's because he knew we were undersized. But we didn't play that way. We always played big."
Campillo's motivation to seek a third straight First Team All-CCIW nod as a senior got a boost from the placement of a photo on a wall. The sight of a photo of John Turpin '61, at the time one of the two most recent three-time honorees, on a daily basis in the coaches' office added fuel to Campillo's desire to become a standard bearer for future defensive players.
"My junior year, I walked past it all the time, and it was motivating," he said. "I would see that and I thought I could do it, too. Offensive players tend to get more accolades. That's part of the game, and I understand that, so to do that as a defensive player and have it hold up for so long, it's extremely humbling."
The goal of achieving and integrated academic and athletic collegiate experience was just as successful as Campillo's efforts on the football field. He continues to reap the benefits of his experience on campus today.
"The relationships are the biggest thing," he said. "There are people I still keep in touch with who graduated with me, and that's instilled at a small school. Those relationships mean something. I find myself constantly going back to the things we built together when we were here."
