Mayor Chris Coleman signed a resolution proclaiming Friday as “Tommie Football Day” in St. Paul in honor of the St. Thomas football team’s most successful season in program history.
A resolution signed by Coleman says the Tommies dominated the MIAC with a 10-0 record, made coach Glenn Caruso the most successful coach in school history with 57 wins and brought a 14-game winning streak going into Friday’s 40th annual Stagg Bowl.
Joe Campbell, communications director at the mayor’s office, said everyone at the mayor’s office wants the team and community to know that regardless of the game’s outcome, they are very proud of their accomplishments.
“We hope they put up a good fight against the Purple Raiders,” Campbell said. “Hopefully when they return, we’ll be able to welcome them home with a championship trophy.”
Safety Tyler Erstad said he is “honored” to have a day that celebrates his team’s success.
“We want to make our community proud,” Erstad said.
Punter Garrett Maloney said it was a “cool” thing for the city to honor the team.
“We’re all humbled and it’s unexpected,” Maloney said.
The resolution states “the residents of the City of St. Paul wish the Tommies very well in the championship game.”
While Coleman is not a St. Thomas alumnus, his late father was. Nicholas Coleman graduated in 1949 and won the Tommie Award. He went on to be an advertising executive and majority leader in the Minnesota Senate.
Margaret Cahill, director of Campus Life, said she enjoys seeing the unity on campus with the athletic success.
“I’m thinking back to when the volleyball (team) won the national championship just a couple of weeks ago … you see this sense of pride from everybody,” Cahill said.
Junior Mackenzie Welch said she thinks it’s a major accomplishment for the football team.
“I think it’s really exciting because St. Thomas is only the third team to go to the Stagg Bowl besides Mount Union and Whitewater since 2003,” Welch said. “It shows all the hard work that the football team and coach Caruso have done.”
Sophomore Thomas Rausch said it puts St. Thomas in a positive light.
“We’re such a small school and they’re doing this in honor of us,” Rausch said. “Especially Glenn Caruso, who’s been such a pivotal instrument in turning that team around, and I really think it attest to his character and the character of this team.”
Senior David Webb said he thinks it’s great for the community as a whole.
“As a community, I think it shows the support of the city for St. Thomas,” Webb said. “Sometimes people will just focus on the Division I schools, so I think that this is a great way of saying, ‘hey, you guys do really good work academically, formationaly and humanly;’ that’s the football team.”