Save the Date: St. Ambrose Football 50-year reunion Oct. 18-19
Starting up a college football program from scratch proved to be both an adventure and a heavy lift. But it happened 50 years ago at St. Ambrose, with a two-man coaching staff and just 35 players answering the bell.
The focus in those first few seasons wasn't about the wins and losses but rather about laying a foundation for future teams. When you consider the memories made and the bond created among teammates, it certainly was a winning era.
After a 15-year absence on campus, the reborn Fighting Bees' football program planted its flag in the soil in the fall of 1974. The underdog story of that era's players and coaches has earned a special place in the history of St. Ambrose University athletics.
For nearly three decades before and after World War II, St. Ambrose was widely respected throughout the Upper Midwest for its competitive football teams. The Bess won the Iowa conference football championships in 1950 and 1951, which capped a three-year run that saw the program go a combined 29-3.
Then a few months after the 1959 season ended -- citing financial and philosophical concerns -- college leaders abruptly shut down the Bees' football program.
Rarely are such campus budgetary cuts revisited. But in the mid-1970s, longtime campus coach and educator Leo Kilfoy worked on a plan with student government leaders and the college brain trust to reinstate football. The sport was not played on campus from 1960-73 but St. Ambrose eventually gave the OK for the sport's 1974 rebirth.
What started on a shoestring budget and a small group of very dedicated players gradually built up its roster in numbers and depth. Those early teams laid the foundation for SAU's current era of competitive football as a perennial top-25 national contender in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Now five decades after football's rebirth on the St. Ambrose campus, a reunion of that 1974-76 football era will be held on Oct. 18-19 in conjunction with SAU's Homecoming 2024 festivities. Players from those three teams are asked to save the date and watch for registration details: Friday night's schedule will include a cocktail hour, dinner, program and video presentation, with a Saturday tailgate and on-field recognition in association with the Fighting Bees' game against Culver-Stockton (noon kickoff).
These days, it's hard to imagine campus life each autumn without SAU football. Fall game days unite the university community and help drive school spirit. The pride in Bees' football isn't limited to current and past players and coaches – it extends across the student body, staff and faculty, as well as SAU alumni and fans.
For many prospective students, Bees' football has provided the opportunity to continue playing a sport they love – more than 150 players regularly compete on either the SAU varsity or JV football teams. These last 50 seasons alone have produced a parade of elite Bees football players, including nearly 50 All-Americans and numerous football alums inducted into the SAU Athletic Hall of Fame.
Bees everywhere can offer a sincere thank you to the 1974-76 teams for planting that flag to signal a restart of the modern era of St. Ambrose football.