The Colby College football team will play at Williams College in the first game of the 2004 season on Saturday, September 25 at 1 p.m.

The Mules, under new head coach Ed Mestieri, will then play three home games in the month of October. Colby takes on Middlebury in its home opener on October 2 (all games are on Saturdays) and then faces Wesleyan at Seaverns Field on October 9. Game times have yet to be released for those two games.

After a road game at Amherst on October 16, the Mules return home for a game with Hamilton College on October 23 (time TBA).

The Mules begin defense of their Colby-Bates-Bowdoin (CBB) Championship with a 1 p.m. road game at Bates on October 30.

Colby heads back out on the road for a 12:30 p.m. game at Tufts on November 6 before finishing the season at home against Bowdoin at 12:30 p.m. on November 13.

The Mules knocked off Bates and Bowdoin last year in winning the CBB title during a 5-3 season. Colby also had wins against Middlebury, Hamilton and Wesleyan.

Colby will not play against Trinity this season, but does add Williams to the schedule.

President William D. Adams has named Edward J. Mestieri head coach of the Colby College football team, effective January 1. Mestieri replaces Tom Austin, who recently announced his plans to step down from the position.

Mestieri, who has served as the Colby team's offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator in his 15-year career at the College, is the "ideal candidate" to carry on the Colby football tradition, Adams said. "Ed is very smart, a great teacher and recruiter, and clearly dedicated to helping our players succeed, both in athletics and in academics," Adams added. "He also brings with him a sense of continuity for current players and a deep understanding of Colby."

During Mestieri's association with the Colby program, the Mules have amassed a 62-57-1 record and have won or shared 11 Colby-Bates-Bowdoin titles, with nine of those won outright. Colby plays in the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

Mestieri came to Colby from Norwich University in Vermont, where he was offensive coordinator and line coach for the football team and coach of men's and women's outdoor track and field. Prior to Norwich, he was assistant backfield coach at Dartmouth College and assistant defensive line and linebacker coach at Kent State University in Ohio.

A native of Wareham, Mass., Mestieri is a graduate of Springfield College, where he played varsity football for four years. He lives in Fairfield, Maine, with his family.

The Colby football team heads into the 2003 season with optimism as the Mules prepare to compete for the NESCAC crown this fall. Colby also will battle Bates and Bowdoin for the coveted CBB Championship, a title the Mules have won 11 of the past 15 seasons.

The Mules will be a younger team in 2003 after graduating 20 seniors. Colby will have 10 returning starters and 28 lettermen back from last year's 4-4 team and the Mules will need their young players to step up.

Running back Aaron Stepka '05 (Farmington, Conn.) will be a big part of the offense after earning All-America honors and leading the NCAA Division III in rushing at 171.3 yards per game. A first-team NESCAC all-conference selection, Stepka broke league records for rushing yards (1,390) and carries in a season (293). Stepka will benefit from the blocking of fullback Chris Duncombe '05 (Athens, Maine) to open up holes.

Colby finished second in the NESCAC in offense, but the Mules averaged just 16.9 points per game and will need better success in scoring situations and eliminating untimely penalties. The Mules will have to replace a number of players from the offensive line, but Mike Callinan '04 (Holbrook, Mass), Rob Vail '04 (East Boothbay, Maine), and Jeff Moyer '04 (Bridgewater, Mass.) will return.

Quarterback B.L. Lippert '04 (Augusta, Maine) missed time due to injuries last season and played in three games. Thomas Wilson '05 (Bellevue, Wash.) is the top returningreceiver having caught 17 passes in 2002.

The Mules were third in the NESCAC in defense and allowed only 15 points per game last year. Colby may have the most depth at defensive back with captain Brandon Irwin '04 (Sherburne, N.Y.), Jeremy Jamieson '04 (Stoneham, Mass.), Mike Civitello '05 (Hamden, Conn.), and Wayne Harrington '05 (Rockland, Mass.) returning.

Greg Lynch '04 (Wapole, Mass.) had 26 tackles on the defensive line last year and will need to be a run stuffer. While the Mules were among the best defenses in the NESCAC last year, Colby forced just 14 turnovers in eight games while turning the ball over 21 times.

» About Seaverns Field