Administration Errors Caused End Of An Era

By Jon Wagner-Sr. Writer at Large Football Reporters Online

It was a Thursday night, not that long ago (on October 8, 2009), when former Hofstra University head football coach Dave Cohen joined my Football Reporters Online colleagues and I as a guest on our weekly “FRO Show,” just four days after one of the biggest victories in the history of the Hofstra football program.

Coach Cohen was looking forward to a homecoming game against Maine after his team’s 24-17 upset win over then seventh-ranked, defending Colonial Athletic Association champion James Madison, a program rich with success over many years at the I-AA level, whether under that label, or more recently, under its current moniker, the Football College Subdivision.

“Certainly, we’d like to emulate some of the success they’ve had from winning a national championship to being a regular in post-season play,” Cohen said of JMU.

Sadly, neither Cohen nor any of the players he coached this season at Hofstra will get that chance.

On December 3rd, exactly seven weeks after Cohen made that comment on The FRO Show, the Hofstra board of trustees backed Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz’s recommendation to drop the Hofstra Pride football program after 72 proud (pun appropriately intended) years of existence.

Although JMU had a disappointing and rare, 6-5 non-playoff season this year, the Dukes still stand at 29th in the latest FCS Coaches’ poll, and the Pride’s historic win over them was something that Cohen believed would not only propel his team, but the following of Hofstra’s football program.

“Hopefully it’s added confidence and excitement and enthusiasm around campus,” he said.

It should have, but unfortunately, it didn’t.

Only 2,751 fans attended the JMU game at Hofstra’s 15,000-seat James M. Shuart stadium, and while attendance more than doubled to 5,433 the following week in a disappointing 16-14 homecoming loss to Maine, only 3,386 and 2,549 fans showed up respectively, for Hofstra’s final two home games of 2009, a season in which the Pride averaged just 4,260 fans per game.

Last year marked the bottom of a steady decline in attendance, with an average of just 3,604 coming to cheer on the Pride. That was a drop from averages of 4,955 per game one year prior, 5,101 in 2006, and 5,263 in 2005.

As a result, Hofstra’s attendance drop-off directly led to the dropping of its football program.

Or, at least that’s the only picture that the Hofstra administration wanted to paint for the general public.

Many skeptics believe that Rabinowitz simply never liked football, and ever since he took over for Shuart (the former Hofstra football player and university president for 25 years, who Hofstra’s stadium is named after), he was aiming for the day when he could cancel the program, in part to fund Hofstra’s new medical school set to open in 2011, and other worthwhile academic endeavors.

And, since I personally trust no exclusive group when power and money are involved, I have my own conspiracy theory, that perhaps the CAA might have worked out a backdoor deal with both Hofstra and Northeastern University, which dropped its 74-year-old football program just ten days earlier, on November 23rd.

Consider the circumstances: Northeastern just completed its sixth consecutive losing season; the Huskies and Pride again ranked as the bottom two in CAA attendance for the third time in as many years, ever since the CAA took over the Atlantic 10 operation in 2007; the CAA has its league offices based in Virginia; and, southern schools Old Dominion and Georgia State (each, CAA basketball schools) will be joining the conference over the next two years.

Given all of those conditions, it’s quite possible that it would have been in the best interest of the CAA to have made on an offer to Northeastern and Hofstra to prevent the CAA from becoming too crowded with the additions of ODU and Georgia State football, while giving the CAA more of the southern flavor to match its roots as a conference before it began expanding northward.

Maybe, it was something along the lines of “Since you’re not very profitable, here, take this money and go away quietly. Northeastern, you can fund your other programs, and Hofstra, you can build your med school and fund whatever else you like, while we keep CAA Football primarily down south.”

I realize that could all be extremely far-fetched. Yet, perhaps there’s some truth to one or both of the aforementioned conspiracies.

Terence Thomas, of College Sporting News, who covers the entire CAA football conference very closely, was a guest on The FRO Show hours after the official word came down about the canceling of Hofstra football, and he seemed to back me up on my Oliver Stone-like thoughts about the CAA and its willingness to sp easily lose its biggest market in New York.

“You wonder if they are concerned with markets,” he said, “Or if they’re trying to move the league south and have a Virginia-based league, because all of their offices are down there. You don’t really know where the loyalties lie.”

Until proven otherwise however, let’s stick with the facts, which by themselves, still don’t show Rabinowitz nor the 22-member Hofstra board, of which only 12 are Hofstra alumni, in a very positive light in this matter.

Ultimately, Rabinowitz cited the high cost and low interest as primary reasons for the sudden and abrupt canceling of Hofstra football.

Certainly, there’s no denying that those two factors existed. We’ve already gone through the poor attendance figures above, and the cost for running the Hofstra football program, with its minimum of 63 required NCAA Division-I scholarships, stood at $4.5 million per year.

However, there’s more to the Hofstra administration’s verdict than what appeared on the surface.

To back Rabinowitz, the board’s vote was officially a unanimous one to portray a unified front to the public, but those who have closely followed Hofstra athletics and Rabinowitz’s tenure at Hofstra know that many members of the board must have voted against their will to cancel an institution which had been around since Hofstra’s founding in 1937, without so much as a warning to anyone else who had been in or who still remains a part of the Hofstra community.

And, it could hardly be something that Hofstra athletic director Jack Hayes argued for vehemently.

The decisions to drop football at Northeastern and Hofstra came after each school’s two-year cost/benefit analysis of their entire athletic programs.

The difference though, was that Hofstra had at least attained a level of success which Northeastern had failed to achieve, and unlike Northeastern, Hofstra also had the infrastructure in place (and still does), having poured millions of dollars into stadium expansion and upgrading Shuart Stadium’s surrounding facilities, beginning in 1996.

The problem with that however, was that Hofstra while believed in a “build it and they will come” mentality, the reality was that the local area interest paralleled that of Northeastern’s football program.

And, when Shuart, one of Hofstra football’s biggest proponents was out of the picture, the push to generate interest lagged even more under Rabinowitz.

Let’s go back to the cost/benefit review.

A two-year study, and yet over that entire time, there were no public calls on behalf of Rabinowitz’s administration to save Hofstra football.

No letters sent out to Hofstra alumni or season ticket holders in support of the program.

No reaching out to National Football League Hofstra alumni like Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach Raheem Morris, New Orleans Saints’ star wide receiver Marques Colston, defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steeler and starting offensive tackle Willie Colon, New England Patriots’ cornerback Kyle Arrington, Dallas Cowboys’ defensive end Stephen Bowen, or former eleven-year New York Jet Wayne Chrebet, for either financial assistance or at the very least, public relations support which might have helped greatly.

And certainly, there was a severe lack of any earnest attempt to put out an effective marketing effort in order to increase attendance and fan interest enough to save Hofstra football.

As Thomas pointed out, that type of pledge from Hofstra to its football program existed marginally at best.

“It starts with the administration being committed to football,” Thomas said. “If the commitment is there, they will go out there and they’ll publicize the game. They’ll have Band Day, they’ll have Pop Warner Day, they’ll have all these advertisements to get people to come to the games. You had JMU up at Hofstra, which should have been a sold out game. I mean, I admit the weather was poor that day and there may have been other things going on in New York, and New York is a hard sell, but then you have to be that much more aggressive to get people to come out to your games.”

Instead, Rabinowitz and the Hofstra administration basically sat idly by and watched a more than seven-decade-old program quietly die behind a secretive two-year study.
Morris, who played at Hofstra from 1994-97, called the move a "sad state of affairs.” He added, “It was weird because it kind of happened out of nowhere."
Colston said, "I am both saddened and shocked to hear the news that the Hofstra University football program has ceased. I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to the university, my coaches and my former teammates and I am sure that they share in my disappointment."

Chrebet said he “was shocked” at hearing the news.

Dr. Bill Chachkes, the managing partner of F.R.O. and the main host of The FRO Show, who covered the JMU-Hofstra game with me, put the announcement about Hofstra football’s cancellation in perspective. “We were at that game, both Jon and I,” he said. “That was a thrilling game and we were talking to Jack Hayes, and you would never know that not even two months later, we would be talking about Hofstra closing the program down.”

And, one of my FRO Show co-hosts, Bill Carroll, from Consensus Draft Services, said during the same segment on which Thomas appeared, “I was not shocked about Northeastern. I had heard at least rumblings… Hofstra was more of a surprise because although there were issues in terms of drawing crowds, the product seemed to be solidified. The kinds of kids they were getting, the level of play seemed to be on the upswing. That seems to be almost disconnected from their other issues.”

Another disconnection is Hofstra’s public statement about what an integral part Hofstra athletics supposedly plays at Hofstra, juxtaposed against the reasons Rabinowitz gave for dropping football at his school.

On Hofstra’s own website, a statement reads “The exciting action and competitive spirit of Pride athletics is a significant part of campus life at Hofstra University.”

But, who’s kidding who? If any sports programs at Hofstra were a “significant part of campus life at Hofstra University” it was two: men’s basketball (which still is) and football (which was, until it was unceremoniously shoved out the door like an unwanted house guest which overstayed his or her welcome).

Rabinowitz and some of the spineless board members who voted in step with what the president wanted regarding Hofstra football claimed that the football program had to go because of its cost relative to the financial return brought in by the program.

While it’s true that Hofstra football cost far more than any of the remaining seventeen athletic programs at Hofstra, by that same criteria, the other seventeen Hofstra sports combined, are as much of a financial drain as football, yielding as little in return, as what football provided.

Low interest in football? Really… No disrespect to the great student athletes and coaches who play or coach the following sports (and I sincerely hope that none of them are the next to go at Hofstra), but who exactly is stepping over themselves to buy tickets to see Hofstra baseball, tennis, golf, cross country, or field hockey?

That’s just one way in which this decision was hypocritical on the part of the Hofstra administration.

Another is the failure to realize that most FCS programs don’t make money, yet they can still provide significant value to a school. In fact most Football Bowl Subdivision programs, and even most college athletic programs in general, lose money.

So, why do they continue to exist? Because there’s something inherently valuable to maintaining them, not only for the life lessons gained and opportunities created for student athletes and their coaches, but also for the identities created by such programs with the schools that run them -- which ironically, all leads back to money, anyway.

In that regard, Chrebet clearly mentioned how Hofstra football helped Hofstra University, “We got to be a ranked team. We got a couple of guys in the pros. Hofstra got to be a well-known school.”

Instead, Hofstra was unfortunately known just as well in a negative way.

At one point, just a few hours after Rabinowitz’s announcement, Hofstra was listed as the top Yahoo! search on the internet, and two days later, ESPN's college football preview show had Hofstra dropping football as a main story of the week after not long after a story on the SEC championship game between No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama, and another on other bowl selections.

Addressing the poor attendance leading to the Hofstra football program being dismissed, one Hofstra football fan at the popular CAA message board CAAZone.com, summed up the situation well, saying “I am sure you don't go over your (insert old relative here)'s house every day, but when she is gone you probably aren't going to say good riddance, her medical bills were expensive, why were we even keeping her alive, now I can spend that cash on some books and a new PS3.”

Yet, that was pretty much the stance taken by the Hofstra administration.

Perhaps the biggest reason though, why that position was egregiously insincere was that many of the same Hofstra board members who voted Hofstra football out based on financial reasons, previously irresponsibly voted to approve expensive football facilities upgrades before the football program was truly ready for them.

A huge project was put into place (in fairness, mainly before Rabinowitz’s tenure began, but tweaked and continued under his watch) including the expansion of the seating capacity from 7,000 to 15,000; the installation of a network-quality lighting system for television broadcasts; an Athletic Department office building, which includes a press level and a club suite level; two entrance plazas on the south and west sides of the Stadium; a facade around the outside of the Stadium; additional parking and landscaping; a pavilion in the southeast corner of the Stadium; concession and souvenir areas; two locker rooms; the installation of a state-of-the-art scoreboard in the south end zone; a new scoreboard in the north end zone; and new FieldTurf.

The price tag for all of that?

A cool $9 million, which ironically equals the same cost of the Hofstra football program that was deemed too high by many of the same board members, over their secretive two-year cost/benefit analysis.

How’s that for being hypocritical?

Additionally, let’s look at the current high tuition at Hofstra. At about $46,000 per year for a full-time undergraduate student, it would have taken an increase of 98 such students annually to cover the cost of maintaining Hofstra football.

That’s only an 0.81 percent increase of the 12,100 total student enrolled, or a 1.33 percent increase on the 7,327 full-time undergraduate students who currently attend Hofstra.

I’m obviously not in the business of doing anything with a university budget, but I would think small percentages such as those would be realistic targets for a decent-sized private school to shoot for on and annual basis, and if it can’t achieve those seemingly relatively small increases, they might not be managing their money well across the board (or should I say, across the board of trustees?)

Moreover though, it was the initial planning with grand visions (nothing wrong with that in itself) combined with either the unwillingness or incompetence to see that through which unfortunately led to demise of Hofstra football.

There’s nothing wrong with shooting for the stars. Go ahead, have a great stadium, great facilities surrounding it, all while improving your academic status and having a medical school. In fact, it can be agreed even among the most staunch Hofstra football supporters, that the latter two are probably significantly more noble and more important undertakings.

However, if done right, Hofstra could have had it all.

You don’t pour $9 million into a program costing $4.5 million per year before you have any clue that the interest was there to justify the $9 million upgrades.

What would have been so terrible with gradually building in small steps, having some success, building upon that, then slowly funding smaller expansion, and having further success and further growth, in football, or in all areas?


Rabinowitz can blame Long Island fans for not showing up all he wants, but this was years in the making. Hofstra’s constant need to rush and push itself beyond what it’s ready for, ultimately caused the end of Hofstra football.

Well that, and once the decision was made to go that route, the lack of effort placed on effectively marketing what Hofstra created. With nice facilities, and no team, they’re basically now, all dressed up and nowhere to go.

And, the accountability for that?

Good luck finding it at Hofstra.

Cohen and his entire staff lost their jobs. Some of them were even on the recruiting trail when they found out. And, Hofstra football players who trusted that they would finish out their four years playing college football in the best FCS conference in the nation, near the greatest city in the world, have to scatter and quickly hook on somewhere else.

Let’s be realistic for a moment. Many kids who want to, can’t attend college at all, and Hofstra’s former football players still have the opportunities to keep their scholarships and finish out school should they choose.

Still, they’re in a lot tougher position than they needed to be all because of a president and his board.

If they’re lucky, those players will all learn a new system quickly and compete all over again for playing time in a foreign environment, while having to develop the level of chemistry. And, that’s just the athlete part of “student-athlete.” The strain of having to adapt in a new school academically will be added pressure.

But, the members of Hofstra’s board of trustees who voted for the football facilities upgrades rolled the dice big time with some bad miscalculations which worked out terribly, yet those same board members still have their jobs, and they’re free to keep spending or “reallocating resources” as they see fit.

It’s funny how the word “trustee” begins with “trust,” yet that was the thing which Hofstra’s football players couldn’t rely on in the end.

If it truly came down to finances, what that board or president Rabinowitz didn’t consider is a possible ripple effect.

Take a program like Hosftra basketball, for instance, the only athletic program left that’s realistically still “a significant part of campus life at Hofstra University.”

Dropping a football program, even to prospective athletes in other sports, could make Hofstra appear small-time.

The next great basketball player to come to Hofstra, maybe the next local budding star to follow in the footsteps of Hofstra star Charles Jenkins (the 2009-10 CAA Preseason Co-Player of the Year), might look at the decision to drop Hofstra football and wonder just how strong the Hofstra athletic program really is, or if Hofstra’s board or president has other future agendas, such as deciding to drop the basketball program in favor of future academic scholarships.

The possible net effect that the Hofstra board or Rabinowitz probably didn’t count on in a case like that?

That player goes somewhere else, and Hofstra basketball fails to generate possibly even more revenue over time, in missed NCAA or NIT tournament bids (plus the national attention and public relations boon that go along with something like that), than the amount it would have cost to keep Hofstra football alive and strong.

Oh, but that’s right. That’s why most universities have a men’s basketball and football programs to begin with, to make money for the school in other areas, not to make a return on those programs themselves.

To truly appreciate the saddest thing in this whole situation, you have to look back one decade.

Yes, the 1999 season, when Hofstra was played under the great Joe Gardi, eight years before joining the CAA in 2007.

As hard as it is to believe that Hofstra football was no more just 61 days after its win over JMU this past October, it’s even more difficult to fathom all of the schools Hofstra beat, all in that same 1999 season, and where those football programs are today, relative to Hofstra’s newly ceased program.

The following isn’t meant to depress Hofstra football fans (and that’s my official disclaimer), but it’s interesting to note who Hofstra defeated during their 9-3 season which ended with a I-AA playoff berth:

Hofstra opened the 1999 season with an easy win 56-17 win at UConn, which is now a thriving program at the FBS level in the Big East. Speaking of current successful Big East programs, Hofstra also won at South Florida, 42-23, that year. They won too, at Buffalo, now an FBS member of the MAC. Throw in a 21-9 victory that year over Elon, which is currently ranked eight in the FCS coaches poll.

And, then there are the schools that were all former CAA conference mates only weeks ago, and mostly, very good ones. JMU? Yup, beat them that year at home, just like this year, and handily (34-16). Perennial FCS and CAA contender UMass (except for this year)? That was a comfortable 27-14 win on the road. Former CAA foes Maine and Rhode Island? Beat them both on the road, defeating the Black Bears, 27-19, and the Rams, 28-13.

Even one of the losses looks good today: a 31-21 defeat, in which Hofstra led 21-14 after three quarters, against current CAA member Richmond, last year’s FCS national champion.

So many good programs that went on to much bigger and better things while Hofstra’s football program was allowed to just casually fall by the wayside by an administration that did little to save it, let alone make a real attempt to match any of the programs Hofstra beat soundly just ten year ago.

There’s always the possibility that Hofstra football could still return, perhaps in a conference like the Patriot League, one that would be befitting at least, of the types of academic institutions that Rabinowitz aims for Hofstra to become.

However, as Thomas says, that might be difficult once a decision is made to cut a program. “If Hofstra does try to bring back football in a couple of years,” he said, “I have a tough time believing that the alums, and others who supported Hofstra Football would buy into it, because you’ve broken their hearts, and you broken their trust. Especially. because they are capable of going to the playoffs. This year they lost some close game that they could have won, and they could have been there. They were a good program and they had all the makings of a team on the rise, they just had some bad bounces.”

Still, such a comeback is not without precedent. Hofstra need look no further than its own former conference, and to a team which has a very close relation to Thomas, himself.

On Friday night, at 8pm EST, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Villanova Wildcats (who lost to Hofstra in 2003) and Thomas’ son of the same name (playing linebacker, as his farther did at Whittier College), will be competing in the 2009 FCS national championship game against Montana (another team that Hofstra beat on the road several years ago).

Ironically, the day before Hofstra officially dropped football, Chrebet was named as the inaugural ambassador of Friday night’s title game. That’s about as close as Hofstra will get to the title game now.

However, Villanova’s situation offers hope through action, though it took some time.

In 1981, Villanova’s board of trustees, also citing economic reasons, discontinued the Villanova football program. And, that was a football institution which had been around since 1894, making Hofstra’s long tradition look young by comparison.

Less than a year later, Villanova’s student government released results from a student survey indicating that over 96 percent of students who responded to the survey, wanted football to return.

Just 41 days later, the Villanova board agreed to review its position on football, and almost one year to the day after that, Villanova’s president announced that the board elected to restore football at the university.

In 1984, Villanova hired head coach Andrew Talley, who last year, in his 25th season at Villanova, became the all-time winingest head coach in CAA history.

Along the way, Villanova returned to the I-AA playoffs in 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1996 out of the small Yankee conference, before joining the Atlantic 10 when Hofstra was there. The playoff loss in 1991 was a narrow 17-16 first-round decision against eventual national champion Youngstown State.

By 1997, Villanova recorded its first I-AA playoff victory, and the Wildcats won two playoff games in 2002. They joined the CAA with Hofstra in 2007, going 7-4, then 10-3 last year, and are now 13-1, on the brink of reaching the FCS pinnacle, with just one more win standing in their way.

Viewing Villanova’s rise to success is the shame of it all for Hofstra. The Pride was already well on its way toward making the climb that Villanova has made in the past few years of its 25-year journey since coming back from the abyss.

But instead, if Hofstra is ever to attain what Villanova has thus far, it will have to start all over again from scratch, as Villanova did in the 1980’s.

Would it take as long for Hofstra? Maybe not. But, as of now, it may not happen at all.

The problem from a football standpoint this past season was Hofstra’s offense, which struggled to help a defense that was solid for most of the season.

Cohen opened things up though in Hofstra’s final game of the year, perhaps its final game ever.

For one day, it gave hope in a lost season.

Senior quarterback Cory Christopher went out with a bang, passing for a career-high 484 yards, while junior wide receiver Aaron Weaver, from nearby Freeport, NY, caught a career-high 15 passes for 191 yards.

A team that was averaging just 18 points per game, erupted for a thrilling 52-38 shootout win over UMass.

It should have been a game to build on for next year.

But, in one ten-minute press conference, Rabinowitz changed everything.

“Hofstra has a nice victory in their last game… and they get the rug slipped out from underneath them,” said the more senior Thomas.”

Instead of hope for next season, Hofstra football fans and alums simply wish Hofstra football can someday return.

And, rather than seeing how lessons learned from that final game can be used for next season, Cohen just hopes he can find a new job.

He’s currently rumored to have defensive coordinator offers at Western Michigan, Georgia Southern, and Bowling Green. "I don’t know what I’m going to do," the still-disappointed 43-year-old coach said. "I’m just sitting on [the offers] right now."

In the meantime, an effort on the part of some former Hofstra football players who are seeking reinstatement of the program, has already taken shape.

Once such player leading that charge is Dave Gerstman, who played Hofstra football from 1986-89.

Today, Gerstman is a high-powered lobbyist who has posted the following on his Gotham Government Relations website, at http://gothamgr.com/save-hofstra-football:
“I am deeply upset about this decision, As an alumnus, former football player and a member of this community, I will personally seek clarification and details on why this occurred. I hope that the University will reconsider this irresponsible decision that ultimately will impact the region in a very profound way, from Long Island high school football players to current Hofstra football players and fans, and many others.”
“The University is part of the fabric of Long Island and I believe this is damaging to Long Island and the reputation of the school.”

Will actions such as Gerstman’s ultimately help to re-establish Hofstra football?

Time will tell, but if you’d like to hear what Gerstman has to say, he will be a guest on The FRO Show this Thursday night, December 17th, at 9pm EST.

All episodes of The FRO Show can be heard live, weekly at that time, and replayed at any time, at:
www.blogtalkradio.com/football-reporters

Though an administration showed little pride in Hofstra football, there may yet be a significant movement to restore football to the Hofstra Pride.

Stay tuned.

Can we get the real "story" about why Hofstra ditched it's Football Program?

By Dr. BIll Chachkes-Managing Partner/Executive Editor-Football Reporters Online
It first came to our attention Friday morning that we weren't the only ones on Long Island scratching our heads as to why there would be no more College Football played at Hofstra University. I had been on the CAA Media Conference all Thursday afternoon where Tom Yeager had given his statement as "the Commish" of the conference. As nice a man as he Is, It didn't seem like he was all that broken up about this or felt the need to do too much damage control. He probably didn't know anything on Saturday the 21st of November, as the Pride were taking It to The Minutemen of U Mass.(Final Score of The Pride's last game in recorded history-52-38 Hofstra, and It wasn't even as close as the score Indicated!)

I am usually on one of two Long Island Railroad trains In the morning each weekday. On each train I have "regular" cronies I stand with on the platform and ride Into penn station with. We always talk football, weather it's of the pro variety or about local college programs like Hofstra & Stonybrook. It wasn't easy to answer my travel friends questions regarding the announcements of the day before. "So why did Hofstra Kill off Football?" one of them asked me. I still can't figure out why either, except that there Is an 800 pound university president In the house, and he stole the presents out from under the tree, or menorah.

Then I get an E-mail this past weekend about an Alum who Is also a former player and he wants answers. So through an e-mail I get connected to Brad Gerstman, a former Prosecutor who Is now a partner at Gotham Government Relations. It seems he Isn't the only one. About 40 other former Hofstra football players who are now successful businessmen want answers as to why this was done. Why was Hofstra Football taken out back and shot?

"We are requesting restitution of the football program" said Mr. Gerstman. "Mr. Rabinowitz and the board of trustees are caretakers of the university, not it's owners" Indeed, Hofstra may well be a private university, but it receives Public funding from the state of New York, as well as the generosity of alumni like Mr. Gerstman and many other former players. Some of them are current or former NFL players. These men want answers, and they deserve to get them.

So fast forward to yesterday, and I'm at a press conference at the Public House on Manhattan's east side. "It just seems like this was done under the cover of darkness" said  Chris Colozizielro, class of 1991, who took the podium after Gerstman. "Why would you want to shut down a program that has produced NFL players like Wayne Cherbet. Marques Colston, and Willie Colon?" he asked. I can't see the reason behind that either. Sure, we all understand the reality of the current economic times. But the university Isn't hurting so much for money, as It wanted to "re-allocate" funding to give scholarships to 'the needy," and to help get the medical school up and running. So none of the football players were needy? Someone should have gone over the hardships the freshman Running Back Miguel Maysonet had been through while attending Riverhead H.S. He was only the MVP of the 2009 Outback Steakhouse H.S. All Star Game, which by the way, Is played at Shuart Stadium, Where the Pride would have been playing their 2010 season If someone hadn't stolen their program by re-allocating funds.

In fact, as recently as a month ago, the alumni fundraisers were still looking for donations to the program. Coaches were out recruiting as recently as last Monday. "No options were ever discussed" the press conference went on. "We clearly understood that this president does not support athletics"

"Every college understands the value of a football program." Except for this one. Jon Camera from the class of 1995 also spoke. "We gave whatever we could financially whenever we were asked" "as well as mentoring current students."
So we see that this fight Is far from over. We may never get all the answers either, but this is another story that we will "Dig Deeper" Into.

Mostly I feel bad for the Maysonet's, the Steve Probst's, and the Joe Sidaris's of the team. All three could still have promising careers at the next level. But they won't be known for having played  In Hempstead, but rather for having transferred somewhere else.

I also feel for Coach Dave Cohen. There are a few quality men in this business, but few could be thought of as your second(or only) Father. Dave Cohen Is that man. If I had ever gotten to play college football, I'd have wanted my coach to be like Cohen.

Sadly-Hofstra Football Comes to an End after 69 years

(press release from Hofstra University Athletics-Our comment at the end)

Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. - Hofstra University's Board of Trustees has decided to eliminate Hofstra's Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly known as Division 1-AA) intercollegiate football program, and reinvest those resources into new academic programs and need-based scholarships, President Stuart Rabinowitz announced today.

The Board, acting on a recommendation from Rabinowitz, voted unanimously to end the football program, effective immediately, at a meeting on Wednesday night. The decision was the culmination of a comprehensive review of all university spending to determine the best ways to build on Hofstra's successes and reach the highest level of academic excellence, nationally and internationally.

"As we continue to improve our academic programs and reputation, and plan the University's future, we have to consider the investment we make in all of the University's programs," Rabinowitz said. "The cost of the football program, now and in the future, far exceeds the return possible from an FCS program, which does not generate significant national interest. Given that, along with the low level of interest, financial support and attendance among our students, our alumni and the community, the choice was painful, but clear."

"In the long run," Rabinowitz said, "we can touch and improve the lives of more students by investing in new and enhanced academic initiatives and increasing funds for need-based scholarships."

Rabinowitz said there are no plans to cut any other sports. Hofstra will continue to compete in 17 intercollegiate Division I sports, at a national level, as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. "We know this is a difficult time for our football team members, their dedicated coaches and loyal fans, and we will do everything we can to help them navigate this transition as smoothly as possible."

"Athletics is a vital part of campus life, and we are proud of the contributions all our student-athletes make to our community," Rabinowitz said. "This was not an easy call, but for the future of the University, we believe it was the right one."

Marilyn B. Monter, chair of the Board of Trustees, said that the Board had recently concluded a two-year study of the athletic program, and she noted that nationwide, many colleges and universities are examining spending on sports. "Hofstra is not alone in taking a hard look at athletic spending, and we have a concrete plan for reinvestment in academics," Monter said. "This isn't about spending less money, it's about how we allocate our resources and invest in all of our students."

All current football team members who remain at Hofstra will keep their scholarships, and those who transfer will be eligible to play immediately. The football team has 84 student-athletes from 15 states, and 11 coaches. The net cost of the football program is approximately $4.5 million, including scholarships, and the savings generated will be redirected to fund new faculty lines, academic programs and need-based scholarships.

Athletic Director Jack Hayes met with team members and coaches this morning to inform them of the decision and to discuss how the University would assist them during the transition. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the President, he thanked them for their efforts and loyalty to the University.

"My priority is to implement a plan that assists the student-athletes and coaching staff with their efforts to move forward," said Athletic Director Jack Hayes. "We recognize that some team members will choose to complete their degree at Hofstra, and we encourage them to do so. Others may choose to continue their playing careers at other institutions. Whatever their decision, we are here to assist them."

The football team finished this season 5-6, with a 52-38 win over the University of Massachusetts on Nov. 21 at James M. Shuart Stadium. The timing of the decision was made to give team members, prospects and staff a chance to make future plans. The University will honor head football Coach David Cohen's contract, and all assistant football coaches will receive assistance with their job transitions.

Football began at Hofstra in 1937. In 1991, Hofstra moved up from Division III to Division I, and 2009 was the University's third in the CAA.

FRO will have more on this story shortly. We do want to take this moment to offer our support to the Hofstra community at this time. Regardless of the Trustee's decision, we at FRO have been covering Hofstra Football since Coach Cohen had come aboard, and much further back while working for past publications when Coach Guardi was here as well. The Program put many Players Into the NFL who are now or were successful during their playing careers. We wish coach Cohen well, and hope he finds a new coaching position soon. We are also hopeful that the Pride Players with the option to transfer and continue to play football do so successfully.

Dr. Bill Chachkes

Managing Partner/Execuitve Editor-Football Reporters Online

7 Turnovers, Missed FG Spoil Hofstra Homecoming
by Jon Wagner
Sr. Writer at Large-Football Reporters Online

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – As fitting as the Hofstra football team’s nickname the “Pride” was last week after Hofstra upset then-seventh ranked, Colonial Athletic Association defending champion James Madison, is how much that same moniker is a mismatch this week, as pride turned to utter disappointment in the wake of Hofstra’s mistake-filled 16-14 homecoming loss to Maine, before 5,453 at James M. Shuart Stadium on Saturday.

If a nickname were given to the game played by the Pride, the title of the 1966 film starring Clint Eastwood, “The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly,” would be appropriate.

The good for Hofstra (3-3, 1-2 CAA)? Getting 32 first downs to Maine’s 11, outgaining the Black Bears 533 yards to 311, including 293-122 on the ground, and forcing three Maine turnovers.

The bad? Scoring just 14 points and losing a game at home that Hofstra was favored to win, despite all of the aforementioned numbers in the Pride’s favor.

And, the ugly? The biggest reasons that the bad outweighed the good for Hofstra: a short missed field goal attempt after a bad snap, and seven turnovers, including three apiece for two different quarterbacks who combined for five interceptions.

“The two biggest things we talk about in winning football games,” said Hofstra head coach Dave Cohen, “Are winning the turnover battle and outplaying the other team on special teams. Cleary today, the first one I talked about is the reason we’re sitting here as not victorious. To outgain an opponent by 220 yards and not win, as I said, it comes down to two things, winning on special teams and winning the turnover battle.”

On the interceptions, four of which were into a fairly strong breeze, Cohen said the wind was not that much of a factor, saying “We had a number of poor decisions… three of [the interceptions] were deflected passes.”

The game started looking like it might be a proverbial letdown game for Hofstra after last week’s big win. Maine returned the opening kickoff 33 yards to its own 40, and then went 60 yards on six plays, in just 2:43, to lead 6-0 (the PAT was missed off the left upright) on a 5-yard touchdown run by freshman Julian McCall. The score was set up by consecutive 10-yard runs by sophomore quarterback Warren Smith (team-high 82 yards on 16 carries) and a 36-yard pass by Smith to the Hofstra 5 yard-line to Tyrell Jones, who made a nice leaping catch, taking advantage of Hofstra cornerback, senior Leslie Jackman slipping on the play.

When asked if his players might have been flat after the JMU victory, Cohen said “I wouldn’t think so.” Cohen’s defense seemed to back him up on that assessment, allowing just ten points the rest of the way, despite the seven Pride turnovers yet to come and Maine starting in or entering Hofstra territory on another seven possessions.

The Black Bears were on the verge of extending their lead in the first quarter when they committed their first turnover, a fumble sophomore tailback Derek Session, recovered by Hofstra senior safety Ray McDonough at the Hofstra 1 yard-line.

But, after the Pride senior quarterback Cory Christopher (22-32, 223 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT) led the Hofstra to its own 48 yard-line, sophomore quarterback Steve Probst (2-8, 17 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT) came in and threw an incomplete pass on 2nd-and 7, before throwing his first interception at the Maine 39, returned by Maine sophomore linebacker Donte Dennis to the Hofstra 43. Dennis said the Maine’s ability to force so many Hofstra mistakes started earlier in the week, as he said “We had so many interceptions and fumbles in practice and it carried over to the game.”

Hofstra then forced a punt, but the next possession ended in a fumble by junior wide receiver Aaron Weaver, recovered by the Black Bears at the Pride 49.

Again, Hofstra held, but a 13-play, 77-yard, 6-minute drive led by Christopher, ended with his first interception at the Maine 6, returned 36 yards by sophomore safety Jerron McMillan, to the Maine 42.
The Hofstra defense forced a three-and-out, but Probst, inserted back into the lineup, ended the next Pride possession by throwing his second pick at the Black Bears’ 38.

That turnover, Maine did capitalize on, going 9 plays and 62 yards in 3:41, as Smith found senior wide receiver Landis Williams on an 18-yard touchdown pass, giving Maine a 13-0 lead with 1:17 left in the half.

With Christopher back in through the quarterback revolving door, Hofstra drove into field goal range, but after a personal foul penalty on junior running back Everette Benjamin pushed the Pride back, Christopher tossed his second interception at the Maine 24 with 9 seconds left in the half, before the Black Bears ran out the clock to take a 13-0 lead into the locker room.

More of the same continued as the third quarter started. Christopher drove Hofstra to the Maine 32, but was intercepted for a third time.

Although he was surprised with the yardage his team allowed, asking “[533 yards?] We gave up that much? Wow!” Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove said his team was ready to be as opportunistic it was, saying “That’s the key to the whole thing, is the turnovers. We felt like there were some late throws by their quarterbacks, occasionally some risky throws, we saw it in tape. [They had a] low elbow at times and getting the ball batted a bit. We were talking about it all week long, watching it on the tape… they did what we expected them to do.” That despite, his team being short-handed, as Cosgrove added, “We had four guys that we left at home and we had redshirt freshman out there, and sophomores. It was just special to see them persevere. We made plays when we had to.”

Finally, things started to break right for the Pride though. A Session fumble recovered by Hofstra at its own 35 with 11:17 left to the Pride’s first score. First, freshman Miguel Maysonet, who had an earlier rush for 28 yards, and a career and game-high of 95 yards on just 7 carries, sprung for a 19-yard run.

Later on the sane drive, Probst ran for 9, 21, 9, and 3 yards on successive four carries, to get Hofstra to the Maine 1. That set up a one-yard touchdown run for Benjamin, trimming Maine’s lead to 13-7 with 8:18 left in the third quarter.

Cohen defended the two-quarterback system Hofstra employs, saying “I think it’s obvious, the strength of the two quarterbacks… how Cory throws the ball down the field a little bit stronger, and… how Steven runs the ball better and put the defense in a dilemma as far as the option game is concerned.”

Still, the turnovers caused Cohen to consider a change to using one quarterback, as Cohen admitted “That’s something we’ll decide… when we watch the film and [I] discuss it with the staff.”

Hofstra stopped Maine again, and had a good chance to take the lead, with Probst (12 carries for 91 yards) again running well, leading the Pride to a 1st-and-goal at the Black Bears’ 6. But, two rushes that netted only a yard, followed by an incomplete pass led to another missed opportunity for Hofstra. Senior kicker Henry Greco, rushed by a bad snap and Maine freshman Darlos James extending for a block attempt from the left side, pushed a chip shot 22-yard field goal which would have cut the Black Bear lead to 13-10, wide right with 14:51 left in the game, thus wasting a 13-play, 70-yard drive that ate up 6:46 on the clock.

Smith (15-25, 189 yards, 2 TS, 1 INT) was then intercepted on the next Maine possession at the Hofstra 11, by sophomore linebacker Gregory Melendez.

Hofstra opted to stick with Probst, who had a pair of 10-yard rushes on the next drive, but Probst fumbled, and Dennis recovered at the Hofstra 46.

The Black Bears then drove 35 yards on 11 plays in 3:51, and extended their lead to 16-7 on a 28-yard field goal by Jordan Waxman with 5:37 left.

Down two scores, with time running out, the Pride went away from their running quarterback in Probst, and back to their throwing signal caller, Christopher, completed 7 of 9 passes on 10-play, 72-yard drive in 3:15, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Christopher to Weaver, who made a very nice leaping catch, getting his feet down in the back of the end zone, to pull Hofstra to within 16-14, with 2:22 remaining.

Down to only one timeout, the Prided tried an onside kick, which was recovered by Maine. The Pride forced another three-and-out though, and still had life –- even after the seven turnovers.

Christopher completed three straight passes, taking Hofstra from its own 15 with 38 seconds left, to the Maine 48 with 25 seconds left. Christopher then looked for sophomore Brock Jacklowski, who plays several different positions in all three phases. Jacklowski, normally very reliable, and one of Cohen’s favorite players on the team, dropped what would have been a drive-sustaining first down inside the Maine 40, with 15 seconds left. It was just that kind of day for Hofstra. Christopher was then sacked to seal the win for Maine.

While recognizing that Maine didn’t see the same Hofstra team that showed up against JMU, Cosgrove wasn’t shocked by his team’s ability to upset the team that upset one of the stronger CAA teams a week prior, saying “It doesn’t surprise me ever to see somebody step up [in the CAA.] It’s just human nature. [Hofstra] certainly [was] an outstanding team last week, I’m sure they weren’t near as good today, and that helped us.”

Meanwhile, a very disappointed Cohen, will try to get Hofstra on track while keeping his team together after the tough loss. “There’s not going to be any finger pointing,” he said. “There’s many things I can point to from the first drive of their offense, to the turnovers of our offense, to having a poor snap on a bad field goal. And, any three of those situations could have helped to win the football game, and we are a team that’s a hundred of us together, and we’re gonna win football games like we did last week together, but we’re gonna lose football games like we did today, together. And, there will be no finger pointing because there [are] many examples as we’ll see… in the film that all three aspects could have helped us win that football game. It’s not just the turnovers. Obviously, that’s the main story of today’s game, but at the same point, that first drive, our defense could have stopped them, and we could have made that field goal. We’re gonna stay together through this, and we’re not gonna point fingers.”

Cohen added that although his defense stopped Maine most of the day, he thought that unit could have played harder. “I thought they were resilient,” he said, “But, I do not think we played as physical or as hard as we’re capable on defense. We didn’t tackle as nearly as well as we did the last two weeks… and, just in general, I don’t think we were swarming to the ball as much as we’re capable.”

In the tough CAA, Maine gets no reward for beating Hofstra. Next up is undefeated, top-ranked, defending FCS national champion Richmond (5-0, 3-0 CAA) on Saturday. However, the Black Bears are not backing down. Smith said, the win over Hofstra “Gives us a lot of confidence… we expect to win the [Richmond] game.” Dennis added, “They’re just another football team.’

To which Cosgrove reflected for a few seconds before saying, “A pretty good one though,” which brought laughter from nearly everyone in the room, including Smith and Dennis.

Cohen meanwhile, will prepare his team to travel to Rhode Island (1-4, 0-2 CAA), also on Saturday. He said, “That’s my job… it’s not gonna be easy, it’s not gonna be fun, but we’ve been in this situation before, and we’ll get them going for the Rhode Island game.”

Worth The Wait: Hofstra Outlasts Weather Delay, Upsets #7 JMU
By Jon Wagner
Sr, Writer at large Football Reporters Online
(photos: Left Brock Jackolski returns a Kick off for Hofstra & Right Hofstra Head Coach Dave Cohen in the post game Press conference-Both by A.F. Chachkes

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Football is often a game of momentum. That’s especially true for an underdog team playing well at home, driving in its opponents’ territory, and seeking to increase a slim lead just before halftime, while bidding for an upset of a highly ranked conference rival.

The unranked Hofstra Pride could have lost their edge, and ultimately, their Colonial Athletic Association showdown with seventh-ranked James Madison, after bad weather caused 2,751 fans in attendance, and nearly everyone else, to scatter and find cover on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Shuart Stadium.

With the Pride nursing a 14-10 lead over the Dukes, and Hofstra set to run a 2nd-down-and-7 play from the JMU 38 yard-line with 1:23 left before halftime, both teams were suddenly forced off the field with the threat of lightning in the immediate area.

Advantage to the favored, top ten squad to regroup and take control of the game, as previously expected?

Not exactly.

Instead, the Pride picked up where it left off after the 47-minute delay, and ran the final eight plays of a key 15-play, 66-yard scoring drive which took 4:28 of game time –- and nearly a full hour of actual time –- to complete. The weather-induced interruption was certainly worth the wait for Hofstra, which capped the drive on redshirt freshman tight end Dave Wilson’s second touchdown of the quarter, a back-of-the-end zone, four-yard grab from senior quarterback Cory Christopher, just five seconds before a shortened, five-minute halftime session.

JUM head coach Mickey Matthews said “I thought the big score at the end of the half, after the rain delay, that was certainly huge.”

Indeed, it was, as the play gave Hofstra 21-10 lead, and proved to be the decisive score in Hofstra’s 24-17 victory over James Madison (2-2, 0-1 CAA). And, it was a thrill for Wilson, who as the tallest player on the field at 6-foot-6, was playing in only his fourth career game, entering the day with just three catches for a total of fifteen yards, and no touchdowns in his young college career.

Despite his earlier lack of production and playing time, Wilson came up huge for the Pride (3-2, 1-1 CAA) in a game which saw very limited success for either team moving the ball through the air (JMU was held to just 56 passing yards for the game, and Hofstra was only modestly better, passing for 133 yards).

Wilson, who prior to coming to Hofstra, played in the same state (at Delaware Community College) where Hofstra head coach Dave Cohen gained his solid reputation as a defensive coach and coordinator (at the University Of Delaware), caught a game-high tying four passes, and led all receivers with 65 yards and two touchdowns.

Cohen praised Wilson’s deft running ability while noting that his tight end played a good game despite an injury that Wilson is still getting over. “Dave has not been at full strength for two weeks after spraining a joint in his shoulder… He can run as well as most of our receivers,” Cohen said. “It doesn’t take long to notice how well he covers ground.”

Used as a wide receiver rather than as a typical tight end on his first touchdown, Wilson burned the JMU defense, streaking up the right sideline on a 34-yard touchdown catch from sophomore quarterback Steve Probst, capping a quick three-play, 48-yard drive that took only 1:16, as Hofstra jumped to a 14-3 advantage with 10:34 remaining in the first half.

Probst and Christopher were continually shuffled on and off the field to give the JMU defense different looks. Cohen said the advantage of using the two players that way is that “There are things that Steven does a little bit better and there are things that Cory does a little bit better, and I think it gives people more things to defend.”

Each quarterback had one touchdown and no interceptions on the afternoon. Christopher started and passed for 57 yards, completing 9 of 16 passes, while Probst threw for 76 yards, connecting on 6 of 12 throws. The quarterback duo also provided nearly half of Hofstra’s rushing output, which produced 154 yards on 41 attempts. Junior fullback Everette Benjamin led Hofstra with 58 yards on the ground, carrying 12 times, and right behind him were Probst (9 carries for 43 yards) and Christopher (33 yards, also on 9 rushes).

Despite competing for playing time, Probst and Christopher support each other a great deal. After Probst’s touchdown throw, Probst and Christopher celebrated with a mid-air congratulatory bumping of shoulders by the Hofstra sideline. After the game, Christopher said of Probst and that play, “I’ve seen him grow up. I feel like I threw the touchdown. It’s like watching your little brother make a great play, You’re so happy, like you made the play.” Probst reciprocated, recognizing that he’s comfortable with how the tandem works and how he’s been helped by Christopher. “Cory’s on the field for seven plays,” Probst said. “And, then I’ll go in for one, or I’ll go in for a drive, and he’ll come out… I feel like I’ve progressed so much mentally, physically… Cory definitely helps me out a lot.”

The Dukes attempted the same success –- but achieved it to a far less degree -- with their own tandem of junior quarterback Drew Dudzik, primarily a passer with limited mobility, and speedy freshman Justin Thorpe, who mostly looks to run from the quarterback position.

Dudzik rushed four times for eleven yards while completing 5 of 11 passes, for just 19 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Thorpe meanwhile, completed all of his passes, but threw only three, for 37 yards. He was the game’s leading rusher however, with 96 yards on 18 carries.

The Hofstra defense allowed just 192 total yards of offense, recording seven tackles for a loss, three by junior defensive end Deron Mayo for a total of 15 yards in losses. Mayo, who had a total of nine tackles, said “Our coaches did a great job preparing us for [JMU’s] different quarterbacks… everybody on our defense played as hard as they could,” also had an eight-yard sack. Sophomore safety Chris Edmond added a game-high 11 tackles for the Pride.

Senior linebacker Luke Bonus, who without an initial scholarship, paid his own way during his freshman year, also had nine tackles. Bonus has lived up to his surname as a nice surprise for the Pride during his career at Hofstra. He was jokingly commended by Cohen, who said of his 5-foot-10, 205-pound linebacker, “He looks like he’s probably a pretty good student and on a lot of intramurals teams.” Cohen then got serious, and continued, “If that’s not what you want your defense to stand for, I don’t know what kind of defense you want on the field. [Bonus is] nails, he’s a leader, he’s fiery, he’s afraid of nothing.”

Early in the game, Hofstra got on the scoreboard first, going 79 yards on ten plays in 4:51, scoring on a nice 17-yard run by Christopher, to lead 7-0, with 5:26 left in the opening quarter.

James Madison returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards to the Hofstra 33, but with the lack of a passing game, they ran seven straight times before being sacked, settling for a 23-yard field goal on a nine-play drive in 5:04 that cut Hofstra’s lead to 7-3 with :19 remaining in the first quarter.

Later, trailing 14-3, JMU which scored all 17 of its points following three short kickoffs by Hofstra sophomore kicker Brian Hanly, benefited when sophomore Scott Noble took a short Hanly kick from the JMU own 25-yard line 30 yards to the Hofstra 45 yard-line. It only took two rushing plays from there –- a Noble 8-yard run and a nice 37-yard dash to the end zone by Thorpe for the Dukes to retaliate just 57 seconds after Wilson’s first touchdown, to draw within 14-10 with 9:37 left in the first half.
The third quarter began with another short Hanley kick to the JMU 29 yard-line, returned 14 yards by senior Mike Caussin to the JMU 43. Thorpe then keyed a 12-play, 57-yard drive, consuming the first 7:09 of the third quarter, by rushing six times for a total of 50 yards. That set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge for Noble which trimmed Hofstra’s lead to 21-17, with 7:51 left in the third quarter.

Each team then traded a punt before the Pride drove 14 plays, but only 27 yards, to the JMU 33 yard-line, but a 50-yard field goal attempt by kicker Henry Greco was blocked with 8:54 left in the game.

The teams again traded punts before JMU took over at its own 20 yard-line after a touchback with 5:27 left. Three plays later, Dudzik, on 3rd-and-17 from the JMU 13, was intercepted by freshman Jordan Dangerfield at the JMU 48. Dangerfield, who endured a huge hardship off the field just before the season started, returned the ball 28 yards to the JMU 20 yard-line with 3:53 remaining.

Hofstra then had no so much a drive, but a retreat, losing five yards on three plays to the JMU 25, before a 42-yard Greco field goal with 2:14 to go, for the final margin of 24-17.

The key interception was a very proud moment for a somewhat emotional Coach Cohen after the game, who detailed, “Jordan lost his Dad five days before college started this year… his Dad was one of his assistant coaches down in Florida. How do you handle college without your Dad, let alone college football?” Cohen, who attended the funeral for Dangerfield’s father with two other Hofstra coaches in New York, where Dangerfield’s father was originally from, added “That’s what college is all about, just to see kids grow and persevere. I’m very blessed, at 43, I have both my parents. To lose your Dad, who’s your coach and one of your best friends five days before camp, I can’t fathom that… In the middle of camp he left for four days to go to a memorial service down in Palm Beach County… that’s reality, that’s life, that’s not football.”

It may be a stretch, but some might conclude other forces at work on Dangerfield’s big play. Ironically, the Hofstra mascot lion, who doesn’t often wear a number, happened to be wearing Dangerfield’s uniform number 36, and was standing right behind the Hofstra bench near midfield, just before Dangerfield made his interception. According to Cohen, the news of Dangerfield’s father was kept within the team. The Pride mascot likely didn’t know of the death of Dangerfield’s father, who passed away from heart failure at the young age of 49, and had been wearing Dangerfield’s number on Saturday, perhaps by fate. For a bit of further irony, Cohen and Dangerfield, who are both Jewish, helped Hofstra win during the Jewish festival of Sukkot.

After Greco’s field goal, the Hofstra defense still had to come up with one final stop.

JMU started its final drive with 2:14 left, from its own 28 yard-line. Thorpe drove the Dukes to the JMU 41 before he launched an absolute prayer of an under throw that should have been intercepted, but senior Rockeed McCarter (who tied Wilson with a game-high 4 receptions), simply outleaped two Pride defenders to come down with a 35-yard catch and a first down at the Hofstra 24 yard-line with 1:31 remaining.

JMU then started to go backwards, themselves. A high snap which sailed over Thorpe’s head, recovered by Thorpe, lost 20 yards for the Dukes, to the Hofstra 44 yard-line. Not able to gain back a big chunk of yardage on the ground, Thorpe again came out for Dudzik, on 2nd-and 30. After incomplete pass to McCarter, Dudzik found McCarter for 27 yards, but McCarter was called for offensive pass interference, setting up an impossible 3rd-and-45 back at the JMU 41 yard-line. Dudzik again completed to McCarter, this time for 22 yards, but McCarter fumbled, where JMU recovered back at its own 48 yard-line. It was the fifth fumble of the game for JMU, which was fortunate to only lose one fumble on the day.

A good sport, Matthews, after pointing out how much the negative yardage plays hurt his team, exaggeratingly joked about the bad snap over Thorpe’s head, saying “The thing that hurt us really bad were our lost yards plays… We got the ball first down on the [Hofstra] 25 and we snap it over [Thorpe’s] head and we lose 197 yards.”
Finally, on 4th-and-38, Dudzik, threw an incomplete pass looking again for McCarter, allowing Hofstra to take a knee and run out the final seven seconds.

Matthew’s humor was also on display when speaking of Hofstra’s ability to keep the JMU defense on the field, by converting four of five fourth downs opportunities, with one of those conversions occurring during the Pride’s first touchdown drive, and another on the drive for Hofstra’s third touchdown. “What was the one they missed?” Matthew’s asked. “It must have been somewhere in the pre-game.”

Cohen said field position and confidence in his team’s offensive line to move the pile made the decisions to go for a first down on so many different fourth downs, easy ones. “Once the ball was a little bit out of our field goal kicking range,” he said, “And really, not necessarily beneficial for us to punt, the confidence in [our] run game made it an easy decision.”

The win was a huge departure from last season’s 56-0 Hofstra loss as then-top ranked JMU. “Obviously we’re very excited to beat a team of JMU’s caliber especially given last year’s results,” Cohen said,

It was a similar loss (47-0 to currently top ranked, CAA foe Richmond) two weeks ago which sparked Hofstra’s win on Saturday, something recognized by both Matthews and Cohen.

After the loss in Richmond, Cohen admitted “There was a lot of hostility on the field and I got on the players.” He added, “This game was won a week ago, Wednesday, in our locker room, our senior leadership, and in the character of our players after that Richmond game,” Cohen said. “Today was the end result of how we handled adversity following the Richmond debacle.”

Matthews agreed, saying ““Hofstra was embarrassed two weeks ago. They played like an embarrassed football team.” The JMU coach was also gracious in defeat, saying ““I thought they deserved to win. I thought they outplayed us, outcoached us. I thought they played very well”

Cohen denied that the win over last year’s defending CAA champion, which went a perfect 8-0 in the CAA last year, was a signature win. Instead, he said “The opponent doesn’t matter. It’s about us, it’s not about them. Am I excited about the win? Absolutely, but inevitably, for us to win, we had to play harder than we’ve played and cleaner than we’ve played.”

Looking ahead, Cohen said the victory “Reiterates to our players the talent level that we have in the locker room and capabilities and the potential that they have.”

After a big win, Hofstra will try to avoid a letdown in a homecoming game at home against unranked Maine (2-3, 1-1 CAA) at 1:00pm EST on Saturday.


Notes: Hofstra ended JMU’s 11-game CAA win streak overall, the Dukes’ 10-game CAA regular season win streak, and JMU’s five-game win streak against Hofstra… The Pride notched its first win over a top ten opponent since winning at No. 7 UMass in 2005… Due to the lack of a significant passing game on either side, the contest was actually played quickly, in only 2 hours, 14 minutes, making the game from start to finish, a typical elapsed time 3 hours, 1 minute, even with the 47-minute weather delay.

Hofstra Vs. Stonybrook-The Long Island Classic
By Dr. Bill Chachkes for Football Reporters Online

It’s been a match up on the schedule for several years now. A game that puts two of the better college teams playing in the FCS (I still catch myself calling it “1-AA”) each year. It’s also the two “Major” college teams playing on Long Island. While both teams recruit outside of the region, it’s also a showcase for local talent as well. Both coaches are well rounded and respected football men who come from the same “coaching family tree” so to speak. They were both assistants under Coach Bob Ford at the University of Albany.

Hofstra has put many players into the NFL over the years, most recently OL Willie Colon of the SB XLIII winning Steelers and Marques Colston of the Saints. They play in the CAA conference, which is considered by many to be the top conference in the FCS. Even in “down” seasons the program has remained competitive in play and continues to draw recruits from many areas. Last year the field surface at Shuart Stadium was replaced, and is among the best I have ever set foot on. They return several starters from the 2006 and 2007 seasons, including QB Corey Christopher, who at 250 lbs and just over 6’1” looks more like an Inside Linebacker or a Fullback and is just as hard to bring down. Senior Linebacker Luke Bonus is the leader of a resurgent defense that will make life hard for every opponent they face this season.

The Seawolves may not have any players in the NFL just yet, but a move to a new conference(the Big South), a seasoned staff of assistants, a quality stadium of their own, and their share of televised games make them a tough opponent as well. The 1-2 punch of Conte Cuttino and Edwin Gowins from the backfield makes it difficult for the opposing defenses to key on just one rusher. Like Hofstra’s Dave Cohen, Coach Chuck Priore is also a master teacher of the game. Both teams also have a loyal fanbase, and the respect of opposing coaches. They both follow the tenant of honoring the great game of Football at it’s core.

So why will this match up end after next season? Shouldn’t this be a highlight of the start of the season for both these teams? Shouldn’t it be treated like the “classic” games that are played among teams in the southeast? Why not make it a “worthy cause” game that benefits a local charity or two.

Hofstra would most likely want to get a game or two a year against
Higher graded division 1 teams like Army or even Rutgers. Stonybrook would probably love to get a televised game against a higher ranked “1-AA” team like Appalachian State (even though Costal Carolina is a huge match up for them this year). But why take on those steep climbs at the cost of eliminating this game?

Hopefully the School’s presidents will come to terms on extending this yearly match up which I now call “The Long Island Classic.”

Photo: Hofstra's Kareem Huggins Hits the Endzone early during a 2007 Game.
(By A. Fumai )

Unless you really know your NY area local college football, these next two names mean nothing to you. But if you do, then you won't be surprised that Hofstra University's Kareem Huggins and Charles Sullivan are getting tryouts at the Jets Complex this weekend. Aside from the fact that the Jets have been Headquartered on a small plot of university grounds for 40 years, it's a safe bet that the Jets former GM and current director of scouting Terry Bradway was paying attention to Hofstra's two standout offensive players during the 2007 college football season. Huggins does it all, Play Runningback, return kickoffs and punts, and can catch the ball out of the backfield. Sullivan Led the team in Scoring, Touchdowns, receiving yards, and receptions. He also set records for most Receiving yardage in a game (157) and career receiving yardage, breaking records held prior by Wayne Morris, Marques Colston, and Wayne Cherbet.Don't be surprised if one or bothof these players end up on an NFL roster somewhere if not in New York.....

Bill

When you think of Hofstra University you think of players of the past like Lance Schulters, Dave Fiore, and Wayne Cherbet.
These days, the program under second year Head Coach Dave Cohen is continuing it's legacy of perparing players for the next level, wherever that might be. "We work hard to get the kids real experiences, learning that leads them and guides them to a chance at playing somewhere professionally." Last year was a rough season for the Hofstra Pride as a team, but this year seems to be shaping up better already. Saturday night the Pride posted a 32-17 come from behind win over the Paladins of Furman University, who are nationally ranked in what used to be called 1-AA football(#8 until the next poll comes out). The Pride have 14 seniors who are capable of playing in the NFL in 2008, and 4 of them made major contributions Saturday night.
Linebacker Gian Villante had 9 tackles(3 solo) and a forced fumble, Kicker Rob Zarrilli made 4 out of 5 FG's including his first, from 53 yards. But the offensive Duo of RB Kareem Huggins and WR Charles Sullivan stole the show and powered the second half, 23 point run. Huggins had 19 Carries(12 in the 2nd half) for 118 yards, plus a 46 yd. Kickoff return. Sullivan caught 12 passes for 147 yards, a personal best. I suspect we will hear more of these players between now and the 2008 draft.