In defense of Hamilton football

by Brandon Kline '11
SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

It is no secret that Hamilton football is in a rut. In 2006, the Continentals set a NESCAC record by scoring only 24 total points during an 8-game season. Hamilton football has not had a winning season since 1996. Why is this?

One reaction would be to blame players and coaches. However, since 1921, Hamilton has had just one coach retire with a winning record. The team has had hundreds of players and dozens of coaches, it seems silly to blame any individuals for a slump that predates the Great Depression. This is clearly an issue that runs deeper than any single player or coach.

The next thought might be money. Hamilton funds its football team less than most schools in the NESCAC, and a careful study comparing total expenses of a team to its record shows that spending more money can sometimes translate to more wins. However, this is contradicted by the fact that Hamilton, since its teams are smaller, actually spends more per player than the NESCAC average. Despite being similar in size to most other NESCAC schools, Hamilton’s teams are often smaller – in 2008, while each NESCAC school had at least 70 players on its football roster, Hamilton had just 59.

Furthermore, Hamilton’s football-related revenues (alumni donations, fund raising, etc.) are lower than those of its opponents. What’s more, due to the nature of football, it’s not a quandary that can be solved overnight. One player can not define a game when 11 men play on both sides of the ball; the sport demands a steady influx of strong recruits, not just one each year.

Good begets good, bad begets bad. This cyclical logic plagues Hamilton football in multiple ways. Alumni are more likely to donate to the team if it is good, but the team is more likely to be good if it has more money. Likewise, good recruits are more likely to join a strong team, but to have a strong team, the team needs good recruits. Athletic Director Jon Hind insists that Hamilton’s small roster is not an admissions issue.

Hamilton is accepting enough student athletes to field 28 varsity sports teams. Why do football players who are accepted to both Hamilton and Trinity consistently opt to go to Trinity instead of Hamilton? Again, good players want to play on historically good teams, making it difficult for Hamilton to attract top recruits.

While yielding more football players would certainly help the team, it would undeniably impact the rest of the campus. At Amherst, roughly one out of 11 men are on the football team. At Hamilton, that number is closer to 1 in 15. Hamilton students pursue a wealth of diverse interests. Perhaps the diversity that defines Hamilton might be compromised in attempts to strengthen the football team. Former player John Pitarresi ’73 feels, “The psychology of losing is at work.” Pitarresi notes that losing can be mentally trying for players and coaches, making it difficult to turn slumps around.

Finally, the Hamilton community (administration, students, alumni and others) simply doesn’t consider football a top priority. According to Pitarresi, Hamilton does not support its football team enough for it to excel in an extremely tough conference. This support ranges from more money to better attendance at games. The simplest solution would seem to be adding more players, which leads to more depth. Increased competition for playing time would make the whole team better.

Instead of worrying about the school’s football futility, Hamilton students can look at the positives of competing in the NCAA Division III. At the top Division I football programs, the team’s success can hugely impact alumni donations and admissions figures. After a greatly successful 2006 football campaign, Rutgers saw giant increases in its alumni donations and number of applicants. On the flip side, the University of Notre Dame’s recent football struggles have led to a significant decrease in alumni support of the school.

If Hamilton’s alumni donations decreased by over five million dollars in a given year because the football team had a bad season, the culture of the school would be changed. So next time you find yourself wondering why our football team isn’t 8-0 every year, remember the obstacles our team faces in trying to improve, and find solace in the fact that for Hamilton College, football is just a game.