Nov. 9, 2005
By Greg Knowlden
Assistant Sports Information Director
Please pardon Frank Tavani if he can't remember the last time a senior class left Lafayette with this many wins. It's not his fault. The sixth-year head coach, who is in his 19th season with the Leopards, wasn't around when it happened.
Most Lafayette fans would point to the group of seniors that won the Patriot League championship as sophomores in 1992, and again as seniors in 1994, as the winningest class in recent memory. And they'd be right, if their memory didn't stretch back to 1984.
It's a fairly safe bet that the current group of Leopards doesn't have any recollection of that year -- just 11 members of this year's senior class had turned one-year old when Lafayette beat Lehigh, 28-7, on Nov. 17, 1984. That victory gave Lafayette's graduating football class of 1985 its 27th win in the maroon and white.
When Lafayette's 27 seniors take the field for their final home game at Fisher Field today, they too will be seeking their 27th victory in the maroon and white (and occasionally, black). They have already compiled a record of 26-17, and will have a chance to build on their total in the next two weeks. The ultimate goal, three straight wins to close the season, would give them 29 career victories. The last class to do that claimed a national championship as seniors way back in 1926.
"Maurice Bennett said when he came here that `I'm not leaving without a Patriot League championship'," Tavani said of his co-captain and All-American candidate at middle linebacker. "He got one last year, but let's hope he's leaving with two."
Talk of a championship may have seemed brash in the fall of 2002, with the Leopards coming off a pair of two-win seasons in Tavani's first two years at the head of the program. A large class of 34 freshmen entered the program and outside expectations were low.
"That was our second full recruiting class, and they came in on a hope and a prayer that we'd get better," Tavani said. "It's an understatement to say that they were a major factor in our turnaround. From their freshman year, on special teams and from scrimmage, they were forced to contribute, but these guys bought into what we were selling.
"They have fulfilled our program's goal of returning to prominence."
Eleven seniors will leave as four-year letterwinners, and the promise of immediate playing time was alluring for two of Lafayette's standout linebackers.
"A big reason why I came to Lafayette was the two-win seasons," Bennett said. "They were close losses from a team that was close to winning, and it seemed like the defense had to be shored up. That's what I do, and that's what Blake Costanzo does. They said you're going to play, and play early."
All-Patriot League selections a year ago, Bennett and Costanzo combined for 77 tackles as freshmen. Chris Brungo, Larry Johnson and Dion Witherspoon also lettered in their first season, and now play on a defense that is ranked fourth in the nation in scoring average at 14.0 ppg.
While a number of the Leopards' seniors played early and often, circumstances often conspire to keep players off the field. Adam Bozick, Odakwei Mills and Tim Nish have yet to letter as members of the defense but are still integral to Lafayette's success.
Bozick, who has been hampered by chronic injuries throughout his career, is defensive coordinator John Loose's secret weapon despite appearing in just one game. He charts defenses for Loose on the sideline, meets with positional groups during the game and spends more time watching film than any fourth-string safety in the country.
"I've been around enough to know what's going on, but physically I'm just not there," Bozick explained. "Football is one big chess game and a battle of the minds. As an engineer, I'm trained to be a logical thinker. All coaches have tendencies. There's so much going on out there, and when you're playing you don't have time to think. It helps our defense to have somebody to process that information."
"Adam is a coach off the field," Tavani said. "He identifies plays very quickly and is an unsung guy who is very valuable. Odakwei Mills is a wonderful kid who's been unable to crack the lineup since he's playing behind all-league linebackers his whole career. He practices as though it's game day."
Nish came to Lafayette strictly as a student, and carries a 3.61 grade-point average in mechanical engineering. A two-year letterwinner and captain of his high school team at Vernon Township (N.J.), he walked into offensive line coach Bob Heffner's office during freshman orientation and walked onto the team. Four years later, he's making life hard for Heffner as the leader of the scout team's defensive line.
"Tim Nish is a terrific kid who may be undersized statistically (5-11, 250), but you can't measure the size of his heart. He means so much to us with his enthusiasm," Tavani said.
"Tuesday and Wednesday are game days for us," Bozick said. "We take pride in working hard on the scout team, and it helps our offense to have a senior at each position on the defense so they get optimal looks at a play that they might only see once on Saturday."
Stephen McFarlane practiced with the scout team his first two seasons at Lafayette before moving into a back-up role at defensive end. He may be the quintessential example of the "next man up" philosophy that has resulted in increased depth as Lafayette builds a championship caliber program.
"Steve has worked so hard to get on the field, and he earned the most improved defensive player award after spring practice," Tavani mentioned. "He's made the most of his opportunities and has stepped into that third defensive end spot.
"His positive approach has had a lot to do with that. Steve's the spiritual leader of our team and just a terrific young man to be associated with."
Off the field, McFarlane is a member of Lafayette's chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), which meets regularly to create a support system for a number of athletes across campus.
"It's a chance to be myself, to set myself apart and be an example to others," McFarlane said. "That's the way I was raised. Most of the athletes who attend are on the football team. We're like a family."
And like any family, the Leopards have had their struggles.
"When this group of seniors committed themselves to Lafayette, there were still questions surrounding the program, if we would be able to compete in the Patriot League," Tavani explained. "These kids came in and have capped their careers, no matter how or where it ends, as a great class of football players."
While there may be a championship to be had in two weeks down the road in Bethlehem, starting fullback and co-captain David Nelson says the only motivation necessary is the defense of last year's title.
"We know what the deal is. We want to be the top dog and prove that last year wasn't a fluke. You have to beat the big guys consistently, and it's always Colgate and Lehigh. We hope it comes down to the last game this season, just like last year, and it starts this week.We don't want to leave anything to chance," Nelson said.
The Leopards, led by Nelson and Bennett, have closed every practice, walk-through and game this year with a huddle and three pronounced bursts of "team . . together," holding onto the final syllable as though they don't want to let it go. In a season in which nothing has come easy, even the team motto is resilient. That's a tribute to the seniors, who had faith that things were going to turn around. Then they worked hard to make it happen.
When those 27 young men walk off Fisher Field for the final time, their place in the College's gridiron lore - as a class that refused to accept simply being competitive and returned Lafayette to a championship level - will already be secure. They've already won one ring. The next three games will determine if they leave with another.
