A CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON........

As the Colby Mules prepared to open their 2000 football season against perennial New England Small College Athletic Conference power Williams, coach Tom Austin and his club were quietly optimistic. It was well-founded optimism.

Not only did the Mules kick off their season with a dramatic victory against the Ephs, they carved out one of the most successful campaigns in the program's history.

Colby finished 7-1, its best record since 1994. The Mules reclaimed the outright Colby-Bates-Bowdoin (CBB) championship for the first time since 1996, and finished the season ranked fifth overall in New England. And the Mules also established some conference history, sharing in the first-ever official NESCAC championship with Amherst and Middlebury. "These types of seasons don't happen suddenly," said Coach Austin. "Building toward this began a couple of years ago. Sometimes its a painful process to get there, but when you have a season like this it's very rewarding. "You need to have tangible results, and we couldn't have choreographed it any better this season. Hopefully this establishes a foundation for the years ahead."

Indeed, this was a success story three years in the making. Eleven seniors led this year's squad, 11 seniors who as first-year players on the Mayflower Hill campus experienced a winless season. But that group was determined to spearhead the growth of the program when they arrived, and did.

Led by 2000 captains Mark D'Ambrosio and Drew Johnson, the Colby football Class of 2001 stepped to the forefront almost immediately after the 1999 season, when the Mules finished 3-5. Other seniors involved in that leadership effort were Jared Beers, Matt Carter, Dennis Clark, Lou DiStasi, Christos Hatzidakis, David McGeehan, Jason Meadows, Justin Pare and Andrew Tripp. "They took over the off-season program, and we had our best off-season ever," Coach Austin said. "The boys came into the season ready to play." That reality was tested immediately. In the opener at Williams, Colby had to rally from a 10-point deficit to defeat the Ephs 27-24. In the process, a record-setting passing offense was born.

Pat Conley '03, who earned the starting quarterback job during preseason, passed for 337 yards and three touchdowns, while wide receivers Danny Noyes (six receptions for 117 yards) and Andrew Tripp '01 (6-145) helped spark the Colby rally.

That offensive strength carried through to the Mules' home opener against Middlebury, as Colby blitzed the visiting Panthers for 28 first-half points en route to a 28-21 victory. And how significant was the early Week 2 outburst? Colby's final touchdown against Middlebury was the last touchdown the Panthers allowed all season.

The Mules followed that victory with a second straight home victory, a 29-7 win against Wesleyan in which the team's defense stepped to the forefront.

Week 4 marked the only blemish on Colby's 2000 record. Amherst, coming off a 17-0 loss to Middlebury, rebounded with a 28-14 home-field victory against the Mules that left the three eventual NESCAC champions locked in a tie for the conference lead.
None of the three teams lost again.

Colby returned home to rough out a 13-3 win against Hamilton in Week 5, a game that marked a turning point of the season for a young Mules' defense that was improving with each game.

Week 6 marked the start of the CBB schedule, and Colby responded with a 14-0 shutout of Bates. The Mules then topped Tufts 28-14 in their final road game of the season before clinching the CBB title and a share of the NESCAC crown with a 34-7 domination of Bowdoin in the season finale. "Winning the CBB means so much, not only to the kids in the program but the ones who have been here in the past and moved on to the rest of their lives," Coach Austin said. "So many memories for all the players from the three schools are based on their experiences in CBB games. It's certainly a very important part of our season."

Colby's 2000 success was built on many factors. The Mules restored their home-field advantage, going unbeaten (4-0) at Seaverns Field. The Mules stayed healthy, with 20 of the 22 starters in Game 1 of the season also playing in Game 8. "Good health plays a particularly important role in this league, and we stayed pretty healthy,' Coach Austin said. "Again it's a tribute to all the hard work the kids did during the off-season." And the Mules were a productive lot on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

Led by Conley and Noyes, the Mules' offense led the NESCAC in points scored (187) and total yards gained (382.1). Conley, the top-ranked passer in the conference, established a NESCAC record for total offense and school records for total offense, passing yardage, touchdown passes, attempts and completions. He was a two-time NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week, and the first-team All-NESCAC quarterback.

Noyes finished as the leading receiving and 10th-leading rusher in the conference, had six 100-yard receiving games and set school records for receiving yards in a season and longest run from scrimmage. He also was 3-of-3 passing with a pair of touchdowns through the air. Noyes also earned All-NESCAC first-team accolades.

The Conley-Noyes tandem derived much of its success through the contributions of their offensive teammates, including receivers Tripp, McGeehan, Meadows, Ian McPherson and Lee Carlson; running backs including Don Williams, Joe Murray and Rashard Randolph; and the offensive line of Carter, Bodo Heiliger, Brian Wezowicz, Jason Cummings, Rob Vail and Matt Mahoney that yielded just 15 quarterback sacks. Heiliger was named first-team All-NESCAC for his role in that effort.

"We had dramatically tinkered with our passing game the last couple of years, partly in terms of protection and routes individually and in combination," Coach Austin said. "The bottom line before the season started was who was going to be launching the passes? We had some pretty solid candidates, but Pat just emerged and our offense was able to make some big plays."

The Colby defense finished third among NESCAC schools in fewest yards allowed per game (262.1) and 19th in the NCAA Div. III ranks in points allowed per game (13.0). That defense recorded 29 quarterback sacks, 16 interceptions and seven recovered fumbles, helping Colby to a +10 in the plus-minus turnover category.
"That's an important statistic," Coach Austin said. "Statistically you win 75 percent when you have the better of the plus-minus turnover ratio."

Fifteen different Colby players had at least 20 tackles, led by LB Mike Moran with 74. Moran, the NESCAC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1999, earned NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week and ECAC Honor Roll status for his work in this year's shutout victory against Bates.

Ten different players were credited with quarterback sacks, a contingent led by Johnson with five sacks and Moran, DE Jason Grantham and DT Kevin Smalley with four sacks each. Both Johnson and Smalley were named second-team All-NESCAC.

Ten different players also recorded at least one interception. Patrick Fahey, who stepped into the starting lineup at midseason due to an injury, led the team with three interceptions, and was named both NESCAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week and to the for his play in the Mules' Nov. 4 victory at Tufts. D'Ambrosio, Carlson, DB Jason Brooks and LB Jeff Owen all had two interceptions each.

D'Ambrosio, who ranked third on the team with 60 tackles to go with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, was a first-team All-NESCAC selection.

The postseason honors weren't confined to the players. Coach Austin was named both New England Division II-III College Coach of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston and NESCAC Coach of the Year. And, true to the mindset of a successful coach, Tom Austin, along with assistant coaches Ed Mestieri, Tom Dexter, Mark Godomsky, Chris Kempton and Bill Lund, already are looking ahead to 2001.

There's good reason. Seventeen starters will return, nine on offense and eight on defense, among 31 letterman who will return to the Mayflower Hill gridiron next fall. They will bring with them the momentum of a season to remember, Colby football's Year 2000.

"We made some tremendous strides this season," Coach Austin said. "Now it's important to strive for continued growth both individually and as a team. The seniors were determined to leave the program in a better place than it was when they first got here. They've done that, and now it is up to those who will be back to continue to advance the cause of Blue Team Pride."