Kriewaldt (center) recovers a fumble during a 2003 NFL preseason game

Why was Kriewaldt playing at the non-scholarship NCAA Division III level?

But, at the same time, Kriewaldt’s selection also provided an answer to that same question.

By playing at UW-Stevens Point, Kriewaldt earned plenty of recognition. He became the first four-time unanimous first-team All-Conference player in the history of one of the country's top Division III leagues and also had the opportunity to showcase himself by playing both ways.

"The biggest schools that looked at me were Division II schools - a lot of them in Minnesota and North Dakota," Kriewaldt told the Detroit News. "I didn’t think it was worth my going over there when all the state schools in my conference recruited me. It was a little better football, and closer to home."

The Shiocton, Wis. native proved it was worth staying near home. He shattered the UW-Stevens Point record for career tackles with 416, including 289 solo tackles. He also rushed for 16 touchdowns in the Pointers "Elephant backfield" over the past two years.

He was named first-team by all three Division III All-American publications and made 12 tackles in the Aztec Bowl, a game featuring Division III All-Stars played in Mexico.

Kriewaldt was just the second defensive player in the past 12 years to earn Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors and was also named the conference’s Player of the Year by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Kriewaldt was a model of consistency for the Pointers, posting at least 10 tackles in every game last season. His biggest day was in a 47-28 win over UW-Oshkosh when he became the fifth player in school history to score four touchdowns in a game.

The 6-2, 235-pound Kriewaldt was named first-team All-American by the Football Gazette as a junior and also earned third-team honors on the Hewlett Packard All-American team.

All of these honors for a guy who originally came to UW-Stevens Point as a running back. At Shiocton High School, Kriewaldt rushed for 3,357 career yards, including 317 in one game, and was named the Central Wisconsin Conference Offensive Player of the Year.