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An incredible catch by Knox College Prairie Fire wide receiver Ilir Emini '16—which The Big Lead sports news site called "probably the greatest catch in Division III football history"—has gone viral, generating widespread media coverage.
ESPN's SportsCenter led its Monday night show with video of the catch, which host Scott Van Pelt picked as "Best Thing I Saw Today."
Emini made the once-in-a-lifetime catch on a pass from quarterback Matt McCaffrey in the fourth quarter of the Prairie Fire's game at Lawrence University on Saturday, September 26. The play set up the third touchdown of the day for running back Jared Zanger '17, giving Knox a 20-6 advantage that they would hold to the end of the contest.
"When I saw the ball in the air and the coverage, I felt Ilir was going to have a tough time making a play on the ball," said Prairie Fire head coach Damon Tomeo. "After he jumped, I thought the pass was going to be incomplete, (and) when it bounced off his leg and he landed on his back, I knew if anyone could catch a ball in such an awkward position it would be Ilir."
Emini said, "I have one mentality whenever the ball is thrown to me: 'It's mine and I need to come down with it.' That's all I was trying to do, come down with it any way possible."
"I have been shocked by all the attention it received," he added.
Coach Tomeo offered an explanation on why everyone seems to be talking about—and watching—Emini's catch.
"The non-traditional style of catch combined with the national media exposure has helped it get viewed by so many people," he said. "You just don't see balls caught this way, ever."
Emini's feat has been characterized informally in different ways, including the "Tip, kick, then catch" and the "Bruce Lee catch." D3football.com, a website that focuses on news about NCAA Division III football, called it the "Tip, kick, crawl and corral."
D3football.com also chose the catch as Play of the Week and described it like this: "Ilir Emini apparently makes many amazing catches, but this one is the most amazing play we've seen. Watch how the Knox wide receiver keeps the ball in play after a deflection, then scooches on his back to get under the ball and make the grab."
Galesburg Register-Mail sports reporter Matthew Wheaton '10 wrote about the play and explained how it caught ESPN's attention.
Emini used Twitter on Sunday to post a link to a video clip of his 33-yard reception, Wheaton wrote. Then Jackson White '14, a writer with West Central Illinois Sports, Tweeted the link to Van Pelt at ESPN. He liked it and used it on SportsCenter.
Here is a collection of some of the coverage of Emini's catch.
For The Win (USA Today Sports)
(Photo at top of page: Ilir Emini '16 makes a catch in a 2014 game between Knox and Beloit.)
Published on September 30, 2015
You just don't see balls caught this way, ever.
https://www.knox.edu/news/probably-the-greatest-catch-in-division-iii-football-history
Printed on Tuesday, April 23, 2024