Nate Kmic (born June 22, 1987) is a former professional

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running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

. He played

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Mount Union College The University of Mount Union is a private university in Alliance, Ohio. Founded in 1846, the university was affiliated with the Methodist Church until the spring of 2019. In the fall of 2020, Mount Union had an enrollment of 1,958 undergraduate ...

after graduating from Delta High School in rural

Delta, Ohio Delta is a village in Fulton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,103 at the 2010 census. History The first settlement at Delta was made in the 1830s. A post office called Delta has been in operation since 1837. The village was incor ...

In his college career, he set rushing records for both

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as well as the

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all-division record. At Mount Union, Kmic won three NCAA Division III football championships and was a three-time All-American and three-time All-

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running back. After playing in the

2011 IFAF World Championship The 2011 IFAF World Championship was the fourth instance of the IFAF World Championship, an international American football tournament. It began on July 8, 2011 with the final games commencing on July 16. It was hosted by Austria, with games takin ...

, representing

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, he signed a professional contract with the Lappeenranta Rajaritarit (Lapeenranta Border Knights) of the

Finnish Maple League The Vaahteraliiga (Maple League) founded in 1980 is the highest level of American football in Finland played under American Football Association of Finland. The winner of the Vaahteraliiga is the Finnish champion. The Vaahteraliiga season is playe ...

(Vaahteraliiga). He later served as an assistant coach and running backs coach for the

Mount Union Purple Raiders football The Mount Union Purple Raiders football program represents the University of Mount Union in college football at the NCAA Division III level as members of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Mount Union have played their home games at Mount Union S ...

team from 2009 to 2012. Since September 2012, Kmic has worked at Alro Steel Corporation, a distributor of metals, plastic, and industrial supplies.

High school career

As a senior at Delta High School in Ohio, Kmic rushed for 1,681 yards and recorded 65 tackles and five interceptions on defense.

College career

During the 2008 season, Kmic broke the Division III career record for rushing yards set in 2000 by R. J. Bowers of

Grove City College Grove City College (GCC) is a private, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876 as a normal school, the college emphasizes a humanities core curriculum and offers 60 majors and 6 pre-professional ...

. That year, he rushed for 2,790 yards and 43 touchdowns while also recording 262 receiving yards and 1 touchdown, setting the NCAA all-division single-season record for touchdowns with 44 and points with 264. On December 13, 2008, he rushed for 310 yards against Wheaton College, helping lead the Purple Raiders to a 45–24 victory, earning them a trip to

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for the 2008

Stagg Bowl The NCAA Division III Football Championship began in 1973. The Division III playoffs begin with 32 teams selected to participate in the Division III playoffs. The Division III championship game, known as the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl or Stagg Bowl ...

where they defeated the UW-Whitewater Warhawks 31–26 in the fourth consecutive meeting of the two programs for the Division III Championship. In the semifinal game, Kmic brought his career rushing total to 7,986, surpassing the previous record of 7,962 held by

Danny Woodhead Daniel Jacob Henry Woodhead (born January 25, 1985) is an amateur golfer who has qualified for the United States Golf Association championship tournaments, and was a former professional American football running back. He played college football a ...

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

Chadron State Chadron State College is a public college in Chadron, Nebraska, US. It is one of three public colleges in the Nebraska State College System. It has open admission and an acceptance rate of 100%. According to College Factual, it has a six-year g ...

. Kmic rushed for 88 yards in the Stagg Bowl, bringing his total to 8,074, the most of any player in NCAA history, and the first and only player to rush for over 8,000 yards. In April 2009, Kmic received the 2008

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, granted annually to the outstanding Division III football player.

College statistics

Professional career

After the World Championship, and after an injury to former

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running back Mike Bolio, Kmic signed a professional contract with Finnish top league

Vaahteraliiga The Vaahteraliiga (Maple League) founded in 1980 is the highest level of American football in Finland played under American Football Association of Finland. The winner of the Vaahteraliiga is the Finnish champion. The Vaahteraliiga season is playe ...

team Lappeenranta Rajaritarit, with whom he played the rest of the 2011 season replacing Bolio. In the final two regular season games, Kmic rushed for 265 yards on 33 attempts and two touchdowns and also scored on a reception and kick return. In his first professional game, he rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns in addition to an 86-yard kickoff return touchdown. Lappeenranta finished the regular season with a 7–3 record. The team lost in the

league playoff semi final game 38-28 to the

Seinäjoki Crocodiles Seinäjoki Crocodiles are an American football team from Seinäjoki, Finland. The team plays in the Finnish Maple League and it has also played in the European Football League. The Crocodiles are one of the top teams in Finland and Europe. Ac ...

. Kmic did not find the endzone in the game, but rushed for 98 yards on 16 carries and had five receptions for 48 yards.

National team career

Kmic was selected to play for

at the

held in

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, winning tournament MVP honors. The USA defeated

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50–7 in the gold medal game, which saw Kmic rushing for two touchdowns. Kmic was then signed to play in Finland. USA defends World title with 50-7 victory over Canada
IFAF

References

External links

* http://www.odaconline.com/staggbowl/08stagg_08recap.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Kmic, Nate 1980s births Mount Union Purple Raiders football players Living people Players of American football from Ohio People from Fulton County, Ohio American expatriate players of American football American expatriate sportspeople in Finland