Great Expectations - Great Accomplishments

FOOTBALL TRIVIA
Question:
1. Name the only Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Head Coach to win an NCAA Division II playoff game?

2. Name the top Division II team in Total Offense for the 2000 season?

3. What team holds the all-time RMAC record for Most Points Scored in a Game?

Answer:
1. Joe Ramunno. Up until the November 18, 2000 Mesa State Mavericks 40-21win over the Northeastern State University (Oklahoma) Redmen, the RMAC was a combined 0-and-7 in D-II playoff action.

2. Not as easy as the first one. Valdosta State was tops with 502.4 yards per game. U-C Davis, who beat the Mavs in Round Two of the playoffs, was second with 502 yards per game. Mesa State was ninth in the nation, averaging 434.6 yards per game.

3. Hopefully you guessed the Mavs this time, because it is the right answer… sort of. The 1990 Mavs ran up 79 points against Fort Lewis College. This past year's high score for the Mavs came in a 57-27 punishing of Nebraska-Kearney.

Headed into the 2000 football season, Mavericks' Head Coach Joe Ramunno looked at the preseason RMAC coach's poll and saw that the Mavs were picked to finish in a tie for fourth place. It was the first spark of motivation for a team that performed above expectations at every turn. Well, they performed above every one else's expectations. Ramunno says he and the coaching staff always knew the team was better than fourth place. We believed we could win the RMAC," Ramunno says, "In fact, we knew we could go into the playoffs with the personnel we had. We just had to stay healthy… and be a little bit lucky."

Staying healthy and getting a little luck wasn't all the Mavs needed in 2000. The team also had to overcome a tough start. The first two games of the year were non-conference games with Western Oregon University and sixth ranked Pittsburgh State. The Mavs lost both games and found themselves in a 0-2 hole headed into a week-three non-conference match up with Western New Mexico. Ramunno says after the first two loses he worked hard to make sure the team wasn't depressed. "We learned some things playing against those teams," Ramunno says, "especially in the Pittsburgh State game. They were nationally ranked, and played well against us, but defensively we learned quite a bit."

With two losses behind them, the Mavs ran the table, winning the final nine games of the season and getting the top RMAC bid into the Division II playoffs. The undefeated RMAC season made Ramunno the easy choice for Conference Coach of the Year, but he plays down the honor. With great modesty he credits his coaching staff for their hard work. Defensive Coordinator Clarence Ross was an assistant under Ramunno at Palisade High School where the two combined to lead the Palisade Bulldogs to four consecutive state titles (1994-1997). Ramunno's NFL career with the Chicago Bears isn't the only professional experience on the coaching staff. Eight-year NFL veteran Lenny Waltersheid (Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills) came on to help coach the defensive backs. Receiver's coach Chuck Nissen and QB Coach Pete Cyphers (QB at CU 1976-79) help guide the offense along with six-year Mesa State coaching veteran Darin Robidoux. Pat Steele, Cody Fleming, (Off. Line) and Kevin Caranna (Def. Line) work with the big guys in the trenches. Robbie Owens (DB's), Brent Johnson, Tony Kerr, Brett Crabb (LB's), and Landon McKee (RB's) round out the coaching staff.

For the coaching staff, the defining game of the season came on September 23, against RMAC foe Western State. "For seven or eight years the Mountaineers have had our number, so to go in there and get a win (38-14) was key." Ramunno attributes the Western State win to senior leadership.
That momentum took over and kept right on rolling for the remainder of the season. Senior OL Dan Burke was named to the Daktronics Division II All-West Region first team. Senior FS Chris McKinney, who led RMAC with 11 interceptions, made the second team. Also on that All-West first team was Cornerback James Bracey who will be back next year for his final season with the Mavs. The West Region team wasn't the only honor squad that had its share of Mavericks. Senior QB Andy Coryell was named RMAC Offensive Player of the Year and named to the RMAC all-conference team. Joining Coryell on the all-RMAC team were Senior RB John Lancett, Sophomore WR Rodney Pierce, Burke, Bracey, and DL Matt Logston. Pierce set a single season receiving record for the Mavs (868 yards).

The honors also came in for Senior TE Ben Steele (18 catches, 228 yards, 3 TDs), who was selected as one of the top Division II players in the nation. Steele was selected to play in the annual Cactus Bowl All-Star game last January in Kingsville, Texas. Pro scouts have done their share of inquiring into Steele's abilities. Football insiders on campus think Steele could be the first Mav drafted into the NFL since the Miami Dolphins took Tony Martin in 1989.

In the first round of the playoffs, Mesa trounced Northeastern State University (OK) 40-21 and became the first RMAC team to win a Division II playoff game. The second round was not as easy as the Mavs ran into the buzz-saw offense of U.C. Davis and QB J.T. O'Sullivan. The Davis Aggies blew open a 35-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 62-18 win. Despite the loss, Ramunno is not depressed. "It was a great season," he says, "and our players got a chance to see what it takes to succeed at the next level." The future remains bright for the Mavs in 2001 and expectations are high, despite losing five defensive and five offensive starters to graduation. "The returning starters will make sure that we uphold a winning tradition". Ramunno says no one expects the coming football season to be a rebuilding year, but rather a continuation of the success the Mavs have tasted.