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For those of you here in the Midwest, you may
recall that the summer of 2009 was a long, cold one and it felt like football
would never get here. 2010 proved a reversal of fortune, as this summer has
featured seemingly incessant stretches of hot and humid weather. Trips to the
lake and/or pool have been plentiful, and as a result the end of August and the
start of football season have seemingly snuck up on many of us. Unlike tax day,
that extra five pounds, a "pesky bill collector", or a gorilla that
has escaped from the zoo, football is something that none of us mind having show
up unexpectedly. With that in mind, let's get right to it!
Heading in to 2010
For those of you who haven't yet, be sure to
hit the banner link above (the one with Isaac Odim striking his best Heisman
pose) and order a copy of the D2Football.com Season Preview Magazine. I had the
honor of contributing to the publication this year, and we're pretty proud of
how it turned out. There are previews of all 153 Division II teams, and even a
special tribute to the D2 All-Decade Team.
OK, shameless plug out of the way, we're going
to keep the column pretty similar this year. Most folks responded well to things
being "preview heavy", so we'll keep that train rolling. In addition,
the Player Profiles and GLIAC Trivia will remain fixtures. I'm always open to
suggestions and fresh ideas, so if anyone out there has any of either, please
send'em along to tony.nicolette@d2football.com. This column is all about you,
the fans, so let me know what you'd like to see if we're not providing it
already.
Speaking of fans, I do have a small piece of
house-keeping to do. My last column in 2009 previewed the National Title Game
between Grand Valley and Northwest Missouri. I had a trivia question in that
column but didn't have a post after that. So, I must extend a long overdue
"congrats" to Blake (GV '05) for correctly identifying Cullen Finnerty
as the only Laker to tally more than 100 yards rushing in a National Title Game.
Way to go, Blake, and I apologize for your recognition taking so long.
Since all of the previews of each club are in
the magazine, we'll get right into looking at the first week's games. As has
been the case for the last couple of seasons, the only open/non-conference week
in the GLIAC has been Week One. Since most things are speculation at this point,
and no one has played and established trends, we'll simply give some team-based
insight for each game vs. trying to dissect strengths and weaknesses. I'll also
throw in a few things that I'll be watching closely over the next eleven-plus
weeks. We'll get back to our usual format heading into league play that starts
in Week Two.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Indianapolis at Kentucky Wesleyan
The Greyhounds will enter the Bob Bartolomeo
era by continuing their series of season-openers with Kentucky Wesleyan. Chances
are good that the "Fresh Start with Bart" will kick-off with a win, as
UIndy has dominated the last two meetings with KWC to the tune of 71-17. Rob
Doyle has recently been tabbed as the starter under center, and he tossed for
260 yards and a couple of TD's against KWC in last season's meeting. Both Doyle
and Paul Corsaro split time in 2009, and with Corsaro continuing to push for
snaps the Greyhounds appear to have some depth at quarterback. Further
bolstering UIndy's optimism is the fact that they are getting WR Tyran Fakes
back after missing all of last year with an injury.
Indianapolis led the GLIAC in total defense a
year ago, and top tacklers Mike Dum and Craig Ray are back and looking to
"continue with the stinginess". They'll face a Panther outfit (that
despite having a sizable amount of experience returning) is coming off a 2-9
campaign. This included an average margin of loss of 24 points, and a defeat at
the hands of NAIA Grand View.
Prediction: Prior to 2009, UIndy had been a
consistent mid-pack performer in the GLIAC. There were a lot of injuries and
other hiccups last year, and there's plenty of talent and optimism returning for
the 'Hounds this season. They'll get started with a win over an opponent they
have repeatedly proven to have overmatched. UIndy 38, Kentucky Wesleyan 10.
Malone at Tiffin
Tiffin University enters its third season in
the GLIAC on an unfortunate, 19-game losing skid. With a roster (and group of
starters) dominated by underclassmen, chances are that a significant increase in
victories isn't too likely this season. With that said, this many young players
gaining experience bodes well for the long range future of the program.
In the near term, key guys like sophomore
quarterback Nate Sculley and senior wide-out Trey Williams will lead the Dragons
offense. Both of these guys would benefit immensely from an improved running
game, and it goes without saying that Coach Dave Walkosky will be working on
improving on last years 65.7 yards per game average.
In the opener, Tiffin will make the roughly
two-hour drive east to Canton to take on NAIA foe Malone. One of the cooler
things about facing the Pioneers is that their home field is Fawcett Stadium at
the Pro Football Hall of Fame. MU is coming off a 3-6 campaign last year in
which they gave up 28 points or more six times.
Prediction: While Tiffin had its struggles last
year, I'd sure like to think they've got the talent to knock off an NAIA club
that couldn't win half of its games. I get accused of being a homer in these
non-league games a lot (maybe not so much this year, though) but I really don't
care. End the skid, Dragons! Tiffin 35, Malone 17.
Northern Michigan at Minnesota State
For the first time since 2003, the Wildcats
enter a football campaign having posted a winning record the season before.
Coach Bernie Anderson's turn-around efforts are starting to take shape, and the
folks in Marquette are eagerly waiting to see if Northern can take the next step
forward in 2010.
Helping lead the charge will be starting
quarterback Carter Kopach. The junior signal-caller had a solid year in 2009,
but will have to shoulder much of the load early in the season as new offensive
coordinator Chris Ostrowski gets his offense installed without last year's top
rushers or receiver. I'm interested to see how quickly this group can get things
rolling.
In addition to Kopach holding things together
on offense, the defense will have a tall order trying to repeat last year's
effort that saw the 'Cats allow only 16.1 points per game. This group is down a
couple of its leading tacklers, and will get tested in the opener against a
Maverick crew that loves to pound things on the ground. MSU was a playoff team
last year, and while they return less than half of their starters they are now a
program that has proven they can win.
Prediction: I watched Minnesota State play
Hillsdale in the playoffs last year, and the Chargers won a very physical game.
The Mavericks are a "hit you in the mouth" bunch, and feature 1,200
yard rusher Jake Aberg. How well guys like John Blessing and Matt Forward can
handle things up front will be telling and may prove the key to the Wildcats'
success with such a young (and new) offense. Northern needs to be physical in
this one, and they need to do it away from home - something they don't always do
consistently. I hate to do it, but I've got to take MSU at home. I sure do hope
that NMU proves me wrong. Minnesota State 20, Northern 16.
Lake Erie at Gannon
GLIAC newcomer Lake Erie College will travel to
western Pennsylvania to take on one of the league's most recent departures in
Gannon University. GU has found a bit more consistent success as a member of the
PSAC the last couple of seasons including posting a 6-5 mark in 2009, which is
remarkable considering they went winless just two years prior.
For The Storm, at this stage of the game, it's
about taking the good with the bad. The bad is that the program is only entering
its third year of existence and is still working on being established. The good
is that most of the current players have been on the team the entire time, so
head coach Mark McNellie will put a very experienced bunch on the field each
week. Add to that a 7-4 mark last season, and LEC is optimistic about what they
can do as they ratchet up the quality of their competition in 2010.
Junior quarterback Sean Bedeveltsky will lead
the charge for LEC, and he'll be looking to attack in both the ground and
passing games. Defensively, linebackers Gus Arbmruster and Kevin Chapman will be
pleased not to have to deal with GU's all-time leading rusher Jon Richardson,
who started his final season by ripping off 129 yards and three TD's rushing in
last year's tilt.
Prediction: Lake Erie dropped last year's
opener at Gannon in a thriller after holding a 13-point lead mid-way through the
fourth quarter. Pretty much every member of The Storm returns, and they are
heading back to the scene of the crime. I have a hunch that they will finish the
job this time around. Lake Erie 33, Gannon 28.
#11 West Texas A&M at #2 Grand Valley
A new era will begin in Allendale on the 2nd
and in many fashions. The most recent "Team of the Decade" will enter
"2K10" trying to duplicate a rate of winning seldom seen before in
college football history. They'll be doing so with a new leader as Matt Mitchell
takes over as head coach after several successful seasons on the Laker staff. As
if the changes of era and coach weren't enough, GVSU will also have to replace
its all-time leading rusher AND a three-time Harlon Hill Finalist quarterback
from last year's squad. Grand Valley's multiple-front transition will receive a
couple of big early tests as the Lakers open with perennial power West Texas
A&M, and 2009 playoff qualifier (and GV 48-game
regular-season-winning-streak-wrecker) Hillsdale in consecutive weeks.
Grand Valley won last year's opener in Canyon,
Texas. Both teams seemed a bit sluggish at various points, but the Lakers' depth
prevailed as the game progressed. The Buffaloes were certainly undermanned by
not having their best player (RB Keithon Flemming) available. His return at
mid-season ignited WTAMU's six-game win streak that closed the season. Oddly
enough, it was at roughly that same point of the year that Grand Valley lost at
Hillsdale and began their run to Florence.
While the Buffaloes are without Flemming due to
graduation, they do enter 2010 as a team whose roll to end 2009 was right up
there with the two clubs that played for the national title. QB Taylor Harris is
hopeful that the experience he and his fellow fifteen returning starters gained
a year ago will help them "return the opening-week favor" that Grand
Valley dropped on them a year ago. Strangely enough, the tables are actually
turned a bit as last year's meeting was Harris's first start. This time around,
the Lakers will be trotting out a new starting quarterback. One key difference
is that Kyle McMahon (named GV's starter about a week prior to the game) is a
senior D-1 transfer who started six games last year alone at Eastern Michigan.
Odds are that his experience should prove favorable for the Lakers, especially
with McMahon's first start coming in the much friendly confines of The Shipyard.
The battle in the trenches could be the key to
this game. WTAMU is formidable and experienced up front on both sides of the
ball. For Grand Valley, the offensive line may be the deepest and most talented
position group on the club. It's not the same story for the defensive line,
however, as a bunch that was already thin has been hampered further by
All-American end Danny Richard's season-ending injury early in camp. How well
the young Laker starters do in applying pressure to Harris and slowing down the
Buffalo ground game will be worth watching.
Prediction: With all of that said, I think one
thing that has shown to be pervasive the last few seasons is that the Lone Star
Conference defenses are often prone to giving up points in bunches. Despite
having to replace a few key cogs on offense, the Lakers have a ton of talent
ready to step into those spots. Justin Sherrod is rumored to have had a great
camp and is on the verge of a break-out season. The receiving corps is deep and
talented, but hasn't received much notice entering the fall. Combine all of that
with offensive coordinator Eric Koehler now having full control of the offense
(word has it increasing the tempo is a focus), and my hunch is that the Lakers
will surprise some folks with their explosiveness and have success in putting up
points. It won't be easy, but Mitchell and his charges open the new era with a
hard-fought victory. Grand Valley 40, West Texas A&M 28.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Ferris State at #22 Hillsdale
These two traditional rivals were not on each
others league slates this fall, so they will be getting together in a
"non-conference" capacity.
2009 could not have been more divergent for
these clubs. Hillsdale had a banner year registering a 10-win campaign. The
Chargers made their first ever NCAA Playoff trip and even notched a road playoff
win at Minnesota State. For Ferris, a string of three consecutive winning
seasons came to a screeching halt as the Bulldogs struggled through a ten-game
losing streak and one of the worst seasons in school history.
Most who follow the GLIAC feel that the rough
season Ferris had was more of a fluke than anything else. Junior quarterback Tom
Schneider is out to prove that's the case, and he'll be at the controls of the
offense being installed by new Bulldog offensive coordinator Chris Boden. There
really isn't anywhere to go but up after FSU only mustered 11.1 points per game
last year.
The Ferris defense also has some new help on
the coaching staff, as well as six new starters. They look to improve on
allowing 33 points per game last season, and will have their work cut out for
them right out of the chute against a Hillsdale bunch that posted 37 points per
contest in league play a year ago. The Chargers have All-GLIAC quarterback Troy
Weatherhead back for his senior season, as they do wide-out Andre Holmes. These
two will be the linchpins for Keith Otterbein's bunch, which is focused on
taking the next step and establishing themselves as perennial conference and
playoff contenders.
Prediction: While it's hard to see Ferris
playing as poorly as they did last year, Hillsdale has such a strong team coming
back that it's hard not to consider the Chargers a heavy favorite. Teams don't
typically have "trap" games this early in the season, so I doubt HC
will get caught looking ahead to their trip to Allendale next weekend. Hillsdale
has won four straight openers, and Weatherhead's big game helps them run the
streak to five. Hillsdale 37, Ferris 14.
Saturday, September 4
#7 California (Pa.) at #12 Saginaw Valley
Saginaw Valley raised a few eyebrows a year ago
by going to Cal and knocking off the defending SuperRegion 1 Champs to start the
season. The Cardinals were expected to do some good things, but with a new
quarterback and a new running back many thought it might take them a few games
to get things rolling. Coach Jim Collins ended up leading SV back to the
playoffs for the first time since 2005, returning them to GLIAC title contention
in the process.
This year, Cal is once again the defending
SuperRegion 1 Champ. However, with the game being at Wickes Memorial and Chuck
Dowdell well-entrenched as the starting quarterback, many might consider the
Cardinals as favorites this time around. As game time approaches, I have to
admit that I am no longer one of them.
When I set up the GLIAC pre-season rankings for
our magazine, I may have been a little more swayed by history than I should
have. There are those who expect Saginaw Valley to be nationally competitive
every year, and there's nothing wrong with that as they are a program whose
success over the last ten to fifteen years warrants such acclaim. Despite that,
my confidence in what they'll do this year has grown increasingly clouded as
fall approaches. Nearly the entire front seven of the defense has to be
replaced, as only sophomore linebacker Grant Caserta returns. An experienced
secondary returns in tact, but upon closer inspection it's a group that allowed
25 touchdown passes last year and was not always the most reliable of units. In
addition, I learned about a month ago that running back Xavier Walker and his
team-leading rushing production (and twelve TD's) from last year are no longer
on the team. All of that, combined with Dowdell's propensity to turn the ball
over, has me seriously questioning my selecting the Cardinals to finish second
in the league.
Prediction: A lot can change over the course of
a season, and there may be some serious talent that will step up for SV this
year and make my original prediction more valid than my current "gut
feeling". As for the opener, I'll have to see that talent step up to
believe it. Cal quarterback Josh Portis threw for 36 touchdowns last year, and
has 1,000-yard receiver Terrance Moore at his disposal. Add the factor of
emotion as Cal will be playing for their fallen leader in running back Windell
Brown, and I like the Vulcans to take this one at University Center. Cal 31,
Saginaw Valley 24.
Northwood at Wayne State
Another "non-conference" affair
between GLIAC members will take place at "The Jewel of the Lodge". The
Joique Bell era is now a fond memory for Wayne State, as last year's Harlon Hill
Award winner is making his case for a spot on the Buffalo Bills' roster.
Northwood also has some changes afoot, as they'll be replacing a multi-year
starter at quarterback and last year's leading rusher.
Both clubs do have some solid talent coming
back. Mickey Mohner has shown more upside than any WSU quarterback has in some
time, and he has leading receiver Troy Burrell and playmaker Ed Sanders to
target in what could be an expanded Warrior passing attack. Defensively, nine
starters are back on a unit that should display a more veteran feel, especially
behind the leadership of seniors Daunte Akra and Stan Thornton.
For Northwood, improving upon their
next-to-last in the GLIAC passing defense starts with safety Fabian Jackson.
Leading tacklers Kevin Berrien and Andrew DeWeerd also return, and will lead the
charge for a defense that was solid against the run most of the year. On
offense, the return of Quilan Mathis at wide-receiver can not be overlooked as
he was a match-up nightmare during his freshman campaign of 2008. How he does
coming off of last year's injury could be huge for the Timberwolves. Just as
huge is figuring out who will be getting him the ball. Joe Bitterman entered
camp as the favorite to start at quarterback, but Alcorn State transfer Aaron
Shavers is rumored to have possibly unseated him since that point. Both are
talented and have option roots, but Shavers ability to sling it might give him
an edge.
Prediction: While Northwood's pass defense is a
question mark, I don't know if Wayne State's passing attack has developed enough
during fall camp to truly exploit it. The Woodies managed to win against the
Warriors last year despite Joique Bell running for 314 yards and three scores,
and while there will be a new quarterback for NU their offensive philosophy
should be essentially unchanged. I'll take Northwood on the road. Northwood 28,
Wayne State 18.
Tusculum at Findlay
There's a lot to like about this Findlay club
entering 2010. Despite a rocky finish, the Oilers posted a solid 7-4 mark a year
ago and they return 16 starters from that group. They will likely be starting a
true freshman at quarterback, and signs are pointing to Zach Tate being the guy.
Regardless of who the starter is, they'll have plenty of weapons to use against
opposing defenses. Last year's GLIAC Freshman of the Year Monterae Williams will
get plenty of chances to carry the ball, as well as explosive fellow sophomore
Demetrius Trapps. Proven pass-catchers Dustin Zielaskiewicz and DeJerrian Smith
are also back, and the offense as a whole will be working behind a solid,
experienced front.
Coach Jon Wauford has traditionally hung his
hat on defense. While most of the unit is back, all of the departures were All-GLIAC
first-teamers. The likes of Knopick, Whitlow and Fields will be tough to
replace, but guys like Cornell, Sumlin and Emeaghara are all experienced,
top-flight performers and are expected to lead another solid Oiler defense.
Don't sleep on Findlay this year, folks. They
were 6-1 at one point last year and are a club that could very easily take
another step forward this year.
Prediction: Tusculum was a playoff team just
two years ago, but could only muster a 3-7 record in 2009. They have 15 starters
returning, including their three main producers on offense. With that said, they
play in a South-Atlantic Conference that isn't the meat-grinder the GLIAC is,
and they return most of a less than impressive defense that allowed 39.2 points
per game a year ago. Findlay has typically faired well in non-conference
openers, and despite TC already having a game under their belt (a win over
Charleston) prior to visiting Donnell Stadium, I still like the Oilers to handle
their business. Findlay 34, Tusculum 14.
Bloomsburg at Ashland
This match-up is starting to turn in to a nice
little season-opening rivalry after a pair of interesting, close games the last
couple of years. It looks like we'll get to see it for at least two more
seasons, so here's hoping the close games continue. Both clubs are coming off
winning seasons in 2009, but each would admit that the net result of last year
was disappointing.
For Bloomsburg, an 8-0 start and a #3 national
ranking turned in to an 8-3 finish with no league title and no playoff berth.
Ashland, on the other hand, never really got things going the way they would
have liked and stumbled through key injuries in quarterback Billy Cundiff's
final season on their way to a 6-5 mark.
Both outfits will turn the reigns of their
offenses over to new quarterbacks and for the Eagles that means a local in
Ashland-native Taylor Housewright. Housewright will have All-GLIAC wide-outs
Christian Livingston and Joe Horn to stretch defenses, and D.J. McCoy is back as
the club's main ball-carrier. Perhaps more important is the return of guard
Justin Magruder, who missed all of 2009 due to injury.
Ashland has proven to be a club that can move
the ball, but slowing folks down tends to be a bit more of a challenge. The
Eagle defense was improved last year, but still finished in the bottom portion
of the league in most statistical categories. Replacing leading tackler Marcus
Council will be a challenge, but seven starters return to try and pick up the
slack.
Prediction: I have to admit I'm not sure what
to think on this one. The Bloomsburg ground game is formidable, as was last
year's defense that allowed less than 14 points per game. Both clubs have
questions that need answering, but for some reason I like Ashland to finally
break through and win after dropping a couple of close ones to the Huskies.
Ashland 25, Bloomsburg 22.
Player Profile
We have a special player profile to get the
season started. Those of us who follow Division II have various reasons for
doing so. One reason I hear about consistently is the fact that the players
often play simply because they love doing so and see athletics as a way to
expand on their college and educative experience. The Division II mission
embodies that love with its core values of learning, sportsmanship, service,
resourcefulness, passion, and balance.
Over the summer I learned of a GLIAC player who
has taken his desire to make a difference to task, and his ability to live up to
Division II's core values every day makes him a terrific example of what a
student-athlete should be. Kevin Hershock is a senior H-Back for Hillsdale
College. I had the pleasure of spending some time with him recently, and he not
only answered our standard set of questions, but told me about an epiphany he
had about a year ago and how it has since changed his life - not to mention the
lives of others.
What is your major?
Physical Education
What's your favorite class?
Entrepreneurship
Other than home, what is your favorite place to
play in the GLIAC?
Wayne State. I have a lot of family in Detroit, and they can come and see me
play.
How about your least favorite place to play?
Tech or Northern. The road trip is brutal. You had really better like movies!
How is life on the road in the GLIAC, and how
do you pass the time on the long trips? We watch a lot of movies and play lot of
card games. It's regimented in that our schedule is set for us. At the same time
that allows us to not have to think, which makes it relaxing.
Who is the hardest hitter on your team?
I'd have to say our center, Phil Doerfler. He's rock solid, and if he lines you
up in the head you won't feel well for a few plays.
Who is the hardest hitter in the GLIAC?
I really don't know as I try not to learn anyone's names from the other teams. I
can say that it is usually the guys at middle linebacker.
How many text messages do you get/send in a
day?
Wow, SO many. I have an iPhone and I've gotten pretty good at texting fast. I
can't count the number of messages in a day, but it's a lot.
What's your favorite food?
Hungry Howie's Pizza
What's your favorite TV Show?
Prison Break
What influenced your decision to choose
Hillsdale/playing in Division II?
What swayed me to Hillsdale was the emphasis on achieving balance between
academics and athletics. Both are competitive here, and I really liked that.
What do you hope to do after graduation?
I graduate in December and have tentative plans to travel for a while. I also
have a job offer in Chicago, but mostly I hope to carry on my charity work.
Charity work? What does a soon to be
22-year-old know about charity work? Certainly, those in their early twenties
are not incapable of giving their time, talent or treasure, and I in no way mean
to imply they are not. With that said, how many of us can say that we have ever
devoted our energy to creating something from nothing - something that could
impact the lives of others - something that is about giving and not gaining -
let alone when we were a member of that youthful demographic? Well, Kevin
Hershock can.
Hershock, a senior at Hillsdale College in
Hillsdale, Michigan, was enjoying his college experience. He had the good
fortune of attending a well-respected, exclusive institution. He was even
blessed with enough talent and ability to be recruited to and earn a spot on
Hillsdale's football team. But despite all of the great things going for him, he
somehow felt like he was missing out - so much so, that as he wrote in his
journal one evening he literally began to feel panic-stricken.
"I just felt like I could be doing more
with my life", Hershock revealed during our phone conversation. "I
just could not allow any more time to pass by without actually doing something I
found meaningful."
So, Hershock spent the rest of that evening
feverishly scribbling down any idea that popped into his head. It didn't matter
how big, small, random, or crazy the thought. He left no stone unturned:
business ideas, new product concepts, stand-up comedy routines. Whatever came to
mind, whatever interested him, he wrote it down and tried to piece any of the
ideas together that might make sense.
And then, a breakthrough.
"There was no system," Hershock said.
"It just kind of hit me. I stayed up all night working on the idea to see
if it was feasible. I even called my folks at like 5:00 in the morning to see
what they thought."
After the wake-up call to the parents, and
after they undoubtedly settled into a sense of relief that the reason they were
roused from their pre-dawn slumber had nothing to do with their college kid
being in a jam, the action started - and "Be A Number" was born.
'Be A Number' sells t-shirts. They carry
several sizes, and a few different color schemes of a single design. Nothing
really exciting or unique about it - let alone worthy of a late-night epiphany,
some might surmise. Perhaps not, but simply selling shirts isn't the true goal.
Putting a shirt on someone (usually a kid) who needs it is the objective. This
is where a young man's quest to "do more" with his life turned
creative. Each shirt Kevin sells is individually numbered. And, for every shirt
sold, 'Be A Number' donates an identically numbered shirt to a child that truly
needs it.
"The shirt is a two-way gateway toward
change," Hershock explained. "It extends to the families of the buyer
AND the receiver. The message to the kid is that someone cares about them, and
that they themselves can change the world if they want to. And we will help
them.
"At the same time the buyer is reminded
that there are people out there that may have it a lot worse than they realize,
and it will hopefully drive them to help other people in other ways. We want
them they realize that they can also change the world, even if it's only by
spending a few bucks on a t-shirt. We use a t-shirt to create a silent
partnership between the buyer and a child who can really use a partner - no
matter where they are."
After working through the initial logistics of
the idea, Hershock realized it had great potential. He started to talk to
friends, family members, and fellow Hillsdale students. One student in
particular, Elizabeth Bonner, was so moved that she joined the company almost
immediately and has worked alongside Kevin ever since. Before they knew it, over
100 shirts were sold and the company has experienced consistent growth.
In just under a year 'Be A Number' has sold and
donated nearly 1,000 shirts. Remarkably, this has been accomplished with
essentially no commercial marketing. Social networking and word-of-mouth have
done most of the work thus far. It's a response that Hershock can only describe
as "overwhelming".
When asked how he determines where to donate,
he says that it really comes down to finding a situation that moves him.
"When no one knew of what I was doing, I just started looking on the web
for places that are consistently reputed to have high poverty. Other than that,
it's actually pretty random."
The first recipient of 'Be A Number's'
generosity was a Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. While poverty is
known to be pervasive in these communities, Hershock commented that "Many
people really don't know much about how bad things are there. When we did the
drop there, it was truly eye-opening."
Since then, 'Be A Number' has donated to a
conference in New Jersey for children with Pallister-Killian Syndrome (www.pkskids.net).
They have also trekked to the Dominican Republic, and trips are already
scheduled to Honduras and Haiti. On some of these trips, the group is helping to
build schools and housing for the same kids that receive the t-shirts.
While 'Be A Number' is a for-profit concern,
Hershock's business model is to take all of the profits generated and put them
back into the company. The money made is used to cover the cost of traveling to
do the T-Shirt drops, or create new products that will generate additional ideas
for giving. One idea of note is a new t-shirt design that will come from the
artistic hands of some of the children who have already been helped. Hershock
wants his company to help people on an ongoing basis. From our discussion, it's
evident that Hershock wants his company to always be creative and to last a
lifetime.
Another new idea for an upcoming project is to
work with foster care agencies, perhaps starting in Detroit. So many children
headed for foster homes are often told to "gather their things", and
are simply given a garbage bag to carry their belongings. Hershock is hoping to
provide these children with a duffle bag that contains a numbered shirt, as well
as a note that lets them know that someone cares about them.
Certainly, running a company like this could
consume every waking moment. And yet somehow, this young man manages to do so
while going to college and playing football. I asked him how he pulls off that
magic trick and he could only chuckle and reply "I'm not really sure. I
guess it's just about finding balance. Almost anyone can do more, and most folks
would admit that. From there, it's just about wanting to find that correct
balance and having enough motivation and passion about what you're working
toward to make it happen."
Just think - all of this from a panic-attack
followed by an (admittedly atypical) all-nighter. Many of us probably had that
kind of night in college when papers or projects were due. It looks like Kevin
is setting the curve for the rest of us.
www.beanumber.org
GLIAC Trivia
I may be gushing a bit, but I really think what
Kevin is doing is exceptional. The 'Be A Number' website is great, so I
encourage everyone to at least check it out and see what the shirts look like.
Visitors can also link to Facebook so they can become fans, or start following
'Be A Number' on Twitter. The feature I really like is that customers can key
their shirt number into a locator to see where their matching shirt was
delivered. It's pretty cool.
So, in lieu of a trivia question this week, I'm
challenging the fans of the GLIAC to get behind one of the young men that makes
following this league so special. The first three readers who forward me a copy
of their confirmation e-mail from a 'Be A Number' purchase will receive a copy
of the 2010 D2Football.com Preview Magazine.
I'm looking forward to hearing from a lot of
you very soon! Send your confirmation to me at tony.nicolette@d2football.com.
Good Luck!
* A special thanks to Tracy Horodsyki, who
contributed to my profile of Kevin Hershock and his company.
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