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FLORENCE, Ala. —
Seemingly hundreds of Pittsburg State alumni met Friday evening at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa Lounge and Restaurant, including members of the 1957 and 1961 NAIA National Championship teams in Florence to help cheer on the 2011 team.
Gene Irvin played on the undefeated 1957 team and lettered four years at Pitt State from 1956-1959, earning membership in the PSU Athletics Hall of Fame for Meritorious Service. Irvin said he left for Florence aboard the PSU team flight on Wednesday.
"I got to the airport (in Florence) and it was kinda like the President was coming in," Irvin said. "They had all the police escort us to the hotel."
Harlan Hess and Moe Cotter played together on the undefeated 1961 team and took part in the 1961 team reunion at Homecoming this year against Lincoln. Hess and Cotter flew in to Florence together with their wives — Carol Hess and Anita Cotter — on Friday from Dallas.
"We got here about noon (Friday)," Harlan Hess said. "It was a nice trip, always nice to come to Florence, even though it's a little damp outside right now."
"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Moe Cotter said. "I would have traveled the country because I know how much this means to our university, how much it means to these young men and the coaching staff and it's certainly one of our great accomplishments at Pittsburg State."
Hess believes Pitt State developed more confidence with every win.
"They just have a determined, confident look about them," Hess said. "They feel very confident in each other and the last three games have been a tremendous confidence-booster for them."
"When they came back that Northwest game at Arrowhead, to me it showed a lot of resilience in that young group and we all felt good things were going to happen," Cotter said.
Playing three home playoff games at Carnie Smith Stadium no doubt built a higher confidence level.
"The crowd was definitely a 12th person," Hess said. "The other night (against Delta State), it was unbelievable. Coach Beck, from Day 1, asked the people, 'We need your help' and I think the crowd now realizes what he's talking about and they've truly seen how important they are. I've heard we're going to have over 3,000 here (today). We'll have that whole side filled."
Seemingly hundreds of Pittsburg State alumni met Friday evening at the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa Lounge and Restaurant, including members of the 1957 and 1961 NAIA National Championship teams in Florence to help cheer on the 2011 team.
Gene Irvin played on the undefeated 1957 team and lettered four years at Pitt State from 1956-1959, earning membership in the PSU Athletics Hall of Fame for Meritorious Service. Irvin said he left for Florence aboard the PSU team flight on Wednesday.
"I got to the airport (in Florence) and it was kinda like the President was coming in," Irvin said. "They had all the police escort us to the hotel."
Harlan Hess and Moe Cotter played together on the undefeated 1961 team and took part in the 1961 team reunion at Homecoming this year against Lincoln. Hess and Cotter flew in to Florence together with their wives — Carol Hess and Anita Cotter — on Friday from Dallas.
"We got here about noon (Friday)," Harlan Hess said. "It was a nice trip, always nice to come to Florence, even though it's a little damp outside right now."
"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Moe Cotter said. "I would have traveled the country because I know how much this means to our university, how much it means to these young men and the coaching staff and it's certainly one of our great accomplishments at Pittsburg State."
Hess believes Pitt State developed more confidence with every win.
"They just have a determined, confident look about them," Hess said. "They feel very confident in each other and the last three games have been a tremendous confidence-booster for them."
"When they came back that Northwest game at Arrowhead, to me it showed a lot of resilience in that young group and we all felt good things were going to happen," Cotter said.
Playing three home playoff games at Carnie Smith Stadium no doubt built a higher confidence level.
"The crowd was definitely a 12th person," Hess said. "The other night (against Delta State), it was unbelievable. Coach Beck, from Day 1, asked the people, 'We need your help' and I think the crowd now realizes what he's talking about and they've truly seen how important they are. I've heard we're going to have over 3,000 here (today). We'll have that whole side filled."
Hess referenced a conversation he had with seven Pitt State players earlier in the 2011 season and then made a prediction on today's game.
"'Look up there in the press box and see that '61. We're the faces that belong to that number 61, but we need another number up there. We'd like to see your number.' You know what? I believe it's going to happen," Hess said.
Friday's alumni event, called the Gorilla Gathering Pre-Game Celebration, featured in a week-long schedule of events put together by Alumni and Constituent Relations. Monday was the Tim Beck Radio Show at Chatters, Tuesday was "Red Out Pittsburg and the Nation!," Wednesday was the team send-off, Thursday was car decoration at the Wilkinson Alumni Center and today featured the greeting of the team motorcade, a traditional pep rally and official tailgate party.
"We had to start planning really early," Johnna Schremmer, director of Alumni and Constituent Relations, said. "We've been here since Wednesday. We got here early and decorated the hotel and put out the pictures of the team so when they got here they would have a little bit of home. We even brought the Pitt State Christmas tree, so I think the players and coaches were really excited to see how much Pittsburg and Pitt State the hotel was."
Schremmer said that she earned both her degrees from Pitt State.
"It's very exciting that I can be in the position I am working for the university," Schremmer said, "especially exciting to be down here."
Today's events for the National Championship Game started early.
"We'll want people to get out early," Schremmer said. "The team is supposed to arrive at the stadium at about 7:45 and so we're going to line what they call the Championship Walk. We're going to be there with the pom poms and air horns and signs.
"After that, we'll have a big tent and we'll provide for everybody coffee, hot chocolate, donuts. We'll have all kinds of Pitt State gear and everybody can have a little pregame tailgate before they go into the game. We're even decorating cars."
Irvin, the Hesses and the Cotters all said they would be up bright and early today.
"We're going to be there at 7:30 in the morning at the field greeting our team," Moe Cotter said. "We want to be with them and be around them as long as we can and make as much noise on the sidelines as we can to help this group."
