This past weekend marked my fifth pilgrimage to Florence, Alabama for the Division II Football National Championship. It’s always a bit of a whirlwind for me because I travel by car instead of flying from Pennsylvania to Alabama. It’s about a 14 hour ride and most think I’m crazy for doing it (which I do not dispute) but driving affords me the opportunity to visit many other colleges and universities along the way and take self-guided tours of their football stadiums. That’s been a hobby of mine for several years. I have to alter the route a little bit each year and sometimes venture further out of the way to find new places, but it’s always fun. A few years ago I started taking my dad with me and now the annual trip has the added significance of quality father-son time. However, that also means that I’m committed to going every year because dad would be sorely disappointed if we didn’t make the trip!

Championship weekend is something I wish every avid D2 supporter could experience at least once. Anyone that has an affinity for D2 football would have a great time in Florence. If you’re curious about what the event is like, below is a recap of my experiences from this year…

We left home Thursday morning and stayed over night in Richmond, Kentucky which is a few hours past the half way point. It was a spectacular day for sight-seeing so on the way through West Virginia, we stopped at Fairmont State and West Virignia Wesleyan. The second leg of the trip kicked off early Friday morning. We watched the sun come up over Eastern Kentucky’s Roy Kidd Stadium before taking the country roads westbound. We made a brief stop at Lindsey Wilson College to see their gorgeous new facilities, and then pressed on to Bowling Green to make a stop at Western Kentucky’s L.T. Smith Stadium. There was no sign of Bobby P. but I did pick up some season tickets for WKU basketball from the 2009-2010 season that were being discarded. I don’t think they’ll do me much good though.

We arrived in Florence early in the afternoon. I had enough time to relax for a few hours before heading over to the Marriott Shoals convention center for the Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II Hall Fame induction ceremony. The Shoals National Championship Committee (SNCC) puts on a wonderful evening at the Marriott, and anyone is welcome to attend. Tickets are $50, which includes an exceptional dinner and a unique evening of entertainment that you cannot get anywhere else.

Before the program begins, the Harlon Hill finalists and Hall of fame inductees are available to meet, take photos and sign memorabilia. A replica of the trophy is also on display if you want to take your picture with it. I got to spend a couple of minutes chatting with the three finalists and rib them about how their nerves were holding up. If you have a keen eye, you may also notice some familiar faces. Many of the national committee members are usually at the event, as well as coaches and representatives for the schools involved in the ceremony. This year I got to meet and speak with Bob Nielson of UMD and Waverly Tillar of Elizabeth City State. WSSU’s Connell Maynor was on hand briefly before taking his leave to return to his team. He chatted for several minutes with his new friend ‘Coach Mac’ from Shippensburg who was of course present in support of Zach Zulli. Perhaps the highlight of the evening for me was meeting legendary D2 coach Mel Tjeerdsma, formerly of Northwest Missouri State. Tjeerdsma is a three time national champion and a hall of famer.

After dinner, the program begins with the induction of the new Hall of Fame members. This year was very special for PSAC fans. In addition to having two of the top three finalists for the Harlon Hill, Former Kutztown and Denver Broncos great John Mobley was enshrined along with Tyrone Poole of Fort Valley State and numerous NFL franchises. I was fortunate to speak with both men and each was extremely gracious. Remember, these are players that have multiple Super Bowl championships among their career accomplishments, so to be as humble and appreciative as they were really legitimizes the hall of fame and Division II. It was an absolute pleasure to meet them and hear their acceptance speeches. Mobley got a big kick of out being presented with a Kutztown mini helmet to sign (I was definitely the only one in attendance with one of those).

Following the HOF inductions, attendees are treated to a film detailing the history of the Harlon Hill award and Harlon Hill himself. This is followed by introductions of the three finalists, including highlight reels for each. Finally, the winner is announced and the honoree makes his acceptance speech. Of course we all know that Zach Zulli was the 2012 winner and his speech was very well delivered with gratitude, pride and humility.

The Harlon Hill Ceremony is a very unique experience and if you are ever able to make it to Florence for the game, I encourage you to attend the banquet as well. If you have a genuine appreciation for Division II, you well get a lot out of it.

Saturday morning is game day, and you can feel it all around. If you stay anywhere in Florence, odds are that your hotel will be jammed with fans from both schools. This year I stayed at the Holiday Inn just a few miles from Braly Stadium and had breakfast in the hotel lobby with family members of VSU and WSSU players. I even got to chat for several minutes with coach David Dean’s mother and sister. Everyone was excited, eager, nervous and restless. This isn’t just another game day.

The streets around Braly Stadium are closed off for busses and tailgaters. Showing up early just to observe the sights and sounds is time well spent. The marching bands perform in the streets before making their way into the stadium. Students and alumni are working off nerves by indulging in their beverage of choice. The pregame ceremonies will get you jacked. Most years, the SNCC arranges for a military fly over. That did not happen this year but perhaps the weather forecast was the reason.

Then the teams line up for kickoff, and here is where I don’t have enough ability as a writer to describe what the atmosphere is like. The excitement level just explodes in those few moments between the coin toss and the kickoff. Everyone is just maxed out. The intensity kicks up several notches. Everyone is standing, cheering, howling, stomping on the aluminum bleachers..doing whatever they can think of to just be loud. Its really awesome and quite literally, hair raising.

For the second year in a row, the opening kickoff was returned for a touchdown. I was on the VSU side of the field when that happened, and the eruption was deafening. There may have been only 7,000 people there, but in that moment it seemed louder than any stadium I’ve been in. Louder than 110,000 Nittany Lion fans in Beaver Stadium. Even louder than 250,000 fans and 33 race cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which I’ve been fortunate enough to experience. Was it really that loud? No, but it sure seemed like it in the moment. That’s what a championship game of this magnitude brings out in people. It’s just that exciting and that emotional. It’s something every college football fan should experience at least once. It’s not just another game.

The game itself was not the most dramatic or entertaining that we’ve seen in recent years but it was still very competitive. I thought Winston-Salem State had the athletes to match up with Valdosta State. They just didn’t play their best football and failed to finish drives. Ultimately, VSU was the better team and a very deserving Champion. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of WSSU and if they make it back to Florence again soon, I think they’ll be better prepared and ready to execute.

When the game was over, of course the Valdosta State fans rushed the field, which is a neat thing to see (and if you’re really lucky, participate in as a fan of the winning team). Anyone can go down on the field after the game to congratulate the players of both teams. The VSU players were far beyond jubilation, as one might expect, but much to their credit a lot WSSU players stayed on the field to greet family and friends and show their appreciation for the support that carried them through a fantastic season.

As always, I found that after lingering for several minutes, I still didn’t want to leave. It’s a neat thing to be part of. In one whirlwind of a weekend, everything that makes Division II special is on display. Fans like us cannot go to the Heisman Trophy presentation. We can’t greet the finalists, shake their hands and take pictures with them. We can’t go to the championship game and meet the players, coaches and their families. We can’t go down on the field after the game to watch the trophy presentation and talk with the players (of BOTH teams). But you can do all of those things in Florence. You can really be part of the all the activities, including the game. You don’t have to be a student, fan or alumnus of either team to enjoy it and appreciate it. In fact, you might be able to enjoy it more since you won’t be a bundle of nerves!

My final thought and final message about the Championship weekend is this…every year, someone starts a discussion about the location of the championship game. There are those that feel it should be moved. Those people have no idea how much the SNCC and the town of Florence put into this event. I’m hardly an insider, but I’ve seen glimpses of enough behind the scenes things to know that the folks in Florence take this very seriously. A lot of people put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to host the championship and Harlon Hill banquet. Let’s also not forget that they created the Harlon Hill trophy and the D2 Hall of Fame. I’d be very surprised if you can find another host that will put as much into it as the SNCC does and do it was well, and as successfully as they do. After all, It's not just another game.

Until Spring Ball,

Chuck