The Thrill Of (Watching) Victory

The old saying is that a picture is worth a thousand words.

I'm not sure who gets credit for that: Wikipedia gives the nod to the ancient Chinese, although I tend to believe it was a paparazzi artist beefing up his resume years ago. In my case, however, it was the lack of pictures that led to a volume of words. A thousand? No. But certainly more than I'm used to. The weather that hit the valley on Saturday prevented me from taking photos, which in turn allowed me to write a more detailed account than normal.

See for yourself. This story, submitted from a corner table at the Starbuck's on March Lane in Stockton, is considerably longer than my usual game recap:
http://www.ucdavisaggies.com/sports/w-wpolo/recaps/033112aaa.html

First of all, it helps that the game was exciting. Pacific scored three straight in the third then UC Davis followed suit in the fourth. The two teams played to four ties. Finally, Aggie super-senior Dakotah Mohr popped in the winner on a sweet backhanded shot with eight seconds left. So I had plenty to write about no matter what.

But here's the thing: when the Aggies play at home, I'm busy keeping the official scoresheet for the game. When the team goes on the road, I'm at the mercy of the information provided from the host. Or if I'm there, I'm so busy taking photos that I miss the gory details of the game itself. In fact, there have been times when I've sat down to write my story and had to check the results to remember the score. (Yeah, those details.)

In this case, I gambled on whether or not to come down, knowing that the weather might prevent me from breaking out thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment. When I arrived, the wind and rain indeed forced me to leave the gear in the car (which, in Stockton, is a different kind of gamble). So with no camera and no scorer duties, I actually got to watch a game like most of you -- as a spectator.

Almost.

Standing behind our bench with a pad and pen, I jotted little notes of the game, in case the blow-by-blow account of the game would play into the recap. Sometimes it doesn't: if a game is quite lopsided from the start, often a player's individual statistical totals will form the lead. But if the game is close, as it was here, then the incremental moments determine the ebb and flow of the contest. These don't always show up in the official scoresheet.

For example, here are a few lines quoted verbatim from my fourth-quarter notes:

645 B7 at 1, turns & fires, cross cage (6-4)

541 Dunn stl, CA goal (6-5)

457 B6 shot, Riane SV! Feeney CA, pass from Riane (6-6)

436 Feeney stl

421 Began draws GK out, Eggert 4M lob as GK retreats (6-7), 3-0 run Aggies

326 Eggert wide left

307 PAC off. foul

254 Sutt. bar out, gets rebound, Ags TO

Later in the game, it reads like this:

108 Sutterley BIG stl @ 2M

057 PAC 5 stl entry pass

033 B7 shot SV!

008 Faber to Mohr backhand! (7-8)

000 B7 shot @buzz fell short

Most of it reads like gibberish, even to water polo enthusiasts who would understand some of the terminology coded in there. I put the score in parentheses to tell me where the actual goals were, throw in exclamation points and other editorial hints to remind me of some key non-scoring play. For example, here is a favorite from earlier in the game: 
117 Eggert draws excl., Aggie 6-on-5... Feeney off GK hands BOOM (4-4)

This stuff is just enough for me to piece together a story that provides the detail of an eyewitness account rather than of a guy reading through the official boxscore. My handwriting, normally legible, looks more like a doctor's signature -- both because I'm writing quickly and because my hands were cold. In a few cases, I have no idea what I meant by my note (e.g. "425 Sutt/Mohr/Feen trip" is now beyond decipherable).

Although I do scribble a few notes at home games, my job as official scorer takes precedence. When the team plays nearby, I go into photographer mode, which means I'm more interested in framing a moment in the lens then knowing what actually happened. But today, I had neither job and I got to watch a game.

And I've gotta say, it was pretty enjoyable. So hopefully the recap does it justice.

Mark Honbo, assistant athletics communications director, will not make the trip down to Irvine and Long Beach next weekend. So while all humanity will be stripped from those recaps, hopefully the result -- i.e. a UC Davis win -- remains.

For Those Scoring At Home...

WHAT IS AN RQS?

UC Davis women's gymnastics hosts the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships at the Pavilion Saturday night (meet time is 6 p.m., tickets are available via Tickets.com). While the Aggie student populace will have completed its examinations, the gymnasts will have one more two-hour final.

For what it's worth, the last time this meet came to the Pavilion, UC Davis posted a 194.700, taking down its first-ever MPSF title and setting a school record that still stands.

At this time of year, I inevitably get asked about an oft-quoted figure: the regional-qualifying score, or RQS for short. What it means is rather self-explanatory – it's a ranking system for qualifying teams and/or individuals to the NCAA regional meets. Steve Troester, the diehard among diehards, compiles these rankings at his website.

How it is calculated is less well-known. In fact, the math is pretty simple. Take the top six scores, with a minimum of three coming from road meets. Throw out the highest score, then average the rest.

The Aggies' RQS works out as follows:

Away #1: 194.150 (Mar. 16)
Away #2: 194.025 (Mar. 11)
Away #3: 192.900 (Feb. 24)
Away/Home #4: 193.875 (Feb. 10)
Away/Home #5: 191.600 (Mar. 2)
Away/Home #6: 191.600 (Jan. 27)

Lop off the 194.150 set at San Jose State last weekend and add up the remaining five, you get 964. Divide that by five and you get 192.800.

The same is done with an individual. Here's Katie Yamamura in the all-around:

Away #1: 39.225 (Mar. 11)
Away #2: 39.050 (Feb. 24)
Away #3: 38.725 (Jan. 6)
Away/Home #4: 39.125 (Jan. 27)
Away/Home #5: 39.125 (Feb. 10)
Away/Home #6: 38.450 (Mar. 16)

Toss the school-record 39.225, average the remaining five and you get 38.895. This is the score that has a regional berth locked up. So even though the NCAA will not announce the field officially until after all the conference championships are done, Team Yami might as well start booking flights to Sea-Tac right now.

* * * * *

AN IDEA WHOSE TIME WILL COME, LET'S HOPE SOON

After an incredibly hot start for UC Davis, the Causeway Cup standings have gotten rather interesting. The Aggies secured 35 points in the fall then added another 10 from women's basketball's home victory on December 19. But the Hornet gymnasts are enjoying one of their best seasons to date, even outscoring the Aggies during their mid-March hot streak. Sacramento State also picked up some steam in men's and women's tennis, men's basketball and softball.

It all comes down to baseball (home and home in April), men's golf (a common tournament on the Sunday after Picnic Day) and track & field (a dual at Sacramento on April 27), and it's anyone's ballgame.

Both schools are working out how to resolve the rained-out game on February 29, which is officially listed as postponed. If this contest is not rescheduled, the likely scenario will be to recalculate the softball rivalry as two games worth 2.5 points each. If the game shows up later in the season, a mighty five-thirds of a point remain up for grabs.

Although it has not come into play in the eight years of the Causeway Cup, I have opted to install a new rule into the scoring: a postseason bonus.

Under current rules, the Causeway rivalry in any given sport is worth five points. Football, volleyball and the two basketball teams contest for 10 points. If a sport squares off multiple times in a year, those points are divided by the number of matchups. This stuff is summarized in the link above, so I see no need to go any further into it.

However, I would like to see the two schools agree on adding another five points in the event of a meeting in the postseason.

Think about this for a moment.

Imagine if both UC Davis and Sacramento State were to reach an NCAA regional in softball. Or perhaps both qualify teams for the national bracket in men's soccer. Apply this to whatever your favorite sport is, and let it settle into your brain. Shouldn't the magnitude of that postseason matchup be worth extra when it comes to Causeway bragging rights?

As of this moment, there are no rules governing what happens on such an occasion. In fact, most rules are unwritten, falling under the "gentleman's agreement" between the two athletics departments. Thus, a chance meeting in the postseason could be worth nothing. Or it could simply recalculate the points per game. There is nothing on paper because it hasn't happened yet.

But again, imagine if it did. I'll use baseball as an example. For 2011-12, the two meetings are worth 2.5 each. Suppose the Aggies and Hornets split. Then they both make a regional hosted at, say, Stanford. They play each other two more times on that stage. Would we suddenly reduce each game to 1.25? Would we not count it at all? In this writer's opinion, both of those solutions seem unpalatable.

The powers that be once determined that football, volleyball and basketball should be worth extra points because of the high-profile nature of those sports. By that philosophy, I believe we should add extra points if our teams meet up in an NCAA championship. Or the NIT or WNIT, for that matter. I've written up an incredibly rough draft of rules for a postseason bonus (including stipulation for a few sport-specific situations). I hope the two schools will take some time to discuss and amend them.

It hasn't happened in the short history of the Causeway Cup, in part because UC Davis was not eligible for the postseason for the first few years. It rarely happened even when both teams were strong Division II programs (a football playoff, a few meetings at the USA Gymnastics meet, etc.) But as both programs continue to develop, it certainly could happen, and I'd like to see our Causeway Cup factor it in.

Until that happens... yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll be at that track meet on April 27. It could be a doozy.

Mark Honbo, assistant athletics communications director, still recalls the sight of Sacramento State beating his Aggies in the first round of the 1988 NCAA Division II playoffs. That he would still advocate a postseason bonus for the Causeway Cup despite this childhood memory reveals the strength of his conviction toward this idea.

Goooooooal.

The age of Facebook and social media is a wonderful thing. A current Aggie soccer player shared this about a former Aggie soccer player. And now I share it with you.



Yeah, quite a bit shorter than my usual entry. But here, the picture is worth the proverbial thousand words.

Lacrosse Alphabet Soup

Despite the name of the overall blog, this entry will actually look inside a boxscore.

With UC Davis women's lacrosse just days away from hosting Long Island in its 2012 home opener (1 p.m. at Aggie Stadium, admission is free, /plug), it's perhaps worth taking a few moments to decipher the sport's boxscore for the uninitiated fans.

For starters, women's lacrosse has shown itself to be one of the most challenging sports for which to keep stats or – more precisely – for which to keep the Automated Scorebook for Lacrosse software. To the untrained eye, it resembles soccer and field hockey due to its grass field and the cage-style goals. In reality, the game's stats more closely resemble that of basketball, only it takes place on a field larger than a football gridiron AND has 24 players on the field rather than the hardwood's ten.

As such, it catches many of my SID peers by surprise. San Diego State, which added women's lacrosse this year, wisely assigned their basketball statistician to the sport. Although the Aztec stat crew experienced a trial by fire in the opening weekend, I suspect they will become one of the better desks because of this.

Secondly, this blog entry is not intended to serve as a primer for the game's rules. I could go a thousand words on the "shooting space" and "three second" rules, and yet I fully admit I would have a hard time officiating a game. I leave that for the women and men in stripes. If you're interested on understanding some of the more esoteric rules of women's lacrosse, the US Lacrosse website has a nice HQ on the topic: http://www.uslacrosse.org/the_sport/womens_rules.phtml

No, my aim is to provide a walkthrough of the boxscore and stats, both for fans and for media members who cover the sport. After all, that's the stuff that comes from my desk. I've boldfaced the key points, but you can sift through my verbage for more detail. The true gluttons for punishment can download the NCAA Statistician's Manual.

Here is a sample of a boxscore from one of last year's games. The new version of the software looks much more stylish but this one has some detail worth pointing out. Soak it in for a moment:

GOALS (G), ASSISTS (A), POINTS (PTS)
I probably don't need to get into these. Points equals goals plus assists in lacrosse (i.e. they're given equal weight). Water polo and ice hockey do the same. Compare this to soccer, goals are worth two points while assists are one.

The assist is defined fairly similarly to basketball – it is the pass that contributes directly to a goal. I would argue it is the most subjective of stats (in both lacrosse and basketball) but it is important to note that there is no limit to the amount of time or the number of steps. If the scoring player had to make any significant effort to elude a defender (other than the goalkeeper) before scoring, this will likely wipe out the assist. The move, not the pass, is what set up the goal.

SHOTS (SH) & SHOTS ON GOAL (SOG)
This also doesn't need much explanation. A shot on goal simply means the ball went into the net or would have had it not been impeded. If you miss wide or high, or your shot hit the cage, it's not on goal. Simple as that. A team's SOG will equal its goals plus its opponent's saves.

I tend to include the SOG distinction on the boxscore but I've found it is too often confounded to be meaningful. Just as baseball/softball fans know that a pitch in the strike zone is not always better than one that missed, a shot on goal is not necessarily a "good" shot. But overall, they indicate a shooter's overall accuracy.

FREE-POSITION SHOTS (FPS)
In recent years, the official statistical term has changed to "eight-meter shots" and I expect future versions of the stat software will catch up to the lingo. For now, these still appear on stat reports as FPS and many coaches and fans continue to refer to them as such.

In oversimplified terms, the eight-meter shot is akin to the penalty shot in soccer or water polo. Sort of. The penalty shot tends to be one-on-one, shooter vs. goalkeeper, and starts from a single spot on the field. The eight-meter shot involves other defenders and may take place at one of the five hashmarks around the cage.

DRAW CONTROLS (DC)

Basketball games open with a jump ball or tip-off. Water polo games start with a sprint, in which a player from each team races toward the ball placed in the center of the course. (The short-lived XFL borrowed water polo's sprint to replace the traditional kickoff. How they avoided a fatality is beyond me.) Ice hockey and men's lacrosse have the faceoff. Women's lacrosse begins with a draw:

Once the official blows the whistle, the two players flip the ball into the air and it becomes a mad scramble by both teams to gain possession. Whoever wins control of the draw gets – you guessed it – a draw control. UC Davis led all of NCAA Division I while Hannah Mirza (shown above) set a school record in this very category.

In most sports with a goal, the scoring team concedes possession to the opponent. In soccer or water polo, the team that gave up the goal will be awarded the next possession at the center line. Sink a bucket or hit your free throws in basketball, and the ball automatically goes into the other team's hands. (In pickup games, you probably called this "loser's outs.")

But imagine if in basketball, the two teams returned to the center circle for a tip. A particularly tall player and/or one with some serious hops could give his or her team a substantial advantage. As former Aggie head coach Brendan Blakeley liked to say, "lacrosse is one of the few sports in which you can score a goal and get the ball back."

TURNOVERS (T/O) & CAUSED TURNOVERS (CT)
Did I mention before that lacrosse plays like basketball? These two categories are where the stats are the most similar. And I'll skip the ground ball for a moment, for reasons that will soon be apparent.

Most people know what a turnover is. Give up possession to the other team and you get dinged for one. Fling an errant pass out of bounds? Get the ball stripped by an opposing defender? Throw an interception? Commit an offensive foul? All turnovers.

A caused turnover is lacrosse-speak for a steal: a "positive, aggressive action" that forces your opponent to commit a turnover. Sometimes a boxscore will further break down this category into the types of caused turnovers, in order of frequency:

Stick Check (SC) - use your stick to knock the ball out of your opponent's stick such that your team gains possession, and a tally goes under the CT column for you.

Interception (INT) - slightly distinct from the definition in football, because you have to aggressively create the situation. In football, you can get an INT simply by being in the right place at the right time (see also Larry Brown, Super Bowl XXX). In lacrosse, if an opponent throws a bad pass straight at you and you catch it, you won't get a CT. But if an opponent throws a pass and you leap up or run into a passing lane to pick it off, you'll get a CT. As such, this subcategory requires the statkeeper to exercise a certain amount of judgment.

Blocked Pass (BLK) - the counterpart to the interception. Knock down a pass such that your team gains possession, and you'll get a caused turnover for it.

Drawn Charge (DCH) - I love this rule, and I wish basketball had it. If you draw a charge, you'll be awarded a CT. And chances are, you earned it.

If you've come this far, you're ready for a stat that is unique to women's lacrosse.

GROUND BALL (GB)
The ground ball has gone through both slight tweaks and outright overhauls in the past 13 years. Ultimately, it comes down to two simple tests: a ground ball is a a) change of possession that b) takes place during live-ball play.

As one would guess by the "change of possession" test, the majority of turnovers result in ground balls. Remember the stick check above? You knock the ball out of your opponent's stick. Think about the blocked pass, in which you got a piece of an opponent's pass. In either case, whichever member of your team picks up that ball – yourself included – earns a GB.

Now go back to the interception. If you pick off a pass, you'll get a ground ball. In fact, all INTs are also ground balls. But I poked fun at Super Bowl XXX MVP Larry Brown for his "right place, right time" picks against Neil O'Donnell. By lacrosse rules, he wouldn't get an INT but he would get a GB.

The "live-ball play" test adds another element to the ground ball. I mentioned earlier that the majority of turnovers result in ground balls. But not all of 'em. If your opponent throws an errant pass that sails out of bounds, the official will award possession to your team. But no player earns a GB because the ball went dead when it crossed the boundary line.

Another example of the live-ball test takes place when a foul resolves the change of possession. So your opponent loses the ball. You go after it and get fouled before you get there. The official awards you the ball. You won't get a GB because the possession was gained while the ball was dead. But if your stick was in contact with the ball at the time of the foul, you will get a GB because the rulemakers have decided that contact shall constitute possession.

The other instance of a ground ball takes place when a missed shot is recovered in live play, somewhat like basketball's rebound.

I'll pause for a minute to allow you to reach for some aspirin.

You shoot the ball. The ball misses and returns to play. Whoever wins that ball will earn a GB, assuming she picks it up while the ball is still live.

You shoot the ball. The ball misses and heads out of bounds. Whoever is nearest to the ball (and inbounds) will be handed the ball. She does not get a GB because the ball was dead when it crossed the boundary line.

You shoot the ball. The ball misses and heads out of bounds. But a player stops it before it can cross the boundary. She gets a GB.

Pop that asprin.

You shoot the ball. The goalie catches it. If the shot would have missed, give the goalie a ground ball but not a save. If the shot was on target and would have gone into the net, give the goalie a save but not a ground ball.

You shoot the ball. The ball hits the pipe and begins rolling toward the goal. If the goalie stops it, she gets a save but no GB. If another player stops it, that player gets a GB but not a save.

Drink some water with that aspirin. 

You shoot the ball. The goalie saves it but doesn't control it. Whoever picks up the loose ball gets a ground ball. If the goalie saves it, doesn't control it immediately, but picks up her own ball, give her the ground ball if she had to contest for it. If no one was around her, she only gets the save without the ground ball.

The good news for statkeepers: most missed shots will not have a ground ball. Shots that miss high or wide generally sail beyond the field's end line (negating any possibility of a GB). Shots that are saved usually stay in the goalkeeper's stick head. Shots that hit a post or are blocked cause a statkeeper's hair to stand on end.

CLEARS
This final category shows up on the team stats of a boxscore or season report. It measures a team's effectiveness in transitioning the ball from defense to offense.

As soon as your team gains possession behind the defensive restraining line (loosely similar to the blue line in ice hockey), a clear attempt begins. If you can get the ball across the opposite restraining line without turning the ball over, it's a good clear. If you cough it up along the way for any reason, it's a failed clear (or broken clear).

The NCAA complicated this a bit by factoring in situations when a yellow card forces a team to play short-handed. I'll spare you the gory details but suffice to say a team operating a player down gets a freeroll: they'll generally be credited for a good clear when successful, but they won't be charged with a failed one if they don't make it.


In the past two seasons, UC Davis has been successful on 347 of 443 clear attempts for a 78.3 percent success rate. The Aggies went a combined 21-11. In the two previous years, UC Davis made 370 of 517 clears for a 71.6 percentage, falling below 70 percent in 2009. The team had a 13-23 record in that span. Last year's NCAA runner-up Maryland cleared at 84.6 percent. Semifinalist Duke finished at 79.2 percent. (Champion Northwestern and semifinalst North Carolina did not report clearing numbers.) The three lowest-ranked teams cleared at 68.4, 71.0 and 55.6 percent.

During our weekly meetings, head coach Elaine Jones will often comment on how well the Aggies transitioned the ball when evaluating their performance from the previous weekend. Chances are, I already saw it in the boxscore.

* * * * *

I've kept stats for the Aggie basketball teams since the mid-1980s and used the StatCrew software since Doug Dull introduced it to our office in 1991. I was essentially a one-man volleyball stat crew for a JC championship and a Division III regional. The long, scrambling rallies of those tournaments create quite a challenge for a statistician. Yet in my experience, no sport is quite as nerve-wracking for an SID as women's lacrosse.

If you've read this far, you can see why.

-Mark Honbo, assistant athletics communications director, gives a huge nod to former Virginia and Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association info guru Chip Rogers. Now an assistant field hockey coach at Miami (Ohio), Rogers codified collegiate women's lacrosse stats in the late 1990s and continued to educate his industry for the next decade, raising the profile of the game like almost no other individual.

An Old Rival Returns

UC Davis began its move to Division I almost a full decade ago. UC San Diego passed an initiative in 2007 that granted its student-athletes $500 maximum grants-in-aid, allowing the school to maintain a minimum requirement for remaining in Division II. The Tritons were a Div. III program until 2000, then had run as a non-scholarship D-II until five years ago.

UC Davis women's water polo now competes in the Big West Conference, which has featured at least five Top 20 teams every year. The league will get even stronger next year when perennial Top 10 programs Hawai'i and San Diego State enter the fray. UC San Diego plays in the Western Water Polo Association, an affiliation whose membership ranges from traditional WCC programs like Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara to small Division III schools from around the state. (Note: the NCAA does not break water polo down into divisions.)

UC Davis has played UC San Diego 31 times, most recently at the UCI Invitational last weekend. The Aggies have won 20 of those matchups, including Sunday's 14-6 victory down in Newport Beach. Saturday's Aggie Shootout matchup will be meeting No. 32, and the first since 2007.

But a Div. I school facing one that barely qualified for Div. II? Big West vs. WWPA? A 20-11 series record? Why does this feel like such a heated rivalry?

Take a peek:

UC DAVIS vs. UC SAN DIEGO ALL-TIME SERIES

Feb. 15, 1997 - La Jolla (W, 3-0)
Apr. 26, 1997 - Neutral (L, 2-4)
Mar. 1, 1998 - Neutral (W, 4-3)
Apr. 25, 1998 - Neutral  (W, 2-1)
Feb. 12, 1999 - La Jolla (W, 6-2)
Feb. 27, 1999 - Neutral (L-ot, 4-5)
Apr. 11, 1999 - Neutral (W-ot, 7-5)
Apr. 9, 2000 - Neutral (L, 4-5)
Mar. 31, 2001 - Neutral (W-ot, 8-7)
Apr. 28, 2001 - La Jolla (W, 5-4)
Mar. 29, 2002 - Neutral (L, 4-6)
Apr. 7, 2002 - Davis (W, 7-4)
Apr. 27, 2002 - Neutral (L, 5-6)
Feb. 9, 2003 - La Jolla (L, 4-5)
Feb. 23, 2003 - Davis  (W, 3-1)
Apr. 5, 2003 - Neutral (W, 6-4)
Apr. 26, 2003 - Neutral (L, 5-6)
Feb. 21, 2004 - Davis (L, 6-7)
Apr. 24, 2004 - Neutral (L, 6-10)
Feb. 6, 2005 - La Jolla (W, 4-3)
Apr. 10, 2005 - Davis (W, 6-5)
Apr. 30, 2005 - Davis (W-sd, 7-6)
Feb. 26, 2006 - Neutral (L, 4-5)
Apr. 8, 2006 - Davis (W, 6-5)
Apr. 1, 2007 - Davis (W, 6-1)
Apr. 28, 2007 - Neutral (W, 7-6)
Mar. 7, 2008 - Neutral (W, 5-4)
Feb. 7, 2009 - La Jolla  (W, 10-9)
Mar. 27, 2010 - Neutral (L, 9-10)
Feb. 27, 2011 - Neutral (W, 10-9)
Feb. 26, 2012 - Neutral (W, 14-6)

Twenty of the 31 matchups were settled by a single goal (marked in gold). Four went into overtime, including the 2005 conference semifinal, which ended in sudden victory. And before you pass off the clashes as an artifact from UC Davis' WWPA days, notice that the previous five games were one-goal games. Oh, and consider also that UCSD returned six of the top eight scorers from the team that made the NCAA Championship a year ago.

Head coach Jamey Wright even downplays the recent eight-goal win (the widest margin in series history): "I think they're a much better team than that score indicated. We've never played an eight-goal game with San Diego. Last year, we beat them by one at Irvine only because [Ashley] Chandler was able to slow down that freshmen center who was killing us."

"This will be a tight game. That's my prediction."

Hard to argue with that.

-Mark Honbo, assistant director of athletics communications, will be among those who will confirm Coach Wright's prediction on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m. out at the Schaal Aquatics Center. UC San Diego will also face Pacific in neutral waters at 10 a.m. that morning.

Reflections On A Five-Year Plan

By Sean Maraz

Athletics Communications Intern

As I sit here reflecting on the past five years of my life - the best years of my life - I can’t help remembering how it all started.

Walking off the field, after losing in the Arizona State Quarterfinals in high school, I thought I might have played my last football game. My self-confidence was high since I knew I could play at the next level, but I had not landed an offer to a school that met my criteria and time was running out. I didn’t hold out a lot of hope that I would go on to play college ball.

However, I continued to work on my craft; throwing and training as if I had received that scholarship offer. December came and went with nothing more to show for my hard work and preparation. Then I received a call that turned my world up side down.  

“Hi Sean, this is Coach Biggs with UC Davis football. I would like to talk to you about playing football with us.”

I went to Davis three weeks later for my official visit where I met future coaches, friends, teammates and toured the place where I would spend the next five years of my life. After my official visit, I knew I wanted to be a part of it all; the camaraderie among the players; the history of UC Davis Football and, most importantly, to be part of the team.  

In February, as I sat signing the final documents which made me a part of it all, I told myself that my past and future efforts were not going to be in vain and that I was going to “make something of myself” at UC Davis. Thus, I created a five-year plan - a set of goals that I would accomplish in football by the end of my tenure.  Among the countless goals I created for myself, my first and most important goal was to become the starting quarterback.  So, in preparation for my first summer football camp, I focused my energy on becoming that guy - the starting quarterback. 

That first summer camp experience substantiated everything I believed about UC Davis football. I felt a level of camaraderie that I had never felt before, my coaches were great leaders and I truly felt part of a team. With this validation, I started the process of accomplishing my goals, with the “starting quarterback” goal bolded, underlined and highlighted at the top of my plan. Through my redshirt year and into spring ball, I did whatever I could to perform, impress my coaches, and learn our offense, all in an attempt to go into my second year ready to fulfill expectations.

My second season began and I competed for the starting role, losing it to sophomore Greg Denham  early in camp. Undaunted, I looked ahead, knowing there would be other opportunities down the road to earn the spot. I was therefore enthused when, toward the end of the season, I saw playing time through a "wildcat package" that was designed for me.  

That opportunity was short-lived and the harsh reality that there can only be one starting quarterback hit me hard. All of a sudden the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel seemed a great distance away and I had to adjust to the fact that my number one goal might not be achieved for some time, if at all. This realization was reinforced when I lost the battle for the backup position in my third summer camp and then tore my hamstring. My injury kept me out most of my third year and sent me to the bottom of the depth chart. Spring ball came around and I worked hard, as I always had, but couldn’t climb back up the chart. That proverbial light I had been following so diligently was virtually extinguished when I met with coaches after spring ball and was informed I would not be invited to summer camp because “the numbers” only allowed them to carry three quarterbacks through camp.

Although devastated, I kept my head up, pushed through the negativity and looked toward the future. I told myself that no matter what happened, I would not stop working towards my goal. As chance would have it, two weeks later Greg Denham retired, and I had the opportunity to try to prove myself once again at summer camp.  

As my fourth season began, I once again found myself behind two other quarterbacks: Randy Wright and Austin Heyworth.  It was at this juncture that I knew I probably would never reach my goal of being the starter. Although I would never stop competing for the job, I knew I had to alter my goals and I began looking at the big picture. After a great amount of thought, I decided on goals that were less self-centered and instead focused on goals that were in the best interest of the team. I decided that if I could not take on the role of the starting quarterback I still could make a difference in a different capacity. I chose to be the leader of the quarterback group, mentoring my younger counterparts and pushing them as hard as I pushed myself. I strove to be a player who could be used as an example as someone who never quit and did what he could do to always finish.

That season, with Coach Tim Plough’s direction, Heyworth’s’ intellect, Randy’s clutch play, freshman London Lacy's talent and my leadership, our quarterback group was more cohesive than in any previous year. We were a single unit.

When my last spring game rolled around, I played my heart out knowing that because of my position on the depth chart it could be the last time I competed on the field. Because of my new “big picture” focus, taking the field felt different this time. I played the best football I had ever played.  

When my final summer camp arrived, my early goal of being the starting quarterback had faded away but my new goals shined brightly. I entered camp as a senior leader with confidence flowing from the previous spring. In addition to it being my final camp and season, I also knew something special was looming on the horizon. Our first game was going to be in my hometown against Arizona State University. With only the slightest hope of seeing time in that game, I pushed every day to prepare and ready myself for that moment. Camp concluded and we flew to Arizona. The summer heat greeted me, as if to say, “Welcome home.”

In the moments before the game started, I looked around at my teammates in our locker room and I thought to myself, “How perfect is this, to be in my hometown playing football with my best friends.” The game was tough, but we never gave up. With time running out in the fourth quarter, Coach Plough sent me out with the offense. There were only eight seconds left. While most would think eight seconds is hardly anything, it was enough for me. I made the most out of my eight seconds, completing two passes. Afterwards, I walked over to the countless people who had come to support me: family, friends, and ex-teammates who had walked off the field with me five years ago after our state quarterfinal loss. Looking at all of these people, I was overcome with pride, knowing that all the work I had put in had all been worth it.

During the next week’s game against Montana State, Randy sustained an injury, which propelled me to the backup position, with Heyworth being the starter against the University of San Diego in our first home game. I was ecstatic to be able to be in a position where I felt I could give something to the team from a playmaking standpoint. However, my contentment was short-lived. During a live goal line practice period on the Tuesday before our Saturday game, I dove into the endzone, scoring a touchdown, but at the same time injuring my knee. For the next two weeks I walked around on crutches and was sidelined for an additional three weeks. 

Upon returning to practice, still fighting my injury, I again I found myself back in my position near the bottom of the depth chart. But, I never looked down or pitied myself. The football “gods” obviously had different plans for me. After Heyworth was injured in the USD game and Randy was back as the starter, a young London Lacy had to step up and be the backup quarterback to potentially lead the team if Randy was to get injured again. Being in London’s position several times throughout my career, and not being able to play, I turned again to helping in his development.

During our last week of practice, the seniors had an opportunity to address the team. I went first and told my teammates and coaches that, “It has truly been an honor to have played with you and to have been a part of this team.” I have never spoken truer words.

The season ended and my football career at UC Davis was over. Yet it didn’t feel that way until I returned from Christmas break. Stepping foot in Davis and feeling the wet winter air, something felt different. Then, it finally hit me - football was truly over. No more two-hour meetings, mandatory lifting four days a week, or 6 a.m. running. I began to mentally review my football career. Did I do everything I could? Yes, I truly think I did. Did I truly work as hard as I could? Yes, yes I did. But, was all that work in vain - did I accomplish my goals? That final question remained unanswered until late January at my final football banquet. 

At the banquet I sat next to my fellow seniors and my parents. The finality of my UC Davis football career filled me with nostalgia. Then, Tim Plough, my friend and teammate from my freshman year, my coach, and now friend once again, was standing at the podium about to give the Aggie Pride Award. Listening to him talk, as I had countless hours in the past through meetings and practice, brought a smile to my face. Plough announced that my teammates had voted to give me the Aggie Pride Award and explained that I symbolized Aggie Pride - the character and tradition of UC Davis football - much like Coach Biggs and Coach Sochor do. As I walked to the stage and received my award, I began to see people rise. As I turned back, the entire room was standing and clapping.

At that moment, seeing my family, friends, teammates, administration and coaches standing and applauding me, made me realize that nothing I had done had been in vain. Everything, from the numerous hardships to the amazing moments, had all been worth it. And, while I may not have followed my five-year plan to the letter, I had followed it in spirit. I found that even the best laid plans would inevitably change. It became clear that setting individual goals and having expectations for yourself is important, but that true personal success is based upon how you react to the hardships, adapt to the adversity and, in the end, persevere by doing what is best for the team.

Sean Maraz is a writing intern in the Athletics Communications Office during the WInter Quarter. His contributions to the football program during his career as a UC Davis student-athlete made him a very deserving winner of the Aggie Pride Award. The senior from Phoenix, Ariz., is majoring in Science & Technology Studies.

Dutch & The Cosmic Punch

Well, I'll be damned.

Even when I was among the youngest members of the UC Davis athletics staff, I had become something of an unofficial historian for this department. Other than the late Jim Doan, I've probably spent more time digging through the athletics archives than anyone else, whether from researching potential Hall of Famers or filling out records sections in media guides.

As much as I thought I knew, I've learned of two former Aggie football players within the last week or so.

The first is Kermit Schmidt, nicknamed "Dutch," who played for coaches Bill Driver and Crip Toomey back in the late 1920s. He was the first player to earn first-team All-Far Western Conference honors more than once (1928 and 1929). Furthermore, Schmidt was a member of the first UC Davis football team to win a FWC title: in his senior year, the old Cal Aggies went 5-0 in league play and outscored opponents by a 116-25 margin. This much is easy to find in any edition of our football media guide.

It turns out, Dutch owns another UC Davis first. He played for the Boston Braves (now known as the Washington Redskins) and the Cincinnati Reds (now defunct) in 1933 and 1934, respectively, making him the first Aggie to play in the NFL. We're talking 36 years and six U.S. Presidents before San Diego made Tom Williams the 42nd pick of the 1970 NFL draft. (Williams, however, remains the first UC Davis player to be drafted -- at least that much hasn't changed.)

The second player is less noted in Aggie lore but more decorated in his postcollegiate achievements. Lou Nova had been a star football/track athlete at Alameda High School. He enrolled at UC Davis and played tailback for one year, 1932. Nova left the University Farm for nearby Sacramento Junior College (now Sacramento City College), where he competed in track & field, football and boxing. He won the national and world amateur titles as a heavyweight fighter in 1935 then turned pro the following year.

Known as the Alameda Assassin and possessing what was dubbed as "The Cosmic Punch," Nova held a career record of 49-9-5, with 31 victories by knockout. Two of these victories came against Max Baer, the former heavyweight champion who had suffered an upset at the hands of James J. Braddock (a.k.a. Cinderella Man) in 1935. Nova beat Baer in 1939, then again by TKO in 1941 (Baer's final bout).

Footage of the 1939 bout can be seen here:

Nova, five months removed from his TKO of Baer and three months after a three-round knockout against Jim Robinson in Minneapolis, took part in perhaps his biggest opportunity on September 29, 1941: a heavyweight title bout against Joe Louis at the Polo Grounds.

Like most opponents, Nova was no match for the Brown Bomber, falling in the sixth round. A wire photo from the fight, shown above, remains one of the more popular pieces of memorabilia from the event. Nova continued to box professionally for four more years, retiring after a KO loss to another heavyweight title contender, Tami Mauriello, held at Fenway Park in May of 1945.

Though no longer in the ring, Nova never left the spotlight. He enjoyed a career as an actor for more than a quarter-century, ranging from a reunion with Baer in the "Killer's Wife" episode of The Abbott And Costello Show to a role in the all-star cast of the 1964 comedy What A Way To Go! He also appeared on Broadway in the casts of Guys And Dolls and The Happiest Millionaire during the mid-1950s.

It was only when researching a completely unrelated bit of information that I stumbled upon a late 1960s Sacramento Bee clipping buried in our storage room in Hickey Gym. Nova and Buddy Baer (Max's brother and another Joe Louis victim turned actor) were supposed to greet the Bomber at the Sacramento airport. Ever the showman, Nova wore a fruit-covered, Carmen Miranda-style hat for the meeting. He was listed as an actor, a one-time heavyweight contender and a former UC Davis footballer. Nova passed away in 1991, the year he entered the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

As I've said before, I've probably spent more time digging through the UC Davis athletics archives than anyone else alive.

This stuff is why.

Mark Honbo, athletics communications assistant director, cites BoxRec.com and the ubiquitous IMDB.com for much of the information in this entry. He can almost see his grandfather, who worked as a gardener for Buddy Baer, giving him an earnest smile for only now discovering a name so well-known to the greatest generation.