Springfield, Mass. -- May 21, 2010 -- Sean Dowd, an offensive lineman for the Springfield College football team, will be competing for the United States in the Quebec City/USA Classic All-Star Game Saturday, May 22 in Quebec City, Canada. Dowd is from East Bridgewater, Mass.A recent graduate of Springfield College, Dowd will be one of 35-40 players representing NCAA Division III football who will be playing for the USA against "X-Men De Beauce", three-time champions of the Ligue de Football Majeur du Quebec. This will be the fifth "Classic", a tradition that began in 2006. This game annually serves as the kick-off to the LFMQ's season, and generates large crowds in Quebec.
The team left from Newburyport, Mass. on Thursday, and will return to the U.S. the day after the game. The four-day, three-night tour is sponsored by Allstar Sports Tours, LLC. J.B. Wells, the head football coach at Endicott College, will serve as the head coach of the U.S. squad.
Part of the reason Sean Dowd decided to suit up one more time to play against the team from Canada is to honor a former teammate and friend.
Fellow Springfield offensive lineman Jason Bednarz died in his sleep at the age of 22 on Feb. 28 at the family home in Irvington, N.Y.
“I’m doing this for him,’’ said Dowd in a recent story published by the Brockton Enterprise. “I’m wearing his number (74) in this game. He was another kid whose football career was riddled with injuries and I know he’d give anything to be able to go out there and play just one more game.
“He’s tattooed on me. I have his number and angel wings and his initials underneath on my left ribcage. He always played to my left, so he’s always there.’’
Dowd is a graduate of Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton, Mass., where he was a three-year letterwinner and a two-time CCL All-Star in football. He also played baseball and was a captain of the basketball team at Cardinal Spellman.
Addendum
Sean Dowd was named a captain in this game, which the USA won by a score of 20-17.
Michael C. “Mike” DeLong ’74 enters his 32nd season as a head football coach in the fall of 2013. He enters his 30th year at Springfield College alone. For the past 28 years, he has been the head coach at Springfield, his alma mater. Mike had also been the head coach at Maine Maritime in Castine, Maine in 1979 and 1980. Read more.
