Just about a month away from the school's first football practicein over 45 years, University of Charleston coaches are involved in awhirlwind of activity as they prepare for the school's leap of faithback onto the gridiron.
"One thing I learned," head Coach Mike Springston said, "is howmuch you take for granted when you walk into an existing program."
At UC, Springston and his staff are building from the ground up.It's one thing to not have any weight equipment, pads or uniforms.Springston didn't have any players when he arrived on the SouthRuffner campus to resurrect a program that had been dormant since1956.
By Aug. 8 he expects to have close to 100 players, including about50 junior college transfers and 35 California transplants, on board.Practice starts Aug. 9.
"I don't know how many will show up," said Springston, the formerWest Virginia University Tech head coach. "I'd like to have all 100.We'll just have to wait until Aug. 8 and see who shows up."
Until then, Springston will be busy contacting his players,arranging travel plans for the incoming athletes, meeting with hiscoaches to discuss X's and O's, finishing a move into his new office,lobbying for new weight equipment and a new weight room and securinguniforms.
And that, of course, just skims the surface of what's left to do.
Once practice starts, Springston will be working on a tightschedule. New NCAA rules prohibit two-a-day workouts until a schoolhas practiced for five days. After that, two-a-days are allowed, butnot on consecutive days.
"It's a weird way they're doing it this year," Springston said."It wouldn't be such as issue if we had had spring practice.
"It's a very, very tight preseason. But it's tight for everybody.We have to hope our kids are smart and as athletic as they seem tobe. Hopefully, they'll make up for some of the short preparation timewe have."
The Golden Eagles will practice on the far west end of BlackwellField, close to the Columbia Gas building. Their practice field willrun perpendicular to MacCorkle Avenue, encompassing part of the UCsoftball field.
Springston said the team will move to Laidley Field if Blackwellis too wet.
The Golden Eagles, who'll compete this season as an NCAA DivisionII independent, open their 11-game season on Aug. 30 against WVU Techat Laidley.
Springston hopes fans will take note.
"Hopefully the people in Charleston will recognize the historyinvolved, come out and give us a chance to show them what we'retrying to do," Springston said.
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