Undefeatedsenior football players hope to finish strong

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table of CONTENTS

2013-14 Alumni Assoc. Board of Directors

PresidentJimmy Huddleston, ‘87

President-ElectTony LeMaster, ‘94

Past PresidentAllen Robbins, ‘90

SecretaryWheeler Conover, ‘87

Board Member EmeritusMary Doyle Johnson, ‘48Dick Koeniger, ‘67

Term Expiring 2014Bill Hardin, ‘81John P. Hollingsworth, Ph.D., ‘63Lee Kendall, ‘82Keith Pray, ‘90Chuck Sheriff, ‘63

Term Expiring 2015Willie Adkins, ‘03Amanda Farris, ‘08Duane Floro, ‘79Michael Bryant II, ‘85-’90

Term Expiring 2016Melanie Mackey Bloomer, ‘90Rebecca Singleton Ford, ‘02Maureen “Cookie” Henson, ‘74Lanola Haywood Parsons, ‘69-’72

Ex-officio MembersDr. James H. Taylor, ‘68, PresidentMs. Sue Wake, ‘70, Vice-PresidentJennifer Wake-Floyd, ‘97, DirectorPaul P. Steely, ‘49, Trustee Liaison

Graphic DesignerTimothy Wyatt, ‘14

Articles and contributions by students & staff members of The Patriot & Multimedia and Athletic Services

Patriot’s FootballThe team heads into the final games of the playoffs and the senior’s are hoping for the

most miraculous season of their lives.

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UC Football Seniors Want it all

Football is more than just a game. Football is a feeling—the quaint smell of grass on a cool fall evening, the swell of a crowd after an unbelievable play, the cama-raderie between teammates who have battled alongside one another year after year. Football is an experience, a state of mind, a journey. Above all though, football is a lifestyle. For those who decide to bear the armor of the mod-ern-day gladiator, there is no rest. When they aren’t partici-pating in grueling two-a-days or putting in long hours at the gym they’re studying film and mentally preparing for the next game. College players endure all of the above while juggling classes and homework. But college eventually comes to an end. And for the over- whelming majority of college-athletes, that end-ing coincides with an end to their football careers as well. The routines they had carefully followed for most of their lives goes with it, too. Yet, there is one redeeming factor: the senior season. “There’s nothing like it,” said University of the Cumberland head football coach John Bland, “You always want to say ‘my senior year was my best.’ You say you ‘saved your best for last.’ You’ve heard all the clichés. And it’s neat to do that with a bunch that you’ve been with for four or five years.” Essentially, this is the apex; this is what they’ve put their work in for—to go out with a bang. The Patriots’ foot-ball roster holds the names of 19 seniors, whose chances of setting off that final spark are better than ever. Currently sitting at 8-0 and ranked #2 in all the NAIA-land, UC is in the midst of one of its greatest seasons of all-time. While fans and students would like to see the team run the gamut and go undefeated, the seniors are more focused on one thing: the national championship. Running back Terrance Cobb said, “Honestly, I didn’t really come into the season with any personal goals because we’ve done a lot of things together and I’ve done a lot of things over the course of my career that I could be proud of. I just really wanted to win a national championship. That was my main goal.”

A national title is what every player plays for and every coach coaches for. There is only one national cham-pion. They get to stand on high while they gleam down across the football landscape knowing they are the best there is. UC has yet to find its place atop that mountain. In fact, they’ve yet to even have their chance to ascend its heights. If this were to be the team to make a run for the title, it would be the first time the Patriots have ever been in the championship game. However, running back D’Angelo Jordan has the ideal approach needed for rising over that slump, saying, “You take it one game at a time—not looking ahead—and you can accom-plish anything.” Maybe not a ground-breaking philosophy, but in competition whatever doesn’t amount to skill or luck is usually found in the athlete’s mindset. Success in a sport like football depends on a positive attitude and a common team mentality. This squad has the right mindset. Defensive lineman Nick Smith said, “I know everybody else on this team wants it just as bad as I do. We’re some fighters. We’ll do anything we can to get to that next step and overcome any challenges that are in front of us.” Even considering that Kentucky Christian Univer-sity and Bluefield College’s combined overall records are 3-15 for the season, the obstacles that lie ahead of them may seem daunting. Only five games stand between the Patriots and the national title game. And while the last two conference wins aren’t nec- essary to reach that summit, to be able to force opponents’ playoff runs through Williams-burg, Ky., they are vital. Win or lose, ultimately, the end of their colle-giate careers is on the horizon. Cobb summed up the senior perspective in a very notable manner, saying, “It’s a nerve-wrecking thing because you want everything to be special. You want every game you go into to be special because it’s the last time you’re going to play against that team. But I’ve been a senior before in high school, so I know the process. I know everything must come to an end. I just want it to come to a good end.” The Patriots take the field again Nov. 9 at noon against Kentucky Christian University in James H. Taylor II stadium, where UC will be honoring its senior players.

“You always want to say 'my senior season was my best.' You say you ‘saved your best for last.’” - Coach John Bland

BY TIMOTHY WYATTEditor-in-Chief

UC Football Seniors Want it all

UC Football does something great at some point

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campus NEWS

While the phrase “all great things have small beginnings” may seem like a stretch when it comes to describing University of the Cumberlands’ foray into the world of bowling, it has never been truer for head bowling coach Kevin Reigle. Manning the helm for the Patriots’ inaugural season will be anything but easy, especially with the University of Pikeville in the same conference, one of the premiere bowling schools in the entire country. Aside from that, it is Reigle’s alma mater, where he was a part of the 2004 national tournament team and later served as UPike’s wom-en’s coach during two of their national title runs. With UC’s bowling debut set for Sept. 28 at the Green River Classic in Campbellsville, Ky., Reigle is hoping to see his team come out strong. But before all those competitive juices start flowing, he took a break to sit down with me and talk about how his team is shaping up so far, some of his big and small goals for the season and even his thoughts on M. Night Shyamalan.

TW: Do you feel more pressured now that practices have started than you did last semester when you were just recruiting?KR: No, I feel less because we have a team now. [laughs] I thought there was a lot of pressure because we got started so late and I got hired so late. Because a lot of times, like with the lacrosse team, they’re bringing in a coach pretty soon and they won’t play until spring, not this one but the following spring. So, they’re going to have basically three semesters plus the summer to bring in players. You know, I had February, March, April and then the summer. I had one player sign just days before classes started.

What do you foresee being your biggest hurdle this year?I think both teams will do really well, so I believe our big-gest hurdle will be Pikeville.

Speaking of UPike, what are your thoughts on facing your alma mater? I’m excited. I think we have the potential here, certainly in a couple of years, to go by them. I think we’ll be compet-itive right off the bat. The biggest issue is that they have a team of juniors and seniors who have bowled 60 to 70 college tournaments. We have just as much talent but just not the same level of experience. We’ll make them show up to the tournaments and play well. It’ll be a pretty good rivalry because nobody else in the conference has really stepped up.

What would you say is one of your more lofty goals for this first year?Well, winning the conference would obviously be the loftiest goal and getting into the national tournament. But, I guess that’s everybody’s goal in every sport. If we can get to the title matches then anything can happen, so that’s really our goal.

Make a prediction: what do you think Patriots fans can expect out of this season?Oh, like, realistically? [laughs] I honestly believe that they can expect a second or third place finish in the regular sea-son for both teams.

If you hadn’t been a bowler, what could you see yourself doing?Probably a writer. Like, a playwright or a screenwriter, maybe. Something creative like that.

OK, then what would be your genre? If you turn on the TV, what are you watching?Oh, I love M. Night Shyamalan. I like the thriller. I like the big twist ending. “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Twilight Zone,” Rod Serling: I like that stuff. Things that challenge the viewer are great. You don’t know what’s coming but you know something’s coming, right?

BY TIMOTHY WYATTEditor-in-Chief

Out of thin air:a Q&A with

Kevin Reigle

Dear Alumni Family,

Over 125 years the Williams-burg Institute – Cumberland College – University of the Cumberlands has broadened the boundaries of the pro-grams, policies, services, admissions, enrollment, requirements, standards, mission and alumni service area. By doing so, the University today stands as a widely respected Regional University according to The Carnegie Foundation. In addition to covering our campus, this magazine promotes what we like to call “The Alumni Factor” which serves to shed light on alumni success stories. The accumulative history has allowed our constituencies to know us by varying degrees of involve-ment and understanding. These come through exposure of marketing, communications and personal ex-perience. Self-study assessment and evaluation challenge the University to know what it is not, but perhaps more importantly, what it is becoming as a result of hard work and dedication to the mission. Do you find your alumni service among the following state-ments?

We are UNIVERSITY of the CUMBERLANDS . . .

• Not Gen. Washington, but we lead

• Not Harvard, but we educate• Not Red Cross, but we provide

medical services• Not Lincoln, but we stand tall

from humble beginnings• Not Eiffel, but we build to last• Not Gandhi, but we enact social

change• Not Thorpe, but we compete in

athletics• Not Roosevelt, but we persevere• Not MacArthur or Patton, but we

provide military service• Not Mother Teresa, but we offer

compassion• Not Graham, but we minister the

Gospel• Not Mandela or MLK, Jr., but we

inspire• Not Habitat, but we build homes• Not Jobs or Gates, but we teach

technology

The sun truly never sets on our alumni working and serving around the world… How Can You Help Your Alma Mater? Whether it is through person-al experiences or lifelong friendships initiated at Cumberlands, UC wishes for you continued personal growth and lasting career success. Through this and other pub-lications, we hope within you grows a deeper understanding of the work, service and mission provided by UC around the world. Share your story with us. How will you influence The Alumni Factor? Give what you can, but please consider giving something back as you pay it forward at Cum-berlands. Thank you and may God bless you!

Sincerely,

David Bergman, ‘89Alumni DirectorAssistant to the Presidentalumni@ucumberlands.edu

alumni director COMMENTARY

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