Thanks for checking out the AD's Corner here at TowsonTigers.com. Instead of writing a formal letter each month, I am changing this space to be more of a column format. It's a move back to what I did as a working member of the media from 1986-2001 and I hope that this proves to be an engaging means of communication with you, our stakeholders, in Towson Athletics.
Our newest partner in building champions was announced on Monday by USM Chancellor Brit Kirwan as Dr. Maravene Loeschke was named the new President of Towson University effective in January. Dr. Loeschke is a TIGER through and through. She was born in Baltimore and served on the Towson faculty for more than 30 years, from 1970 to 2002. During her last five years at Towson—from 1997 to 2002—she was dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication. You can read more about the new Top Tiger here.
Some of our greatest all-time Tigers will be back on campus Friday night for a very special event. Former linebackers Mike Arbutina, '95 and Gordy Combs, '72 of the football program join soccer standout Barry Stitz, '92 and gymnastics record-setter Liane Williams '99 as this year's inductees into the Towson University Athletics Hall of Fame. In addition, the 1989-90 and 1990-91 Tiger men's basketball teams, which won two consecutive East Coast Conference Tournaments and made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, will be honored as Teams of Distinction.
The event is SOLD OUT and will have one of the largest crowds in the history of the event! Thanks to everyone who has worked hard to make this a special night for these deserving honorees and for our University.
We also will be paying tribute to a Tiger legend next weekend when our nationally ranked football team travels south to face the University of Maryland at College Park. Joining our current Tigers and 2011 HOF inductee Mike Arbutina as honorary game captain will be none other than Towson Legend Phil Albert. "Coach A" is a treasure to the Towson Community and is our all-time winningest coach.
From 1972 to 1991, Coach Albert was the Tigers' head football coach. In 20 years as the Top Tiger, he compiled a record of 117-91-3. After the 1991 season, he retired as the Tigers' head coach as long-time assistant Gordy Combs took over leadership of the program.
A 1966 graduate of the University of Arizona, the Johnstown, Pa. native became the Tigers' head coach at the age of 28. At the time, he was one of the youngest head football coaches in the nation and he was guiding one of the youngest football programs in the country. Towson was starting just its fourth season of college football. Over the next 20 years, he directed the program to success at three different levels of NCAA competition. His teams advanced to the NCAA postseason four times and played for one national championship. We are proud to have "Coach A" with us on the field and off!
September has been a very frenetic month for all of us associated with Towson Athletics as we have transitioned from the preseason to the regular season, welcoming back more than 24,000 students, faculty and staff and started the 2011-12 academic year off in grand style. I am so excited with the way our student-athletes answered the challenge that was presented to them last spring at our End of the Year Athletics Banquet. Each Tiger was presented with a black Under Armour T-shirt which had the Japanese symbol for victory on the front and a quote from the great warrior Sun Tzu; Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win. Translation – CHAMPIONS ARE MADE IN THE OFFSEASON!
Check out some of these results so far….
Football:
The team is off to a 2-0 start heading into Saturday's Homecoming matchup (Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.) against Colgate and is ranked No. 25 in the latest FCSnow.com poll.
Volleyball:
The team swept the annual Battle of Baltimore Tournament and has a 13-4 overall record heading into the CAA opener against Delaware on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Towson Center.
Men's Soccer:
This group has battled through a two-week layoff due to cancellations thanks to Hurricane Irene and other storms to get its first win of the season over Albany, 4-1, as it heads into CAA play at James Madison on Saturday.
Women's Soccer:
The Tigers started the season with the program's first-ever win over Loyola and have built a strong 5-3 record in non-conference play leading into Friday's CAA opener at William & Mary
Field Hockey:
After a tough start, the field hockey team has reeled off four straight wins over St. Joesph's (4-3), Penn (2-1), LaSalle (2-1 OT) and Georgetown (5-1) and is now 4-3 on the season. The Tigers' next home game at Johnny Unitas® Stadium will be on Sunday, Oct. 2 at Noon vs. St. Francis (Pa.).
Cross Country:
Graduate student Katie Ogden set a school record and led the Tigers to the Cappy Anderson Invitational championship last Saturday (Sept. 17). Ogden set a program record for a 5K run when she placed first in a field of 76 runners in a time of 18:00.59, breaking TU's old record of 18:01 set by Buffy Gavigan at Lehigh 25 years ago by one hundredth of a second. Ogden bettered her own personal record by 18 seconds. The Tigers compete against a strong field on Friday (Sept. 23) when they host the annual Towson Invitational on their home course at Oregon Ridge Park starting at 4 p.m.
This is a great start to the year, but there is a lot of work left in the fall sports season. I appreciate the effort that everyone in our department has put in over the off-season to help put us in a stronger position to compete - athletically and academically. We should never forget that while we revel in the accomplishments of our Tigers in the athletics arena, their primary purpose for coming to Towson is to receive a world-class education.
Assistant Director of Athletics for Academic Achievement Bobbi Madison and her staff are some of the hardest working Tigers on campus and have done a great job of making sure the 180+ new student-athletes are making a strong transition into college academics. That first year of college is a real shock in so many ways and these staffers, along with our Life Skills and TOTAL TIGER program leaders in Margie Tversky and Antwaine Smith, are essential to having a positive start.
From my first day here at Towson last October 26, we have set high standards for all aspects of our operation. No areas are more important that our foundational imperatives of Academic Achievement, Sports Performance (strength & conditioning and sports medicine) and the TOTAL TIGER Leadership Program. These areas have a great impact on all of our young champions.
We must invest in these areas and make sure that in all aspects we are at or near the top of the CAA in the service, coverage and care that we provide our young people. I am proud of what these areas are doing now and look forward to what they will achieve in the months and years to come. We are structured for success.
Externally, we are also making waves as we have set new records in ticket sales for the 2011 football season. In fact, our total revenues from the 2010 season is on pace to be nearly DOUBLED for the 2011 season. Why the big jump in sales? Our Fan Development team, led by Assistant Director of Athletics and Towson alumnus Mike Hollis, is being proactive in taking our message out into the community.
While we will still use the common marketing tools with media buys as a baseline, our focus is on developing relationships with youth sports and community groups and getting them to come to games on campus. Our students are a big part of this effort, as former SGA Student Athletics Director Ryan Wolfe has joined our staff to manage all interactions with our students. Through the first two home football games, we have had an overflow of student attendance and we expect these crowds to continue to grow as we continue our record-setting pace.
It is FUN again to be a Tiger. When teams are winning, everyone has a little more hop in their step, more smiles on their faces and the attitudes are on the upswing. But, make no mistake - the wave of winning is one that comes as a result of hard work. Keeping our victorious ways will come as a result of continued self-investment, focus and attention to the smallest of details. We are enjoying a great start, but we must keep pushing hard every minute of every day to make sure that our finish is even more impressive.
For those of you who have not been back to campus lately, you will simply be amazed at the improvements that have been made. From the newly opened College of Liberal Arts to the ribbon-cutting for the new West Village Commons, the excitement that has accompanied the start of this new year has been palpable.
What a great time to be at Towson as a student! With more than 100,000 alumni out in the world, the goal of all of the University community is to make Towson a world-class experience for our current students and a legacy that makes our alumni proud of their Alma Mater. In the US News & World Report 2012 America's Best Colleges guide, Towson University ranks 11th in the public Regional Universities (North) category, placing it among the best of the 46 institutions surveyed. The university was also listed among the 136 overall best Regional Universities in the North. Towson has been ranked among U.S News & World Report's America's Best Colleges every year since the guide's inception in 1985. Congratulations to all who work daily to make Towson great!
As we head into the Hall of Fame dinner on Friday night (Sept. 23) and the rest of the Homecoming 2011 events, please remember to cheer for the Tigers and be respectful of our opponents as they visit us here on our campus. Tigers are regal animals and it is our hope that we personify those traits as Towson Tigers, 24-7-365.
Finally, I want to thank those of you who have answered the challenge to join us as members of the Tiger Club. Your financial support is critical to our program. Towson is not unlike any other campus these days – budgets are tight and we are always looking to get better. Through your donations we are able to provide our student-athletes and coaches with the resources that they need to WIN, on and off the field. For more information on how you can support Tiger Athletics go to TheTigerClub.net or call Assistant Director of Athletics and Towson Alumnus John Latteri at (410) 704-3571 or via email at jlatteri@towson.edu.
See you on campus!
With Black and Gold Pride…
Mike Waddell
Director of Athletics
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