By Jay Neal
sports@jacksonvilleprogress.com
Just eight days into 2009, the local sports scene became engulfed by a new form of (Lon Morris College) Bearcat mania as the school’s athletic director, Dale Dotson, confirmed to the Daily Progress that LMC had in fact decided to revive its football program after being dormant for nearly 70 years.
A formal press conference was held on January 20 at the Wilson Administration Building to officially announce the return of football to the LMC sports docket and to introduce the team’s head coach, Johnnie Ritchey as well.
Ritchey, a native of Rusk, has coached football for almost 40 years and has led several high school teams to the state playoffs while mentoring many young men that have gone on to play collegiantly and a few that have even made their way into the professional ranks.
Dotson stated in the press conference that LMC’s decision to add football was partly made in order to provide an opportunity for young men to be able to continue their dream of playing the sport as well as to enrich the overall college experience for all LMC students.
“We are unlike most two-year schools in that most of our students live here (on campus), and we want to give them something to be proud of in addition to our other sports,” Dotson said.
Initial recruiting efforts drew about 200 hopefuls that went through conditioning and strength training rituals under the guidance of Ritchey and his staff of assistant coaches this fall.
The bulk of the would-be Bearcats hail from the East Texas area, although some have journeyed in from the Metroplex, Houston area, New Orleans and even as far away as Georgia.
LMC is putting the finishing touches on a brand new training complex to house the football program, located adjacent to the school’s softball complex.
Included in the package is several new practice fields as well.
When the Bearcats return from their holiday break in early January 2010, they will follow the same schedule as other NJCAA football institutions.
LMC will play as an independent for the first several years according to school officials and will face regional junior varsity teams from four-year colleges as well as other junior college opponents beginning in the fall of 2010.
Although a formal announcement has not been made on the exact location for LMC home games, Ritchey has stated on several occasions the importance of the team playing its games in Jacksonville. That point was driven home by LMC President Myles McCall during the press conference also.
“There is a Saturday game day out there where thousands of LMC folks, parents of players, opponent supporters and students from other colleges will drive into our community to watch a (football) game, visit our campus, eat at our restaurants, stay in our hotels, shop in our stores and enjoy the hospitality of the Jacksonville community,” McCall said.
