Offensive guard Marc Sclafani '04, a first-team Associated Press All-American, and kicker Lane Schwartzberg '05 (45) raise their arms in celebration of Colgate's 14-3 victory over Fordham in November, which clinched the Patriot League title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. |
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The horn sounds, the NCAA Division I-AA championship game is over, the most
successful Raider football season in history is complete, Colgate's faithful
fill the crisp evening air with the dramatic harmonies of the alma mater. The
victory celebration begins . . . unfortunately, it's on the Delaware
sideline. But, despite the 40-0 loss to the Blue Hens on a bitterly cold night in Chattanooga, the 2003 Raider football team has no reason to hang their heads after achieving a perfect regular season, three playoff victories leading to an appearance in the Division I-AA championship game, a final record of 15-1 (the most single-season wins ever by a Colgate team), and a second-place finish in the final Division I-AA poll. The longest season in Colgate history ended on a mid-December weekend after countless hours of travel, and a media frenzy that gained intensity as the kickoff against Delaware approached, which then peaked when most students were concentrating on finals. "That was a just bit stressful, getting ready for the game and having to talk with professors about when I could take my exams," said Ronnie Millen '06, who took his Religion in America exam in a banquet room at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, "but everything went really smooth for me." "It was a wonderful season, we set a lot of records, [and] we were sad [after the loss]," Millen continued, "but now I'm thinking about next season and all the players who will be returning." |
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