Tommies have upgraded both on, off football field

St. Thomas has had the MIAC's top overall athletic program almost from the time it became co-educational in 1977. The Tommies always will hold the advantage of location -- a leafy campus located a few blocks from the mighty river that separates St. Paul and Minneapolis.

One obstacle to athletic dominance was the ancient locker room facility that served as home to hundreds of athletes.

"If you were lucky, you could find a small wire cage for your stuff," said Dakota Tracy, the Tommies' starting quarterback.

For two decades, athletic director Steve Fritz kept telling himself that eventually there would be an upgrade in the facilities. He never could have imagined the remarkable form that upgrade would take.

Lee Anderson, a St. Thomas trustee, and his wife, Penny, made a $60 million donation to the university toward an athletic complex and student union. The $47 million Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex opened for this school year's athletes, students and staff. Construction is underway on the $66 million Anderson Student Center in what was previously the main parking lot.

St. Thomas now serves 11,000 students (including full-time grad students). The largest number of freshmen ever showed up this fall. And on Saturday, the largest crowd for a home opener that regular attendees could recall was present as the Tommies took on Wisconsin-River Falls.

"It was a great day for football, we have a good team ... and the new facility, I think that's part of it, too," Tracy said. "It's an amazing place. You walk in there you feel even better about being part of St. Thomas."

Fritz admired Don Roney as a coach and stuck with him for 10 seasons. Roney's results were average and he annually committed the venial sin of losing to St. John's.

Roney resigned in November 2007. There was time involved in the search but not much distance: The Tommies hired Macalester's Glenn Caruso, located several blocks east on Summit Ave.

It took Caruso until 2009, his second season, to make Godzilla rise from the Mississippi River. The Tommies lost again to St. John's -- making it 12 in a row for coach John Gagliardi vs. the archrivals --but they advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time since 1990.

Once there, the Tommies made it to the third round, while the Johnnies were upset by Coe (Iowa) in the first round.

Rival coaches and other observers took note. The coaches voted the Tommies as preseason favorites. And in last week's national poll, St. Thomas was No. 5 and St. John's was No. 9.

"And now we go up there ... homecoming for St. John's. It will be great."

If it's a blue sky day on Oct. 2, as was this Saturday, there could be 20,000 people trying to crowd into the Johnnies' "natural bowl" for a rivalry that has regained a feeling of equality after a long absence.

First, there's business for both teams, including St. Thomas' workmanlike 27-3 victory over River Falls. By all accounts, the Tommies were more impressive in thrashing St. Norbert 40-7 last week in De Pere, Wis.

River Falls led 3-0 after 25 minutes Saturday, then the Tommies went ahead when alternate quarterback Greg Morse threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Nick Gleisner. Tracy ran a yard for touchdown in the final minute of the half, then connected with Logan Marks for a pair of TDs in the second half.

Tracy is from Geneva, a burg of 300 in southeastern Minnesota. A reporter asked if he had grown up as a Gophers fan, as do many small-town lads?

Reporter: "So, you don't care that not far from here on this glorious afternoon the Gophers lost to South Dakota?"

Tracy: "They did ... seriously? That's disgusting."