2016 Olivet Comets football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{primary sources|date=May 2017}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 2016
| team = Olivet Comets
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
| short_conf = MIAA
| record = 9–2
| conf_record = 6–0
| head_coach = Dan Pifer
| hc_year = 5th
| off_coach = Dan Musielewicz
| oc_year = 5th
| off_scheme =
| def_coach = Warren Maloney
| dc_year = 4th
| def_scheme =
| captain = Justin Madar
| captain2 = Braden Black
| captain3 = Thomas Gary-Homes
| captain4 = Robert Cuba
| stadium = Cutler Athletic Complex
| champion = MIAA champion
| bowl = 2016 NCAA Division III First Round
| bowl_result = L 12–37 at {{cfb link|year=2016|team=John Carroll Blue Streaks|title=John Carroll}}
}}
{{2016 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}}
The 2016 Olivet Comets football team, sometimes known as Team 116 in reference to the 116th season of the Olivet Comets football program, was an American football team that represented Olivet College as a member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) during the 2016 NCAA Division III football season. Led by Dan Pifer in his fifth and final season as head coach, the Comets compiled an overall record of 9–2 with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, winning the MIAA title.{{cite web |author= |title=2016 MIAA standings |url=https://www.d3football.com/conf/MIAA/2016/standings |publisher=D3sports.com |access-date=January 3, 2021 }}{{cite web |author= |title=MIAA Record Book 2020–21 |url=https://www.miaa.org/history/RecordBook/miaa_recordbook_3_football_2019_updated.pdf |publisher=Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association |page=7 |access-date=January 3, 2021 }} Olivet advanced to the NCAA Division III football championship playoffs, where the Comets lost in the first round to {{cfb link|year=2016|team=John Carroll Blue Streaks|title=John Carroll}}. The team won the MIAA championship outright for the first time since 1974 and at least a share of the conference title for the second consecutive year, the first time Olivet won back-to-back titles since 1913 and 1914. The title was the 12th in program history, and the nine wins tied the single-season record set in 2015.
In December 2016, Pifer left Olivet to become thee head football coach at Walsh University. In January 2017, offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator Dan Musielewicz was hired as the new head coach for the Comets.
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| rankyear = 2016
| rankdivision = NCAA Division III
| poll = D3football.com
| timezone = Eastern
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 3
| time = 1:00 p.m.
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| away = y
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2016|team=St. John Fisher Cardinals|title=St. John Fisher}}
| site_stadium = Growney Stadium
| site_cityst = Rochester, NY
| tv =
| score = 10–52
| attend = 2,566
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 12
| time = 1:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| nonconf = y
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2016|team=Elmhurst BlueJays|title=Emhurst}}
| site_stadium = Cutler Athletic Complex
| site_cityst = Olivet, MI
| tv = Comet Sports Network
| score = 27–13
| attend = 1,005
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 17
| time = 2:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| nonconf = y
| away = y
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2016|team=Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors|title=Wisconsin Lutheran}}
| site_stadium = Raabe Stadium
| site_cityst = Milwaukee, WI
| tv =
| score = 30–7
| attend = 538
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 1
| time = 6:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2016|team=Hope Flying Dutchmen|title=Hope}}
| site_stadium = Ray & Sue Smith Stadium
| site_cityst = Holland, MI
| tv =
| score = 15–13
| attend = 1,874
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 8
| time = 2:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| homecoming = y
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2016|team=Kalamazoo Hornets|title=Kalamazoo}}
| site_stadium = Cutler Athletic Complex
| site_cityst = Olivet, MI
| tv = Comet Sports Network
| score = 35–6
| attend = 6,175
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 17
| time = 1:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2016|team=Albion Britons|title=Albion}}
| site_stadium = Sprankle–Sprandel Stadium
| site_cityst = Albion, MI
| tv =
| score = 31–14
| attend = 3,522
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 22
| time = 1:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| nonconf = y
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2016|team=Benedictine Eagles|title=Benedictine (IL)}}
| site_stadium = Cutler Athletic Complex
| site_cityst = Olivet, MI
| tv = Comet Sports Network
| score = 54–48
| overtime = OT
| attend = 1,085
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 29
| time = 1:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2016|team=Alma Scots|title=Alma}}
| site_stadium = Cutler Athletic Complex
| site_cityst = Olivet, MI
| tv = Comet Sports Network
| score = 36–30
| attend = 2,005
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 5
| time = 1:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2016|team=Adrian Bulldogs|title=Adrian}}
| site_stadium = Docking Stadium
| site_cityst = Adrian, MI
| tv =
| score = 44–37
| attend = 2,775
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 12
| time = 1:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2016|team=Trine Thunder|title=Trine}}
| site_stadium = Cutler Athletic Complex
| site_cityst = Olivet, MI
| tv = Comet Sports Network
| score = 44–27
| attend = 4,025
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 19
| time = 12:05 p.m.
| w/l = l
| nonconf = y
| away = y
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=2016|team=John Carroll Blue Streaks|title=John Carroll}}
| opprank = 6
| site_stadium = Don Shula Stadium
| site_cityst = University Heights, OH
| gamename = 2016 NCAA Division III First Round
| tv =
| score = 12–37
| attend = 1,926
}}
}}
{{cite web |author= |title=2016 Olivet College Football Results |url=http://olivetcomets.com/sports/fball/2016-17/schedule |publisher=University of Olivet |access-date=December 22, 2016 }}
Broadcasting
Radio broadcasting for the Comets was aired by 89.1 The One WOCR FM with play-by-play provided by sports director Matt Scher and color analysis by Zach Sturgill. The games could be heard on the radio and on wocrfm.com. A first for Olivet football, home games were broadcast on the Comet Sports Network produced by Visual Premier Productions, LLC. with audio simulcasted from WOCR's broadcast. The Comet Sports Network broadcasts were streamed through YouTube.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Olivet Comets football navbox}}
Category:Olivet Comets football seasons
Category:Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football champion seasons
{{Collegefootball-2016-season-stub}}