What a year it was for MIAA football in 2011. While it sure ended on a high note, with Pittsburg State winning the national championship, the year certainly saw its peaks and valleys.

As MIAA fans, we dealt with the loss of a program, the loss of a legend, the loss of his successor, a player of the year candidate heading to prison and countless other 'bad' or 'sad' stories.

It would be all too easy to focus on the negative for my Year in Review blog, but I want to take some time to recognize some of the GOOD stories that came out of MIAA football this year. With Christmas right around the corner, and the holiday spirit moving through me, what better way to end the year than on a positive note.

So without further ado, here's a look, in no particular order, of 11 Great Things that Happened in the MIAA in 2011

1. Sweet Home Alabama - Kind of odd to start at the end, but is there really any other way to begin? From 5-6 to 6-6 to MIAA and national champions, it's been quite a ride in Pittsburg. It started in August with what was, at the time, a mild upset over Missouri Western, saw a near-fatal slip at Truman, a come-from-behind miracle at Arrowhead, several blowouts and was assisted by the best defensive player in the country, the nation's brightest rising star on offense and a quarterback who found his game as the season progressed and became the leader the Gorillas needed.

It took me a long time to believe in the Gorillas, but watching them storm through the playoffs and bring home the title from Florence, Ala., was a sheer joy. Congratulations to the team, the school, the fans and anyone else in any way involved. (Pittsburg State Bama Blog)

2. Neighbors helping neighbors in Joplin - It was another sub-par year on the football field for the Lions of Missouri Southern, and it ended with head coach Bart Tatum being fired (he actually 'resigned' but let's call a spade a spade), but the way the school responded to the Joplin community after the May 22 tornado is nothing short of spectacular. Tatum helped lead a group of athletic department staff in rescue and recovery efforts in the days following the Twister that killed 160 people and left thousands more injured and/or homeless. (More on Missouri Southern's relief efforts here)

When training camp started, instead of focusing the entire time on football, two hours of each of the first five days were spent doing community service work in the rebuilding efforts. The city, and the university, showed its will, its strength and its resolve in the days, weeks and months after the tornado.

3. Former Mavs make their mark - The University of Nebraska-Omaha, in an absolutely shameful disregard for student athletes, announced in March its intention to move to Division I and drop its football and wrestling programs, leaving players scrambling to find what they would do for the 2011 season. One-time Mavericks ended up all over the country, in various levels of play, with at least 18 landing on MIAA rosters. Many landed on starting lineups and made impacts, big or small, but some of the most notable were:

*Missouri Western K Greg Zurlein, who set NCAA records with 23 consecutive field goals made and a perfect 9 for 9 mark on tries of 50-plus yards. (More on his record-breaking season here)
*Northwest Missouri RB James Franklin, who finished the season first in the MIAA in total rushing yards (1332) and his 95.1 rushing yards per game were second only to Western's Michael Hill, who averaged 108.8 (More on Franklin's season here)
*Pittsburg State DB Jason Peete - Peete's interception in the second half of the Fall Classic at Arrowhead Stadium helped save that game and get them in position to win the national title. He finished fourth on the team in tackles and interceptions and was third in pass break-ups.

4. Griffon greatness - Sure, Missouri Western won nine games, including a victory over nemesis Northwest Missouri, but the best story out of St. Joseph this year was that of safeties Jack Long and Shane Simpson. The two were leaving practice in the preseason when they came across a woman acting frantically outside her home near her car. Instead of driving on, they stopped to see what was wrong, realizing that the woman's grandchild had been locked inside the car. It was 95+ degrees outside in St. Joe that day.

The two helped break a car window and free the child, who was a little dehydrated but was otherwise fine. Their story went viral, with the MWSU YouTube video generating more than 161,000 views and the story appearing on about every major news network in the country and even earned them a nomination for a courage award. (More on the story here)

5. A very photogenic MIAA lined up for the playoff picture - Four teams from the conference made the playoffs this year, a feat that isn't necessarily exclusive to this year's MIAA, but pretty darn nice anyway. Central Missouri finished with a respectable eight wins, picking up a fourth loss in the Kanza Bowl, but overall, it was a great year for those (like ME) who like to argue we are the BEST league in Division II. (Playoff bracket here)

6. We all became Bearcats - The MIAA mourned together when newly-named Northwest Missouri head coach Scott Bostwick passed away in June of a heart attack. While the mourning, the services and the grief were a huge story all year, the way the football team dealt with their struggles and managed another great season is the real headline. Adam Dorrel, the third Bearcat coach in less than a year, deserves all the credit in the world for keeping his troops together and managing an 11-3 season that ended in the regional title game.

The one thing I'll regret about this season is not getting to Maryville to experience any of their special recognitions of Bostwick.

7. Two more wins against the LSC-ya later - Washburn's win over Abilene Christian and Northwest's over Midwestern State made the LSC's record against non-conference foes in the playoffs a dismal 5-15 since 2002, including a loss to Northwest Missouri each of the past eight years. I don't like to make fun of the LSC, because I think they play great football down there, but I'm sure going to miss beating up on them in the playoffs. They were such a nice little punching bag to get ourselves ready for the real challenges that laid ahead. With regional realignment, the LSC and MIAA will no longer be paired within the same region.

8. Another Harlon Hill hopeful - A year after Central Missouri quarterback Eric Czerniewski brought the trophy back to the MIAA for the first time since Emporia's Brian Shay in 1998, we came awful close to having another winner. Washburn quarterback Dane Simoneau finished just three points behind winner Jonas Randolph (RB Mars Hill) in voting, despite having fewer first-place votes than third-place finisher Micah Davis of Delta State. Simoneau fueled a very high-powered Ichabod offense, finishing the season with 4,089 passing yards and 38 touchdowns.

9. Top tackler times 2 - For the second year in a row, the MIAA produced the nation's top tackler. Last year, it was Pitt State freshman Nate Dreiling. This year, Fort Hays senior Alex Whitehill led the country with 164, just a tad under 15 per game. Whitehill was greatly overshadowed this year with the standout defensive performances of Dreiling and Missouri Western's David Bass, but the guy was everywhere and deserves the postseason accolades he's gotten. (More on Whitehill's season here)

10. Hornets cuss for cancer - When Emporia State defensive coordinator Bryce Saia's neice was diagnosed with cancer, the team decided it wanted to help. That in itself is worth commending, but what makes this story neat is the way they went about it. They started a 'cuss jar,' collecting a dollar every time somebody cussed during practice, eventually raising more than $1,500. You might think that's a lot of bad words, but some donations came without the accompanying profanities. (More on this story here)

11. Future members prove their worth- Okay, this one might be cheating a little bit, but it's worth noting the successful seasons of some of our new friends in the MIAA. Nebraska-Kearney finished 10-2, second in the RMAC and a 2-seed in Super Region 3. Northeastern State finished the regular season 7-4 and was offered the MIAA's spot in the Mineral Water Bowl, even though they aren't a league member until next year (they lost to Minnesota State to finish 7-5). Lindenwood finished a very respectable 8-3, including a victory at LSC competitor Texas A&M Kingsville.

Southwest Baptist even started the season 6-1 before falling to four consecutive MIAA teams to finish the season. Central Oklahoma, at 2-9, was the only MIAA newcomer to finish with a losing record.

What do you think of my list? What stories would you have added/removed? What would make your top 5? Leave me a comment below, drop me an email at [email protected], or hit me up on Twitter @miAARONd2 or on Facebook.com/apheintz.

A Christmas note from Aaron - I truly wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, joyful Festivus or whatever it is you celebrate this time of year. It's been a pleasure covering another year of MIAA football and I hope you've enjoyed reading my blogs just a portion as much as I've enjoyed writing them. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading, for your comments, your emails and your interactions on Twitter and on Facebook. I make it a point to answer every message I get, no matter in what medium, but I'm sure I've passed over a few along the way, and for that, I'm sorry.

I'll be taking a little time off, enjoying Saturdays with my family and afternoons away from D2Football.com and other related websites, but I hope to return in a month or two with some new blogs about the offseason and a big year in the MIAA coming up in 2012.

Again, happy holidays and thanks again for spending your time on my blog and on D2football.com.