Tribe of Vikings Hall of Fame
The youngest of four football-playing brothers, Joe Wheeler completed a nearly-uninterrupted 15-year string of Wheelers donning the blue and gold for Augustana. That string came to an end in Joe’s senior season of 1984, when he helped lead the Vikings to their second straight NCAA Division III championship. He was named CCIW Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-America recognition from Pizza Hut and Football News. This evening, he adds to his list of honors with his induction into the Tribe of Vikings Hall of Fame.
Wheeler first became aware of Augustana at the age of seven in 1970 when Coach Ben Newcomb visited Wayne and Bernadette’s home while recruiting his brother Phil. The eldest of the Wheeler boys chose Augustana and John (1972-75) and Jim (1976-79) followed suit. So did Joe, arriving on campus in the fall of 1981 after earning all-conference, all-county and all-area honors as a linebacker and fullback at Carmel High School in Mundelein, Illinois.
Wheeler spent his freshman and sophomore seasons backing up future All-Americans and CCIW Defensive Players of the Year Jon Kuperus and Pete Kasap at linebacker. He saw plenty of action on a pair of CCIW championship squads, though, including in postseason play. The Vikings dropped an opening round playoff game at Dayton (19-7) when Wheeler was a freshman and defeated Baldwin-Wallace (28-22) and St. Lawrence (14-0) before falling 14-0 to West Georgia in the Stagg Bowl during his sophomore campaign.
In 1983, with Kuperus graduated, Wheeler stepped into his spot in Coach Bob Reade’s 5-2 defensive alignment. Augustana didn’t miss a beat, recording its third straight undefeated regular season and CCIW title.
In the team’s playoff opener, Wheeler recorded five tackles, an interception and a pair of pass breakups in the Vikings’ 22-21 come-from-behind win over Adrian. He added another half-dozen stops and a pass deflection in a 21-15 semifinal win over Wisconsin-La Crosse. In the national title game against Union, it was Wheeler’s fumble recovery with nine minutes left that set up Augustana’s go-ahead touchdown drive, capped by a fourth-down scoring pass from Jay Penney to Norm Singbush. Wheeler and his mates then stopped the Flying Dutchmen on downs at the Viking 17-yard line to clinch the program’s first national championship by a score of 21-17.
As a senior captain in 1984, Wheeler helped lead Augustana to its fourth straight undefeated regular season and CCIW championship. Along the way, he earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in the conference and All-America recognition from Pizza Hut and Football News.
The Vikings’ playoff road began at Dayton, where they avenged their loss from three years earlier, scoring with six minutes left to pull out a 14-13 win. Wheeler recorded 10 tackles and recovered a fumble. He added nine stops and a pass breakup in a 23-6 semifinal win over Union. At the Stagg Bowl in Kings Island, Ohio, Wheeler led a defensive effort that surrendered just 18 rushing yards as the Vikings defended their national championship with a 21-12 victory over Central.
At the end of his four years, Wheeler’s ledger included 44 wins against just two losses, four CCIW titles, four NCAA Division III playoff appearances, a national runner-up finish and a pair of national championships—a remarkable ending to his family’s 15-year association with Augustana and its football program.
Joe graduated from Augustana in 1985 with a degree in biology. A licensed orthotist for the past 15 years, he’s currently business development manager for Comprehensive Prosthetics and Orthotics.
Wheeler’s wife, Barbara, is a state representative for the 64th legislative district in Illinois. They reside in Crystal Lake, Illinois with their five children—Brigid, Joe, Isabella, Catherine and Marita—and are members of St. Thomas the Apostle Church.
“I knew it was a long time ago,” joked Wheeler about his Augustana days, “when I couldn’t read the print on the (Tribe of Vikings) newsletter.”
