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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
blocked punt for a touchdown, and photos from that night
still can be seen in the window of the athletic of�ice on the
ground �loor of Pershing Building.
2. The atmosphere of 2011’s home opener against
Northwest Missouri State University, Sept. 1, 2011.
Stokes Stadium seemed like it was nearly at capacity
when the team who was ranked 3rd in the nation came
to Kirksville to play for “The Ol’ Hickory Stick” for the last
time as MIAA foes. More than 6,000 fans packed the stadium to catch a glimpse of the action, but there were even
more outside of Stokes watching the show, too. There
were people with fold-out chairs watching behind the
gate near the Health Science building, fans watching from
across Florence Street and spectators sitting in the grass
near the north and south endzones. If there was any way
to view that game, people found it. You can imagine what
a freshman stepping into his �irst collegiate home game
was thinking — “I could get used to this.”
1. Comeback win against William Penn University
during Family Night, Sept. 21, 2013.
Sports editor lists
favorite TSU memories
DEVIN GILLESPIE
Sports Editor
[email protected]
Football games are being played throughout the
GLVC today, and the ‘Dogs will kick off their 107th
season of football this Saturday in Wichita Falls, Texas.
But before I get too engulfed by the long senior season
ahead of me, I wanted to take a look at some of the moments from the last four years that have made my time
here at Truman State as a student athlete worthwhile.
If you want to share your favorite moment, or want to
know why yours didn’t make my list, feel free to shoot
me an email. Here it goes.
5. Going toe-to-toe with then-NFL prospect defensive tackle Brandon Williams as a redshirt freshman,
Nov. 3, 2012
Many athletes easily can recall an early time during
their career when it hits them that they are not the big
man on campus anymore. My dad still remembers how
Tony VanZant, the only running back in the history of
Hazelwood Central High School in St. Louis to have his
jersey number retired, juked him out of his shoes in the
1980s during a game. Mine was when the ‘Dogs took a
trip to Joplin, Missouri, to take on Missouri Southern State
University. I was aware a guy on their team was getting
NFL attention, but I was not concerned considering we
both were on defense. I soon realized who he was when
I was responsible for stopping the 300-pound prospect
from blocking a punt. I could hear my position coach
yelling to me from the sideline, “Just stay in front of him,
Devin!” I brie�ly did just that. The good news is Williams
did not block the punt, but the bad news is I really did not
block Williams. He went on to be drafted by the Baltimore
Ravens the following April, and I will get to share my favorite horror story with my kids one day, just like my dad.
4. Playing in a nationally televised game against
the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg,
Missouri, Sept. 20, 2012.
This game is my top memory because I have never been
more proud to be wearing purple and white. The William
Penn University Statesmen came to Kirksville on Family
Night with a huge chip on their shoulders. Coming from
the NAIA, the Statesmen wanted to show the country they
were able to compete with an NCAA Div. II program. I can
recall a few William Penn players taunting after a touchdown or a big play, saying, “I chose D-2,” the former nationwide motto of NCAA Division II Athletics. A sense of pride
allowed us to get back in the game from a 23-10 de�icit at
the start of the 4th quarter, and the ‘Dogs came out victorious with a 24-23 �inal score. I was proud we had not given
up on each other, and from that point on in the season, our
team chemistry blossomed overnight. Our victory song was
a loud and proud one before we left the �ield that night, and
we became a better team because of it.
Being a ‘Dog has given me memories I will cherish forever. The experiences this sport and institution have given
me since my arrival to campus Aug. 11, 2011 have been
nothing short of remarkable. I look forward to potentially
rearranging my top �ive list after this season, and I hope
you can make it to a game or two.
The experience of having a nationally televised game is
like no other. It was not the actual competition that made
it a top memory, but it was the hype and attention around
it that you do not get every Saturday. There were commercial timeouts during the game, a camera everywhere you
turned and the lights seemed to shine just a tad brighter.
The focus always is to prepare for the game itself, but
there were a few times I just looked around and said,
“This is pretty cool.”
3. Dennis Walls’ 61-yard interception touchdown return against Pittsburg (Kansas) State University, Sept. 17, 2011.
This was by far the best play I’ve ever seen as a Bulldog.
When defensive back Dennis Walls caught the interception
and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown to go up by nine
against the then-19th team in the country, it had everyone
in purple at Stokes Stadium going into a frenzy. I occasionally still watch this play when I look at old �ilm and it is
amazing to see how everyone in a Truman football uniform
got excited on the sideline as Walls ran past them. That play
was one of several that day that had Bulldog fans jumping for joy, including defensive back Richie Schumacher’s
David Lemon/ Index
Above: Bulldog players and coaches join together in
their victory song after coming back to defeat William
Penn University by a score of 24-23 Sept. 21, 2013.