Football success rides on recruitment, training

Feb. 10, 2005
By Tim Musachio
Staff Writer

The winter months cover the football fields with snow.  Inside Lee Lohman Arena hard work and sweat are produced by the SAU football team.  The off-season begins, possibly the most important part of the year for the team.

While most students are enjoying their Thursday nights out on the town, players rest up for a 5:30 a.m. wakeup call.  Conditioning stations and sprints begin before the sun rises. It is the sacrifice and hard work that will be rewarded come fall.

Players endure a rigorous off season of lifting and running.  They build strength by lifting four times a week and conditioning twice a week.  Lifting sessions take place on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  Wednesday provides a break for players to rest their muscles.  Running sessions are early Tuesday and Friday mornings, usually lasting about an hour.  The entire staff is on call to oversee the workouts.

Junior wide receiver Chris Burhans sees the off season as motivation to perform a step above the previous season.  The University of Iowa transfer is a two year starter and was All-Conference as a freshman.

“It’s about every player making a sacrifice to better the team as a whole,” Burhans said.  “It drives you to work that much harder in order to prove yourself come spring ball.”

Players will continue lifting and running until they start spring practice in the first week in April.

The off-season keeps the coaches busy as well.  The endless process of recruiting hits high-gear for head coach Todd Sturdy and his staff to maintain the school’s excellence.  Immediately following the regular season the staff begins recruiting top players.  Sturdy tries to focus his attention on the Midwest but keeps his options open around the country.  He divides up his staff to cover specific areas.  They make visits to schools and begin contacting potential prospects.

The staff then takes a small break over winter vacation.  Sturdy feels the most important part is following up with their leads when school resumes.

“Hopefully we are one of the top three choices for a recruit," Sturdy said.  "Then we stay in contact through letters, e-mails and phone calls."

Players are then invited to campus for a visit.  These are usually day visits during the week or weekend.  Sturdy believes that overnight stays aren’t always the most productive initially for his program.  He wants players to get a real sense of the school above all else.

“There must be a commitment by the student athlete to come here with a sincere interest in getting an education,” Sturdy said.  “Athletics is only a small piece of the pie as far as what we’re trying to expose here at Ambrose.”

The official signing day for Division 1-A and 1-AA was on February 2, the first Wednesday in February each year.  However the NAIA does not have an official signing deadline making recruiting year round.

“This is where it picks up for us," Sturdy said of the beginning of a new semester.  Kids that didn’t sign will show more interest in our program."

The end of formal visiting days is Feb. 16.  If a player requests an overnight stay once he has had a formal visit Sturdy is more than willing to accommodate.  Sturdy and his staff will then tie up some loose ends through February and March.  The program usually has most commitments by May 1.

The NAIA only allows football teams 24 full scholarships to work with.  Sturdy must be selective when offering recruits scholarships.

Winning four conference championships in the last five years, coupled with consistently being ranked in the top 15 in the nation, the Fighting Bees are more fortunate than many schools their size when it comes to attracting football players.

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