Honoring Sam Mills
|
|
What was originally supposed to be a 25th anniversary of the 1980 team which finished 8-2, second in the NJAC behind Trenton State (now College of New Jersey), became a celebration of Sam Mills the man and the football player after his untimely death at the age of 45.
Mills was aware of the 25th anniversary plans. Sam succumbed to intestinal cancer on April 18, 2005. After doctors had given him only months to live, he battled almost two years. Mills continued coaching for the Carolina Panthers, taking chemo treatments on the team’s off days.
During the halftime ceremony it rained even harder and the MSU staff did a good job of moving tents around to keep the celebrants as dry as possible. The presentation included helmets from every team Sam played on: Long Branch High School, Montclair State Indians, Philadelphia Stars, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and a silver Montclair State Indian helmet commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 1980 team.
Among the presenters were Ed Balina, a former high school teammate of Mills, and Montclair State teammates Tom Morton, Vinnie DeMarinis (also a teammate with the USFL's Philadelphia Stars), Billy Powers and Hubie Bond. The helmets, which will later be displayed in the trophy case inside Panzer Gymnasium, were donated through the assistance of Scott Fischer, a quarterback on the 1980 team and now a regional sales representative for Riddell, the helmet manufacturer.
“We were planning the 25th anniversary of the 1980 team, then with Sam’s untimely death we want to do something for him. The fact that I work for Riddell, made getting the helmets was easy,” said Fischer.
“He made an initial impact, you could tell he was something special the moment he stepped on the field. After the four years were over, I had a chance to reflect and say, 'Man, he was something special on the football field.’ He was even more special off it,” he concluded.
 Sam Mills' former teammates, Vince DeMarinis and Bart Oates, awaited the ceremony. Photo by Tom Wilson, D3football.com |
Oates and Taylor took part in the halftime ceremony along with Mills’ wife, Melanie, their children, and his 1980 Montclair State teammates and coaches.
"He was a tremendous competitor," Fred Hill told The Newark Star-Ledger. "He wanted to win as much as anyone I'd ever had and we had a lot of great ones. Sammy was just outstanding in every game he played. In four years, I never saw him get knocked off his feet once."
Because of his size, Mills didn’t attract much attention coming out of Montclair. He was cut by the Cleveland Browns in 1981 and by Toronto Argonauts in 1982.
As I was driving over, I was thinking about the first time I ever met Sam. I never really knew him and I think I met him only twice, but I couldn’t help being a fan of his from the moment I met him.
 Mills wore many hats throughout his career. Photo by Tom Wilson, D3football.com |
When I wasn’t playing football, I delivered newspapers and Vince’s family was on my route. I knew Vinnie was training for the USFL, one day I saw this smallish but obviously rock hard guy get in a car with Vinnie. They were in workout gear, and I initially thought Sam was DeMarinis’ trainer. DeMarinis was about 6-2 and about 235 pounds, while Sam was only 5-9.
I found out later that he was Vinnie’s college teammate and an All-American linebacker. I guess Sam only came around when he was in the area. I only saw him a few times. I remember wishing him luck. Mills was very nice to me and I could sense something special about him. There are just some people that you remember meeting.
I finally saw him play in the USFL as both guys made the team, but Sam was a star. He would roam behind the bigger defensive linemen and then hit the hole with a fury making the tackle. Sideline to sideline he was always around the ball. I like watching the USFL and wondered how the NFL missed Mills.
“He brought leadership, a heart that was bigger than anyone I’ve ever met before. He wasn’t just a great athlete, but a great man also. One of the best men, if not the best man I’ve ever met in my life,” DeMarinis said. “He had a very magnetic personality. Everyone rallied around him. He was soft spoken but he led by example. I love him dearly and I miss him.”
Mills played three seasons (1983-85) with the Philadelphia Stars, earning All-USFL honors three times and helped the team win two championships (1984-85). Upon the demise of the league Sam followed Stars’ head coach Jim Mora to New Orleans in 1986.
In nine seasons with the Saints, he earned for trips to the Pro Bowl (1987, 88, 91, 92), while leading the team to the playoffs four times in six years. He played his final three seasons with the Carolina Panthers, earning another trip to the Pro Bowl (1996) at the age of 37. Mills finished his career with 1,319 tackles, 20˝ sacks, 11 interceptions and four touchdowns, while starting 173 of 181 games. He led his team in tackles ten times.
Sam was a four-time All-American (1977-80). His number 51 was retired by the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers. He is a member of the Saints Wall of Fame and the Panthers Hall of Honor. Montclair State retired his college number 62. He has been inducted to the Montclair State, New Jersey and Louisiana Sports Halls of Fame. A statue of Sam in uniform stands outside Bank of America stadium where the Panthers play.
Dom Capers coached Mills as an assistant with the Stars and Saints, and as a head coach with Panthers.
“I’ll tell you this,” Dom Capers said recently in Pro Football Weekly. “I would have a tough time thinking there was a better defensive player in the USFL than Sam Mills. I say that because Sam was an undersized guy who, when you watched him play, he ran around and made every tackle. When we brought Sam down to New Orleans, I know we had all kinds of players that had been there who looked at a big linebacker in Vaughan Johnson, who had played at North Carolina State, and we had Sam come out, and they looked like Mutt and Jeff. But it didn’t take long for the players to gain respect for Sam Mills, and he went on to make something like five Pro Bowls.”
“Then I brought Sam to Carolina, and Sam was a major factor in us winning 20 games in those first two years and come one step from going to the Super Bowl. Sam, in my mind, was the best defensive player, and he still might be the best defensive player I’ve been around.”
I think it is time to rename Sprague field as Sam Mills Stadium. Harry Sprague may have been Montclair State’s first president, but he already has a library named after him. It should be named for Sam instead. I’m calling it Sam Mills Stadium going forward. Let’s hope Montclair State follows suit.
I believe Mills also belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He has the statistics. He was one of the best inside linebackers of his era. Sam should be the first true DIII football player of the modern era elected to the hall. Since 2002, he has been on the list that voters consider for induction. The HOF discourages write-in campaigns to the voters, as that can have a negative effect.
“Once someone is on the list, the only thing that matters is a person’s achievements in the game,” according to HOF spokesman Joe Horrigan.
It sounds to me like Sam’s a shoo-in, and that someday it will happen. When he gets elected I’m going to that ceremony too.
Here is some NFL video about Sam’s career http://www.nfl.com/news/story/8397302.
Playoff possibilities
Wesley remains perfect at 6-0 and looks to be heading to a showdown with Salisbury on Oct. 29 for the ACFC title.
If Engineer running back Jay Bernardo and tight end Jon Branche keep producing they’ll either be vying for a share of the league title with Union or a possible Pool C bid on Nov 12. Union 5-0 plays Hobart 5-0 on Nov 5, in a battle for first place in the Liberty League if both are still unbeaten in league play. RPI lost to Hobart in three overtimes 56-48 on Sept. 24.
The E8 is shaping up to be a battle between Alfred and Ithaca on Nov. 5.
Cortland and Rowan have each had two weeks to prepare for each other, barring any upsets the NJAC title is on the line on Oct 15. Loser contends for the Pool C.
Two-point conversion in OT puts Springfield over the top
Springfield sophomore Chris Sharpe completed five passes for 199 yards and rushed for 104 yards on 19 carries in his first career start from the quarterback position as the Pride defeated Western Connecticut State 50-49 in overtime on a rainy Friday evening at Benedum Field.
Freshman fullback Andrew Jackson had an outstanding night on the ground for the Pride (1-4), rushing for a career-best 223 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Mike Grendal caught three passes on the night from Sharpe for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
Western Connecticut (3-2) senior quarterback Joe DiMeglio threw five touchdown passes in the game, completing 32 of his 50 pass attempts for an impressive 452 yards. Sophomore wide receiver James Jordan caught eight DiMeglio passes for two touchdowns and 155 yards.
“It was a heck of a football game,” said DiMeglio in Danbury's News-Times, “especially considering the conditions. We had everything going on offense and we had it going for the entire game, not like last year, when we didn’t have a great second half. But Springfield kept it going, too. It was disappointing but there were some good things that came out of it.”
“You wish you could have won a game like that,” DiMeglio added, “but I think the positives will carry over to into the homecoming game this week (against NJAC foe New Jersey). We should be a little angry after losing a close game. We were only a first-half team last season. We’re not that way anymore.”
With the Pride up 42-35 and just 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Western had the ball on the SC 30-yard line as the Pride appeared to have the game under control. With just eight seconds left, however, DiMeglio threw a strike to junior Adamis Gonzalez for the Colonial TD to tie the game and force OT.
After a Western touchdown on the ensuing drive to make it 49-42 in overtime, Sharpe came right back with a 9-yard scramble to make the score 49-48. Coach Mike DeLong then decided to go for the two-point conversion and the win, as Sharpe once again kept the ball and sealed SC’s first victory in its 2005 campaign.
Wesley keeps rolling
Down by ten, the Wolverine faithful were scratching their heads wondering if the day’s foul weather was going wash away Wesley’s undefeated season. A missed field goal and a turn over on downs on their next two possessions did little to lift their spirits. But, like the weather in Delaware, Wesley’s fortunes turned quickly.
Wesley’s turn over on downs forced the Bobcats to start at their own 11-yard line. On the second play, Wesley’s Bryan Sorenson split the line and delivered a huge hit that forced the Bobcats’ Mike Perlozzo to fumble the ball. Chris Knight recovered the ball for Wesley on the 6-yard line. Three plays later, Chris Warrick found wideout Mike Clark on a quick slant for a 4-yard score. Chris Carlton extra point sailed wide, but the Wolverines had found the break that they needed.
“Today was a great win for out team today,” quoted a soaked Coach Drass after the game. “I can’t say enough about Bryan’s forced fumble inside the 10-yard line to give our offense a chance to get us on the board.”
Wesley made sure that their momentum carried into the second half. After the kickoff, the Wolverines marched down the field to put themselves further ahead. Chris Warrick found Marcus Lee open down the sidelines for a 25-yard score to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive. His second touchdown pass of the day, Warrick finished 22-for-37 for 241 yards, despite the auspicious beginning. Carlton’s extra point made the score 27-10.
Engineers get revenge on Saints
RPI avenged last year’s upset loss to St. Lawrence by pounding the Saints 35-13. The Engineers got three touchdown passes from Jimmy Robertson to Jon Branche and 186 yards and two touchdowns from running back Jay Bernardo to defeat St. Lawrence 35-13 in a constant downpour at ’86 Field. With the victory, Rensselaer improves to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the Liberty League. The Saints fall to 2-3 and 1-2.
Montclair survives bad weather in OT
Junior placekicker Vin Doffont kicked a 22-yard field goal and Sal Fama forced and recovered a fumble in overtime as Montclair State outlasted Kean and a persistent downpour for a 3-0 victory at Sprague Field.
In a game that featured that 13 fumbles and seven combined turnovers, the Red Hawks improved to 2-3 overall, 1-1 in the NJAC while the Cougars dropped to 2-3, 1-2 in the conference. It was Montclair State’s 27th victory in 31 career meetings with Kean, and the second straight shutout at home versus the Cougars without the benefit of an offensive touchdown. MSU recorded a 9-0 win at home in 2003.
Games of the Week
No. 4 Rowan at Cortland State, 1 p.m., Cortland, N.Y.: Rowan had to come from behind to beat Cortland 34-33 with a touchdown in the final 2 minutes, 15 seconds last year. In 2003, the Profs came from behind and won in over time at Cortland 34-31. Will the Red Dragons turn the table this year? The winner of this game will probably win the conference.
Notes
DiMeglio earns NJAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week after throwing for five touchdown passes in the Colonials' 50-49 non-conference road loss to Springfield in overtime. On the day, he was 32-of-50 for 452 yards passing. His five scoring strikes included touchdown passes of 19, 26, 20, 22 and 30 yards apiece. DiMeglio, who has thrown for 11 touchdowns in the past two weeks, currently ranks second in the NJAC in both passing yards per game (262.8) and passer efficiency rating (140.0).
Sophomore tailback Elmer Newsome rushed 36 times for a career-high 171 yards in a 21-7 Alfred win over Norwich. He has gained over 100 yards in three consecutive games.
Arcidiacono rushed for 251 yards and a touchdown to lead Union College to a 31-3 victory over WPI. Union improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Liberty League. Arcidiacono, who entered the game ranked No. 2 in rushing in NCAA Division III with an average of 199 yards per game, tied his career high set earlier this season at Rochester. He had a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and now is averaging 209.4 yards per game through five games. He has now taken the NCAA Div. III rushing lead over Maine Maritime's Don Thibodeau, who is averaging 209.0 per game in five games.
Brockport return specialist Brian Wise earned his second ACFC Special Teams Player of the Week award after having 98 return yards with a long of a 46-yard kickoff return in Saturday’s 28-14 loss to Ithaca. He also led the team with 113 yards on 26 carries and had 51 receiving yards on five catches.