TOWSON, Md. - So, the nationally-ranked Towson University Tigers are back on the gridiron this Saturday night when they take on the Colgate Raiders. The Tigers are off to their first 2-0 start since 2007 and look to go 3-0 for the first time since 2006.
Coach Rob Ambrose and his team are coming off of a bye week after beating Villanova by 31-10 two Saturdays ago.
This Saturday could be special in many ways. First, it's Homecoming and that means the Tigers should be playing in front of a massive crowd at Johnny Unitas® Stadium. The student support through the first two games of the year has been better than ever.
Mix in the great start by the Tigers with the fact that many alums will be back and it could be a record setting day attendance wise.
The Tigers could also get their first-ever victory against Colgate. It's a series that came to an end when the Tigers left the Patriot League after the 2003 season to join the Atlantic 10, which has since been renamed the CAA.
The Tigers are 0-9 all-time against the Raiders. Colgate's head coach, Dick Biddle, has been around forever and his teams are always disciplined and tough to beat. The Raiders have put some tough losses on the Tigers, but one that sticks out was back in 1999.
Towson was 7-3 coming into its final game of the season. A victory meant that there was still a chance the Tigers could make the Division I-AA playoffs for the first time ever. They headed up to Hamilton, N.Y. coming off an exciting 30-27 win over Dayton.
This was a Tiger team that was resetting the NCAA passing record book behind first-year starter Joe Lee, who sat behind Kevin Smith his first three seasons before finally getting the starting nod his senior year. Offensive Coordinator Rob Ambrose developed a passing game that has been unmatched by Towson ever since (and in fact may never be duplicated).
Late November in Hamilton, N.Y. is never a picnic and this day was no different. When we left for the stadium that morning, the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was great for that time of the year. But, as I started making the walk from the stadium parking lot (which is actually just a field) to the press box, I noticed the wind was really starting to pick up.
When I went down to the field to interview Coach Gordy Combs for the radio pre-game show, the wind was howling. I asked Gordy whether he preferred to have the wind at his back in the third or fourth quarter. He said the third because he preferred to have the lead going into the fourth to put pressure on Colgate.
Well, the Tigers won the opening toss and Gordy got his wish. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as he would have liked; Colgate used a fourth quarter domination beat the Tigers, 38-14. Towson just couldn't get that pass attack going into the wind.
So, hopefully this Saturday puts an end to the Tigers' nine-game losing streak against Colgate. It will also be the Tigers' penultimate non-conference game as Towson takes on Maryland next week at College Park. After that, it's all CAA. A win this week really keeps the momentum going.
On Friday night, Towson will induct four more members into its Hall of Fame. I would be remiss if I didn't say a few words about one of those four.
When I came to Towson as a freshman in the fall of 1978, the football team was extremely successful under Head Coach Phil Albert. But, Phil had a lot of help. Rich Bader and Bill Fitzsimmons were two of Coach A's most trusted assistants. But, there was another assistant that as you would watch practice just caught your attention - Gordy Combs.
I got to know Gordy pretty well as an undergrad and I always thought that if Coach Albert ever left, Gordy would be the perfect guy to replace him. Apparently, then-Athletic Director Bill Hunter had the same thoughts because he waited less than a day to announce Gordy as the Tigers' head coach after Coach Albert resigned following the 1991 season.
I won't go through all of the records Gordy accumulated, but you can find them under his bio here on TowsonTigers.com. However, I would just like to relay a couple of stories.
My favorite was back in 1984 when the Tigers were facing Troy State in the second round of the Division II playoffs. The Tigers had beaten Norfolk State in the first round down in Norfolk. The NCAA then sent Towson to Troy, Ala. for the second round.
The game was played at night and that afternoon, Auburn faced Alabama. To say the whole state shuts down during that game would be an understatement. The City of Troy was like a ghost town while that game was going on.
Troy State was coached then by former Dallas Cowboys and current Buffalo Bills Coach Chan Gailey. Troy State was also the first team I ever saw that ran the no-huddle offense from the opening snap.
To say Gordy was passionate during a game would be an understatement. Back in those days, the Tigers played in stadiums that didn't have the most luxurious press boxes to say the least and Troy State was no different.
Every time we would go to broadcast, the first thing I would do is figure out where the Tiger coaches would be in the press box. If they were near our broadcast setup and there was no wall or buffer, we had trouble. You see Gordy would get LOUD during games. And when I say LOUD, it wasn't always the dialogue you want going out over the radio.
So, we get to the Troy State press box and the Towson coaches are no more than five feet from our broadcast area. I'm thinking that this isn't good. The Trojans go straight down the field to start the game and score. There's no screaming from Gordy.
Troy State goes right back down the field on its second drive and score again. Still no screaming from Gordy.
I don't remember the exact score at the half, but it was like 24-0 and not a peep the whole half from Gordy.
The game ends with Troy State winning by 45-3 and ending the Tigers' season. I walk up to Gordy after the game and tell him of my surprise at his lack of (ahem) enthusiasm during the game. He just looked at me and said (and I paraphrase here), “I knew we couldn't stop them, so there was no reason to get upset.”
Through the years, I watched as Gordy's three great kids - Meredith, Buggs and Kendall Ann - grew up. I'll never forget the day Gordy said to me that “Kendall Ann really gets upset when she listens to you when we are on the road.”
I said, “Gordy, what did I ever do to her?”
He said, “Everytime the other team scores, she gets mad at you because you're the one bringing her the bad news.”
I later explained to Kendall Ann that her disappointment should not be at me but at her fathers' players; they were the ones letting the bad guys score.
You will never meet a nicer man than Gordy. He is a great human being and a good friend. In the 25 years I broadcasted Towson games that Gordy coached in, we never had a harsh word between us. We would argue strategy all the time and still walk away friends.
Gordy, my friend, no one deserves this honor more than you. I don't know of anyone who dedicated as much time to this great University than you. (But, I'm still upset you never started a game with an onside kick.)
Programming Note: Tonight's Tiger Talk at Bill Bateman's Bistro in Towson will feature new Tiger head men's lacrosse coach Shawn Nadelen along with his assistants, Dan Cocchi and Anthony Gilardi. Of course, I will also be joined by Coach Ambrose, so come on out and watch Tiger Talk every Thursday night at 6 p.m. If you can't be there in person, you can listen on WNST-AM 1570 or right here on TowsonTigers.com.
