Team effort crucial before playoff game began

5:22 p.m., Dec. 8, 2003-- The University of Delaware’s NCAA Division I-AA playoff victory over Northern Iowa University hard on the heels of a blinding snowstorm Saturday was a team effort all-around.

Not only did the Fightin’ Blue Hens football team get outstanding performances from its offense, defense and special teams, but the University community as a whole earned plaudits for its work in making sure the game could be played at all.

Sports management students helped clean up the bleachers, remove the tarp and shovel out the end zones and sidelines.

Just hours before the scheduled noon start, Newark was still being pounded by the remnants of a two-day storm, with wind-driven snow falling sideways as morning broke.

The surface of Tubby Raymond Field at Delaware Stadium was protected by a tarpaulin, but the long blue sheet was buried under several inches of the white stuff.

For the game to be played, the tarp had to be cleared and pulled up.

Joining UD Grounds Services Manager Sam Jones and the athletics ground crew in making sure that happened were a host of volunteers, including sports management students, members of the UD Marching Band, freshman football players, Athletics Department personnel and Blue Hen fans.

It was an effort that warmed the heart of UD Athletics Director Edgar Johnson, who also joined in the work.

"On behalf of the Athletics program and the football team, I would like to thank everyone who helped clear the stadium and football field this past Friday and Saturday,” Johnson said Monday. “Through the collective efforts of so many individuals and groups, we were able to pull off the massive task of clearing the playing field and the bleacher walkways and stairs. This was truly a team effort, which was done in typical Delaware style with everyone pitching in.

“I would especially like to thank Sam Jones and the athletics grounds crew for going above and beyond their normal efforts in order to get the football game versus Northern Iowa played,” Johnson said. “They were dedicated to getting the game played as close to the original kick-off time as possible.”

The game got started just one-half hour late, at 12:30 p.m.

Johnson also expressed thanks to the following groups:

The sports management students of Matt Robinson, assistant professor of health and exercise sciences, who participated in the bleacher cleanup and tarp removal and who helped shovel out the end zones and sidelines.

The freshman football players who participated in the tarp removal and who shoveled walkways and sidelines.

The Athletics staff members who pitched in wherever needed.

The UD Marching Band volunteers who participated in the tarp removal and who shoveled end zones and sidelines.

The Delaware Stadium ushers who participated in shoveling end zones and sidelines.

The carpenters and structural shop personnel who participated in bleacher clean-up and tarp removal and who shoveled end zones and sidelines.

The dedicated and loyal Blue Hen fans who pitched in to shovel the stairs, end zones and sidelines. “Many volunteers showed up very early on Saturday morning to pitch in where needed,” Johnson said.

The hard working personnel from the temporary agency who participated in bleacher clean-up and who shoveled end zones and sidelines.

The staff of the Bob Carpenter Center Sports/Convocation Center who pitched in to help wherever they were needed.

“This was truly a team effort, and that is not unusual for the University of Delaware,” Johnson said, adding, “One patron stopped me on Saturday to say that there is only one place in NCAA Division I-AA football that could have 10 inches of snow fall on game day, have the stadium ready for play at near normal kick-off time and then have 11,000 patrons show up to watch.

“That is the University of Delaware. Thanks so much to everyone for your help and for allowing us all to proudly say: ‘We are Delaware!’”

Jim Miller, athletic director at the University of Richmond and the NCAA football playoff representative at the game, was complimentary of UD and its fans during a halftime interview.

After discussing how students and volunteers stepped forward to help pull the tarp off the field, Miller said, “The most amazing thing is the crowd. This is a great crowd for the weather conditions.”

Asked about Tubby Raymond Field and the ability of UD crews and volunteers to have it ready for game action, Miller said, “They’re serious about football at the University of Delaware. They have a first-class operation.”

“They really wanted the game to be played today,” Miller added, noting that UD has great fan support. “Fans were pouring in at 9 a.m. despite the snow to tailgate.”

Article by Neil Thomas
Photo courtesy of Matt Robinson
Photo album by Eric Crossan

E-mail this article

To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here.