(INTRODUCTION: When a team defeats an opponent that has long held the upper hand in the rivalry, the victory provides an instant jolt of celebration followed by a period of confidence; that prospects in the future are bright. Rochester's 1987 football team won nine games enroute to an NCAA playoff appearance. Two of those wins came on the road – against dominant foes Union College and Hofstra University. Tommy Sheehan '90 relates a role that he played in the victory at Union.)
 
As a first-year at Rochester in 1986, we tied St. Lawrence and won at the College of Wooster and I was really wondering what I had gotten myself into. Nonetheless, I was committed to Coach (Ray) Tellier, so I was going to try to do my part to turn things around. I was optimistic because we had a young team and good talent.
 
We started my sophomore season with a win over RPI, so we were feeling relatively good about ourselves. Our next game was a trip down the New York State Thruway to play at Union College. They historically gave us quite the beating. Union went up early in the game as usual, but what turned out to be the highlight of my football career gave us momentum and restored a belief that we could beat them.
 
The Dutchmen led, 7-3, (Andy Milne kicked a field goal for us) and Union scored another TD for a 14-3 lead. I was back for a kick return after the Union touchdown, and when the kick sailed toward the sideline, I tracked the ball, letting it bounce, figuring it would roll out of bounds. As the ball slowed down just short of going out, I gently nudged it, to be sure we would get another shot at a return. 
 
The referees did not see me do it, and signaled the ball out of bounds. Al Bagnoli, the head coach for Union, went ballistic, pointing at me and yelling that I knocked it out of bounds. I knew Coach Bagnoli through the recruiting process, so I just smiled at him. By the way, he now is the head football coach at Columbia, where I am the Director of Performance, and he is still very animated on the sideline after all these years.
 
Anyway, I took the gift of another chance at a return and brought it back for an 81-yard touchdown thanks to a solid wall set up by my teammates. Funny thing: Union didn't kick the ball anywhere near me the rest of the game. We hung on for a close win (24-20), propelling us to one of the best seasons in Rochester history, including a trip to the NCAA playoffs for the first time. I will never forget the excitement we shared as a team that season.
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tommy Sheehan is Rochester's career leader in reception yardage (1,987) and third in career catches (128). He is one of 11 players to return one or more kickoffs for touchdowns. He was named to the Associated Press Little All-America Team in 1988 and to the Pizza Hut/CoSIDA All-America Team in 1988 and 1989. He was elected into the University's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. Sheehan is the Director of Performance for Columbia University Athletics.