After Saturday, the seniors on DePauw University's football team hope to say a sentence that has eluded them the past three years.
“Whenever I tell someone I play football for DePauw, the first thing they ask is, ‘When are you getting the bell back?,” said senior quarterback Matt Hunt. “I want nothing more than to be able to answer that question from Nov. 12 on with ‘We brought the bell back.’”
For the 123rd time, the DePauw University Tigers (7-2) will face off against the Wabash College Little Giants (8-1) in the annual Monon Bell Game. DePauw will start six seniors on offense and seven on defense.
Wabash currently holds a 60-53-9 lead over DePauw and the Tiger’s have not won the bell since 2008. This year’s senior class is hopping to change that.
“I can't even begin to talk about how much it would mean to our class, our coaches, this school, former players,” Hunt said. “The list goes on and on”
“Our class came into a program that went 2-8 the previous year, which for most kids coming out of high school is not a desirable football program,” Hunt said. “However, I knew and respected Coach Lynch and the staff, and trusted the program would make a quick turnaround.”
Hunt is a four-year letterwinner at DePauw and has appeared in every single game but one since joining the team in 2013. With that much playing time, Hunt has racked up many accomplishments. He is now DePauw’s all-time total offense leader with 9,525 yards, breaking the mark of 9,293 yards held by Spud Dick (2006-2009). He also beat Dick’s record of 76 career touchdown passes. During the 2015 season, his efficiency rating of 165.76 made him the NCAC’s top-rated passer.
This years team features six seniors starting on offense and seven on the other side of the ball. In addition, senior Marko Adams starts as place kicker for the squad. This season Adams broke the career point record for kickers with 228 career points.
Senior defensive lineman, Kevin Kiyosaki, another four-year letterwinner at DePauw, has appeared in almost every game since the start of his freshman year, and has witnessed the development of the team over the years.
“There have been a lot of pivotal moments throughout my career here,” Kiyosaki said. “We started our freshman year 0-4. Our first win as a class was huge. Beating Wittenberg last year was a huge program win. We lost around 50-0 to them our freshman year. It was hard to imagine beating them, but we came together as a team and did it.”
Kiyosaki has also seen himself grow. “I've changed a lot since freshman year,” Kiyosaki said. “As a player, I've played in every game so now that I'm a senior I have to step up and make big plays.”
Sophomore linebacker Brad Myers expressed that the senior class has taught him a valuable lesson that he will take with him throughout the remainder of his career.
“I learned that becoming a successful team doesn’t just happen,” Myers said, “it takes years of work and dedication to reach the success we have had this year.”
Junior offensive lineman Thomas Cunningham describes the influence the senior class has had on him as well.
“I feel that the senior class has done a lot of work for DePauw football and have done a great job when it comes to leadership,” Cunningham said. “They are great guys and have put in a lot of work, as has the whole team. They have really gotten us going in the right direction.”
Head Coach Bill Lynch who was hired in 2012 has been with seniors every step of their careers. The class of 2017 is Lynch’s first recruiting class and the first class to spend all four years playing for Lynch.
“When we started out four years ago, we lost our first four games. That was a combination of getting to know each other, and that usually happens when there is a turnover in the coaching staff,” Lynch said. “We started to play some of the younger guys, and it started with Matt Hunt in the game against Denison. He separated himself and we felt like he deserved the opportunity. From that point on, he was our starting quarterback.”
With graduation right around the corner, Lynch speaks highly of the group, while illuminating many of the rewarding aspects he believes one can gain from being on the team.
“As a coach, what you hope is that the experience of playing college athletics have valuable benefits moving on. It’s the lessons you learn, the hard work that it takes, the dedication and the commitment, and ultimately the teamwork that counts,” Lynch said. “I throw out the names of the senior captains who have played a lot, but it truly is the entire group that is the important part of our program at DePauw.”
Looking ahead at next Saturday, the Tigers are eager to go up against Wabash. “It has been one heck of a ride,” said senior wide receiver Ian Good. “I will cherish the friendships and the memories for the rest of my life.”