Football Returns To Clarkson With Club Team
By ALAIN St. PIERRE and JOHN TURCOTTE
POTSDAM - For the first time in nearly 60 years, Clarkson University sports fans will get a chance to root for their own gridiron heroes.
"We had our first practice on Tuesday and had about 45 players," said Mike Britton, who will be serving as head coach of a first-year club football team scheduled to play six games this fall wearing the Green-and-Gold.
According to Britton, two CU students, incoming sophomores Andrew Dorr and Matt Schofield, deserve most of the credit for resurrecting the sport on the Clarkson campus.
"They started getting organized last fall and one thing led to another. In January, they did an on-campus poll and came up with more than 900 signatures from students, faculty and others who supported having a football team again. So there's a lot of interest," said Britton.
"Clarkson last fielded a team in 1951 and they were a very good varsity team. They opened with the Division I Syracuse team every year," he noted.
As a club team, the gridiron Knights will operate outside of the school's athletic department budget. Each of the players is responsible for paying for their own equipment and the team is doing fundraising activities.
Funding also comes from the Clarkson University Student Association (CUSA) which also helps support groups like the Outing Club, Ski Club and Pep Band.
"We also accept donations. There are a lot of costs. The trips will be very expensive," said Britton.
The team's practices at a field located on Bagdad Road. The three home games on the schedule are slated to be played on the Potsdam Central turf field.
Assistant coaches include Ray Holz (Offensive Line coach, Quality Control), Clarkson grad Cheyenne Dashnaw (Co-Defensive Co-ordinator), Ricky Delaney (Associate Head Coach) and Joe Rockhill (Secondary, Special Teams).
The team is scheduled to open at Maine September 18th followed by the home opener versus the Southwest Grizzlies of Connecticut on September 25th.
Vermont hosts Clarkson on October 3rd and the NE Elite from the Bronx will host the Knights on October 9th. The final two Clarkson games will be home versus Boston University on October 23rd and against East Connecticut State on October 30th.
The newly formed league is called the 'Yankee Collegiate Football Conference'.
"The kids are very enthusiastic about this and we hope to see the support of the Potsdam community. The first year will be the hardest, getting things off the ground The kids are excited and I'm excited. It's nice to be back in a sport I have a passion for," said coach Britton.
"We hope to interest area schools like SUNY Canton, Paul Smiths and Plattsburgh State in forming teams in the future, which would provide local rivalries," added Britton, a former head coach at Potsdam Central School and of the St. Lawrence Valley TrailBlazers semi-professional team.
