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andy7171

October 27th, 2011, 02:23 PM

Towson football — the best sports story in Maryland
Ambrose has 6-1 Tigers primed for Saturday night showdown vs. Delaware

Go ahead, find me a better comeback story than the one Towson University's football team is writing this fall.

Think about it: this is a team that went 1-10 last season. A team with a grand total of two wins the year before. A team picked to finish last in the Colonial Athletic Association. A team that had lost 26 of 28 conference games going into this year.

Now the Tigers are 6-1 and ranked 13th in the nation among FCS teams. It's their best start since 1987. In fact, they're the most improved team in Division I — FBS or FCS.

And now they're anticipating a sell-out crowd at 11,000-seat Johnny Unitas Stadium on Saturday night for the Delaware game.

Imagine that: a full house at Unitas Stadium, a place where crowds were often so sparse you thought you were at a tractor-pull.

Maybe you have to know how downtrodden the football program was to truly appreciate this roll the Tigers are on.

The comeback story begins with the coach, Rob Ambrose. When he left as offensive coordinator at Connecticut three years ago to coach his alma mater, he was appalled at what he found.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/football/bs-sp-cowherd-towson-1026-20111026,0,5541666.column

RichH2

October 27th, 2011, 02:26 PM

Ok,I was wondering how long it would take you to do some serious chest thumping. About time. It is a great story. I still do a double take when I look at CAA standings and see Towson. A friend quipped that the News must have printed the CAA standings upside down. Heck of a game with UD, Good Luck

Franks Tanks

October 27th, 2011, 02:33 PM

What was Gordy doing at the end of his tenure? Sounds like he was asleep at the wheel.

andy7171

October 27th, 2011, 02:44 PM

What was Gordy doing at the end of his tenure? Sounds like he was asleep at the wheel.

It sounds like we moved up to the CAA but the programs was still operating on a PL budget. The school gave him weird 75% scholarships had to be in-state quotas. Recruiting was limited to NJ, NY, PA, DE and VA. This last class of signess came from FL, TX, NC and CA. Things have changed dramatically.

The success we saw initially in '05 and '06 were basically overachieving PL starters graduating out. The "newer better" CAA recruits Gordy got were spoiled over rated humps. Ambrose ran them off immediately. Today's starters are all 2-3 years sophomores and juniors who were all starting as true and RS freshman since he got here.

Franks Tanks

October 27th, 2011, 02:52 PM

It sounds like we moved up to the CAA but the programs was still operating on a PL budget. The school gave him weird 75% scholarships had to be in-state quotas. Recruiting was limited to NJ, NY, PA, DE and VA. This last class of signess came from FL, TX, NC and CA. Things have changed dramatically.

The success we saw initially in '05 and '06 were basically overachieving PL starters graduating out. The "newer better" CAA recruits Gordy got were spoiled over rated humps. Ambrose ran them off immediately. Today's starters are all 2-3 years sophomores and juniors who were all starting as true and RS freshman since he got here.

Ambrose is getting the support he needs. The article does mention that they didn't have organized workouts and the like. Is that true?

PL budgets arent really that small. Many of us spend as much or just a bit less than CAA schools. We just use the money in our own special way. It does however seem that Towson was not fully prepared to revert back to full scholarship FCS football.

andy7171

October 27th, 2011, 03:40 PM

Ambrose is getting the support he needs. The article does mention that they didn't have organized workouts and the like. Is that true?

PL budgets arent really that small. Many of us spend as much or just a bit less than CAA schools. We just use the money in our own special way. It does however seem that Towson was not fully prepared to revert back to full scholarship FCS football.

Well we were never FULL scholarship. When I was there we had like 40.

I'm not sure where that no organized workouts came from. The year before Ambrose was hired, an alum was hired to be a full time strength conditioner and he is the one who started the early morning work outs. He has unfortunately past, and this slight is not being taken so lightly by some other alums.

Again, in my day one of the coaches also doubled as the S&C coach. But I must admit my roommates and I never following the lifting schedule. We knew what worked for us and we lifted accordingly. The coaches were never disappointed when it came to testing day.

UIWWildthing

October 27th, 2011, 03:56 PM

It's about time that the Sun write an article about the Tigers like this. I find it funny, who got the better coach from UConn, Maryland or Towson? :)

Brad82

October 27th, 2011, 04:06 PM

Great article,great progress.

SumItUp

October 27th, 2011, 04:18 PM

Towson has been one of the best stories in all of FCS this year. If they can continue their current success through the remaining conference games and make a deep run in the playoffs, it might be the best story in all of college football.

Franks Tanks

October 27th, 2011, 04:26 PM

Well we were never FULL scholarship. When I was there we had like 40.

I'm not sure where that no organized workouts came from. The year before Ambrose was hired, an alum was hired to be a full time strength conditioner and he is the one who started the early morning work outs. He has unfortunately past, and this slight is not being taken so lightly by some other alums.

Again, in my day one of the coaches also doubled as the S&C coach. But I must admit my roommates and I never following the lifting schedule. We knew what worked for us and we lifted accordingly. The coaches were never disappointed when it came to testing day.

The no workout angle is just odd. I wonder if Ambrose floated that out, or if the writer heard it from somewhere else. One would think that Ambrose is smart enough to not put his foot in his mouth like that, especially because it reflects poorly on Gordy. Ambrose played for and coached with Gordy and his ray-bans so I doubt it came from him.

aust42

October 27th, 2011, 05:47 PM

Dignan

October 27th, 2011, 07:09 PM

I'm happy for you guys. It's great for the CAA to have Towson, Maine and ODU all stepping up. It's funny how people say it's a down year for the CAA just because there are different teams on top. It's call parity.

andy7171

October 27th, 2011, 08:18 PM

Great article and good for Towson football. Andy7171, I'll be at Johnny Unitas stadium this Saturday evening routing for my Bluehens. Hopefully ya'll will make the playoffs and host a game or two. If so, I'll be there to support my Conference brothers. Go CAA!

I'm in lot 21, near the KidZone. I'll be w/o my girls, but still with my boys who are hauling kids. If you see a big man wearing a half grown in beard, its me, say hi. I'll have a beer for you!

MR. CHICKEN

October 29th, 2011, 11:32 PM

16216......DUH LITTLE DARLIN'S....O'.....I-AA/CAA...HAVE BEEN EXPOSED......WHIFF ROAD TRIP TA MAINE..(BRING DUH MITTENS/KITTENS).....NEW HAMPSHIRE...AN' RHODE ISLAND..ON DUH AGENDA.......TIGERS MAY HAVE..BROUGHT UP UH MAJOR...FURBALL..AGIN' YOU-DEE......DOUGH UH SERIOUS THREAT IN NEXT FEW YEARS.....DUH MAGIC WAS SPENT AGIN' RICHMOND/ODU.....NOT EVEN UH SERIOUS PRETENDER...IN DEY'RE EARLY SKED....AN' DO YA'S....ACTUALLY THINK......DUH TERPS...REALLY TRIED....DAT TIGER TAIL....HANGIN' FROM DUH GAS TANK......OWN-LAH SIGNALS.....TIGERS OUTTAH GAS......xnodx......AWK!

UIWWildthing

October 29th, 2011, 11:41 PM

Towson's special teams KILLED them tonight. Let's see a rebound next week

andy7171

October 29th, 2011, 11:44 PM

can we put the defense on for KO coverage. **** ME!

...and FU mr chicken, I thought you were cool. A-hole.

MR. CHICKEN

October 29th, 2011, 11:51 PM

AH CAIN'T HEP...YER KICK-OFF COVERAGE......LOOKED LIKE UH KEYSTONE KOPS...OUT-TAKE!....AN' IN UH COUPLE WEEKS....RE-VISIT...POST #14......AN' DON'T SAY AH DIDN'T TELL YA'S.....AWK!

MAYBEAH ANGER-MANAGEMENT....SESSION...COOD HEP...WHIFF DUH CUSSIN'....BRAWK!

MR. CHICKEN

October 30th, 2011, 12:12 AM

OH.....AN' AH...USED TA THINK......andy7171......WAS COOL......TOO.....xsmhx...DOODLE-DOO!

MR. CHICKEN

October 30th, 2011, 09:52 AM

HEY TIGERS.....YA KNOW HOW TA WIN......NOW LEARN TA LOSE....LIKE DUH BIG GUYS.........AWK!

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111030/SPORTS07/111030024/FRANK-UD-makes-stand-over-handshake?odyssey=mod_sectionstories

JMUNJ08

October 30th, 2011, 12:10 PM

MR. CHICKEN

October 30th, 2011, 12:25 PM

EGG-ZAKLY......EXPOSED...BAH UH NOT TO GOOD BLUEHEN SQWAD......HEY....ALL YA'S WERE COMPLAININ' DAT DELAWARE WAS STILL IN DUH POLL...LAST WEEK....AH SAID NUFFUN' DAT AIN'T TRUFF-FUL.....TIGER EARLY SKED....WAY WEAK.....TWO CARDIAC FINISHES.....AN' UH MARYLAND TEAM....WHO WAS RESTIN'...'TWEEN TEMPLE/GA. TECH.. BASHES.......MAINE IS TOUGH.....NEW HAMPSHIRE IS TOUGH.......RHODEY TOOK US OUT......AH EVEN GAVE TOWSON PROPS...FO' BEIN' YOUNG...AN' SCAREY IN DUH FUTURE.........BRAWK!

PS...WHEN TEAMS WIN GAMES......LIKE AGIN' RICHMOND/ODU...DEY'RE SEASON MAKERS....WHEN YA WIN DUH CLOSE ONES...YER RECORD...SUDDENLY SHINES...AWK!

UIWWildthing

October 30th, 2011, 06:59 PM

Mr. Chicken, props to the Hens getting it done. Win with class, lose with class, that's how I like to keep it

Fear the Bird

October 30th, 2011, 07:12 PM

I think everybody is a little sensitive here he was only trying to say this very potentially could be the start of a tough road to end the season...based on records They certainly needed that win with maine unh and rhody lurking...hopefully towson bounces back and continues this great run but it was certainly "classy" and spot-on to talk about that young talent