Located on the north side of Chicago, just five miles from historic Wrigley Field, sits a small Division III program in North Park University.
Competing in the ultra-competitive CCIW with national power North Central located a short drive away in the Chicago suburbs, as well as perennial top-25 program Wheaton and programs with an undeniably rich history like Augustana, Illinois Wesleyan and Wash U, the Vikings put together back-to-back seasons of 5-5 finishes in 2023 and 2024 before a dip to 3-7 this fall.
To put into perspective just how impressive a .500 season can be in a league like the CCIW, turning the program around to a 5-5 finish in 2023 earned head coach Kyle Rooker Region 5 Coach of the Year honors from D3Football.com.
Now, as Rooker enters his eighth season leading the program, he's elevating a major piece of those .500 seasons to a coordinator role.
A source tell FootballScoop that the program is elevating 23-year old linebackers coach Egan Bender to co-defensive coordinator.
The promotion marks a rare and rapid rise for Bender.
Just 13 months ago he was being named first-team All-CCIW as a linebacker after leading the team in tackles during the 2024 season, and ranking second in the CCIW. In five different games his final season, Bender record double-digit tackles.
Rooker was able to carve out a a role for the standout leader on his staff as a defensive graduate assistant, and after a spring impressing everyone around him he entered the fall with a full-time role as the linebackers coach.
Now, just over a year since earning those All Conference honors, Bender has a new title and responsibilities, sharing the co-defensive coordinator title with assistant head coach and defensive line coach Jason Stapf.
Sources share they expect Bender to be very involved in game day play calling during the 2026 season with the promotion after calling the defense for the final three games of the 2025 season.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.