The "Other" Georgetown

I'd like to share with my readers one of my frequent frustrations: Georgetown College. No, that's not a typo and you're not taking crazy pills. There is Georgetown University, and then there is Georgetown College. You see, when you search for things on the internet and use the words "Georgetown football" you can easily come up with hits to the other G'Town.

So I decided to dig another layer into it. Turns out Georgetown College is located in Kentucky and is a NAIA powerhouse! They've been to the NAIA finals 5 times since 1991 and won the whole thing 3 times, most recently in 2000 and 2001.

Georgetown College Tigers

Which got me thinking even more: I know absolutely nothing about that other athletic association. Why does a school choose to exist in the NAIA instead of the NCAA Division III? What are the benefits? It's this whole other world... I mean, they even have Canadian schools in it! Looking over the school list, I'm seeing a lot of southern and mid-western teams as well as a large contingent of California schools. I think I count three schools in New York. I tell you, I'm just plain perplexed about the purpose of the NAIA when their is NCAA Division III.

Now, as for other frustrations, can I get a dollar for every "Holy Cross" high school there is in the U.S.?

New Poll

After having up the football scholarship poll for a while, the results are pretty clear:

73% of those who participated want football scholarships and think Colgate should push the issue within the Patriot League.

With the season opener against CCSU (which by the way includes the return of former Colgate assistant Ed Argast part of the deal) only 36 days away, I felt that a new poll was in order. I think this is an interesting question to ask, which is basically, what's the biggest game on our schedule this year? It's hard to predict how important a game against say, Bucknell, will be when that is a few months away, but what makes it even harder is the parity that many predict will rule the Patriot League this year. Throw in UMass returning to Andy Kerr in non blizzard conditions and frankly, I don't know what to think.

Normally I'd put the Lehigh at the top of that list, but then again, a win against UMass would be nice. Then I have to think about the streak against Lafayette and the fact that I'm not ready for a loss to the Leopards just yet; especially when they have such high hopes for the season! Of course, some revenge against the Bison after last year's embarrassment would be nice - and then, Fordham's not a team to be taken lightly either.

Finally, Holy Cross and G'Town are both hoping for break out seasons. We play them on the road and almost lost to both of them in 2003... Why shouldn't those games be 'big' too?

I guess all of the games are 'big' games... so what one do you think is the biggest? I've got to decide between UMass, Lehigh and Lafayette...

UMass Adds to the Stable

Well Raider fans, in addition to having to contend with Steve Baylark in the Minuteman backfield this fall, there is now Matt Lawrence as well. Matt has transferred from Division I-A UConn and has two years of eligibility left. While at UConn, Matt played in ten games and started two; his average yards per carry was 4.18 and he had two touchdowns. Nice pick up for the Minuteman team as it adds depth to the chart.

In high school Matt was also the MVP of the Connecticut state all-star game, rushing for 268 yards and four TDs. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of Matt's name over the next two years (in addition to Baylark too).

Needless to say, the Colgate run defense has got its work cut out for it on September 10th.

Some New Faces for the Bison

Bucknell has announced some new hires and promotions, specifically Jared Backus has been promoted to defensive coordinator from defensive line coach and Jim Reid has been hired as the defensive line coach. You can read the release here.



Jim Reid is a name that some college football fans may have already heard of. Jim has been head coach at both UMass and Richmond and most recently served as the defensive line coach for Syracuse last year. Reading up on his career got me thinking about how much these coaches can jump around as they search for the right place to be. It also reminds me how lucky we are to still be able to call Dick Biddle our head coach.

Lehigh Football Nation Gives Off Season Write Up

When my fellow Raider fans have a moment, stroll on over to Lehigh Football Nation to read Chuck B's off season write up on each Patriot League team.

I hope to put out a preseason write up in the coming weeks so stay tuned!

Colgate: All safe and secure

Looks like Hamilton is nestled between two of the top 20 most secure places to live in the U.S. based on crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disaters and job loss numbers. The Post Standard reports that The Farmers Insurance Group of Companies ranks Syracuse 11th in the category of metro areas with more than 500,000 residents. Utica/Rome was 19th for locations the next size down, 150,000 to 500,000 residents.

It is nice to know that 100 plus inches of snow each year isn't considered "extreme weather"!

Welcome Back Dexter!

Colgate announced yesterday the return of former All-American Brad Dexter to the coaching ranks. Dexter has dabbled in coaching before at Clarkson (I believe he was there at the same time as Ron Fogarty - now at Bowling Green) and within the professional ranks when injured. He surely brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Colgate and rounds out the staff nicely.

Vaughn has definitely set himself up nicely here with two former players, both who excelled here at Colgate. This is very good news for Colgate and I look forward to having both on the ice this fall.

Georgia Southern Promotional Commerical

If you're interested in seeing what one of the premier I-AA programs in the nation, Georgia Southern University, puts out in the media to market their ticket sales, take a look. You'll need Quicktime installed.

There are some big guys they profile and I think they do a nice job with this. From time to time I see Colgate advertisements on Time Warner stations; I'd love to see us upgrade from the current quality we use to something that looks a bit more polished like this.

The Hoya's Have a Rug!

Word is that seating will still be limited in the fall due to construction, but that looks darn nice!

Dickson Named First Assistant

Definitely no surprise here: Andrew Dickson is promoted to First Assistant for the Men's Ice Hockey program. Dix has been around for quite a few years, first as a player and then as a coach. It's great to see him move up and get recognized for his contributions to the program.

Now, the next pressing question is: Who's his replacement? A former player would be my first bet. Shep Harder is the most recent alum to be on the bench; Ron Fogarty has moved up the ranks after leaving Colgate in 1998 so I think this would be a move down for him. Anyone else have some thoughts on this one?

Incoming QB MVP of MA All-Star Game

Anthony (Tony) Fucillo appears to have had an amazing performance at the 45th Agganis All-Star Football Classic. Tony was compared to Brian St. Pierre (current Pittsburgh Steeler from the area) and the opposing coach stated that "this kid made the difference".

If you keep reading the coach's comments, this guy couldn't stop raving about Tony. The real highlight follows as such:

"He's one of the better athletes I've run up against," Worth said, "the best quarterback I've seen at this level in a long time. In fact, I haven't seen many like him. He just sits back there and throws darts. "I'd say he's the best high school quarterback I've seen since Brian St. Pierre was at St. John's Prep. Fucillo was awesome tonight."

That type of compliment has me very excited to see what Tony can do at Colgate!

Watch Your Pocketbooks!

Colgate announced a little while ago that this past year was a fundraising record, doubling the amount received last year. The Syracuse paper has an article on it that mentions a small tidbit of an upcoming campaign:

"It will officially launch a separate fundraising campaign in early 2007, Decock said, during which it hopes to raise up to $400 million."

That's the first I've seen in public print that says how much Colgate is going after. If we can reach that goal, it will put Colgate on the doorstep to the Billion Dollar Club. Quite the ambitious campaign, so don't be surprised if you start getting some phone calls to ante up!

Georgetown Update

Can you believe they'll be playing football there in the fall? The Multi-Sport Facility is moving right along. This picture is from about a month ago.

Lehigh Football Nation Puts Out Interactive Map

If you have the time, stroll on over to Lehigh Football Nation and scroll to the bottom of the page. Be sure to have JavaScript enabled.

LFN has begun work on an awesome, interactive I-AA football map for fans to explore. Very cool to see!

Nice Step Up for Football

The athletic department just released a notice that ALL home football games will be televised by Time Warner in Central New York. This is a fantastic step up for the program and it will help our exposure in various regions when the feed is picked up by another station. Case in point, UMass reports that CN8 is picking up the game for the Massachusetts region.

Now, please, do not let the fact that the game is televised detract from your desire to go to the game in person. This will hopefully just add to the excitement that surrounds Colgate football and lead to bigger and better things!

They Play Football in Italy?

Sean McCune is continuing his football career with the S.S. Lazio Marines of the American Football League in Italy. He has been playing since April and his team is in the playoffs.

Sounds like Sean has used his football talents to land him a once in a lifetime opportunity of living abroad for a few months and get paid to play a game. Not a bad deal at all.

It's Official - So Long Stan

Both Colgate and Providence are reporting that Stan Moore has left the Raiders for the Friars. I think this is a big loss for Colgate as Stan brought a wealth of hockey knowledge to the team and was a great teacher.

Good luck at Providence, Stan - except when you're playing Colgate!

Matt Dougherty (Sports Network) Gives His Rankings

Link

Matt has ranked every program in I-AA for the preseason. No real (big) suprises here.

Lehigh #15
Harvard #16
Brown #21 (a little suprise here)
Lafayette #25
Colgate #44 - Here's what Matt has to say: " With 2003 Payton Award winner Jamaal Branch, quarterback Chris Brown and wide receiver Luke Graham all graduated, the Raiders figure to slip a bit in 2005. "

My comment to Mr. Dougherty: That's a nice, conservative comment that really shows little homework done. I don't figure the Raiders to slip that far; there's a lot of talent returning and a lot of younger pups waiting to emerge in the wings. Oh well, I like Colgate not having such high expectations as 2004.

Incoming Transfer Gets Honored

Sean Field, an offensive lineman who transferred to Colgate for last spring semester, was named All-American from the NJCAA (the junior college version of the NCAA). Sean carried a 3.63 GPA and was a standout for the Mustangs.

I know this fan is looking forward to seeing what Sean can do at this level. He's a 6'6" and 325 lbs. offensive guard.

Lehigh to Host Indoor Football

A bit off topic, but it looks like Lehigh University will begin hosting the "Lehigh Valley Outlawz" next April. That comes on the heels of other news that minor league baseball is trying to make a comeback in Allentown. The Outlawz will use Stabler Arena for their venue.

I wonder if they're hoping to use the Mountain Hawks as a feeder? Maybe pick up a few graduating seniors each year to play on the team? Wouldn't be a bad idea...