The year was 2004, but it might as well have been 1904 given how long ago it was in the development of the modern Husson College football program.

The guest at the Winkin Complex was Hartwick College of Oneonta, N.Y., a member of the Empire 8, one the top NCAA Div. III football conferences in the Northeast. Hartwick was struggling, just coming off a 47-8 loss to nationally ranked Ithaca, but the Hawks certainly were an established entity.

As for Husson, that Saturday afternoon revealed in the harshest of ways just how far its fledgling football program still had to go – Hartwick jumped out to a 33-0 first-quarter lead en route to a 55-20 victory. The Hawks piled up 625 yards of total offense against a beleaguered Eagles’ defense.

Husson coach Jonathan “Gabby” Price had little to offer in the way of explanation after that long, long afternoon in Eagles football history, save to say that he and the Eagles would continue to work to become competitive.

Just three years later that continued work is paying off, for these days things are looking up at Husson.

Armed with a roster of more than 100 players and a coaching staff that has endured the growing pains with an eye toward the future, the Eagles are winning – 3-0 so far this season and unbeaten in their last five games overall – and people are taking notice.

It’s not often a team without a conference affiliation is listed among the top 10 in the ECAC New England Div. III poll. But after last weekend’s 44-0 blitzing of Norwich at the Winkin Complex, the Eagles sit solidly in fifth place in those rankings.

Even that nagging conference affiliation dilemma has been addressed, given the decision of the North Atlantic Conference to sponsor football beginning in 2009 with Husson, Norwich, Mount Ida, SUNY-Maritime, Gallaudet and Becker as charter members.

I wasn’t completely sold on the concept of Husson football when the first players arrived on campus in the fall of 2002. The University of Southern Maine had given the same idea similar consideration but determined the costs too much for the potential rewards.

But the confluence of a top-notch home field, a determined coaching staff and a large talent pool from within Maine and beyond has helped the program progress rather rapidly.

Last fall produced the Eagles’ first winning season, not to mention a signature victory over La Salle, a team from what once was known as Div. I-AA.

And this season Husson is unbeaten and has put itself in position to challenge for its first playoff berth.

Much work remains to be done as the program seeks to develop further. But there’s no doubt the Eagles are experiencing success now, as the defense that allowed 625 total yards and 55 points to Hartwick just three years ago is among the top-ranked teams nationally in those same categories in 2007.

Perhaps most importantly, Husson is providing a needed outlet for more Maine kids to play the sport once they graduate from high school. More than half of the players on the Husson roster are from the Pine Tree State, and many of them would not have had another college football option.

And who knows, as Price and his staff develop players, they also may be developing the next generation of high school coaches in the state.

Husson may not win the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl this season, but the Eagles are soaring and the entire Maine football community is all the better for it.

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net