Hi friends:
It’s been a few months since the final game of the 2011 North Central
College football season, and the taste of our success is still strong. Whether it be the dominating defensive performance at Illinois Wesleyan, the explosive plays of the offense against Wheaton, or the College-wide celebration of our Sesquicentennial this Homecoming; it was a season to remember, and our seniors have left their mark on the program. However, for us as alumni and members of the Quarterback Club, this winter is the time to leave our mark.
As an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, the closing of the 2011 campaign immediately turns my focus to advancing our program to higher levels by continuing to create an atmosphere of winning off the field. This means recruiting high-character, academically talented and athletically gifted young men. Having state of the art facilities like Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium and our new field turf make us unique to NCAA Division III football. These things paired with an unbeatable education can practically sell the North Central experience itself, but when it comes to top-recruits choosing us over programs like Whitewater and Mt. Union, you have to dig deeper. Student-athletes look for a place to call their own, a place where teammates gather to share their success, sorrow and build stronger bonds of friendship. It not only helps land these types of student-athletes, but also creates a home for a team to bond and prepare themselves for life in and out of season. And we need your help to construct such a place.
You may have noticed an insert in the Game Notes at our home games this season announcing a campaign. We are in the midst of funding a project to give our players a facility like this, a place to be proud of, a championship locker room. I know you usually hear from Head Coach John Thorne, Vice President for Institutional Advancement (my dad) Rick Spencer or Director of Alumni Relations, Adrian Aldrich ’02 about the impact your gifts have and how important your financial support is to the Cardinal Football program. But as a proud member of the North Central College Class of 2004, alumnus of the football program as well as a member of the Quarterback Club, I believe this facility could be our final hurdle toward a trip to the National Championship game in Salem, VA, and I want to personally ask you to make a gift.
Your support of the Locker Room Project will leave a lasting legacy for the football program and have an impact for years to come. We currently have $20,000 in gifts and commitments, which puts us at about 30% of our goal of raising $65,000 to fully fund a brand new locker room. Make a gift of $1,000 individually, as a family or as a group of up to five individuals, and your name(s) will be placed on a locker! Or, for a gift of $200 your name will be grouped with five others at the same level. This is a great way to show your Cardinal Pride and would be a great Christmas present. We aim to have the campaign wrapped up by the New Year so we can start construction of the lockers – and so we can shift our fundraising focus to reducing the out-of-pocket cost for our student-athletes to travel to Spain this coming June in our traditional team trip abroad.
You can make a gift
online (type in the amount at the box listed "Football Locker Room Project") or contact Adrian Aldrich at amaldrich@noctrl.edu or 630-637-5201 to add your name to the growing list of donors who will help make this project a reality. Every name that we can display in the new locker room will be part of the puzzle that we are piecing together day by day to end our 2012 season in Salem! I can’t wait to stand and celebrate in Virginia, with all of you, who helped build this championship locker room and championship team as my teammates.
Go Cardinals!
Brad Spencer ’04
Assistant Football Coach
Recruiting Coordinator
Quarterback Club Member
Click here for more information on how to support this project or contact Adrian Aldrich ’02, Director of Alumni Relations, at 630-637-5201 or
amaldrich@noctrl.edu.
