Colgate Attendance by the Numbers
������������ By Gary Braham�� 2-1-2000
Colgate does not seem like the most promising site for aspiring professional athletes.� We're not a top athletic school, we have some good sports and teams, but they typically fail to compete with the best on a national level.� There have been several athletes however, who have risen to the level where they can and did move on to play in professional leagues.� These exceptional atheltes, have gone on to represent Colgate and hone thier talents on a professional level.
Let's start recently.� Andy McDonald was overlooked by most colleges during his recruitment period.� He ended up at Colgate, and began to improve swiftly all through his time at Colgate.� From 9 goals as a freshman, to 13, to 20, to 25 as a senior and the ECAC player of the year honor.� As the seasons end approched, several NHL teams came to visit the center from Canada.� He finally narrowed it down to the Fliers or the Mighty Ducks.� Due to the Ducks program and style, he chose to go with them.� The contract was worth nearly 2 million dollars for a 2 year deal.�� He will begin training with the team this summer, and will be at thier camp next year.� It's very likely we see him make the big team next year.
It's hard for an offensive lineman to stand out, but thats what Steve Estes did.� There are no stats that could tell you how good he is.� He is 6'6" and almost 300 pounds.� This past year, Colgate's rushing was 9th in the nation and we were 7th in scoring average.� Estes has been signed as a free agent for the Cleveland Browns.
Ryan Vena was a standout quarterback for Colgate, and one of the finest football players Colgate has ever seen.� Ryan pushed himself to the limit, and proved to be a very versitile player.� He kept himself in shape after his football career at Colgate ended, so when the Peoria Pirates of the IFL needed an emergency quarterback, he was ready to go.� Vena sat on the sidelines most of the time, as he just arrived on the team and was new to arena football.� Vena was given a quarter after a week or two, and scored his first professional touchdown.� In the end, there were too many QB's on the team, so Vena was traded off to the Erie Invaders, where he will be the teams second string QB for now.� His scrambling ability should prove to be a big asset for him.
Two other Colgate hockey alum have made thier way to professional leagues.� The first is Jed Whitchurch, one of Colgate's craftiest players, now plays for the Trenton Titans of the ECHL.� In his first year, he led the team in plus minus and was second in points.� Jed is currently thinking of going to play abroad.
The other, is Mike Harder, one of Colgate's best hockey players ever.� He originally signed on with the IHL, but soon found himself in the AHL, the league one step away from the NHL.� In his first season, he rose right to the top of the team, and helped lead the Rochester Americans to the Calder Cup finals.� Now a member of the Hartford Wolfpack, the NY Rangers AHL team, he was one of their top centers until a thumb injury set him back for part of the year.� When I talked to people about mike Harder, the first thing I heard was about what a nice guy he was.� One young fan told me that Mike talked to him like a friend, and not just a fan looking for an autograph.� He's won sportsmanship and community service awards, and was nominated as AHL man of the year.� Look for him to make the trip to the NHL some day.
Finally, a recent graduate who has become a starter in the NBA.� Adonal Foyle was a standout player at Colgate and in the Patriot League.� No one could stop him, for three years, he led the Colgate team.� He was signed by the Golden State Warriors.� He now averages about 5.5 points and rebounds per game.� In addition to that, he is 14th in the league and first on his team in blocked shots.� Foyle has just begun a successful NBA career.
I'm sure I've forgotten players, and I'm sure more will come.� Consider this a first installment of the players who readily come to mind.�� These athletes excelled at Colgate, now they get a chance to prove what they can do to a much larger sports community.� They are the pride of Colgate athletics, and have already begun to earn the respect of thier new followers.