Well deserved for Coach Cal

Normally I wait until the middle of the week to post my thoughts but sitting here now late on a Saturday night or early on a Sunday morning I couldn't hold those thoughts any longer. After broadcasting the Monmouth-Bryant football game this afternoon I reflected back on the school's football history. Today was an incredible milestone both for MU and Coach Callahan as win #100 didn't easy with a 10-6 victory over the Bulldogs. It seems like just yesterday the announcement was made that Monmouth College was starting a football program and Kevin Callahan was going to take over the Hawks in his first ever college head coaching position. Now in his 17th year, Coach Cal has been the foundation for a school that really needed this experiment to work.

I have often wondered why Coach Callahan has never left Monmouth for greener pastures; a bigger school, more money, more scholarships, and a better atmosphere would all seem to make sense. His credentials would certainly indicate he could have left many times over with five conference championships, a mid-major national championship, and a recipient of the NEC Coach of the Year award three times. He has turned out dozens all-conference players but even more important he has shown every player who paid attention the right way to act toward others and there are things more important than football. I'm not even sure I have ever asked Coach the question about leaving MU because in a way I along with many others wouldn't even want to think about him not being on the sidelines for the blue and white.

Being part of the first ever team in 1993, I remember a lot about that first season. The wintertime workouts before the incoming freshman had ever stepped foot on campus, the first summer, the first game (Stonehill College), the first win (St. Peters), and for me the disappointment of being hurt most of the year. My football career stopped before the 1994 season as a variety of injuries had made my body breakdown and I still remember going into Coach Callahan's office right before camp started in August and telling him I was unable to keep playing.

Classy as ever, he told me to take care of myself, thanked me for my time and effort in the program, and let me know the door was always open to come back. I never was able to return to the playing field but I have entered the side door to get back in the program on three different occasions; once as a student broadcaster on WMCX and twice as a professional. The constant has always been the way I have been treated by Coach, the way he runs the football program, and the care he shows for other people.

I was reminded of this caring over the last two weeks as I dealt and continue to deal with the sudden passing of my own father. Our regular weekly meeting turned into a counseling session where Coach Cal knew just when to talk and just when to listen. He didn't pull any punches or say everything was going to be alright because he knew it wasn't going to be having lost his own father at a young age as well. He promised tough days ahead, more tears, and a grieving process that never really ends. So far, he has been right on the money. The hour I spent in his office was an hour that I needed to cry, be angry, and express my disbelief that this had all happened. He didn't hesitate to push the pause button on his busy day, close the door and give me all the time I needed. It was an hour I can never repay him for but one I will never forget anytime I do anything Monmouth football related.

In typical fashion, when asked about the game against Bryant and his 100th win, Coach Callahan said this win was about the program and its players. I wouldn't expect anything less because in a way it is a tribute to anyone who has donned a Monmouth helmet but from someone who has been a MU supporter since we started in 1993 I am here to say this milestone has more to do with Coach Cal than anyone else associated with MU football. If you ask me, back in 1992, Monmouth found the perfect balance of a coach who can win but who also knows the importance of life off the field.

That coach and man is Kevin Callahan. Congratulations Coach Cal on win #100.

Midpoint swing games ..

We are at the midpoint of the regular season for both high school football and the Monmouth University season and each of our games this week have striking similiarties. They are what we would call a swing game as a win and your season either takes a major upturn or at the very least you keep alive chances for something positive to happen later on during the fall. A loss can be dooming on so many levels for any of these three teams which we will see this weekend.

Let's start first with our Friday night game between Toms River North and Southern Regional. This has developed into a pretty solid rivalry over the last few years and was very one sided until the state playoffs last season when the Rams finally won a game. The 2009 game features several sidebars that will dictate how far either of these teams can go.

A win for TRN and the Mariners keep alive their chances for a share of an American division championship and bolster their state playoff chances with a win over a fellow group 4 school. A loss and it will be anchors away at the division title and a second loss will mean no more slip-ups before the state playoff cutoff or it will be very tough to qualify. On the flip side, the Rams already have two losses, only one of which is the division, and still have to play the #1 team in the Shore (Howell). The way things shake out right now for both Southern & TRN is that they each need to keep winning and the Rebels to lose at some point in the division to have a shot at a co/tri championship. So this becomes a divisional elimination game coupled with the fact that a third loss for Southern will likely doom their chances of getting back into the state playoffs.

For Monmouth, there are some of the same aspects that follow the Hawks into their game with Sacred Heart this Saturday. A disappointing effort last weekend against Wagner has MU with their backs against wall in what now is a must win game before Albany comes to West Long Branch on October 24th. Monmouth can ill afford a second conference loss if they have any chance of a NEC title or a postseason birth. With a win, there will be a lot of juice for the Albany game as going into the season most would have figured that the Hawks were one of the only teams that could challenge the Great Danes. A win also gets MU back to .500 at 3-3 overall. A loss this weekend against Sacred Heart and the season could take a downward swing that would tough to change.



Broadcast Information ..

THURSDAY: The High School Football Show 6PM - 8PM .. Live from Boston's (Toms River)
FRIDAY Game Of The WeekSouthern @ Toms River North6:45PM pre-game on 1160 WOBM AM, FoxSports1310 & 105.7 The Hawk
SATURDAY Monmouth University FootballMonmouth @ Sacred Heart12:50PM pre-game on 1160 WOBM AM and FoxSports1310

Not sold on it yet ..

There has been a good deal of attention placed on the games this high school football season that involve teams from the Shore Conference and teams from Middlesex county. I am well aware that there are both positives and negatives to be taken from this arrangement but one of the things I am not sure the powers that be really took into account was the impact on the fans.

First, there is increased travel in a lot of cases and that goes for both teams. A bus ride down to Monmouth or Ocean county wouldn't be anything as a fan or parent I would be looking forward to coming from Middlesex Cuonty and vice versa. I realize making a trip to Pinelands or Matawan wouldn't be a whole lot of fun either depending on where you are coming from but at least those are still Shore Conference teams so it has some logic to it.

Second, it does not do a whole lot to booster fan support. Take this weekend as an example, how much interest could there possibly be in the school or community for these games; Freehold Township at Sayreville, Carteret at Red Bank Catholic, Long Branch at South Plainfield, Colonia at Ocean, Monmouth at Highland Park, or Holmdel at JFK-Iselin. I would be shocked if anyone outside of the coaches and maybe a few players knew the nicknames of any of the teams they were playing this week. Is that a big deal? Probably not in the grand scheme of things but wouldn't be nice when talking about game with a fellow fan to say, "Those (fill in the blank with a team name) have a great defense and tough running game." Let's be honest, most schools have a hard time getting big crowds out to watch games anyway and to me these games do not help at all.

Third and finally, I am not sure how to make the system better and the people that in charge of the process will never make everyone happy and certainly know more about it than I do. That being said, I would much rather go back to the days when teams scheduled who they wanted as non-conference games as you are talking about three games anyway and they usually work as a home and home series. So at worst you stuck playing a team twice before you can find another matchup that might work better. It really didn't work when the computer did it for the past several years as we got major mismatches each and every year but at least they were Shore Conference mismatches and not teams with no connection at all.

Not sure how many of you heard the discussion we have been having on the Thursday night show about the new football divisions for next year and while I think this a step in the right direction, I see some big flaws in this plan too. Why was there 7th division created with the same number of teams playing football (43)? I like the idea of going back to a more local division schedule but why label one division a "C" division when there are three "A" and three "B" divisions? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me especially when you look at the teams in it. I like the divisions having the names that they do now and finally when everyone has gotten used to them it goes back the other way. I am sure in two more years there will be another plan but I would love coming up with something that could stick around for awhile.

Have a great football weekend!!!



Broadcast info this week/weekend .. 10/8 .. High School Football Show .. Live @ Boston's in Toms River .. 6pm to 8pm .. 1160 WOBM AM & FOX Sports 1310 .. 10/9 .. TRN @ Brick Memorial .. 7pm kickoff .. 1160 WOBM AM & FOX Sports 1310 & 105.7 FM The Hawk .. 10/10 .. Monmouth vs Wagner .. 1pm kickoff .. 1160 WOBM AM & FOX Sports 1310 .. listen to all three broadcasts on the web at shoresportsnetwork.com

Nothing wrong with dreaming ...

So after four weeks of the 2009 season, the Hawks are 2-2 which considering the fact they lost their first two games of the year is pretty good. One could easily make the case, that if a few plays go MU's way against Colgate and/or Coastal Carolina, the Hawks could be 3-1 and maybe even 4-0. Of course they didn't, so Monmouth has to focus on the fact they are riding a two-game winning streak going into the bye before things resume on October 10th against Wagner at home.



Three of the first four games have been on the road which to me is always fun, especially the non-conference games. It really provides an interesting take on how other schools do it around the country. All three games that have been played away from West Long Branch have been these non-conference games. I have Monmouth blue in my blood as a former player for the team, a former student broadcaster, two-time professional broadcaster for the team, graduate of the university two times over ('96 & '04), and current faculty member in the communication department. With that all out of the way, I am probably gonna write something now that most of you know if you have ever been to a game at Kessler Field, we (and I say we with a great deal of pride) need to update our football facility.



Each of the three places the team has played at this season have provided a little bit of insight into what Monmouth could be and I hope at some point will be. I thought Colgate was nice. It had a decent size stadium, nice scoreboard, and a smaller but tight-knit college atmosphere. Coastal Carolina was even better with a larger stadium, a press box to die for (loved the pulled pork before the game), pretty decent fan support, and an attitude of looking to the future.



Coach Callahan saved the best game for last this season in terms of the non-conference schedule playing at ODU. A brand new program with a 20 thousand person stadium that was a perfect blend of concrete from the 1930's and a suite section that would rival anything any other FCS and a lot of FBS schools would have. I was so impressed with the way the school and the surrounding community have embraced having college football in the Tidewater area. The university has made it very fan friendly with tailgating areas in every parking area, inside concessions that had anything you could want, and did I mention the suite level?



The key question of course for Hawk fans is what can be done to make Kessler a better place to watch a football game and Monmouth more of a draw for alums and surrounding area football fans. So I went ahead and complied a little list;

1 - Reconfigure the stands .. At this point of the program's history (17 years), there has to be stands on more than only one side of the field. I don't think either end zone needs to have stands but there has to stands on the other sideline. If this got done, it would make sense to move the home sideline to where the new stands are and you can leave the old bleachers for the visitors/students. Coastal Carolina had their student section right behind the Hawks bench and I can't imagine that would be a whole lot of fun.

2 - Add some suites .. This one might be tough and it doesn't have to anything crazy but even a few boxes to watch the game in would add so much atmosphere. I loved how ODU had theirs set-up in the end zone area and I think there would be enough room to build something in front where the MAC is and it would also create a tunnel effect for MU players to run out from if their locker room stayed where it us currently set. If that plan wouldn't work maybe put some in the new stands.

3 - New scoreboard .. Doesn't have to be anything overbearing or gaudy but something with a video board for replays/advertisements/etc would be great. Easy to read numbers that stand out a little more than what is there now.

4 - New press box .. Sorry but I couldn't help putting something in there for members of the media that would look nice in the new stands and give everyone a little more room and privacy up there.

5 - More student involvement .. This has been a problem for MU in all sports but it shouldn't be with the enrollment as big as it is and a large enough alumni base. Not sure exactly how it would work but reward students somehow for attending athletic events on the campus (not just for football but all sports).

6 - Lights for Saturday night football .. This one is easy to jazz up excitement at MU for both the school and the football program. The Shore Conference plays great football in Monmouth & Ocean counties and you would have to think that if given an option to watch football at a higher level both players and football fans would jump at the chance. Saturday nights would be great at 6pm as there are very few high school games that take place at this time. West Long Branch might cause some problems here but it would be worth a shot.

This is certainly no knock on anything or anyone involved with the school and the athletic department as I think our facilities are very good and athletes are taken good care of on campus but I think most, if not all, of these things are very doable and important for the continued growth of the program. None of it will be cheap to build (nothing is in today's world) but can you picture this state of the art football stadium to match the MAC. It would be some sight and something you would think student-athletes would jump at the chance to play in West Long Branch.

Makes me think of Field of Dreams; if you build it, they will come.

From Toms River to Norfolk ...

It has been a little different for me this season as the play by play voice for the Shore Sports Network adding Monmouth University football into the mix along with our award winning high school broadcasts. This weekend is a perfect example as we broadcast the Toms River South vs. Toms River East game on Friday. The biggest change is rather than the normal Saturday afternoon game somewhere around the Shore Conference I will jumping a plane in the morning and flying down to Virginia where the Hawks will try and even their record at 2-2.



The way I see it right now is I have the best of both worlds, doing the high school games on Friday and keep up with the area teams and the spot I have occupied now for over ten years and Monmouth on Saturdays where everything moves a little faster on the field. That being said, I can't wait for both matchups this weekend.


First up, the all Toms River matchup that features the Indians and the Raiders. I have always loved these games that involve real rivals and if you toss in Toms River North you have a great and natural trio. TRE is off to a great start with one of the shore's best in Nico Sterti running the ball and always a hard hitting defense. TRS has one thing going for it heading into this game, the hope of a let down by TRE. The Raiders have started off with two wins including a tough 14-7 conquest of Lacey last week while the Indians got beat up by TRN in week one and blew a big lead against the Midd North last weekend. The status of Robert Whitfield (TRS RB) is still up in the air with a shoulder injury but it sounds he will give it a shot. That is good news for South as he is the one big time player the team has.


Saturday night, the Hawks wrap up their non-conference schedule playing at Old Dominion. The Monarchs have gotten off to a great start winning their first three, not bad when you consider this the first time that ODU has had football since 1940. I would guess this is a similiar situation to when Monmouth traveled down to Coastal Carolina two weeks ago. CCU is a fairly new program with a great staduim, tons of support, and aspirations of becoming a big-time football program either that the FCS or eventually the FBS level. ODU looks to have much of the same with a stadium that seats almost 20 thousand fans and an area of Virginia that was really missing a college football program (a rarity in the South).


Good things for Monmouth going into this one, a week three victory over Duquesne for a Hawk team that had battled hard in losses to Colgate & Coastal. Nothing cures a team's ills more than winning, at home and in the conference no less. The defense is still giving up too many yards and needs some more consistent play but made huge plays when they needed to last week against the Dukes. Offensively, MU still needs to find some balance between David Sinisi carrying too much of the load and having each of their QB's look for some more down the field throws that will open up the ground game.


Broadcast Information .. Friday Night .. TRS @ TRE .. 6:50 pregame on 1160 WOBM & Fox Sports 1310 .. Kick off is at 7pm and 105.7 the Hawk will join the broadcast .. Saturday night .. MU @ ODU .. 5:45 pregame .. 6pm kickoff .. 1160 WOBM & Fox Sports 1310 .. Both broadcasts are streamed on the web at shoresportsnetwork.com ..

Home Sweet Home

The Hawks return home this weekend for an early 12 noon kickoff against Duquesne. I am not a big fan of cliches especially with this only being week 3 of the football season but this is a must win game for MU for many reasons. First, being that between the first two weeks, a valid argument could be made the Hawks could be 1-1 if not an outside shot of being 2-0. Second, it is the home opener & the conference opener in the NEC so a win knocks out two big areas with one shot.



I liked what I saw out of Monmouth this past Saturday down at Coastal Carolina. The intensity was much higher than at Colgate as was the level of play. I don't think it is wrong to say, but if MU plays the way they did against Coastal when playing Colgate the second half becomes a Hawk rout and a win. The trick for this week against the Dukes is do it again, get better than you were a week ago (with a better result) and start the conference schedule off with a win. Winning does wonders, especially when you are a good football team, and a win for MU this Saturday sets them up very well going into their last non-conference game on September 26th down at ODU.


Penalities and just bad mistakes at the wrong time have plaqued MU in the first two weeks but one would have to think going into the conference opener this Saturday that the Hawks will come out flying. I am not much for preditions but I do see a Monmouth win with the offense starting to find its rhytmn a little more than in weeks one and two.


Broadcast info .. Fox Sports 1310 AM & 1160 WOBM AM .. shoresportsnetwork.com .. 11:45 am pre game show .. 12 noon kickoff

Quite a busy weekend coming up ...

So one week in the books for Monmouth University Football after a disappointing loss to the Raiders of Colgate last Saturday night in a game that featured a little bit of everything both on the field and in the broadcast booth. Some early technical issues led to some old-time broadcasting over a handheld phone (who know they even existed anymore) for the first half. Everything was resolved by halftime except the power went out everywhere but in the press box. This was one story I am already looking forward to telling my sports broadcasting class.

In terms of the game, in case you haven't read or heard enough, Monmouth was 4 plays away from winning their season opener. Every game has those swing play in which every evenly played game has but the problem for the Hawks on this night was they didn't come out on the winning end of any of those plays. Still though, there were enough positives to come out of the game for the coaches and players to feel like this could be a very good season.

Tough assignment in week #2 as MU travels down to the Myrtle Beach area to take on Coastal Carolina. This is a rematch of a game that last season Monmouth had some problems matching up with Chanticleers. In my eyes, this will be the most talented team that the Hawks see all season long.

Broadcast time is 6:45pm for the pre-game show & 7pm for the kickoff ..


Changing gears a little bit, I am looking forward to be on the air tomorrow with Kevin Williams & Ed Sarluca for the edition of our weekly high school football show on the Shore Sports Network. We start at 6pm down at Boston's in Toms River which should be a lot of fun all season long.

Brick and Colts Neck is our game on Friday night and will be broadcast on 105.7 The Hawk .. 7pm kickoff ..