March 6, 2010

Lewisburg, Pa.The Bucknell men's lacrosse team is getting set for its annual showdown with rival Navy this week, and for juniors John Collett and Ryan Klipstein, it is more than just a battle of two nationally ranked teams who figure to contend for the 2010 Patriot League title. Collett, whose brother Mike graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2009 and is now serving aboard the USS Ashland, has partnered with his teammate Klipstein to launch the "Bison Never Forgets" program, designed to collect donations to send supplies and support to former college lacrosse players now serving overseas in the armed forces.

"I've always felt strongly playing against those guys that these are respectable opponents, and certainly this is a meaningful cause for me," said Klipstein. "I think it's a little bit different than any other team that you play, and that's why we feel so strongly about it. What John and I always say is that you are guaranteed a firm handshake and eye contact at the end of the game, and that's regardless of whether we win or lose. Over the past 10 years we have had great battles on the field against Army and Navy, and every time it is guaranteed to be played at 100 percent and very respectably."

At every Bucknell home men's lacrosse game this season, a table will be set up at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, where fans can make cash donations that will later be used to assemble care packages with the military's commonly asked-for items. Contributors will receive bracelets printed with "A Bison Never Forgets."

For Collett, the inspiration for the program came from watching his brother on the opposite side of the field during recent Bucknell-Navy games.

"I never got the chance to play against him, because we always went to the same [secondary] school," said Collett. "It was really cool seeing him on the other sideline and I just realized that these guys do a lot more for us than we think they do. After we graduate we are concerned about getting a job, and these guys are concerned about where they are getting deployed. I just thought it would be really great if we could honor these guys and thank them for what they do."

Mike Collett is fond of the idea, and has begun helping his brother track down contact information for former Army and Navy players. John and Mike chat frequently, even though Mike's exact whereabouts on the high seas are confidential, even to family. John did say that Mike's ship recently finished a humanitarian mission to Haiti to assist the earthquake victims there.

Beyond the collection setup at Bison home games, Collett and Klipstein are reaching out to other lacrosse coaches in the Patriot League, and to other sport programs at Bucknell. They are optimistic that other schools will follow their lead, and that other programs at Bucknell that benefit from the same rivalries with Army and Navy will support military alumni from their sports.

"Right now we are focusing on lacrosse players because we feel we can really relate to those guys because we played against them," said Collett, now in his second year as a starting defenseman at Bucknell. "But we are hoping that other sports teams at Bucknell can pick up this program, because there are athletes in all kinds of sports in the Patriot League that could use our support."

"We really hope that this spreads and that it is an annual cause, that we can continuously support those seniors who are departing," added Klipstein. This is not the first time that the Bucknell lacrosse program has reached out to support troops overseas. Inspired by former Bison head coach Sid Jamieson, the Bison have for several years been involved with Americans Supporting Americans, an organization that encourages corporations, teams, and whole communities to "adopt" troops in Iraq as a way to raise their morale. Bucknell was the first lacrosse team to foster a unit, and since then Jamieson has influenced more than 50 teams across the nation to get involved.

Most recently, the Bison fostered the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, Co. A, 506th Regiment, and in past years many Bucknell players wore the Airborne seal on their game helmets.

While the ASA contributions will continue, Collett says that the "Bison Never Forgets" initiative hits home even more. "In the past we have collected donations for other military personnel and sent them supplies," he said, "but we feel like this is a more personal project. These are guys that we know and guys that we played against, and guys that will remember us. We can really make that lacrosse connection."

Without much publicity, the program got off to a good start at Bucknell's first home game of the season against Ohio State on Feb. 20. The next home contest is March 13 against Hobart, and Collett and Klipstein hope to have a big night collecting donations at the Apr. 10 home game against Army.

Since 2000, Bucknell and Army have met 13 times. All 13 have been decided by three goals or less, including nine one-goal games. Likewise, four of the last six Bucknell-Navy games have been one-goal games. Last season the Bison defeated Navy 8-7 in the regular-season on a buzzer-beater by Charlie Streep, and then Navy returned the favor with a 9-8 win in the Patriot League championship game.

"Our games against [the academies] are always special," said Collett, whose father Doug played football at Bucknell in the early 1980s. "It's always a dogfight. Every game against them has been close. Teams like Army and Navy just never quit. This year Army and Navy both have great teams, and we have a great team I think. Those are games we circle on the calendar every year."

"This is a different sort of mindset than any other team that you really go against," said Klipstein, a starting midfielder who has five goals and two assists in three games this season. "The fact that we are able to support them afterward really brings together the Patriot League and that community, and allows us to appreciate what we have in the Patriot League and at Bucknell."