Seeing the trees

Saturday was a great college football game. Too many times we get caught up on the final score. I am guilty of that myself. All week I asked our team to believe and compete - to leave it all out there on the field. They did that. As disappointed as I am for our guys, I am proud of how hard they played. We gave up a couple of plays but played a great defensive game - the best against a Bethel team in years. Offensively we moved the ball but failed to convert in the red zone.

If not for the final score we could feel good about how we played. However, the reality is that the final score does matter and we need to continue to improve. We are off this week so my staff and I will spend a little more time on recruiting (Need to get some more playmakers!). The guys will get some time to heal up before we gear up for our next challenge. A road game in the MIAC!

GO OLES!

Ole Football

As disappointing as our lose last week was I often wonder if the players or the coaches have the tougher time letting go. Our guys responded well to the challenge. They know that Bethel will be a great test for them to see how to respond to the adversity of letting the Goat get away. What I saw from our team this week is a group of guys who were committed to each other and in having fun. The goals we set at the beginning of the year are still within our reach. This is a good football team and they need to believe that in order reach their potential. Look forward to seeing everybody "On The Hill" tomorrow!

GO OLES!

Ole Updates

Homecoming 2009 was a great success. The week was filled with a focus at practice that allowed me to know that our guys were serious about the game and not all the distractions that come with Homecoming. I'm proud of the way that our guys bounced back from the tough loss on the 19th by winning the Homecoming game. We did not play great in the first half but we came out after halftime and took over the game. The class of ‘69 was back in town and was honored at halftime - now that is a special group of men! The parents of the juniors spearheaded a huge post game gathering at one of the houses here in town - everybody had a great time.

This week is the battle for the Goatrophy. Our challenge will be for us to stay focused on us - and prepare with great effort, as we have all year, so that we can be the best we can be on Saturday. We'll remind the guys that this game is not more important that any we have played or will play this season; it is one more chance for us to get together - to family up - and enjoy and afternoon together.

PLU Wrap Up

What an awesome weekend we had in Washington. We left on Friday and the trip started out on the right note with smooth ticketing and boarding at the airport. The guys were having such a good time that the people on the plane with us started enjoying the trip a little more as well! Landed in Seattle and we went straight to Husky Stadium at the University of Washington for our Friday walk-thru (video of us sing the fight song on the “W” coming soon). That was a neat experience for all of us – even when the Huskies came out for practice and mistook us for Idaho (same colors) and upheld one of their own old traditions of barking at their opponents.

From there we checked in at our hotel and got settled in before supper. The Embassy Suites did an outstanding job of taking care of us – first class the whole weekend. We talk with our players all the time about making it the BIG TIME here at St. Olaf and we strive to do that for them every chance we get.

Saturday morning the made to order breakfast got the day started right; of course, when the defensive bus broke down 15 minutes from Sparks Stadium on the way to the game, it did give us an opportunity to rise above some adversity! After dropping the offense off, the offensive bus became the defensive bus and the D-Side was picked up and dropped off at the stadium (judging by the -76yd rushing they gave up, they were not too bothered by the travel delay).

The day belonged to the Oles – the offense dominated time of possession (41 minutes) and rushing yards (298) and that helped the defense hold PLU to 47 total offensive plays. Dominate team effort!

With the business portion of the trip concluded, we were all ready to have some fun in Seattle. After going out for supper we headed down to the waterfront and turned the 63 players loose on the town (the coaches, trainers, managers, parents and alumni also got out for some fun)! It was a great experience for everybody the natural beauty of Seattle combined with the social crowd (both U of Wash. & Wash. State played in town) made for a very fun evening.

I have to give a special thanks to all the parents and alumni who flew and drove to the game to show their support for Ole football. It never ceases to amaze me how devoted our parents and alumni are to this school and our football family. Their love for the experience that their sons are having or they themselves had shows me that we are doing things right and that we do it in a way that makes the alumni proud to be Oles.

Great memories were made this weekend and it was a wonderful stop along the journey. Now, it is on to the next stop and we will strive to “go 1-0” this week. As we turn to M.I.A.C. play, we know the competition will get tougher and the challenges will grow greater and our guys are excited to meet those challenges head on.

GO OLES!

Classes, PLU - Be An Ole!

Today was the first day of classes - vacation is officially over! Yesterday both sides of the ball did a lot of install for PLU so today should be much more spirit filled. The team is very focused and knows that this trip is about taking care of business first and then enjoying the time away together. Our guys never shy away from the hard work part of the game and that makes me proud as their Head Coach. Hope to see some Ole Alum who are from the Pacific Northwest at the game on Saturday.

GO OLES!

PLU Week

Great practice yesterday. The guys worked hard and were eager to improve from the mistakes they made during the first game of the year last week. The film sessions really help them see how much we need to get better (that is nice to be able to say after winning in such a convincing manner!). After practice, just to help the guys know that they have a long way to go yet we ran 10 - 100yd sprints - not one complaint. Today we are really going to get after them and get after PLU!

GO OLES!

Luther Week Final

Great day yesterday! Oles win 33 - 13! It is always great to win convincingly and still have so much to improve upon. We let the guys enjoy the win last night and today (their off day) but come 11:00am tomorrow; we have some serious work to get done before we get on the plane and head out to Tacoma on Friday.
It was move in day at St. Olaf on Saturday so the crowd was a little thin but all the Ole fans will have time to get their schedules worked out because we are on the road until the Sept. 26 game against Augsburg (of course, we wouldn't mind a big turn out for the Sept. 19 game at St. Thomas). For now, we will focus on PLU - theme of the week.... Go 1-0 this week.

GO OLES!

Luther Week Update

Great week of practice. Things are coming together very nicely! We do have a few things to fine tune today. Fortunately, we have meetings this morning and again before practice today. As we draw near the start of the school year I am struck with the feeling of after having had a 5 Star resort all to ourselves for two weeks other guests are now showing up.

I guess our vacation is truly coming to an end (but hey, at least we did get a pool "practice" in!)That just leaves the end of summer party at 1:00pm this Saturday - Manitou Field!

GO OLES!

Luther Week Day 1

Great Day to be an Ole! The guys gave great effort today at our first game week practice. Luther will be a good challenge for our team and we are looking forward to a good old fashioned physical football game. It was a beautiful day on the Hill - as it always is - and the Son & sun were shinning brightly.

Saturday is also move in day at St. Olaf - so we are looking forward to the new crop of Oles - joined by the returning Oles - to come cheer on the football team. As always, the Alumni Tailgate Tent will be up and running - thanks to the Touchdown Club. Saturday promises to be another great stop on the 2009 Ole Football Family journey!

GO OLES!

Great Camp - Luther Week

With mixed emotions we ended camp yesterday. Happy that our guys worked so hard through some very challenging practices. Sad that we know that our time together on a daily basis will start to get less and less as we embark on the next stage of our journey.

Tonight we start our Luther prep with our players. The coaches spent all afternoon and evening yesterday and this morning game planning. Our players will come in and watch film from yesterday's practice and then it is on to Luther! Sept. 5; 1:00pm - on "The Hill" SEE YOU THEN!

GO OLES!

Great Camp - Great Family

WOW - what a great camp so far - the guys are working so hard and I could not be more proud of them nor would I trade them for any other team! They were awesome today during the end of practice conditioning. They really showed the family spirit and did such an incredible job lifting each other up to absolutely dominate that workout! There is great excitment in the Ole-Nation!

http://www.stolaf.edu/athletics/football/video/2009-10/2009-08-20.htm

GO OLES!

Full Speed Ahead!

Yesterday was a great day -morning practice afternoon walk-through. I love the pace of this camp. Our young men have risen to the challenge I put to them. With the help of my staff, we are running a very intense two-a-days schedule. The guys are responding so well that all of Ole-nation can be proud.

GO OLES!

The Boys Are Back In Town!

Reporting Day went really well yesterday. As soon as they walked through the doors of Porter Hall you could tell that the boys worked very hard this summer. We had a great evening practice and we are about 15 minutes away from our team devotional. The rains have stopped and, as always, the Son/sun is shinning on the hill!

GO OLES!

Staff Get Together

My wife and I hosted a staff party with all the families of all the assistant coaches at our house last night. What an awesome time for our families. Wives talking and making plans to join us during 2-A-Days (which starts Saturday!), kids playing with each other and of course the coaches sharing how excited we are to have our guys back on campus. Just another example of how we live what we say - Faith, Family, Football.

GO OLES!

An Ole in the State Department

Congratulations to Sr. QB John Haberman for receiving an internship with the United States Department of State. John will be serving in the U.S. Embassy in Italy. The internship will begin sometime after Semester I finals. We will miss seeing John on campus this spring but we are very excited for him to have an opportunity to display, to the world, what an outstanding young man and leader he has shown himself to be at St. Olaf College. We know he will represent Ole-nation well!

GO OLES!

Ole Athletic Dept. Golf Outing

The staff and I had a wonderful time at Willingers Golf Club yesterday as we enjoyed the day at the St. Olaf College Athletic Department Golf Tournament. The Touchdown Club had a foursome and I was fortunate enough to be part of the team. We did ok on the scorecard (obviously, I have been so busy running the football program that my golf game is suffering!) but more importantly we enjoyed the opportunity to show how connected all the Ole athletes and coaches, past and present, were and continue to be. Great day - great cause - great people.

GO OLES!

J.J. Olszewski

Well, Ole-nation grew by one more last night. Deana and I, along with our son Jett and daughter Jersey welcomed another little girl to the family. J.J. was born at 7:22pm and weighed in at a healthy 6lbs 12oz & is 21 inches. Deana is recovering and the kids are so excited to have a little sister. Please keep us in your prayers as we bask in the blessing God has granted us.

OLES IN THE SUMMER

The coaches have taken a couple of weeks off for a summer break but we are up and running again. There are some final details of fall camp we will finish up this week. We had a great Ole Alumni Golf outing on Monday - the largest number in the history of the event. It was yet another example of how close the Ole Football Family is, past and present. Once and Ole - always an Ole. What a great day with so many great men. Looking forward to seeing them with our current guys and our recruits - future Oles - this fall.

Great being an Ole

Just spent a great morning with Coach Anderson, Head Men's Soccer Coach, and had a great discussion about faith and church life. There seem to be so many opportunities for everybody here on the hill to have these kinds of faith, intellect or philosophy discussions and exploration. I am always amazed at how St. Olaf manges to bring out the best of the student athletes, faculty and staff.

GO OLES!

Oles support Oles

Looking forward to the football staff going to show support for Ole Baseball by playing in the Baseball golf outing! 74 and sunny - what a great day to golf & spend some time with the baseball Oles!

GO OLES!

Pre-Season All-American

Congratulations to Leon Clark, SO, Rochester Century, for his selection as a Pre-Season 1st Team All-American. Leon led the M.I.A.C. in both punt & kick return yardage. For the season, Leon's totals were: 202 yds & 1 TD on 19 punt returns and 507 yds & 1 TD on 16 kick returns.

GO OLES!

Ole Updates - 5/29/2009

A lot of awesome opportunities this summer for a lot of different groups to experience the many wonderful aspects of our Football Family.

June 15 & 16: Chris Meidt Passing Camp. Washington Redskins Offensive Assistant Coach, Chris Meidt, will conduct his annual passing camp for area offensive skill position players. Any area QBs, WRs, TEs & RBs who want to work on their skill development should take a look at this camp.

June 22: Coach O's Perimeter Skills Camp. Coach Olszewski, along with the St. Olaf College Football staff, is offering this offensive & defensive skills development camp for all offensive & defensive perimeter players. This is an all day camp, two-a-days format (without the conditioning!) that will focus on helping players develop position skills to make them more effective individually on game night. This camp is a great value buy - $80 dollars for 6 hrs of instruction + lunch.

June 23: Coach O's Lineman Camp. Coach Olszewski, along with the St. Olaf College Football staff, is offering this offensive & defensive lineman skills development camp. This is an all day camp, two-a-days format (without the conditioning!) that will focus on helping players develop position specific skills to make them more effective individually on game night. This camp is also a great value buy - $80 dollars for 6 hrs of instruction + lunch.

For all our camp info - visit http://www.stolaf.edu/athletics/football/camps/2009-camps.pdf

CALLING ALL OLE FB ALUMNI: St. Olaf Alumni Golf Tournament

Here is an awesome opportunity to reconnect with the guys you played with & catch up on all the latest developments with all the Ole FB alumni. We hope to see all of you so we can make this another record turn out. Visit the Touchdown Club website to get all the details: http://www.oletouchdownclub.org/

God Bless & Go Oles

Not Twitter...but still pretty cool!

This is the spot to stay connected to St. Olaf College Football. Since the NCAA does not allow DIII to recruit like 1 & 2 we have to find ways to get it done! Updates about summer camps, alumni functions and the general day to day business of Ole Football will be posted though out the days, weeks and months to come.

GO OLES!