OT:Hamilton College football/The old Rocking Chair classic

[Cuseregular]

hey board denizens, Cuse plays UNC on friday 10/31/2025, a few of us on here went and played at Hamilton a hundred or so years ago and myself and some others from back in the day (along with a board legend or two from here), we will be heading over for one of their games the day after we play UNC.

Gameday there is Saturday Nov. 1st, 2025 against Middlebury college. It's an old rival albeit a one sided affair mostly over the years with Middlebury dominating the "Old Rocking Chair Classic" started by a mentor and later friend Mac Bristol a Hamilton grad/former football player who essentially started Bristol Myers (Squibb) and started the tradition associated with this game.

76-100 - 80. Old Rocking Chair a seat worth waiting for - Hamilton College

www.hamilton.edu

He is no longer with us but the game is played on and despite it's perennial struggles Hamilton has a real shot this year. Anyway, posting to encourage anyone who loves college football to consider coming over and experiencing what small college football is all about.

It's very cool, for the lack of a better phrase is very personal and accessible, everything on a much smaller scale from tailgating/crowd, to player size now, but football wise is still intense.

So If you're bored, love football and its a pristine day consider coming over making the 45 min or so drive from the Cuse to Clinton/Utica to support and cheer on the Continentals as they try and best the panthers!

Hope to see a bunch of us from here

 

[oldpinepoint]

hey board denizens, Cuse plays UNC on friday 10/31/2025, a few of us on here went and played at Hamilton a hundred or so years ago and myself and some others from back in the day (along with a board legend or two from here), we will be heading over for one of their games the day after we play UNC.

Gameday there is Saturday Nov. 1st, 2025 against Middlebury college. It's an old rival albeit a one sided affair mostly over the years with Middlebury dominating the "Old Rocking Chair Classic" started by a mentor and later friend Mac Bristol a Hamilton grad/former football player who essentially started Bristol Myers (Squibb) and started the tradition associated with this game.

76-100 - 80. Old Rocking Chair a seat worth waiting for - Hamilton College

www.hamilton.edu

He is no longer with us but the game is played on and despite it's perennial struggles Hamilton has a real shot this year. Anyway, posting to encourage anyone who loves college football to consider coming over and experiencing what small college football is all about.

It's very cool, for the lack of a better phrase is very personal and accessible, everything on a smaller scale from tailgating/crowd, to player size now, but football wise is still intense.

So If you're bored, love football and its a pristine day consider coming over making the 45 min or so drive from the Cuse to Clinton/Utica to support and cheer on the Continentals as they try and best the panthers!

Hope to see a bunch of us from here

Is Dave Murray still the coach there?

 

[Cuseregular]

Is Dave Murray still the coach there?

yes sir, great guy. He knows a good thing when he’s got it, with very little to no pressure to win a championship, just be good enough to compete. This year other than one game so far so good. Kinda reminds me of here....

 

[orangefog]

Is Dave Murray still the coach there?

The Iron Maiden guitarist?

 

[sutomcat]

hey board denizens, Cuse plays UNC on friday 10/31/2025, a few of us on here went and played at Hamilton a hundred or so years ago and myself and some others from back in the day (along with a board legend or two from here), we will be heading over for one of their games the day after we play UNC.

Gameday there is Saturday Nov. 1st, 2025 against Middlebury college. It's an old rival albeit a one sided affair mostly over the years with Middlebury dominating the "Old Rocking Chair Classic" started by a mentor and later friend Mac Bristol a Hamilton grad/former football player who essentially started Bristol Myers (Squibb) and started the tradition associated with this game.

76-100 - 80. Old Rocking Chair a seat worth waiting for - Hamilton College

www.hamilton.edu

He is no longer with us but the game is played on and despite it's perennial struggles Hamilton has a real shot this year. Anyway, posting to encourage anyone who loves college football to consider coming over and experiencing what small college football is all about.

It's very cool, for the lack of a better phrase is very personal and accessible, everything on a smaller scale from tailgating/crowd, to player size now, but football wise is still intense.

So If you're bored, love football and its a pristine day consider coming over making the 45 min or so drive from the Cuse to Clinton/Utica to support and cheer on the Continentals as they try and best the panthers!

Hope to see a bunch of us from here

Excited for this game.

Middlebury is going down!

 

[Cuseregular]

Excited for this game.

Middlebury is going down!

They got nothing!!

 

[MadNY3]

I mean, Middlebury has owned Hamilton the past few years...but good luck!

 

[Cuseregular]

I mean, Middlebury has owned Hamilton the past few years...but good luck!

few years, more like 40 years! When we were there they killed us first 3 years including the dial a score game. What's "dial a score" you ask?

Our very old school coach had shall I say unique attitudes toward motivation and thought he'd “motivate” us with an old fashioned phone dial on the front of the scouting report packet. In the circles where the numbers were he had score predictions, all blowouts by them, one was 55-0 which was prescient.

When we were getting smoked they took all of us starters out so I was pissed especially since this dirty team ran a fake punt up 48-0. So when the punter ran up the sideline by me I "accidently" stepped out onto on the field from the sideline crushing him. Oops. I gotta get that old film as I hear it's pretty funny. Not surprisingly the coach was fired not long after this game!

Anyway, finally we beat them, senior year, our qb threw for 500 yards, I had 25 tackles, bunch of sacks, etc. and we still didn’t blow them out.

The Qb was a borderline div. 1 kid, FCS for sure, who fell between the cracks. Today little to no chance he nor players like him go undiscovered . Dude Still holds records to this day as do a few of us.

School did pretty well after that against them in the 90's too as the school invested heavily in us and the sport for a while, I mean for Gods sake they let a bunch of us public school kids in which is why we got good after 28 losing seasons in a row getting pummeled with a 3-24 record until the my last year going 7-1-1 beating the #2 nationally ranked team in the last game.

I think they're now on a similar years long losing non winning seasons streak, this since then there's too much going against the school and league to be as good as it once was.

For example $85,000 year is too expensive for most football playing kids even with aid/scholarship not called scholarships but they gave us anyway, head trauma issues turned too many "smart" kids off the sport so there's not as many "smart" kids playing, the schools too selective these days in admissions....etc.

So getting exceptional again is likely not in the cards especially as they do things differently than their peer schools, but when they're at least competitive like it's looking this year, it's still a hoot going and taking in game days.

 

[sutomcat]

I mean, Middlebury has owned Hamilton the past few years...but good luck!

Yikes. Middlebury has 28 wins in a row.

Middlebury College Football History vs Hamilton College

The official Football History vs Hamilton College

athletics.middlebury.edu

 

[Cuseregular]

Yikes. Middlebury has 28 wins in a row.

Middlebury College Football History vs Hamilton College

The official Football History vs Hamilton College

athletics.middlebury.edu

yeah tell me about it. This year looks like it's going to be a competitive game based on rosters I've seen, schedules etc. so it should be a good fun game and I'm calling the upset right now!

 

[oldpinepoint]

yes sir, great guy. He knows a good thing when he’s got it, with very little to no pressure to win a championship, just be good enough to compete. This year other than one game so far so good. Kinda reminds me of here...

He was my coach at Alfred U. Great guy and family

 

[JoeCollege]

He was my coach at Alfred U. Great guy and family

GO Saxons!!!! Was a student at the U in the Jim Moretti coaching days, when the stadium was packed and beating Ithaca was celebrated even by us geeks, dweebs, and dorks. To this day, Ray Rogers was one of the most exciting running backs I ever watched play.

 

[MadNY3]

Yikes. Middlebury has 28 wins in a row.

Middlebury College Football History vs Hamilton College

The official Football History vs Hamilton College

athletics.middlebury.edu

Holy wow.

 

[RICuse44]

Yikes. Middlebury has 28 wins in a row.

Middlebury College Football History vs Hamilton College

The official Football History vs Hamilton College

athletics.middlebury.edu

I was on the ‘98 hamtech team that got blown out by middlebury and still to this day has the biggest defeat in the series.

My senior year was ‘99. We had them. Offense was clicking. Great defensive gameplan. But then we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I felt like after that game we were just cursed. We then lost to bates to close out the season and the coaches career.

Freshman year we had them at home- that was easily the best team I was on at Hamilton. I can’t believe that loss started a winless streak that goes until now.

 

[TommyA13]

Syracuse sports in general are cursed and I’ll never be convinced otherwise

 

[Roger N]

hey board denizens, Cuse plays UNC on friday 10/31/2025, a few of us on here went and played at Hamilton a hundred or so years ago and myself and some others from back in the day (along with a board legend or two from here), we will be heading over for one of their games the day after we play UNC.

Gameday there is Saturday Nov. 1st, 2025 against Middlebury college. It's an old rival albeit a one sided affair mostly over the years with Middlebury dominating the "Old Rocking Chair Classic" started by a mentor and later friend Mac Bristol a Hamilton grad/former football player who essentially started Bristol Myers (Squibb) and started the tradition associated with this game.

76-100 - 80. Old Rocking Chair a seat worth waiting for - Hamilton College

www.hamilton.edu

He is no longer with us but the game is played on and despite it's perennial struggles Hamilton has a real shot this year. Anyway, posting to encourage anyone who loves college football to consider coming over and experiencing what small college football is all about.

It's very cool, for the lack of a better phrase is very personal and accessible, everything on a much smaller scale from tailgating/crowd, to player size now, but football wise is still intense.

So If you're bored, love football and its a pristine day consider coming over making the 45 min or so drive from the Cuse to Clinton/Utica to support and cheer on the Continentals as they try and best the panthers!

Hope to see a bunch of us from here

Do all the fans sit in an Old Rocking Chair? That might fit Cuse Regular but I don't think the students will go for it.

 

[Cuseregular]

Ok Cuse fans, friday AND saturday football for those interested! What could be better than being outside freezing your arse off for the friday Cuse game at the tailgate and then doing it again the next day with us at Hamilton. CIL get your butt up here!

No seriously just like for our game here we'll have a heated canopy tent protected from the elements to watch some fun level REAL 'college' football. PM me if interested or respond here. Tomcat, the Middlebury Panthers aint got NOTHING! Lets go...