Red Bombers to honour Proudfoot

Published Friday September 30th, 2011 By CHRISTOPHER CAMERON For The Daily Gleaner

As the UNB Red Bombers prepare to host the UNBSJ Seawolves in week three of their Atlantic Football League season, they’re also planning a ceremony to honour Tony Proudfoot.

With kickoff at 1 p.m. on Saturday, the Red Bombers will retire Proudfoot’s No. 24 jersey, the number he wore at UNB, which will hang under the scoreboard at BMO Centre.

“Tony’s brother and his daughter will be here to receive his jersey,” said Red Bombers head coach Mike Dollimore. “We will also be raising a banner under the scoreboard. The university has also promised they will find a place in the Aitken Centre to hang the banner in the off-season, when the field isn’t in use.”

Proudfoot played for the Bombers from 1967 to 1971 as a linebacker before being drafted by the Montreal Alouettes. Dollimore, a former Red Bomber, played with Proudfoot and has been working with the UNB Associated Alumni to name a scholarship in honour of Proudfoot.

“I played with Tony my first year, which was his last year,” said Dollimore. “Tony was an inspiration to all the players on our football team. He was the leader on the field without question. He made his mark in professional football and that doesn’t happen very often from the Atlantic schools.

“We’ve been working with the university to have a scholarship put in his name to someone in the kinesiology department. There’s going to be a presentation of that at halftime.”

The Bombers will also be raising money for ALS research, as Proudfoot lost his battle with ALS in December.

“We’re planning on taking a dollar from every paying customer as a contribution to ALS and to support their society in trying to ultimately find a cure for that horrible disease.”

Although honouring Proudfoot is important to this weekend, Dollimore doesn’t want it to take away from the task at hand. The Seawolves will be looking for payback after losing 33-7 to the Red Bombers last week.

“I think the boys are always going to be up for this football game because there are four or five guys on our team from Saint John,” Dollimore said.

“Some of them even played for UNBSJ last year. There may be some guys that get caught up in the moment, but I don’t think it will be a major problem, motivating those guys.”

After their week one loss to Holland College due to their special teams lacking, the Bombers continued to struggle in week two, but their offensive and defensive teams stepped up.

“We still struggled on special teams,” said Dollimore. “(UNBSJ) did the same thing to us that Holland College did. On the very first play of the game they ran back a 90-yarder on us. Once we got the ball we took control.”

Dollimore said the main focus between games was not reworking offence and defence, but rather the technical aspects.

“Our systems are pretty much in place right now, so what we worked on in our second week was mostly technical stuff,” said Dollimore. “I think if we’re able to do that in practices, continuing to work on technical expertise instead of systems, then a simple, basic system can pay dividends if you can execute it.”

With the afternoon game time, the Bombers hope to have more fans in attendance to add to the atmosphere.

“In our view, this is when we want all of our games. It’s a prime time for the university students to be coming out on campus after lunch on a Saturday afternoon,” said Dollimore. “That was a tradition we always had for 30 years before at UNB and that was the whole idea this weekend.”

Washburn: the Bombers then and now

Christopher Cameron – Sports Editor of The Brunswickan - September 29, 2010

It was the fall of 1978 when Oromocto native, Mike Washburn took to the football field for tryouts for the UNB Red Bombers.

Already in his third year of university, Washburn had no prior football experience, but knowing a few players and the coach he figured he would tryout. Although not much was expected from him, he was a natural and an instant success on the field. He credits his athletic abilities to his dad.

“I was pretty lucky my dad was a gym teacher,” said Washburn. “I also played a lot of hockey, soccer, tennis and volleyball. When you do that you start to become fairly coordinated. Playing hockey allowed me to be used to the contact and I played softball so my hand-eye coordination was pretty good. I took some of those skill sets and incorporated them on the football field.”

Washburn continued to play for the Bombers into his fourth and fifth years of university, when he was drafted into the CFL by the BC Lions. He played four years in the league, playing a year with the Lions and three with the Montreal Alouettes, then the Montreal Concordes.

After suffering a neck injury, he returned home in 1986, ready to start another life. When he returned, UNB was “Bomber-less” as the program was cut after his last season. A few years before he finished with the Red Bombers, there were talks of dropping the program, and that was what had happened. Although in recent years when the wrestling team and others were cut there were uproars, Washburn says back then there was no students arguing football leaving campus.

“When they cut the program it was when exams were finishing in April or May, so there was not a lot of student body around the university,” he said. “There was no groundswell against it. If it had of been done over the Christmas holidays then it would not have happened possibly. There was always a good feeling with the football program on campus.”

Although the club was sitting around a .500 record, it was generally known amongst the players, coaches and community that the program had to improve or it needed to be stopped.

That being said, Bombers football is back on campus. It is no longer a varsity sport, but with the newly formed Atlantic Football League there is now a team to rally behind. Washburn believes this is great for UNB, the students and the Fredericton community.

“I think it is really good, right down to the grassroots level,” said Washburn. “I think that if people really drilled down and looked at what football will do from a commerce perspective there are kids at UNB right now that would not be there without this club football team. It is a step in the right direction. It is positive for the whole brand of athletics and academia at the university.”

This weekend the Bombers will take on the UNBSJ Seawolves in the campus matchup. This will be the first all UNB homecoming football game in the history of the school. Aside from this being on homecoming weekend, this is also the first time these teams have met since last year’s league final. Washburn sees this as being a momentous game for the league and UNB homecoming history.

“It is going to fun,” he said. “I imagine the crowd will be a good size and the neat thing about the football crowd is unless it’s pouring rain, you’re still going to have a big crowd. People just like to go and take part and get into it. Both teams will want to win that game with all the stories surrounding it being on homecoming and the rematch of last years final. It should be a good game all around.”

University football lures 2,300 fans to first game

Published on September 28th by Jon MacNeill of the Telegraph Journal

FREDERICTON – For years, Pat Gillin longed for the return of the Red Bombers football team to the University of New Brunswick Fredericton campus.

The UNB alumnus started his schooling in 1948, the inaugural season of the Bombers, and though he never played for the team he quickly realized how valuable the program was to the university community.

Pat died this July at the age of 84, and while he didn’t live to bear witness to his dream of the Red Bombers’ return, his passing played no small part in its realization.

Pat had arranged to leave a donation to the university upon his passing that would go towards funding a football program, should one ever start up again.

“He wanted everyone to get involved, so he structured the donation in such a way that other people could donate as well, to match (his),” Pat’s 37-year-old son Jeff said during halftime of the Atlantic Football League’s opening game between the Red Bombers and University of New Brunswick Saint John Seawolves Saturday night in Fredericton.

“Of course, he wasn’t here for this night, but he would have been thrilled. Just thrilled,” added Pat’s widow, Lois Walker Gillin.

Lois and Pat were members of the committee responsible for the creation of the AFL, a project four years in the making.

The two are listed as touchdown level (more than $5,000) contributors to the Red Bombers, a donation that helped purchase the squad’s equipment.

Lois, Jeff and his sister, Janet Campbell Gillin came to Fredericton from their homes in Ottawa and were honoured before the start of Saturday night’s game, in which the Seawolves edged the Bombers 16-14.

The family was presented with honorary jerseys, bearing the initials “PG” on each sleeve, and shook hands with the captains, coaches and managers of both teams at centre field.

“He always felt that (football) was very important for the kids coming to UNB because it was a way of getting together in the fall and it created such a good atmosphere,” Lois said.

“It brought the whole school together.”

For the family, knowing their father played a role in making Saturday’s game possible added to the already charged atmosphere at Chapman Field, where an estimated 2,300 people were in attendance.

“It’s extremely special, I know he’s up there smiling,” said Janet. “This would have been such a big thing for him – he said everything good from his life came out of UNB and I’m sure he’s happy with the way things turned out.”

The same can be said for former Red Bomber Stephen Gale, who flew in from his home in Waterloo, Ont., to watch the game with his school-days friend Bob Forbes.

Both men played for the Bombers from 1972-76. They were teammates, roommates at Bridges House, and wore the numbers 12 and 34. “I was one-two and he was three-four,” Gale said with a laugh.

“This is fantastic,” he added as the two teams battled on the gridiron. “I think it’s a great step for the university to build up some morale amongst students. Just look at the people here tonight.”

“Football is huge for the campus, it’s a rallying point,” chipped in Forbes, a family doctor based in Riverview.

“It adds a great deal to the campus spirit and it’s a meeting point for people. (A football program) is a tremendous thing to have, it adds a lot of character to the campus and I think UNB was really missing out by not having a team before,” Forbes said, adding his son might suit up for the Bombers next season.

Friday night and Saturday afternoon the football community in the Capital City was humming with excitement for the opening game. Tailgate parties took place around the city and at the parking lot of Chapman Field in anticipation of the Red Bombers first action in 29 years.

“It’s pretty darn exciting,” Dean Culligan said as his family and Fredericton neighbours the Burns and McGuigans grilled up some burgers and sausages before the kick-off.

“When you look at this – see the turnout, feel the atmosphere – you think maybe there’s a chance to get a varsity program back at UNB,” he said.

In the meantime, Culligan is more than content with the action presented by the AFL.

“I really think this might be a recurring event for us, to come up here and have a family tailgate party and support the team.”

Red Bombers co-coach Mike DeMello said the large turnout and obvious support for the new league was a good sign for the program’s future.

“I just had some people that I coached in football come up to me and say that the university should pay attention because the atmosphere was electric and there was a lot of excitement around the field,” DeMello said moments after the game ended.

“I would hope that this is something the university community would look at and say, ‘this is definitely a viable and exciting product,’ and let it grow over the years.”

Phillips screws up storybook ending

Published September 28th by Chris Fox of the Daily Gleaner

The Fredericton-UNB Red Bombers seemed to have John Phillips’s number all night, unless, of course, you don’t count the final minute.

Phillips, the slotback and kicker for the UNBSJ Seawolves, overcame two blocked punts and a blocked extra-point attempt, to kick a game-winning 29-yard field goal with less than a minute left on the clock at Chapman Field Saturday night.

As a result the Seawolves won the first game in the newly-created Atlantic Football League by a score of 16-14 and Phillips became the unlikely hero.

“We haven’t had the chance to polish things and the things we needed to do tonight to finesse our offense or our defence we just weren’t able to do,” said Red Bombers head coach Mike Dollimore.

“To see the offence make the advances that it did a couple of times was really rewarding, though and I do think we have a lot of potential here.”

About 1,500 fans turned out for what was the first university football game contested at UNB since the original Bombers’ team was disbanded nearly 30 years ago. Many of the ex-Bombers were on hand to take in Saturday’s tilt including new UNB president Eddy Campbell who delivered the ceremonial opening kickoff.

Things got of to a slow start with both teams exchanging three and outs, but minutes into the second quarter, Justin Cavan of the Seawolves returned a Red Bombers punt 40 yards for a touchdown and the atmosphere turned electric.

Not to be outdone, UNB quarterback Brendan Cornford engineered a 50-yard drive shortly thereafter that was capped off with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Hubbard, alone in the corner of the end zone. Hubbard had set up the score by catching a 30-yard pass through double coverage three plays prior.

Hubbard in fact, was a fairly busy man on the night, also seeing action as a running back on several reverses.

“He (Hubbard) is a impact player for sure and we were able to hit him early, but of course they doubled up on him,” said Dollimore. “When you have players like that, they will shift over and double team him and it makes it hard, but Andrew is the kind of guy who can break away from some of that stuff.”

After UNB got the score, the teams battled back and forth for most of the quarter, but neither side could put points on the board. With 20 seconds left before half, the Seawolves broke through when Joe Crawford aired out a 30-yard pass to a shockingly open Ryan Morris, who reeled it in for the touchdown.

With much of their momentum seemingly sucked out of them, the Red Bombers struggled to even get a first down for the third quarter and most of the fourth. Then Cornford got hot. He threw five straight completions – three of them were to Hubbard – and took the Red Bombers 55 yards in about four minutes. Josh MacArthur, who had a relatively quiet night on the ground otherwise, then rumbled in from two yards out to put the Red Bombers up by one point with less than five minutes left.

At the time, it seemed like the winning score, but Seawolves’ quarterback Joe Crawford had other ideas. He threw first down passes to Joel Saele and Justin Cavan to set up Phillips for the game-winning field goal.

After the game MacArthur, who played football at Oromocto High School, said win or lose, getting to be on the field for the Atlantic Football League’s first ever game was a thrill.

“I wished we could have pulled out the W tonight, but it was great to be a part of,” he said. “Guys have been trying to get this up and running for years and it was just great and I loved the crowd.”

UNB’s next action will come on Friday, Oct. 16 when the Moncton Raiders come to town. Kick off is set for 7 p.m. at Chapman Field.

Seawolves win AFL opener

Published on September 28th by Jon MacNeill of the Telegraph Journal

FREDERICTON – Any doubts lingering about the newly formed Atlantic Football League were put to rest Saturday night.

The University of New Brunswick Saint John and its counterpart in Fredericton battled to a thrilling finish in the league’s opening game in the Capital City before an estimated crowed of 2,300 people.

The Seawolves pulled ahead in the final frame on a field goal play to edge the Red Bombers 16-14 in a game with intensity and excitement that bodes well for the three-team loop.

“That’s basically a storybook finish right there,” said an elated Justin Cavan, the Seawolves running back, who had both the squad’s touchdowns.

“It’s an historic event, Fredericton hasn’t had a team in 30 years, it was Saint John’s first game and we couldn’t ask for a better ending.”

Cavan gave the Seawolves a 6-0 lead one-minute and 40 seconds into the second quarter off a stunning 45-yard punt return that appeared as if it wouldn’t get off the ground at all.

“I dropped (the ball) and looked up and (the Red Bomber defender) was beaming towards me. So I left it on the ground, waited for him to get about five yards away, stepped aside and he went right by,” Cavan said.

Wide receiver Andrew Hubbard answered for the Red Bombers in the next series, reeling in a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brendan Cornford after handling a 25-yard pass to put the Bombers in striking distance.

Zac Cann kicked the extra point for a narrow 7-6 lead.

With 16 seconds left in the half the Seawolves’ Tim Jackson returned a punt to the 31-yard line to set up a dramatic ending of the first 30 minutes.

“We can run three plays here, we’ve got the time and time outs,” head coach Dave Grandy told his players on the sidelines.

But they only needed one, as quarterback Jeremy McAulay found Cavan in the end zone and John Phillips kicked the extra point for a 13-7 game.

The Red Bombers narrowed the deficit in the third quarter with a rouge from Cann and took the lead in the final session as short yardage specialist Josh MacArthur plunged through the line to make it 14-13.

The Seawolves had other plans, however, driving hard for 50 yards using runs from Jackson, Eoin MacIntyre and Chris Moore and a couple of receptions from Joel Seale to put the team within field goal range.

“They mounted a nice little drive at the end,” Red Bombers co-head coach Mike Dollimore said.

“We tried to put a lot of pressure on them with some blitzes to stave off the pass … but they gained a couple of crucial first downs and it kept their drive alive.”

Phillips sent the pigskin soaring against the wind and through the uprights with 28 seconds remaining to turn the tide for good.

“When the clock is ticking down you have a decision of going for the punt for a rouge or field goal for the win,” Grandy said.

“Well, you know what? I’m about trying to win the game and John kept his head down and kicked it right though the uprights.”

The Seawolves travel to Moncton next Friday to take on the Moncton Raiders at 8 p.m. at Rocky Stone Field.

Seawolves primed for historic contact

September 26, 2009 by John MacNeill of the Telegraph Journal

The wait is over.

After four years of planning and weeks of preparation, the University of New Brunswick Saint John Seawolves are ready to serve some no-holds-barred, smash-mouth football in the opening game of the Atlantic Football League’s inaugural season.

The Seawolves club team is in Fredericton today to make history with the University of New Brunswick Red Bombers at 7 p.m. at Chapman Field. The Red Bombers haven’t grazed the gridiron in 30 years, and while the Seawolves have never housed a football team, they’re just as pumped to make their debut.

“The guys are pretty fired up. We’ve had to hold them back in practice because we can’t run full tilt on our own players, so some of the guys are waiting to unleash (against the Red Bombers),” head coach Dave Grandy said.

“It’s exciting for them; they want to show us what they’re fully capable of. And as coaches, we’re excited to see it.”

Grandy and his coaching staff haven’t revealed who will be starting for the Seawolves today in an effort to keep the players competing hard for spots during their 16 pre-season practices.

That includes quarterbacks Jeremy McAulay and Eoin McIntyre, whom Grandy said will both see reps in Fredericton.

“They both bring different assets to the team and right now we’re looking to use both of them in there,” he said.

The 5-foot-10, 213-pound McAulay has played under Grandy before and “has a good understanding of what we expect from him out there.”

McIntyre, at about 6 feet and 175 pounds, can scramble a bit better than his teammate and has a skill-set that makes him a more mobile quarterback, Grandy said. As for the opposition, Grandy’s deep roots in the provincial football scene gives him an edge as he’s already seen a good chunk of the Red Bombers’ roster in action.

Grandy expects Andrew Hubbard, who he considers one of the Maritime Football League’s most talented receivers, will be a big piece of Fredericton’s puzzle.

“(Hubbard) is one of the guys we’re looking to shut down. He’s talented, so it’s hard to shut someone like that down, but at least you know that’s one of their go-to guys so you can plan around that,” he said.

Another force will be veteran quarterback Brendan Cornford, who, along with Hubbard, played for the Capital Area Gladiators in the MFL.

“He’s a big game quarterback with good throwing ability. I’m sure they’re going to look to stretch the field on us and good deep to Hubbard.”

“We know a bit of their base offense, in terms of personnel, but we don’t know formations and we don’t know plays. So we’ll be looking to play some good, fundamental football,” Grandy said.

“It’s a special time right now being the first teams in the new group, so it’s exciting to showcase this new league.”

The start of the three-team loop isn’t the only thing the Seawolves have to look forward to, however.

Next month, the squad of 45 players will venture to McGill University in Montreal, Que., to play an exhibition game with the junior varsity side of the Redmen.

The Seawolves will play in the Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, home to the Redmen and Montreal Alouettes, on Oct. 10. “It’s a rather historic place,” Seawolves president and general manager Barry Ogden said.

“This will give (the Seawolves) a vision; when they walk into that stadium overlooking the whole city of Montreal, I think they’ll just be blown away.”

Ogden engineered the exhibition game, which he hopes will become an annual event, in conjunction with McGill’s head of football alumni, Sonny Wolfe.

He’d hoped to organize a similar trip to Maine to play against the Husson College Eagles, but the plans fell through this year. Ogden said he’s already got the gears churning for a possible match up next season.

“This is the first time a team from Saint John has ever gone (to McGill) to play football at this level. The players are really, really excited,” he said, adding the players and team raised all the funds needed for the trip.

Although the squad will only face the junior varsity side of the Redmen, Ogden admitted it will be a challenging match. But for the football enthusiast and community activist, he’s more interested in the experience the players will get out of it.

“I’ve told them what they have to do is carry themselves with pride and do their best,” Ogden said.

“I just want them to have good character and never give up.”

UNB finally ready for kickoff

September 10, 2009 by Stephanie Fauquier for the Aquinian

T

he University of New Brunswick will have two football teams competing in the inaugural season of the Atlantic Football League (AFL).

Both Fredericton and Saint John campuses will have a team competing in the league. The Fredericton Red Bombers and the Saint John Seawolves will join the Moncton Raiders in the AFL, which has been a league in the making over the past four years.

“Our club teams contribute to the health and happiness of our students and allow everyone to get involved in friendly competition, which increases school spirit,” said Natasaha Kelley, the campus recreation coordinator at UNBSJ in a press release.

Mike Dillmore a former UNB football player will be coaching the Fredericton Red Bombers and Dave Grady will be responsible for coaching the Saint John Seawolves.

Neither of the teams will be competing at varsity status, instead they’ll be competing at the campus recreational level.

UNB students make up about 65 per cent of the club roster – St. Thomas students and other community members will round out the ream.

The first game between the Red bombers and the Seawolves will happen at Chapman Field in Fredericton on September 26.

A new set of downs for the Red Bombers

09 Sep 2009 by Valerie Woodman

After a 29 year hiatus, UNB’s beloved football team is alive again.

Eastern Canada is ready for some football, and this is the time for UNB students to step up and show their support for the Red Bombers by attending games.

After three decades, the UNB Red Bombers are coming back into action. People have long awaited the return of the Red Bombers to university football fields. However, this time around the Red Bombers are not a university funded athletic team; they are a team funded by students and the Atlantic Football League.

Since this is not a varsity level league, the students and citizens of Fredericton will have to show how much they want a team in the Atlantic University Athletic Association by supporting the Red Bombers.

From 1948 until 1980, the UNB Red Bombers were a part of the A.U.A.A. They even won back-to-back championships in 1969 and 1970. The UNB community as well as the citizens of Fredericton loved the football hype.

So what ever happened to the Red Bombers? Ten years later, in 1980, the university stated that the team would end for lack of funding. This was announced in the summer, when most of the students had gone home and could not protest. When September came, people were livid. There was even a petition where students signed to add a yearly fee for the football team, but the university declined.

Other universities had been able to save their football teams using Alumni or student funding, but UNB did not see such success.

Students in 1988 and 1996 tried to start the team up yet again, but UNB’s administration at the time said they would be unable to revive the long dead Bombers.

The Red Bombers will be competing in the Atlantic Football League, and will compete against teams such as the UNB Saint John Seawolves and the Moncton Raiders.  The university has also said that it is interested in playing the University of Maine Orono, which would make for fewer bye weeks and keep UNB sharp for games in the AFL.

There has also been talk of some more team additions to the AFL, such as UPEI and Dalhousie as early as 2010.

Playing at the Varsity level or not, James Cress, the co-ordinator of the UNB Fredericton sport clubs program, still has high hopes for the club.

“Although the football team will not compete at the varsity level, UNB’s campus recreation department is pleased to offer students an opportunity to play football while attending UNB,” Cress stated in a recent interview.

Sports teams at UNB are a big part of university life. UNB has more than enough spirit to include the Bombers.

With the encouragement of students and the Fredericton community, the Red Bombers could grow to match their glory days in the late 60s and early 70s. If we give our team as much spirit and support as our alumni did in the past, this year can be a great success.

A passion for football is all you need to try out. UNB students will make up approximately 65 per cent of the roster, while the other 35 per cent will be given to St. Thomas University students and the greater Fredericton community.

Tryouts will take place from Sept. 7 until Sept. 12, and hopefuls must be between the ages of 18 and 24.

UNB alumnus Mike Dollimore, who played for the Red Bombers in the 1970s, will be coaching the team this year. Home games will take place at Chapman Field.

The Red Bombers have already released their tentative schedule, with the first game of the season to be held at 7PM on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Chapman Field against the UNB Saint John Seawolves.

The other home game will be against the Moncton Raiders on Saturday, Oct. 17, also at Chapman Field. Playoffs will start Nov. 14.