Senior Joe Glendening broke the college’s career touchdown record Sept. 22 against Notre Dame College.
The previous record of 52 career touchdowns was set by 2009 graduate Vinnie Panizzi. Glendening scored two touchdowns in the game, giving him 53 touchdowns and the record.
“There have been a lot of great players here at Hillsdale, so I’m really honored to hold that record, but I’d have to give all the credit to the offensive line,” Glendening said. “They’ve been there to pave the way these past four years.”
According to teammates and head coach of the Charger football team Keith Otterbein, Glendening is humble and always deflects praise to others.
“He doesn’t count the touchdowns in his head or flaunt the record or anything like that,” said sophomore Matt Vanopstall, who plays right tackle for the Charger offense.
In fact, Glendening did not even notice when he broke the record.
“I knew I was getting close, but I tried not to pay too much attention to it; all focus was on trying to get the win,” Glendening said. “I didn’t really realize I’d gotten the record until people started saying congrats.”
His coach certainly noticed.
“I’d say this is one of his biggest accomplishments,” Otterbein said. “He’s the kind of guy you wait to coach, and I’ve had the opportunity to coach him all four years.”
Glendening has been helping the Chargers win games since 2009 when he started as a true freshman with Panizzi.
“We have to make those decisions every fall—whether or not to play a freshman,” Otterbein said. “But in Joe’s case, he was ready to play and he had great knowledge of the game of football. He did a tremendous job and was certainly a factor in allowing us to go to playoffs back in his freshman year.”
As a junior, Glendening had one of the most successful seasons of any athlete in Hillsdale College’s history. He set new school records for single season carries, rushing yards, and touchdowns. In addition, he was a semifinalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which recognizes DII football’s most valuable player. He was named First-Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association as well as the GLIAC player of the year.
“The list of Joe’s accomplishments goes pretty far,” Otterbein said. “He’s done a lot of great things, but his greatest endeavor is probably his whole body of work. We know we are going to gain yards when we hand him the ball, and the fact we can hand him the ball 30 times a game is pretty significant for us. He’s helped make us one of the most consistent and explosive offenses in our conference the last four years.”
Out of all of his achievements, Glendening’s favorite was the team winning the GLIAC championship last year.
“Winning the GLIACs is a team goal going into every year. My freshman and sophomore year we were able to make the playoffs, but last year we finally won it,” Glendening said. “There are a lot of great teams in the GLIAC, so it’s really rewarding to finish the season at the top.”
Although Glendening will miss playing for the Chargers next year, he looks forward to new opportunities.
“Hopefully he’ll be playing football somewhere next year; about half the NFL has been here to look at him,” Otterbein said. “But you can’t measure football IQ, work ethic, or character; when it comes to those things, Joe’s off the charts. Those intangible things the NFL scouts can’t measure are the reason I think he does have a chance to play a year from now.”
