Two days after his Colby College White Mules handed him his first football victory over Williams in his 15 years on the Waterville campus, coach Tom Austin was still fielding compliments on Monday.

“I’ve had calls from all over the country, from alums who watch the results religiously each week,” Austin said.

“Fortunately, we were easy to find this week: At the top of the column alphabetically, and on the left-hand side.”

And in sports pages across the nation, this is what the happy alums saw: Colby 27, Williams 24.

The Mules intercepted Williams quarterback Marshall Creighton four times and grabbed two more fumbles while ruining their opener in Williamstown, Mass. The game was Colby’s first of the season as well.

The win ended an impressive skein for the Ephs, who are traditionally among the New England Small College Athletic Conference powers.

Williams had won 25 straight games against Maine teams and hadn’t lost to Colby since 1959. Williams coach Dick Farley headed into the game ranked second among active NCAA coaches in winning percentage at .861, and his teams had lost just five games on Weston Field in his tenure.

That didn’t matter on Saturday as Colby sophomore Matt Conley threw for 337 yards in his first collegiate start.

Conley, a graduate of Morse High in Bath, threw for three touchdowns. He had passed for only 68 yards in his career before Saturday.

Austin said his teams had been competitive against Williams at times in the past, and said the Mules were ready to play well.

“We didn’t play perfectly by any means, but one of the things that got us excited as coaches was that we had different players who stepped up at different times and made plays,” Austin said.

Austin said that he and his players didn’t do anything special to celebrate the win, though they did enjoy their return to Mayflower Hill.

“We did what we alwys do when we are victorious,” Austin said. “We came back and rang the Revere Bell to let people far and wide know that the Mules had once again prevailed.”

Husson’s Olson to play pro ball

Former Husson College standout Brad Olson graduated in the spring, but his basketball career isn’t over yet: The 6-foot-10 center is turning pro.

Olson will leave on Tuesday or Wednesday for France, where he will play for CSL-Dijonnais in Dijon.

There’s only one problem: It doesn’t take Olson long to tell run through his French vocabulary.

“Not a word,” Olson said on Monday. “I’m in big trouble.”

Olson spent Monday in Boston filling out the necessary paperwork for a work visa, and said his travel arrangements were still uncertain.

Olson said the team would pay him $2,300 per month for the season, which runs from October through May.

In addition, the team pays for a house and car, and the deal also contains an educational component. But that presents another problem he’ll have to deal with.

“The deal includes that they’re going to pay for my school for a year so I can get my master’s [degree] there,” Olson said. “But I’m not sure if that’s in French or English, so that may be a big barrier.”

Olson, who grew up in Harmony and played high school ball at Dexter, averaged 17 points and eight rebounds per game as a senior for the Braves and shot 51 percent in his college career.

UM’s Johnson out for season

The University of Maine field hockey team suffered a blow on Sept. 16 when Jen Johnson tore an anterior cruciate ligament during a 2-0 loss to Boston University.

Johnson, a 5-foot-8 junior back from Canton, Conn., started all seven games this year before her injury. She had taken 10 shots on goal but had yet to score.

She started in 18 games as a sophomore and ranked ninth on the team in scoring with three goals for six points.

UMaine picks five for sports hall

The University of Maine will induct five new members into its Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies on Oct. 27.

The five members of the Class of 2000 are Dana Drew, Carolyn Bryden Corse, Milton Friend, Al Hackett and John Norris.

The criteria for selection into the hall are achievement in athletics, leadership, integrity, as well as non-athletic service to the university community and achievement later in life.

Drew, who graduated from UMaine in 1939, was the last athlete in Black Bear history to be a starter on three athletic teams in the same year.

Drew participated in five sports during his first year at Maine: football, basketball, baseball, indoor and outdoor track.

He was a starting football halfback and captained the squad during his senior year, was a guard on the baseball team and a baseball shortstop. Drew was named to the Dean’s List all four years and was the president of his senior class.

After graduation he went on to teach in several school systems and was a high school football coach.

Corse, a member of the class of ’83, was a four-year letter-winner on the swimming team and led the team to a 25-8 record in her career.

She won six New England titles and set five meet records in the process. Her 50-yard freestyle record of 24.50 still stands.

Corse is one of four UMaine swimmers to win the Kay Fromer award given to the senior swimmer who has scored the most points in New England Championship competition in her career.

Milton, a 1958 grad, was an All- American in riflery in 1957-58. He tied a National Rifle Association and set a Yankee Conference mark by scoring 296 of a possible 300 points, and led an undefeated squad his senior year. He joined the U.S. Army after graduation and was the 1959 national indoor champ.

Hackett was a three-year baseball starter before graduating in 1953. He left UMaine with career records in runs batted in, total bases and home runs.

Hackett hit .386 in 1952 and had tryouts with the Boston Braves and Boston Red Sox. He is also a member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. Hackett also worked at UMaine as associate director of admissions.

Norris, another ’53 grad, was a two-year basketball starter after transferring from Georgetown University, where he also started for two seasons.

When he graduated Norris held five UMaine records, including single season (23.2) and career scoring (20.3) marks. He was a two-time All-Yankee Conference selection and was an All-American honorable mention in ’53.

Norris coached basketball and golf in eastern Maine for 30 years after his graduation.

Tickets for the banquet are available for $20 through the UMaine ticket office at 581-BEAR.

UMPI sports hall picks three

Three former University of Maine-Presque Isle standouts will be honored Saturday with induction into the Owls Athletic Hall of Fame.

Harley Brown Jr., Deb Draper and Terry Cummings are the members of UMPI’s Class of 2000.

The Hall of Fame banquet is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Campus Center. For more information on tickets, call Rich Ward at 768-9475.