With 32 career wins over their four years here at RPI, this year’s senior class has much to be proud of. That total ties the school record for most victories ever by an exiting class of players. Add three postseason and two NCAA tournament appearances to that, and it is easy to see why Coach King and RPI football will miss having these guys on the field.
But more than likely this year’s seniors will miss the companionship off the field just as much as they will cherish their time together on it.
Brad Williams, Scott Gallo, Collin Adalian, Carl Harding, and Otis Williams are just a sample of the student-athletes leaving after this year, but after listening to what these five guys had to say, it’s clear that all of these seniors will miss this place.
Four years ago they came in here following a dismal 3-6 season for the Engineers. “I remember first walking in, being scared out of my mind to play college football,” Harding said. Four years later he admits that “you can see us grow in four years, because most of us look totally different than when we first came in.”
“We had a pretty close group all four years,” Gallo, a linebacker, said. “We stuck together through everything, good and bad, and it was kind of nice to end with these guys.”
“Outside of the wins and losses, just being part of a group that kept together through every loss, that was jubilant through every win, and more or less stuck together when times were hard was definitely important,” Adalian added.
The bond that formed between this close-knit group of friends came from hard work with one another and helping each other on and off the field. They all knew what their teammates were other was going through here, with tough schoolwork and intense schedules, and they made sure they had a little fun along the way.
From pranks such as “moving lockers into the bathroom,” to having a little fun with the freshmen by making them rake leaves, (“without rakes,” Gallo adds), they were “nothing else but a family.”
Harding summed up their relationship in one statement. “We hung out with each other, partied with each other, pretty much spent our four years here with each other.”
Getting back to their time on the field—they will all miss the time spent with Coach King. How much did he mean to these guys? Well, all Carl Harding said is that “he’s RPI football. Everything great that comes from RPI football, all comes through him.”
Aparently King has a knack for getting back at guys though. “He remembers every little thing. If you say something in a conversation he’s not in, and he hears it, it’ll come back in your face somehow.”
They wouldn’t even say anything bad about him when he wasn’t in the room. One of the players, wishing to remain anonymous smiled and asked, “Our names aren’t going in the paper, are they?”
Harding stated what King really meant to the team. “He’s in a bad mood, we’re all in bad moods. He’s in a good mood, we’re all having a great time.”
Brad Williams, a quarterback turned defensive back here at RPI, backed up his defensive lineman as he has many times on the field as well. “He’s like the thermostat of the program: wherever he wants to set the level at, that’s the way it goes.”
It is clear that King has a place close to all of the players, though. When asked what the football team would do if King left, Gallo said “you can replace the position, but you can’t replace coach King.”
Gallo also took the opportunity to take a shot at Union. “I was recruited by Union as well, and the first thing they’ll say is that coach King is a genuine guy, and [Union Head] Coach Audino is a car salesman.”
Union defeated RPI in the final game that these seniors played at RPI—and for most, their final game ever. “It’s tough going out the way we did,” Brad Williams admitted.
“It’s the last game you’re ever going to put pads on.” Adalian said. He admitted the torment of that loss will be with them for some time, but it will always be nice that knowing that Union could never imagine doing what RPI did in 2003, when the Engineers reached the NCAA Division-III Semi-Finals.
This year was more of a transition year for the Engineers, moving into a new offense, and losing perhaps the best quarterback in the history of RPI football. The seniors knew that this year their role would be different from what it has been in the past and that they would have to mentor some of the younger players into the system.
“It’s a transition, it’s something you assume as a veteran. Otherwise you’re not going to make any strides towards achieving your goals,” Adalian said.
The guys on the team are so close that there isn’t any rivalry between the offense and the defense. King has brought these players to this point making them believe that football is a total team game.
Harding once again made a great point. “Each of us knew we both needed each other. The offense could score as many points as they want, but we could let up a whole lot more easily.”
What happened over the last four years has drastically changed the lives of the senior members of the football team. Brad Williams said he will leave with “memories I’ll always remember. It’s been a great four years, and I’m glad I was able to play with these guys.”
“Coach taught us a lot about the game, but at the same time we were learning a lot abut life,” Adalian said.
Gallo echoed his teammate’s sentiments with, “There’s only so much you can learn in a classroom.” The guys on King’s team have learned on two fronts here at RPI, and now they are, although reluctant to leave, prepared for whatever lies ahead.
