Hillsdale Collegian Column: A Recipe for Charger Spirit

COLUMN: A Recipe for Charger Spirit
By: Dr. Anthony Swinehart, Professor of Biology, Hillsdale College

Posted: 2/28/08 HillsdaleCollegian.com

I've always said Hillsdale College is the Notre Dame of Division II athletics: small, outstanding academics, battling against universities 10 times its size, facing recruiting challenges due to its standards, but darn good at competing in athletics anyway.

One thing making Hillsdale different from Notre Dame is that Notre Dame has strong fan support at its athletic events and Hillsdale does not.

With the exception of a few academic contests, athletics is the primary "ambassador" of the college. Regardless of our personal interests, we should all rejoice when Hillsdale athletes bring home a victory. We can all take ownership of that victory as members of a collegiate family.

So what can be done to improve fan participation at athletic events? I can only speak for football and basketball, because I think, in terms of arm-chair fan: interest and numbers. These are the marquis sports, and they are the sports I know best.

I know most of the 65,000 fans in Purdue's Ross-Ade stadium on Saturdays in the fall are not serious students of the game of football. The lady sitting next to me doesn't even understand what's going on half the time, but she is having a ball nonetheless.

Why?

Because 1.) she loves her school, and 2.) the game day atmosphere is such that you don't have to be a sports analyst to enjoy the game. So what can be done to bring people to football games, for example? Here are my ideas, for what they're worth.

It all hinges largely on crowd engagement and making the atmosphere fun during time-outs, etc. Commission someone to write a fight song that is as classy and easy to sing by the masses as our Alma Mater. Surely there is a gifted music alumnus or alumna who would be happy to draft something for consideration.

Currently, we have "Charge On" for the football team. It is hideous and hard to sing. We have another fight song played at basketball games that sounds like a TV jingle, and no one knows the words. Adopt a great fight song passing out the words at the game and in the programs. Make it part of student orientation as many schools do.

Cancel the high school mercenary bands and field a small Hillsdale marching band. I'm sure there are 30 to 40 students at Hillsdale College who were members of a high school band or play an instrument. Incentives? How about one or two credit hours in the same curriculum category as social dance? I'll bet a donor would be elated to provide some uniforms in the spirit of the continental freedom fighters of the American Revolution.

Establish a routine pregame and halftime protocol with tradition, so everybody knows when the fight song will be sung, and when the band will form a block letter H on the field, etc., etc. Use cheerleaders to engage the crowd in chants and third-down support by holding signs. Get the students involved in establishing game day traditions, perhaps even some intellectual jingles and chants, or Greek chants. Encourage and market community attendance by giving free admission to anyone wearing blue and white.

Some of these ideas can be adapted to other sports, and there are many other ideas too long to list. But, this is a start. When one considers the condition of school spirit and atmosphere on game days, any improvement is a major improvement.

Hillsdale Collegian: Dash of red in works for redesign

Two months after the administration issued a style guide for Hillsdale College staff, the athletic department began discussing changes to logo, color scheme

By: Cody Ewers, Hillsdale Collegian
Posted: 2/28/08

Fueled by recent Hillsdale College marketing changes, coaches discussed new jersey colors and a revamped Charger logo this week.

Possible plans, discussed this week, could result in adding a third color, red, to the Charger blue and white, and a move to redesign the Charger's H-bolt logo.

Two months after the external affairs office created a campus wide style guide, which unifies the college's identity, discussions in the athletic department hint at the widespread impact of the trend, which could overhaul its department identity by next year.

Chris Bachelder, associate vice president of strategic marketing, said the college will take inventory of areas on campus needing standardization, such as scoreboards, publications and the football field logo. Once the guidelines are finalized, he said, they will begin revamping.

"Nothing we have done or will do changes the mission of the college," Bachelder said. "But what will change are the images and words that communicate that timeless mission."

Full Story

Wayback Machine: 1991 Scott Schulte Video

Thanks to YouTube user Hillsdale88 for all of the great video he has been posting lately. The 1980's hair was insane, almost as insane as the giant Kappa sweatshirts with the letters sewn across the stomach.

Hillsdale88 posted in 3 parts the 1992 Hillsdale College admissions video. I took this clip of HC football's all-time leading rusher Scott Schulte from it. Here is a tiny glimpse of the magic this guy brought to Muddy Waters Stadium.

Mark Nicolet's Pro Stock Continues to Rise

Hillsdale senior quarterback's stock as a pro prospect continues to rise. Draftdaddy.com now has the Charger ranked as their #3 small school QB.

3. Mark Nicolet, Hillsdale, 6'1, 220lbs, 4.73 40:

Nicolet has been a late riser after his offensive M.V.P. performance at the Cactus Bowl where he passed for 103 yards and 3 touchdowns. It was no surprise since he has been named a 2nd team All-America selection by the AP, Daktronics, and D2football.com after earning the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year award. He finished his senior campaign with 31 touchdown passes and 3,335 yards passing. The big knock on him will be his level of competition, pure quickness, and the fact that he has only been highly productive for one season. He has adequate arm strength to make the throws needed at the next level and reads defenses well. One intangible he has shown is leadership over his career. He has immensely improved each of the last two years. His late rise has moved him into the priority free agent category with an outside of chance of a 7th round selection, with a good pro day performance.

Look for a one-on-one interview with Nicolet later in the week.

Branding Study Equals New Opportunity for Hillsdale Athletics

So Hillsdale is looking closely at defining its image and branding while studying the logos used by Hillsdale's athletic teams.

Here is my take on the issue: FINALLY! THANK YOU!

Hillsdale desperately needs a new athletic logo. The upside down lightning bolt in back of the H is not only boring, it is UPSIDE DOWN! Although a simple block letter can work well like Michigan's M, this one is just confusing.



There is a ton of potential for Hillsdale College to really crank up some excitement with this study. But, there are some key issues to remember from Hillsdale's history.

What I want to see emerge is a fun, strong, highly recognizable logo. In 1999, the University of Iowa told Hamilton Community Schools here in Michigan that we could no longer use their "Tiger Hawk" as our Hawkeye logo. A community contest ensued to design the new logo and what emerged has been a huge boon for the school district. People instantly fell in love with the new Hawk and just about anything it can be printed on is still in high demand 9 years later. I have joked that you could put that hawk on a cat turd and someone would buy it.



Is a Charger a horse or a lightning bolt?
A study of other teams around the world using "Chargers" as a nickname seem to often combine both ideas into their logos. The original San Diego Chargers logo did just that.



I am no historian but what I have found is that the term "charger" often refers to trained warhorses, especially from medieval times. Many organizations use a knight on a horse. Notice the shield that reinforces this theme. San Diego also threw in the lightning bolt as an accent and that portion has since become their dominant signature nearly 50 years later but has been on the helmets since their inception.

Hillsdale's En-lightning History
In 1969 Hillsdale students voted to adopt the nickname Chargers in place of Dales. The old joke was "What's a Dale?". An important Hillsdale tradition to understand is that the lightning bolt actually preceeded the name Chargers. As early as the 1930's Hillsdale athletic teams used a blue circle with a blue and white lightning bolt extending across the name Hillsdale. This was long before helmet decals became available but in the 1960's Muddy Waters began using a jagged style bolt that was replaced by a "San Diego" style bolt in the early 80's by Dick Lowry.

Lessons Learned
In the late 1970's head coach Ron Lynch took the bolts off the helmets in favor of the Ford Mustang, also used by Southern Methodist. He also tried a script "Chargers" decal on the helmet as well. The navy blue became powder blue and red appeared as an accent color. None of the changes were embraced by alumni and many lobbied intensely to have the more historic uniforms returned. Speaking of red, Hillsdale made the color an official part of the college's scheme several years ago and appears on various letterheads. It has gained zero traction amongst athletic teams and frankly can stay in Central Hall for all I care. If it is included in a Hillsdale athletic logo, keep it minimal.

Best of Both
If Hillsdale asked me to design a logo, and I am more than willing to help, I would start by including the horse. Heck we already have the costume. Louie the Laker (GVSU), Sparky the Sun Devil (Ariz. State), Wilbur and Wilma Wildcat (AZ), and yes the equally evil Brutus Buckeye, Sparty Spartan, and Bucky Badger all inspire crowds but more importantly SELL! A mascot instead of a letter can be animated and is frankly a lot more fun. A mascot is something people want to wear. I would also though work in a lightning bolt somewhere. Here is an idea:


I do also think it is very important to keep the bolts on the helmets. But, it might be time to explore some new bolts. People look at our helmets and think "San Diego". The old ones could be referred to as "Air Force" style. Maybe somebody needs to build a better lightning bolt. Let's have people look at our helmets and only think "Hillsdale".

Whatever Hillsdale decides needs to be fun, marketable, easily recognizable, yet still maintain the great traditions of Hillsdale College.

Fighting Reagans? Uh.......no! Harner Addresses Nickname Rumors.

I received a nice email this past week from former Charger Mike Harner who now serves as Hillsdale's Chief Staff Officer. He wanted to address some rumors circulating about possible changes coming to Hillsdale's logo, color, and nickname.

The discussion reached the most unreliable of all Division II football messageboards Mlive.com's GLIAC Forum. One "contributor" jokingly guessed the Chargers were changing to the Fighting Reagans. This was followed with quips about Hillsdale being easy to stop because they always RUSH to the RIGHT. Get it? Rush....right.

Harner stated, "Over the past six months we have been reviewing the college’s brand and identity. In that process we looked at every logo, font, color, symbol, etc… associated with Hillsdale College. What we found was a disparate hodge-podge of all of the above. Some rudimentary style changes have been made. We now use minion font, our colors are blue and white, with red as the accepted accent, and we adopted a new tagline: Hillsdale College: Pursuing Truth. Defending Liberty. Since 1844. We did all of this in consultation with one of the largest ad agencies in the world."

The focus now moves to the athletic department and the hodge-podge of logos being used by various teams. "Is a Charger a lightning bolt or a horse?" Harner cites as one key consideration. He reassures us all that when changes come, they will be "minimal".

Minion to Change College Brand Identity

Minion to change college brand identity

By: Chase Purdy, Hillsdale Collegian
Posted: 1/24/08

After years of slapdash college publication design, official letters riddled with unprofessional fonts and publication department headaches, Hillsdale College is working to create a cohesive brand identity.

The change is part of unprecedented internal re-organization, including shifting design authority to the office of external affairs and installing the Minion typeface on all campus computers as the new standard for college publications.

"I basically said that we need to focus on our image and verbal efforts in a more coherent way," said Chris Bachelder, associate vice president for strategic marketing. "The font works better with the architecture of the college and the long standing college principles."

The previous typeface in the college logo was Keeple, a strong serif font without clarity the college desired, Bachelder said. The letters also lacked the symmetry found in Central Hall, the school's main symbol, he said.

With help from Leo Burnett and Company, an ad agency, outgoing publications, the school's logo and the office for external affairs received facelifts.

"You never see a blue Coke can," he said. "Color matters to people, so there has to be certain restraints to how we present our brand and logo. I'm trying to empower the graphic artists so we can have some brand recognition."

More authority in the hands of college graphic designers for outgoing literature is good news, said Art Director Angela Lashaway. External affairs will have increased say in what goes out to the public, she said, hinting about past acceptance letters written with the unprofessional Comic Sans font.

"Those are the types of things that we hope to control," she said. "The transition right now is a nightmare because we have to convert all sorts of [existing] graphics."

One new item for administrators and faculty will be a style guide outlining the perimeter of outgoing college material design, Lashaway said. One section of the style guide includes the fonts used on college documentation, including Minion.

"That is the font that the Smithsonian uses," she said. "It's a pretty face. It's clean and easy to read."

The college spent $538 to purchase a five-user Minion license for testing in external affairs, Information Technology Services and the college postal center, she said. The only snag encountered so far is that, because Minion is wider than previous fonts used, less text will fill college documents, Lashaway said.

"[Implementing Minion] is not going to be that bad at all," said Greg Harms, systems administrator for ITS. "We just have to put the files in the right location."
The college hopes to complete its move toward a cohesive brand identity by spring 2009. © Copyright 2008 The Collegian

Another Hornet Becomes a Charger

Caulkins to continue football career at Hillsdale College


RJ Walters, Sports Writer, Hillsdale Daily News
517.437.6022



In what is becoming somewhat of a trend, another Hornet will now down the blue–and–white for years to come.
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On Wednesday, Hillsdale High senior Kyle Caulkins committed to play football at Hillsdale College.

Caulkins started on the defensive and offensive lines for Hillsdale this past year and Hillsdale College head coach Keith Otterbein is excited to add the 6–foot–3, 217 pounder to the mix.

“He’s very similar to (Charger junior) Eric Weber coming out of high school and if we can get him to 240 pounds that will be a big change for him,” he said. “He plays really hard and he fits in perfectly with our guys, which is the icing on the cake for us.”

Otterbein has him slotted at defensive end and said that he will likely redshirt Caulkins, but that has yet to be finalized.

Caulkins said the idea of redshirting doesn’t bother him the least, if that’s what the coaches think is best.

“I could certainly see how it would be beneficial to me and I completely trust the coaches will do whatever is smartest in the long run and I’m just excited to be a part of the program,” he said.

Caulkins also seriously considered Michigan Tech and Butler (Ind.), but ultimately realzied he wanted to experience the Hillsdale College community.

“At first I did kind of have the attitude that I wanted to get out of Hillsdale, but after I toured the campus and talked to some friends there I realized it has a lot to offern and is a whole different community,” he said. “It will be a lot easier for my parents I think since I’m sticking around, but I will be living on campus so I will get the whole college experience.”

Otterbein said he watched Caulkins progress the last few years and knows he’s getting a hard worker who has been coached by a very good staff.

While Caulkins didn’t receive any financial aid from the athletic department, he is receiving some for academics and he is pursuing a biology degree with the possibility of going into pre–med later.

“I’m excited because I know Otterbein is the type of coach who really cares about each individual and I want to be a part of the success the program is having right now,” Caulkins said.

Caulkins will join former Hillsdale High School stars Brad Otterbein, Joe Vear, Miuke Blanchard, Nate English and Gage Frosch on the Charger squad.

Skelton named Peru, Indiana's new Varsity Coach

Bill Skelton, the all-time leading passer in Hillsdale College football history has a new title. He is the head football coach at Peru High School in Peru, IN. Skelton was introduced Monday night. The former minor league indoor football quarterback has been teaching and coaching in the Fort Wayne area since graduating from Hillsdale in 2004.

Greg Silm, Hillsdale's newest addition

Greg Silm of St. Johns High School in St. Johns, MI is the newest addition to Hillsdale's recruiting list. The 6' 1" 180 pound free safety brings 4.5 40 yard dash speed to the Hillsdale secondary. He also played quarterback in high school and led the Redwings three times over the 40 point mark enroute to a 5-4 record.

Silm is a 1 star Scout.com prospect having made the boards of EMU, WMU, CMU, and Grand Valley.

Hillsdale Daily News: Chargers gain 16 commitments

Ken Baraba, Brunswick, OH
Chargers gain 16 commitments

RJ Walters, Sports Writer
517.437.6022

An 8—3 record and national press for some of its’ key players was certainly a big step forward for the Hillsdale College football program in 2007, but head coach Keith Otterbein is hoping for greater things still, including league championships and D—II playoff appearances.
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On Wednesday the program took another step in becoming what Otterbein ultimately hopes it will be in gaining official letters of intent from 16 players.

Otterbein didn’t single out any athlete as being the star of the class, but he did say that he really likes the size of many of the defensive and offensive line recruits who signed.

Of the seven linemen who committed, three of them are listed at 6—foot—4 and they all weigh at least 256 pounds.

“I would say there is a lot of girth in this class, more so than usual. The guys are very well filled out and these linemen are similar to guys in our recruiting class two seasons ago,” he said.

The largest of them is offensive lineman/ defensive lineman Zachary Brown out of Canal Winchester High School in Ohio, at 6—foot—2 312 pounds.

Otterbein said he is extremely happy with his recruits on the line, but he is far from ready to anoint any of them key contributors right away.

He also said he studies his players case by case to determine if redshirting as a freshman is the most sensible option.

“Guys are always going to be better football players the older and more mature they are. Sure we’re going to play a guy if he’s mentally and physically ready, but it’s really case by case,” Otterbein said. “I know that I lined up on special teams as a freshman and was wide—eyed and didn’t hardly know if the football was blown up or stuffed. I’d have traded that season for one as a fifth—year senior in a heartbeat.”

One player Otterbein did say he hopes to get immediate contributions from is punter Andrew Wilburn out of Rockford, Mich.

The 6—foot—1 187 pound Wilburn will try and fill the void left by the departure of senior Matt VanOver who wasthe GLIAC Punter of the Year in 2007 while averaging a league record 43.4 yards per punt.

“Andy has phenomenal extension and balance. His leg goes so high it reminds you of the classic Ray Guy picture (former Oakland Raiders All—Pro punter ),” Otterbein said. “He’s also a great athlete and played linebacker in high school. I told him to be ready to kick on August 30 (when Hillsdale opens against St. Joseph ).”

Wilburn is the only special teams athlete that signed Wednesday, while five were defensive players, two can play on either side of the line and eight are offensive players.

Of the eight offensive signees, Otterbein had the most to say about 6—foot—4, 183 pound quarterback Anthony Misfud out of Dearborn, Mich.

Misfud is the son of Dave Misfud, a wide receiver on the 1985 National Championship team and Otterbein said he has high hopes for the younger Misfud’s future.

“He has decent speed and decent athletic ability, but his dad’s a high school coach and played and we like guys who have been around football a lot,” he said. “He’s highly intelligent and a big time gym rat which we like.”

Otterbein said Misfud went to a lot camps at MAC schools and generated interest from some D—I programs, but he may just have been a number two guy on the list of a school who only took one or number three on the list of a school that took two.

Also on offense the Chargers signed several lineman, a pair of receivers and a halfback.

Cameron White of Forest Hills Central (Grand Rapids ) is listed as a halfback, but Otterbein may have a different position in mind because he said he didn’t get a tailback in the class, but wasn’t worried.

“Sure we were interested in getting a tailback, but you have to look at what you need most. We offered to some guys, but they went elsewhere and that’s okay because we have good depth and stability at that position, so we didn’t go hunting up that spot,” he said.

Seven of the recruits are from Michigan, six from Ohio, one apiece from Indiana and Illinois and wideout Andrew Young is from Oregon (Oakland High School ).

“Honestly, I’m really happy with what we’ve got and they are very talented,” Otterbein said. “I feel really good about this class and we didn’t settle for anybody; we got who we wanted.”

Hillsdale College Recruiting Blurbs 2/7/08

As more news emerges about the newest crop of Chargers, I will post it here. If you have links to stories or video that I have missed, please email those to losik54@yahoo.com .

Signing Day: Anthony Mifsud has Hillsdale Epiphany

Mick McCabe, Freep.com

February 7, 2008

The roller-coaster recruitment of Dearborn quarterback Anthony Mifsud had hit a snag.

"During the summer, I was all over the place," Mifsud said. "For a week, I thought I was going to Michigan. But everything changes so fast."

By January, Mifsud, 6-foot-4, 183 pounds, wasn't sure where his recruitment was headed, but it was dragging. Several Division I-AA schools were interested in him, but the offers weren't coming.

"This is taking too long," Mifsud thought.

So he visited Division II Indianapolis and loved it. But before he committed, he called Meredith Gatt.

Gatt is a student at Hillsdale. Her father, Matt, and Mifsud's father, Dave, were teammates at Hillsdale more than 20 years ago. Anthony told Meredith he wanted to hang out.

"Her boyfriend is on the football team," Mifsud said. "At first I just wanted to hang out with him and her, but then we were with a bunch of football players."

Sometime during the evening, Mifsud had an epiphany.

"These are the kinds of friends I want to have," he thought.

So Mifsud, the Free Press' Division 1 all-state quarterback, became Hillsdale's biggest catch, much to the delight of his father.

"We're thrilled," said Dave, Dearborn's football coach who was a wide receiver on Hillsdale's 1985 national championship team and held several school records until this season.

"We love the football staff and what they're doing. We just think it's a great place for a kid to go to school. I was hoping it would be the right fit for him."

Sam Holton: Livingston Daily.com
Sam Holton, a two-way player at Howell, was told by Hillsdale coaches they want him to play defensive line next season.

"They said they don't want to redshirt me, so I'll play right away," he said.

Holton says he's thinking of majoring in criminal justice or business.

An Early Look at Hillsdale Football Commitments

Chargerblue.com has learned through a series of sources that following players have made commitments to play football at Hillsdale College.

Skill Players:

Anthony Mifsud, Dearborn, MI, QB, 6'4", 185 lb.,
Division II All-State (offensive captain), son of former record setting Charger receiver, 2 star Rivals.com prospect who was in the mix of possible D1 offers late in the process, Video

Corey Gilbert, Sandusky, OH, WR, 6'2", 180 lb.,
The definition of a playmaker, ran 4.44 40 yrd. dash at Ohio State camp, Rivals.com 1 star prospect, 38 catches for school record 10 tds., Division I All-Northwest District, Division I All-Ohio 1st team,video

Ben Karaba, Brunswick, OH, DB, 5'11", 170 lb.,
Division I All-Northwest Region, All-Ohio special mention, 5th longest TD reception in Ohio history (95 yards), 15 consecutive games with a reception

Cameron White, Forest Hills Central High School, Grand Rapids, MI, HB, 6'1", 215 lb., great possession receiver, had 130 yards receiving in opening season win at Coopersville, leader on FHC basketball team as well

Andrew Young, Oakland, Ore., WR/DB, 6'0", 155 lb.,
2A All-Oregon 1st team, Playing in Oregon East-West Shrine Game Aug. 2

Kevin Tabone, Churchill High School, Livonia, MI, TE, 6'3" 240 lb.,
3 Year starter, Ranked by recruiting expert Jim Stefani as the #4 TE in Michigan, 1st Team all conference, 2nd team Western Metro Detroit as defensive lineman

Nate Wade, Salem, IN Eastern HS, DB, 5'10", 190 lb.
2 way player at DB and QB led Eastern High into its first season of football, had a 60 yard run for a score against Brownstown Central


Linemen

Zach Brown, Canal Winchester High School (Columbus area), OH, OL/DL, 6'2", 312 lb. This kid is a monster at center and defensive tackle. He has surprisingly quick and agile feet for such a big man. Brown plays with a real nasty streak but is a leader on and off of the field. He earned Division III All-Central region 1st team honors and All-Ohio special mention. Check out his YouTube.com video.

Trevor Putnam, Worthington Kilbourne High School (Columbus area), OH, OL, 6'5", 268 lb.
Division I All-Central region 1st team and All-Ohio special mention.

Kevin Cunningham, Olentangy (Columbus area), OH, DT, 6'2", 270 lb.,
Division I All-Central region 1st team and All-Ohio special mention.

D.J. Loy, Westerville Central (Columbus area), OH, OL, 6'4", 265 lb.
Division I All-Central region 2nd Team, All-Metro honorable mention,

Michael Kendrick, Maine Twnshp. South, Park Ridge, IL, 6'0", 256 lb.
selected to Illinois Coaches Association All-Star Game, 3 year varsity player

Jim Plaskey, Brother Rice HS, Birmingham, MI, DT, 6'4", 255 lb.,
Turned down offers from Air Force and Army. Scout.com ranked him as a 2 star prospect and had this to say: "Plaskey has a big frame and a long wingspan, he also plays a mean and aggressive game and has Big Ten and MAC schools looking closer." Ranked as the 93rd senior prospect in MI.

Sam Holton, Howell, MI, OL/DT, 6'2" 280 lb.
Division I first-team all-state, Livingston Community News Lineman of the Year, Columnist Jason Deegan writes about Holton: "The senior tackle led a senior-laden offensive line that allowed the Highlander offense to roll up roughly 300 yards per game, including 200 on the ground."

Linebacker:
Ryan Egnatuk, Rockford, MI, LB, 5'10", 195 lb.
Grand Rapids Press Dream Team, Detroit Free Press Dream Team, From freep.com: "Ryan is one tough, hard-nosed, tenacious, competitive inside linebacker, who is simply passionate about football," Rockford coach Ralph Munger said. "He plays sideline-to-sideline and is a dynamite tackler. And on top of all that, he's a young man with a dynamic personality." Egnatuk totaled 118 tackles and had three sacks. The previous two years, he helped the Rams reach the state finals. Freep.com: Highlights: He had 118 tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery. Played in state championship game as a sophomore and started the last two years as an inside linebacker.

Punter:

Andrew Wilburn, Rockford, MI, P, 6'1", 187 lb.,
Division I All-State 1st team Linebacker, punted 3 times in 2006 state championship game for 104 yards

Just added: Nate Wade, DB Salem, IN Eastern HS

Signing Day is Here!

Check back for live updates throughout Wednesday February 6.