Reviving the gridiron tradition

Contributed by Sarah Ratchford.

Last year, after a long hiatus, the University of New Brunswick was finally ready for some football—and this year, the only goal is to get better.

Last fall marked the inaugural season of the Atlantic Football League, and both UNB Fredericton and UNB Saint John started a team—the Red Bombers and the Seawolves respectively. Between the two teams there are over 100 athletes.

The second season of the AFL, which now has five teams, will see both the Seawolves and the Bombers strive to build up their rosters and their skills.

“We wanna win the whole championship,” Lee Maloney, one of the Seawolves captains, says excitedly. “We’re recruiting players all the time and getting better. We just wanna win the whole thing. That’s our goal.”

“We’ve been recruiting, we’ve been going around and doing the local high schools, making everyone aware,” agrees Fraser Boldon, a fourth year business student who will act as president of the Bombers team. Boldon sounds just as confident in his team’s skills as Maloney, which should make for a super-charged rivalry between the campuses.

Avoiding the homesick blues

Maloney, who has played football since he was a child and has played at other universities, is excited to play in his hometown.

“It was kinda like a no brainer,” he says when asked why he chose to stay in Saint John. Maloney, who plays half back, has known head coach Dave Grandy since “back in the day,” and he says the football community in Saint John is something he wanted to stay a part of.

Ogden agrees that football games add a lot of spice to UNB Saint John’s largely commuter campus, weaving some excitement and atmosphere in for the school year.

“This has been a boom for attracting local students. We have a base of local players. Homecoming proved that people will come out and watch local players. We had 2,300 people out at the game; it’s a great way to kick off the school year.”

Boldon, too, was happy for the opportunity to stay in his hometown—with the help of Wisniewski, that is, who had been his coach since high school.

“I’d been sort of flirting with the idea of going away to play football when I graduated and he sort of roped me into the whole UNB football thing,” he jokes.

A true community builder

Both the Seawolves and Bombers are organized as club teams, which means that spots on the team aren’t restricted to just UNB students—students from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick Community College, and members of the community at large can feel free to try out as long as they’re between the ages of 18-24.

However, sports are something that not only players can enjoy, but the community as well. Larry Wisniewski, who helped get the Bombers up and running, played a part in establishing the league and is acting general manager, says sports are an integral part to drawing a university town like Fredericton together.

“A campus has to have a focal point, a place that brings it together. Athletic fields, sporting events etc., that’s what constitutes the hearth. That’s where you find the fire burning.”

Barry Ogden, who’s been coaching Fundy Minor Football in Saint John for 36 years, agrees, saying the football field is an ideal place to bring people together and unite for one cause: school spirit.

“I think one of the reasons why football is so important is it’s a social event, it’s an experience.”

The other great thing about football, Ogden says, is that it’s inclusive. It appeals to more than one type of athlete since there are so many different positions requiring different skills.

Ready for kickoff

Both the Seawolves and the Bombers have been training for the season since the end of August.

The Seawolves opened their schedule Oct. 2 in Fredericton with a win over the Bombers. They will host the Holland College Hurricanes on Monday, Oct. 11, which marks the Seawolves home opener at the newly renovated UNB Saint John Canada Games Stadium.

The next home game for the Red Bombers is also against the Hurricanes on Saturday, October 30th on the Chapman field.

Bombers give Seawolves the boot in AFL final

By JON MACNEILL
Canadaeast News Service

SAINT JOHN – After 30 years, the University of New Brunswick Fredericton Red Bombers still know what it takes to win a championship.

Struggling against slick field conditions and outstanding defensive efforts on either side of the ball, the Red Bombers captured the first-ever Atlantic Football League championship Saturday and the Moosehead Cup with a 3-1 win over the UNB Saint John Seawolves at Millidgeville Field.

“It’s a big piece of history that we get to be a part of,” the Bombers Andrew Hubbard said.

“We had a former Red Bomber with us today and to have the traditions blending together feels great.”

The star wide receiver tallied more than 130 yards from returns and carries but it was the Bombers’ defence who put points up on the board.

As in the two regular-season encounters between the teams, the game was decided in the final frame but this time Fredericton prevailed to hand Saint John its first loss of the inaugural campaign.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Seawolves’ Tim Jackson attempted to return a punt from his end zone but fumbled it back across the line to give the Bombers a two-point safety.

With less than two minutes left in the game, Jackson was caught in the house by a swarm of Bomber defenders trying to return another punt and the Bombers took a 3-0 lead from the rouge.

Both scoring opportunities came courtesy of Alden Pezerovic’s reliable boot.

“Pezerovic kicked a phenomenal game for us,” Bombers head coach Mike Dollimore said. “Every punt he had helped us out and took the field position away from Saint John. He strategically placed it where we wanted him to and it was a direct result of his kicking game that we got the points we did.”

Points were otherwise hard to come by in a game dominated by solid defensive performances. The first three quarters were relatively uneventful, with each team struggling to sustain their offensive drives and failing to get within striking distance.

“It was tough to get the ball going today,” Seawolves head coach Dave Grandy said.

“It’s harder to click on offence and the conditions were slick out there,” added quarterback Jeremy McAulay. “But, no excuses, we just came out kind of flat and couldn’t get any momentum going and they shut us down.”

The Seawolves notched a rouge with 34 seconds left on the clock after McAulay marched the squad within range using a screen pass to Joel Seale who gained 30 yards.

John Phillips’ field goal attempt narrowly missed the uprights on the right side to make it 3-1 for the Bombers. Phillips had kicked the game-winning field goal in a 16-14 victory in September at Chapman Field.

“We played bend don’t break defence at times, especially near the end of the game,” Dollimore said. “We were trying to protect against some of their deep passes and we gave up some stuff across the middle, but we were protecting from the goal-line up.”

The single point came after McAulay fired passes to Seale and Justin Cavan who were both unable to corral the pigskin from their perch in the end zone.

“We had our opportunities near the end of the game to get what we needed and that just didn’t happen,” Grandy said. “It was there for us and we didn’t capitalize.”

Immediately before the Bombers notched their safety, Saint John’s Chris Reid recovered a fumbled punt return and ran it back for a touchdown. But the major was called back because the Seawolves had too many players on the field, drawing a chorus of disapproval from the estimated 800 fans in attendance on the overcast fall afternoon.

Dollimore said winning the championship was even more rewarding in the company of some former Red Bombers. He played and coached for the squad from 1970 to its final Atlantic Universities Athletics Association season in 1980.

“Our guys played really inspired football,” Dollimore said.

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.

UNB Teams to Compete In Inaugural Season of Atlantic Football League

August 17, 2009
UNB News Release: 09-113

Two club football teams from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) will take the field in the first season of the Atlantic Football League (AFL).

The UNB Fredericton Red Bombers club football team and the UNB Saint John Seawolves club football team join the Moncton Raiders in the AFL, a league four years in the making.

UNB’s team tryouts will take place toward the end of August and first part of September. UNB students in Fredericton and Saint John; St. Thomas University students; and members of the Fredericton and Saint John communities between the ages of 18 (before the end of 2009) and 24 are welcome to try out.

“Although the football teams will not compete at the varsity level, UNB’s campus recreation departments are pleased to offer students an opportunity to play football while attending UNB,” says James Cress, coordinator of the UNB Fredericton sport clubs program.

Club teams are mainly student-run organizations with support from campus recreation departments. UNB students make up at least 65 per cent of the club roster, allowing for some broader community participation as well.

“The sport club program at UNB is an important part of student life on campus,” said Natasha Kelly, campus recreation and special events coordinator for UNB Saint John. “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.”

UNB alumnus Mike Dollimore will coach the UNB Fredericton Red Bombers club football team. The team will play home games at UNB Fredericton’s Chapman Field. Tryouts will take place the first week of classes, Sept. 7 to 12.

“I’m really looking forward to the buzz this will bring to campus,” says Dollimore, who played varsity football for UNB in the 1970s. “We had great community support when I was a student athlete and I hope current students will be able to share in that excitement.”

Dave Grandy, head coach of the Saint John High School football team and the Saint John Wanderers senior football team, will also coach the UNB Saint John Seawolves club football team. The team will play home games at the Millidgeville #1 field in Saint John. Training camp is scheduled to begin August 30.

The league’s first game is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26 at UNB Fredericton’s Chapman Field, where the Red Bombers will play the Seawolves.

The UNB Fredericton Red Bombers club football team will be a member of UNB Fredericton’s Campus Recreation Sport Clubs Program, which has over 20 clubs. The UNB Saint John Seawolves club football team will join 10 existing club teams on the Saint John campus. Preferring to offer football at the club level, UNB has no immediate plans to offer football at the varsity level.

UNB would like to thank the many volunteers and supporters who have helped to make the introduction of club football a reality, including Pat O’Brien, AFL Commissioner; UNB alumnus Barry Ogden, General Manager and President of the Saint John Seawolves club football team; and Larry Wisniewski, General Manager of the Fredericton Red Bombers club football team.

The philosophy of the sport clubs programs is to promote health and wellness, and physical skill development. Sport clubs are designed to serve individual interests in different competitive sports and recreational activities. These interests can be competitive, recreational or instructional in nature. Clubs may represent the university in competition or may conduct intra-club activities.

Students and members of the community who are interested in trying out for either UNB club football team should contact:

Fredericton Red Bombers — James Cress, 458-7041, jcress@unb.ca; or Larry Wisniewski, 458-7436, wisn@unb.ca

Saint John Seawolves — Natasha Kelly, 653-2728, nkelly@unb.ca; or Barry Ogden, 849-4650, bogden@sympatico.nb.ca

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For more information, contact:

Fredericton Red Bombers: James Cress Coordinator of Sport Clubs (506) 458-7041 jcress@unb.ca

Larry Wisniewski General Manager Fredericton Red Bombers club football team (506) 451-1182 (h), (506) 458-7436 (w), (506) 471-7422 (cell) wisn@unb.ca

Saint John Seawolves: Natasha Kelly Coordinator of Sport Clubs (506) 653-2728 nkelly@unb.ca

Barry Ogden General Manager & President Saint John Seawolves club football team (506) 849-4650 bogden@sympatico.nb.ca

Atlantic Football League: Barry Ogden (506) 849-4650 bogden@sympatico.nb.ca