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BANGOR – The buzz started sometime after the sixth game of the season, when the Husson University football team was 4-2 and believing it had a chance at making some history.
The program that was revived in 2002 after a six-decade absence has gone from practicing an entire season without playing any games to an 0-7 season in 2003 to six wins the last two years to even more success this season.
The Husson University Eagles, who began their football revival as the Husson College Braves, won a program-high seven games this season, were ranked as high as seventh in the New England Division III football poll and not only played in their first playoff game but hosted the ECAC Northeast Bowl.
“We’ve been excited about the past, but now we’re just as excited, if not more, about the future,” said head coach Gabby Price. “I’m proud of the guys on this team and their effort to get to this point.”
Next season, the Eagles will be a member of a conference for the first time as they enter the North Atlantic Conference.
“That’s something we’ve been working toward for a long time and it takes a lot of the guesswork and schedule headaches out of things,” Price said. “It’s another big step in the growth of our program.”
Husson enjoyed unprecedented success this season despite playing just three home games in the regular season.
The Eagles lost Saturday’s bowl game to Empire 8 Conference power St. John Fisher 17-7 but certainly showed their fans and even opponents how far they’ve come in six short years.
“Husson’s a good football team. We were very impressed with them on film,” said St. John Fisher head coach Paul Vosburgh. “They’ve done a great job and hadn’t lost to any Division III teams, so it was a good win for us.”
Until Saturday’s game, Husson’s only losses had been to Division II teams Merrimack and American International.
The Eagles averaged 28.1 points per game while allowing an average of 19 this season. Opponents averaged less than 300 total yards against Husson’s defense.
While helping his team make history, senior placekicker Darren Gauthier made some himself, becoming Husson’s all-time leading football scorer.
“He [Price] just told me about it the other day. To be the leading scorer in this program was a shock,” Gauthier said. “It means a lot. I came to this school because of Gabby Price and everything he’s done is about everyone else on this team.”
The disappointment Husson’s players may still be feeling over Saturday’s loss should be eased by the knowledge that even perennial powers like St. John Fisher had to pay their dues to get to the kind of high points like Saturday’s win.
“I think we’ve made the postseason the last four or five seasons in a row, but this is the first time I can remember in our team’s history that we’ve gone out with a win,” said Cardinals senior quarterback Tom Hammel.
“The last couple years, we’ve been in the NCAA playoffs and left with a loss to Mount Union,” Vosburgh said. “To come out of this bowl game with a win means a lot to our seniors.”
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