Letter from Kevin Kelly

[RusskyHoya]

From The Desk of Kevin Kelly

Dear family, friends and fans,

First, it is with great sadness that I write that the Georgetown football family has recently lost a big part of our team with the passing of Father John Martin on Sunday. Fr. Martin has been the team chaplain for the past three seasons and has provided guidance to so many of our team’s young men. It was an honor to have him with us before games and on our sideline. He will be missed dearly by all of us who got to know him through the years.

February has been a busy month for the Georgetown football program, as the coaching staff and student-athletes continue to prepare for the start of spring practice in March. We will also be announcing our 2011 and 2012 schedule early next week.

Changing of the Guard...
I am pleased to announce that Bruce Simmons (B’69) has agreed to become the President of the Gridiron Club. Jim Lenihan (C’04) will continue to work as a board member and will coordinate our Mentors Program. A formal transition and thank you to Jim will take place at our banquet on April 16. We are also in the process of restructuring the Gridiron Club.

Congratulations to Dean Lowry (C’89)...
Dean will be inducted into the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, February 25, 2011. If you would like to attend the Induction ceremony, please contact Hoyas Unlimited at 202-687-7159 or [e-mail].

Dean graduated as the school’s all-time leader in rushing and scoring following a four-year career from 1985-88. He rushed for 2,169 yards and scored 31 touchdowns, becoming the first Georgetown back in the modern era (1964-present) to rush for more than 200 yards in a single game. Dean is presently second all-time in career rushing yardage, second in career touchdowns, and third in scoring.

Optimism High…
With improvement on the field in 2010, an excellent recruiting class and the diligent work of our present players and coaches, we are in position for a very exciting 2011 season. In addition to this, our administration is working very hard to improve all of our athletic programs. Facilities are now at the top of the play list. The ball is now in our possession and all of us must run with it to score. A true team effort of players, coaches, administration, alumni and friends of Georgetown Football is now needed to achieve our ultimate goal of winning the Patriot League Championship and becoming an elite program in FCS football.

We need your help!
Please update us with any new contact information and if you know someone who is not a member of the Gridiron Club, please encourage them to contact us at: [e-mail]

Win the Day!
Coach Kelly

[98hoya]

This is the quote that particularly interests me:

"Facilities are now at the top of the play list. The ball is now in our possession and all of us must run with it to score. "

I'm assuming this is some sort of reference to the MSF project, but how is the ball "now in our possession" and what is it that we must do to "run with it to score?"

I'm honestly not sure if I missed something and the MSF is moving forward or if this is just meaningless propaganda. Anyone?

[DanMcQ]

hoyatalk2.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=23679&page=1#421648

[RusskyHoya]

Semi-informed conjecture:

Capital campaign goes public in October 2011. Total sum is $1.5 billion (in theory, we should have $750 million in donations and commitments by the public launch, although who knows what kind of shape any pre-Great Recession commitments are in). $500 million is designated for the 1789 Imperative, $350 million for the "Faculty Excellence" plank. That leaves $650 million in the rest of the campaign.

I know that the Athletic Training Facility, the MSF, and the Lauinger expansion/refurbishing are the top three capital priorities, though I don't know in what order. My guess would be that fundraising for all three would be folded into the campaign, with funds left over for things like the first floor New South renovation, the roof over Yates (if they're actually serious about it and it doesn't get nixed during the campus plan fight), the West service road, the walkway landscaping, the traffic circle/roadway improvements on the hospital side of Leavey, and other miscellaneous projects.