TOWSON, Md. – Nowadays Tiger football players hail from all over the country, and even out of it, but in the program's early years Towson's squads were almost exclusively composed of homegrown talent.
As the Tigers prepare to celebrate their 50
th anniversary of Tiger Football, the geographical contrast noted between the 1976 roster and last year's 91-man squad is stark.
(For all information on the official weekend anniversary celebration September 28-29, 2018, and to register for all the events, go to: http://towsontigers.com/sb_output.aspx?form=48).
In 1976 coach Phil Albert took his entire team of 49 players to the Stagg Bowl. Forty-four called the Free State of Maryland home. Of that number 32 attended high school less than a 45-minute drive from the Towson campus.
Nine of the starters were out of two local schools. Nearby Calvert Hall, arguably the most popular feeder school contributing to Tiger Football over the years, sent linebacker Paul Nelson, offensive guard Ernie Paskoff, defensive tackle Donnie Redman, linebacker Don Welsh and safety Paul White. Kenwood High School, 12.1 miles from 8000 York Road, was represented by wide receiver Bill McDonald, offensive tackle Dean Prudhoe, safety John Rosson and nose guard Joe Waggoner.
The five out-of-state players were one each from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. Tailback Mike Maloney out of Rye, N.Y. had the longest drive home for the holidays of any Towson player that year.
Fast forward to 2017 when 32 players on coach
Rob Ambrose's roster (including redshirts) list Maryland as their home state but only nine could reach campus in under 45 minutes. Of the other 59, three are international players from Belgium, Norway and Canada. The rest reside coast-to-coast from 18 different states.
One of those early homegrown players was former consensus All-American tight end Skip Chase (1973-76) who recalls facing a number of his college teammates when he played against other Baltimore County schools while at Dundalk High School.
"That first year in 1973 we had a huge freshmen class," says Skip. "A lot of the guys were local and I think that made it easier to bond. We've stayed together through the years. We became very close and thanks to guys like Bobby Skalstad (1974-75) and Jimmy Holdridge (1973-76) we keep in touch on Facebook and through other social media."
It was no frills football. When they traveled the team packed into one charter bus. On the overnights the players slept four to a room. Most of Towson's road opponents were within a three hour drive, located in Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
"I'd never flown in a plane before we played in the Stagg Bowl," says Skip. That game was played in Phenix City, Ala., and represented the farthest the Tigers would travel until November 26, 1983 when they visited North Dakota State in Fargo for a NCAA Division II postseason quarterfinal matchup.
Despite the lack of amenities enjoyed by today's Tigers, the Division III Tigers could play. Even though the program was still in its infancy in the mid-seventies, the NFL was taking notice.
The Baltimore Colts caught sight of Skip who at 6-5, 240 pounds couldn't be ignored. In 1976 the Colts signed him to a free agent contract, making him the first Tiger to sign anything with a NFL franchise.
"I got down to the 60-man roster with the Colts before I was released," recalls Skip. Later he signed with Washington Redskins who cut him loose in the preseason. He was then picked up by the Los Angeles Rams.
"I had the team made as the third tight end," Skip says. "George Allen was the coach and wanted three tight ends but he got fired a week before the season started. The new guy put me on waivers."
Former Colt quarterback Bill Troup, by now with Winnipeg of the Canadian Football League, remembered Skip and mentioned him to the Bombers who were looking for a tight end. Skip was let go, however, three days before the season was to start. He got caught up in the numbers game as Winnipeg had to comply with the league rule regarding the limited number of American players it could carry.
"That was it," says Skip who ended his three-year football odyssey in pursuit of a professional career. After a stint as a field engineer he returned to school, earned a Nursing degree and for the past 23 years he has worked in the Intensive Care Unit.
Over the last 50 years former Tigers such as Sean Landeta, Stan Eisenhooth, David Meggett, Tony Vinson, Jermon Bushrod,
Terrance West and
Tye Smith have followed along a trail blazed by homegrown players like Skip Chase. Despite coming from near and far in different eras they share a common bond. They're all Tigers.
