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.”

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.”