2014 Hamilton Continentals FOOTBALL “It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the enthusiasm, the great devotions, and spends himself in worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end of the triumph of high achievements; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knows neither defeat nor victory.”
Transcript
2014Hamilton ContinentalsFOOTBALL
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds
could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat
and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the enthusiasm, the great devotions, and spends himself in worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end of the triumph of high achievements;
and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knows neither defeat nor victory.”
“Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
vince lombardi
“I learned that if you want to make it bad enough, no matter how bad it is, you can make it.”
Gale Sayers
After a number of years coaching college football, I have learned that the success of a football sea-
son isn’t always determined by where the final win-loss record falls. Many would argue that rather than the success of a sea-son being judged by wins and losses, per-haps it should be the quality of the journey that brings a team from the 1st day of pre-season in August through the final game in November that determines the success of a football season. If success is measured by the quality of the journey, and if that quality is determined by a group of young men that displayed a great work ethic that was never less than 100 percent at any time, a group that walked their walk every single day, they never stopped playing un-til the final whistle blew, and they came to the field with an outstanding attitude that never wavered from start to finish, then this season was truly a success for this group of 75 terrific young men.
At the beginning of the season I asked our football team to buy into two concepts. First, take ownership of the program, it’s your team, be accountable to your team-mates and to yourself. Secondly, be self-less. We want to be a group of players that doesn’t care who gets the credit when things go well and we never want to be a group that points the finger when things aren’t going as we hoped. We all want to be concerned about the success of the pro-
gram more than our own personal success. The 2014 football team bought into these concepts and it fostered the family atmo-sphere that is essential to the success of any team or organization.
As a group, this year’s team displayed the following characteristics:• They gave their best effort at all times • They were fierce competitors, espe-
cially against the stiffest of the com-petition
• They played with poise• They played with class• They stayed positive with one another
and always stayed together as a familyBring these character traits with you, whether it’s on the gridiron, in the work-place, or within your family, and you will continue to experience success in all walks of life. Seniors, you started building the founda-tion of our football program that will help lead it into what will be a very promis-ing future. And I truly believe that with the effort every one of you put forth into building this foundation, you sent a mes-sage to the rest of the league that Hamilton College football is no longer a program to be taken lightly. For this we all thank you.
Yours in football,
Coach Murray
from the head coach
“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”
41 ��������������������������������Amman Weaver42������������������������������ Rory Merklinger43 ���������������������������Michael De Percin44 �����������������������������Marcus Heimann45 ������������������������������Jason Nastovski46 ������������������������������������� Cory Glover47 ���������������������������������Nicholas Gavin49 ��������������������������������������� Matt Story51 ����������������������������������� Nick Sobczyk52 ��������������������������� Nicholas Gustaitis54 �����������������������������Glenn de Marrais57 ������������������������������� Matthew Snider60�������������������������������������Adam Yecies61 ���������������������� Brendan Cunningham62 �������������������������������� Robert McClure64 �����������������������������������Alex Baradari67 ��������������������������������������Todd Roeder71 ����������������������������������� Robert Dwyer72 ������������������������������ Vincent DiCindio74 �������������������������������Dylan Berardelli75 ������������������������������Nicholas Noonan76 �������������������������������������Matt Golding77 ��������������������������������������Jeff Jenkins 78 �����������������������������������Braden Glover79 ������������������������������������ Vincent Tran80 ��������������������������������Jonathan Baker81 ���������������������������� Alexander Waugh82 ������������������������������������������Jay Barry83 �����������������������������������Daniel O’Shea84 ����������������������������������������Paul Green 86 ���������������������������������Jordan Jenkins87 ����������������������������������Michael Russo88 �������������������������������������� Joe Hillman91 ����������������������������Aristotle Zigouras92 �������������������������������� Zachary Altneu97 ��������������������������������William Gordon98 ��������������������������������������Kevin Ginns99��������������������������� Winston Schromm
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Josh Miller
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR Richard Puccio
ASSISTANT COACH Paul Adey
ASSISTANT COACH Joseph Dougherty
ASSISTANT COACH Jeff Friedman
ASSISTANT COACH Jerome Rudolph
ASSISTANT COACH Vito Sinisgalli
ASSISTANT COACH Terence Stanimer
ASSISTANT COACH Matt Wright
HEAD COACH Dave Murray
coaches
THE 2014 HAMILTON CONTINENTALS
VIDEO TECHNICIANS Ellie Kiernan and Talia Mercado
ATHLETIC TRAINERS Scott Siddon and Kara McKeag
HEAD EQUIPMENT MANAGER Dennis Murphy
Never give up, never give in, and when the upper hand is ours, may we have the ability to handle the win with the dignity that we absorbed the loss.”
doug williams
Hamilton College football has been an import-ant part of the Pitarresi family’s life for almost 50 years. The connection has provided us with
unforgettable memories and enduring friendships. Our love for the game of football itself we owe to our dad, who coached high school football in our hometown of Niagara Falls, NY. That passion fueled a desire to con-tinue playing football after our high school days, which ultimately led my older brother John, myself, and my younger brother Charlie to don Continental uniforms. John blazed the trail to Clinton, arriving on the Hill in 1966; I followed him a year later. I came to Hamilton for the great education, of course, but truthfully, the oppor-tunity to play more football with my brother was a major factor in my college choice. Charlie, a 1980 Hamilton graduate, was the third member of our family to wear the buff and blue, influenced, he admits, by the opportu-nity to follow in his older brothers’ cleat marks.
Not surprisingly, the Hamilton football gene was passed to our two sons. Without any prodding – though maybe with just a few subtle hints – both Matt, Class of 2008, and Marc, Class of 2010, chose to attend Hamilton and continue their football careers on Steuben Field. Like their dad and eldest uncle, the boys were fortunate to compete on the same Continental teams for a portion of their playing days. Those were memorable and emo-tion-filled years for their mom and dad, something all the parents in our Hamilton football family can relate to, we’re sure.
Our Pitarresi Family’s history proudly bears the deep imprint of Hamilton football. Our longstanding con-nection with the Buff and Blue is one we’re most grate-ful for. Hamilton afforded us the privilege of playing the sport we truly loved for four more years. Beyond that, Hamilton football helped us forge lifelong friendships
with teammates who shared a very special experience with us as we strove together in quest of a common goal. Ultimately, it’s the sharing and the striving togeth-er during this 2014 Hamilton football season that will become treasured parts of the personal history and the memories of each member of this year’s team. There’s no doubt for our family that the very positive experience we had playing football on The Hill (and watching our sons play) enriched our lives. Hamilton football continues to do so today by introducing us to so many great young men and their families, wonderful people who share both our affection as well as our dreams for the Buff and Blue. For that, we are especially thankful.
Go Blue!
Jerry and Marie Pitarresi
This photo includes two generations of Pitarresi that played at Hamilton. From left to right: John (1970), Charlie (1980), Matt (2008), Jerry (1971) and Mark (2010).
FROM THE TAILGATE KING AND QUEEN
The Hamilton Continentals want to thank team photographer and parent
Greg Gavin for all the photos in this book. Greg worked long and hard to find all the photos that grace the 52 pages. Also, we want to thank the continuing support of Hamilton sports information director Jim Taylor and athletics director Jon Hind. The quote on the front of the book is com-pliments of President Teddy Roosevelt, the Rough Rider calling it his “Competi-tors Creed.’’ The book was designed by sports marketing company Score Atlanta and creative director DJ Galbiati Blalock and is made possible by the parents of the football players, who are thrilled with first-year head coach Dave Murray and his coaching staff. Go Continentals!
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog!”archie griffin
“If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.”herschel walker
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
abraham lincoln
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
thomas jefferson
“Competitive sports are played mainly on a five-and-a-half inch court, the space between your ears.”
bobby jones
“Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.’’
john adams
“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”george washington
If you can’t outplay them, outwork them.”
ben hogan
“The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer.”john madden
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
michael jordan
“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.”
vince lombardi
“Sports creates a bond between contemporaries that lasts a lifetime. It also gives your life structure, discipline and a genuine, sincere,
pure fulfillment that few other areas of endeavor provide.”bob cousy
“If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?”joe namath
“What to do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.”
dean smith
“Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.”arnold palmer
“I always tell kids, you have two eyes and one mouth. Keep two open and one closed. You never learn anything if you’re the one talking.”
gordie howe
“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.’’
franklin d. roosevelt
“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”
babe ruth
Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding.”
john valvano
“Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.”
george halas
“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
wayne gretzky
“It’s not the will to win that matters — everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”
bear bryant
“For me, winning isn’t something that happens suddenly on the field when the whistle blows and the crowds roar. Winning is something that builds physically and
mentally every day that you train and every night that you dream.”emmitt smith
“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.”vince lombardi
“I’ve worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down, and I will not let myself down.”
mia hamm
Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you really can’t tell whether he won or lost, when he carries himself with pride either way.”
jim courier
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.”
tommy lasorda
“I figure practice puts your brains in your muscles.”
sam snead
“If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it.”
ronnnie lott
“If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail.”mark spitz
“Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.”
magic johnson
“Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way.”
Satchel Paige
“With self-discipline most anything is possible.”
theodore roosevelt
“The more I practice, the luckier I get.”
gary player
“All that stands between the graduate and the top of the ladder is the ladder.’’
author unknown
Jeffrey Hopsicker
John Fisher
Ian Milne
Patrick Donadio
Nicholas Ufkes
Michael De Percin
Nicholas Gavin
Glenn de Marrais
Brendan Cunningham
Vincent DiCindio
Nicholas Noonan
Zach Klein
Hamilton salutes the senior class of 2015
“Nobody roots for Goliath.”wilt chamberlain
“Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.”
john wooden
“Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you do repeatedly.”shaquille o’neal
“One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it.”knute rockne
