35 freshman, perseverance and a special teams captain

I remember when I first arrived at Lafayette there were 35 of us new freshman, and we each thought we were awesome. I mean, why wouldn't we, we were 'the man' in our own little world of high school football. Some were All-Conference, others All-State, others All-Universe.

It's funny though, at first glance, some of the guys you thought were going to be total animals weren't (no, no...no names, we're all brothers), and others you thought didn't have a chance. We all did it: 'He's a running back?? C'mon!' or 'He's an All-State quarterback, c'mon!'

We all did it. They probably looked at me and said 'that midget plays fullback? what the hell?'

All kidding aside, we had no idea what we were in for.

Some of these 'big-time' guys quit after the first week, or unfortunately became injured, and had to end their career early. This was so common, and sad, because guys you loved playing with no longer could. These were your brothers, and there was a sense of loneliness when some of your best friends had to disengage from the team.

We joined, and the team the year before was 2-8. We had a long uphill battle to gain respect again in the Patriot League. To add to that, we hadn't beat Lehigh in close to 7 years. Lafayette was, for all intensive purposes, the red-headed step child of the Patriot League (sorry Brungo, ha).

I remember after a few days of camp, all of us 35 came together in the basement of a dorm to proclaim what football meant to us, and what our goals were as a group. Some comments were funny, some were serious, some were downright moronic, but at the end of it all, we had all become closer because of it. I look back on it now, and think of how much that set the foundation of the kind of class we were going to be. Sadly enough, not everyone in that room made it all four years, but the guys who had to hang up the cleats, always remained, and still do, apart of the brotherhood that was established that night.

We went on that year, and ended up beating Lehigh. I remember coming out to 'Lose Yourself' by Eminem (it had just come out), with screaming fans going crazy. I had never been so pumped to play a game, that I actually didn't play in (huh?). Well, most of us 35 were third-string, and on practice squad. Its a long journey to the top, but we eventually got there.

We moved onto Sophomore year, and some of the 35 began to see playing time. It was exciting! We were always so proud of each other. Whether it was one person getting some snaps, or another making a tackle, we took great pride in seeing one another represent our class so well. We had some heavy-hitters on defense who made an immediate impact on the team. The cool thing here is that we started to grow confidence in ourselves as a class, that we really could have an impact on this team.

Come Jr. year, many of us had now solidified our spots on the team. Some were heading into their first or second year of starting, and because of the commitment shown in the first 2 years by our class, we had the respect of the seniors ahead of us. They knew we were in it to win it, and as group. We had some standout guys, but what I think what defined us 35 was our unity, commitment to one another, and determination to make our mark.

I think that's what led us to winning our first Patriot League Championship our Jr. year. The first one in almost 10 years at Lafayette, and it felt so amazing. It was an amazing team effort, that led to an amazing team result.

We're now seniors, and have the bullseye on our backs. It's great to think about it. We went from the dud of the league, to the team to beat. The 35 had a big reason to do with that. With the graduation of some key players from the year before, we had the odds stacked against us. We came into the year as a good team, with some very solid players who stood out in their own way, but no one person who was going to make it our break it for us as seen sometimes with teams. If we were going to do it, we were going to do it as a team. The season was long, but we remained on top of the league going into our final game against Lehigh. We played them tough, though the game was slipping away. We had just a couple of minutes left, and had to drive close to 70 yards to score. 1st down, nothing, 2nd down, nothing. 3rd down, nothing. We still have 70 yards to go, and there's only a minute left, and it's 4th down. We had no magic up our sleeves. It all came down to this. The 35 that met in the basement of the dorm that one night, were faced with being the leaders who could pull our team through in one play that would define our 4 years, whether we liked it our not.

Hike! Skirts one sack, skirts the next sack, in desperation, he lofts the ball in the air.....it can't be, an open player down the field, and IT'S CAUGHT, IN THE ENDZONE!! THE LEOPARDS ARE ON TOP, WITH 30 SECONDS TO GO. COULD THIS BE?!?!?'

From that moment on, it was validated, the 35 were defined by winning. Lafayette went on to win another championship the year later, however haven't seen one since.

It's bittersweet, though. The 35 soon went off on their own paths. Some into the business world, some went back to school, but a lucky few were able to take their play to the next level.

Some went on to different feeder leagues such as European football, arena football, though a couple of them got a shot at the NFL. One went to camp, and decided he had enough and wanted to get into business. The other went, and got cut. He wasn't ready to pack it in though. It was just like him to not quit. That's what the 35 represented.

He didn't take no for an answer. He went to Europe to sharpen his skills, only to come home and get another crack at the NFL. Did I mention, he relented to become the NFL Europe Defensive Player of the Year? Well, he did.

He came home, and bounced around a little bit, until he found a home on the Buffalo Bills. There, he persevered, and became apart of the 53 man roster! What an achievement in of itself. He committed himself, and with the same determination we had as the 35, he became Special Teams MVP.

As in the NFL, there is a lot of churn, though the next season he found himself on the Cleveland Browns. Not the best team, though with his dedication and commitment, not only was he a vital part of the Special Teams unit, he became All-Pro! Are you serious? From dorm room, to hail mary vs. Lehigh, to Pro Bowl, albeit from Lafayette. The odds stacked against him, he found a way, and persevered.

Come 2011. Again, with the churn of the NFL, he was picked up by the San Francisco 49ers, under the new leadership of Coach Harbaugh, and became not just a leader and vital piece for special teams, but a leader and vital piece for the team. He has built a presence about him with the phrase 'LIVV' and helped lead his team all the way to the NFC Championship. They respected his work ethic, and contributions so much, that when the game went to overtime, he was there, in the middle of the field, representing his unit, as the Special Teams Captain. What an honor.

With that, Blake, you continue to carry the spirit of the 35. Guys who had the world stacked up against them, though continued to fight, prevailing as champions....just as you continue to do.