Pingel, a senior from Perryville, Mo., is the first wide receiver to receive The Melberger Award. He is also the greatest receiver statistically in NCAA history, completing his career owning the all-time NCAA records in three major receiving categories: career receptions (436), career receiving yards (6,108) and touchdown receptions (75). He is the only player in Division III history to catch 100 passes in back-to-back seasons. He holds 15 Division III records and five NCAA All-Division records: most yards receiving in a single season (2,157 in 1998), reception per game in a single season (13.6 in 1999) as well as the career reception, yardage and touchdown catches marks.

A three-time All-American, Pingel caught 136 passes for 1,648 yards and 24 touchdowns during the 1999 season. A four-time First Team All-St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) selection, he is a secondary education /math major and a GTE Academic All-American.

The other finalists were senior quarterback and 1998 Melberger winner Michael Burton of Trinity University (TX) and senior quarterback Danny Ragsdale of the University of Redlands (CA).

The three finalists were selected by a national media panel of 75 sportswriters. The Club received 63 nominations from Division III coaches and sports information directors. Dan Doyle, founder and executive director of the Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island, was the featured speaker. His professional experience encompasses coaching, writing, fundraising and public speaking. Doyle also founded the Irish American Sports Foundation and the Young Writers Institute at Kingswood-Oxford School in Hartford, Conn. As a basketball coach, he compiled an overall career record of 142-45.

"Scott is an outstanding wide receiver and football player," said club president Marvin Antinnes. "His statistics and his leadership both on and off the field are most impressive. He truly is in an outstanding representative of Division III football."

The Downtown Wilkes-Barre Touchdown Club also presented the John J. Chwalek NCAA National Championship Trophy to Pacific Lutheran University. The trophy is sponsored by PNC Bank. Assistant coach Scott Westering accepted the award on behalf of the Lutes and his father, head coach Frosty Westering who was in Hawaii being honored as Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. The Lutes captured their first-ever NCAA Division III championship with a 42-13 victory over Rowan College on December 18 at the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. In the end the team racked up 15,500 total travel miles and became the first team to win the championship while playing every playoff game on the road.

Continuing the recognition they started at their first awards banquet in 1991, the Club presented the Middle Atlantic Conference Most Valuable Player Award to Mike Hankins from Wilkes University; Offensive Player of the Year to Matt Eisenberg, Juniata College; Offensive Lineman of the Year to Rob Johnston, King's College; Defensive Player of the Year to Tom Eisenhower, Widener University; Defensive Lineman of the Year to Denny Bowers, Susquehanna University; and Coach of the Year to Frank Girardi, Sr., Lycoming College.

The Club also recognized the Presidents' Athletic Conference award winners - Coach of the Year John Banaszak of Washington and Jefferson College and Most Valuable Player, R. J. Bowers of Grove City College.

For the Centennial Football Conference, Ron Sermarini of Western Maryland College and Paul Smith of Gettysburg College share the title of Offensive Player of the Year and Tom Selecky, also of Western Maryland College, received the Defensive Player of the Year.