EMCC Lions nab 2011 JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 national football title in final team rankings

SCOOBA – Just over a week removed from earning their first national championship on the football field, the Lions of East Mississippi Community College are now also being recognized as this year's national junior college football champions in the JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 National Junior College Rankings.

In its seventh season of existence, the JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 National Junior College Rankings include the NJCAA-affiliated member football teams across the country as well as the highly successful programs associated with the talent-laden California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA).

On the heels of their 55-47 El Toro Bowl win over previously unbeaten Arizona Western College in this year's NJCAA Football Championship Game, played Dec. 3 in Yuma, Ariz., head coach Buddy Stephens' 12-0 EMCC Lions earned JCGridiron.com's top nod over No. 2 City College of San Francisco.  The CCSF Rams, a perennial powerhouse in the CCCAA, most recently claimed a 52-42 win over Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) this past Saturday in the CCCAA State Championship Game.

"At the end of the day, it was a very tough decision to make, as one team is always going to feel shortchanged," said JCGridiron.com publisher Brad Hoiseth.  "However, after seeing both teams, we at JCGridiron.com feel very confident in our decision about our new champion."

Arizona Western settled in at the No. 3 spot in the 2011 Dirty 30 final rankings, followed by Riverside (Calif.) and Grand Rapids (Mich.) at fourth and fifth, respectively.  The remaining Top 10 teams included: No. 6 American River (Calif.); No. 7 Mississippi Gulf Coast; No. 8 Mt. SAC; No. 9 Navarro (Texas); and No. 10 Butler (Kan.).

Established in 2005, the JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 national team rankings reflect performances on the field, strength of schedules in conference play, team records and results, as well as notable players at key positions.  In becoming the first NJCAA-affiliated program to win the JCGridiron.com national title since 2007, East Mississippi also ranks as the second Mississippi school to claim the Dirty 30 title after Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College shared the honor with Butler (Kan.) CC in 2007.

Other previous winners of the JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 national title were Mt. San Antonio College (2010 & 2009), Butte (Calif.) in 2008, Blinn (Texas) College in 2006, and Glendale (Ariz.) in 2005.  Following their first-ever MACJC state championship and subsequent Mississippi Bowl victory over Arizona Western two years ago, the EMCC Lions were ranked second nationally, behind Mt. SAC, in the 2009 final rankings by JCGridiron.com.