St. Ambrose football end in a blaze of glory

by: tait hillmer
Staff Writer

A light fog covers the St. Ambrose University campus in the early hours of Nov. 18.  Through the fog, Fighting Bee football players walk across the practice field carrying white and blue duffle bags. 

One-by-one the players drop off their gear under the two red and white Tri-State Tour buses and climb aboard.  Every last one of the players proudly wears a gray SAU football sweatshirt and sweatpants. Some have headphones and iPods, others hold pillows, but each player carries a tired expression on their face.

Coach Todd Sturdy stands in front of the bus and a hush comes over the little conversations that have sparked up. 

“Is there anyone missing?” coach Sturdy questions. 

After a lack of response, he turns to the bus driver and says, “Alright we’re set, lets go.”

With a jerk of the engine the fourteenth ranked fighting bees begin their six-hour trip to Sioux City, Iowa, where the number 3 ranked Mustangs of Morningside College await their arrival.     

The miles pass, and so does the weariness of the players. Conversations and joking grow every minute, but the dialogues subside to the presence of coach Sturdy standing at the front of the bus.

“Does anybody have movies?” he says.

Zippers open bags, and hands wrestle around searching for DVDs.  Movies rise from behind the bus seats, like hats and programs waiting to be autographed.  Sturdy takes the movies and shuffles through them, giving each case a different look.  He asks the players what they want to watch but then decides to surprise them.

During “Dumb and Dumber” (the surprise selection) players are informed that kicker, Evan Gutierrez, has missed the bus and is driving himself to Sioux City.  Disbelief and laughter arise over the latest events.  Players start joking that they can make a field goal if called upon. 

Half of the trip has gone by, and stomachs are grumbling.  The bus driver hits the turn signal on and the bus drifts toward a rest area.  Sturdy asks the players to stay on the bus while the coaches and other helpers remove boxes of food onto the rest area sidewalk.  A few players trickle out at first, then a mass of human bodies stand and move toward the exit, shaking the giant transporter.

Almost every member of the team heads to the bathrooms before attacking the boxes of food.  Turkey and ham sandwiches, bags of chips, cookies and bottled water make up the players’ lunches.  Fifteen minutes have passed and players start disposing their trash. Another three hours of driving and movie watching is in their future.

The buses come to a stop at the Fairfield Inn parking lot, which is much to small for the large motor vehicles.

“Alright everybody stay here while I go get the room keys,” Sturdy delegates.

Slowly the players begin to rise and leave the bus.  The team members grab their bags from the storage compartments and congregate near the entrance of the hotel.  Sturdy emerges from the front doors holding 20 envelopes with electronic keys placed inside.  He first gives keys to the assistant coaches, trainers, and the two radio commentators who made the trip.  He pulls out a piece of paper that has a list of  rooming assignments and begins to read them off.

The morning of Nov. 19 is dark and wet. Concern about SAU’s passing attack is heard among the players.  After destroying the buffet once more the team gets ready for the short trip to the stadium.  The buses arrive and the players exit and duck into the designated locker rooms.  When the players emerge again they are taped, padded and ready for their bout with the Mustangs.  Pre-game ceremonies close and the kick-off by Evan Gutierrez gets the match under way.

Morningside College - 58

St. Ambrose University - 7

The whistle blows signaling the end of the game and the 2005 St. Ambrose football season.  The players and coaches slowly exit the field with their heads down and blank expressions on their faces.  When players emerge from the locker room they find pizza and drinks are waiting for them.  Boxes of pizza continually grow smaller as more and more players appear from the locker room. 

“Did the game sound as bad as it looked on the field?” One of the players asks the two radio commentators.

Everyone has settled into their seats, and the buses take off heading east toward Davenport.  By the time they reach the highway the sun has disappeared.  Keegan Sturdy, coach Sturdy’s son, walks up and down the bus aisle pleading his case to the players that the movie “Elf” was a good choice to watch. 

The movies continue to run but the energy of the players slowly disappears.  Headlights from oncoming traffic blur together.  The Iowa I-80 truck stop, the largest truck stop in the world, cuts through the late night darkness.  The team realizes they are only 20 minutes away from campus.  Players start dialing their phones to make plans for the rest of the night. 

The bus, which had become the teams’ living space for the last two days, pulls into the lower Galvin lot and comes to a rest.  The players leave the bus and head off to the future.