Underdogs to Powerhouse: The Football Team’s Three-Year Transformation

Growing up with the Cleveland Browns as my hometown sports team got me used to disappointment. Little changed when I came to Ada and experienced Ohio Northern football for the first time. 

I was thrilled to attend college football games as a first- year student in 2023. Sure, Ohio Northern is a Division III school, but football is football — and anyone’s better than the Browns. Excitement coursed through me as I climbed the bleachers of Dial-Roberson Stadium and celebrated the Polar Bear’s 40-7 defeat of Capital University. 

Our team’s victory at the first home game had me anticipating a strong football season. That eagerness dwindled after we lost the next game.

And the next one. 

And the two following after that. 

The 2023 season ended with a 4-5 losing conference record. The results were not terrible, but I was hoping for better. I have kept my guard up these past few years, passively paying attention to the football team’s stats and occasionally attending a game with my friends. I did not want to get too invested in a team just to be let down again. 

But there has been a change within the football program recently. I have checked in on the scores every week this semester, and the Polar Bears have been winning. A lot. You can look it up for yourself; the team won all five of their first conference games, only losing to last year’s national championship runner-up Mount Union. 

It’s not just “winning” that I have been noticing. There seems to be an all-around attitude shift amongst the student body in regards to football. More and more students have expressed excitement toward attending home games, so much that an entire student section, the Polar Pit, was created this year and serves as a primary location for students to cheer on the team. The enthusiasm on campus is palpable, and it makes me look forward to watching home games myself. 

The rising momentum of the football program has made me ask: what is at the heart of the team’s transformation?

My question did not go unanswered. I had the chance to talk with Head Coach Andrew Fries and hear his thoughts on the team’s work this season. 

I sensed the Polar Bear pride in Fries from the moment I stepped into his office. It took me a minute to navigate the halls of Taft Memorial and find where his workspace was tucked away, but I knew I found the right place when I heard lively voices coming from the administrative hub. As I sat down with Fries, I could tell he not only appreciates football, but is dedicated to fostering a cohesive team at Ohio Northern.

One of the first things Fries told me is how the coaching staff frequently reinforces their standards of performance, which are “being tough, reliable, unified, and non-negative.” These standards form the foundation of the team’s values, and the athletes are reminded of them on a weekly basis. 

“Those don’t waiver,” said Fries. “There’s not much room to say, like, ‘well, hey, you fell short here,’ and they know that that’s the expectation. So when you hold them to those standards, I think that’s what allows you to get everybody on the same page pretty quickly.”

Trust is another significant element of the team’s atmosphere this season. Their success thus far is largely due to the confidence the coaches have in their team, and vice-versa. There is a mutual understanding between both parties that their respective jobs will be done to meet the high standards of the program. 

“As a coach, you have to have a trust in our guys that they’re going to go out there and do the right things, but they have to have a trust in us that we’re going to put a great plan together to be able to go out and execute that.”

Developing trust has been crucial for the coaching staff, for only one of the 11 football coaches have been a part of the program for more than two seasons. Their experience ranges from first-time collegiate coaches to seasoned Polar Bear staff. Naturally, the changeup has played a significant role in shifting team dynamics. 

I took note of the team’s fresh leadership and decided to ask Fries what his thoughts were, especially since he was a first-time head coach last season. His response was clear: “you want to surround yourself with a little bit of people you know, people with different experiences, and probably people with more experiences, to be honest.” That’s why he intentionally chose to surround himself with coaches from all over the country who have varying levels of experience. It helps cultivate diverse perspectives and foster a healthy work environment.

“I’m really fortunate,” reflected Fries. “I come to work every day with people that I like to work with, and it allows us to sit down, laugh when we need to, disagree when we need to…ultimately it’s about…putting the best plan together for our guys.”

It is clear the coaching staff has made an impact on the football program’s performance, but we must also recognize the impression they have made on the team itself. I reached out to senior running back Kameron Cox to understand the student-athlete perspective. As co-captain of the team, he believes the coaches have “had a large influence on our team’s success.”

“Throughout this whole year [the coaching staff] have shown a belief in us players,” wrote Cox. “They truly believe we can do great things. They’ve also had unwavering passion for the game and for us to succeed. I think that passion helps keep the energy up from the field to the sideline.”

The football team has undergone quite the transformation these past few years. Talent and skill may have played a role, but it is the team’s culture that has truly made an impact on their performance. In the words of Fries:

“And as much as it is X’s and O’s, sometimes it’s about the people that you put on the field and letting those guys go play at their best…”

The Polar Bears have given me what I never thought I’d experience with football: hope. Win or lose, I am looking forward to a season that continues to bring back my joy of watching football.