Judson University issued the following announcement on Aug. 13
The Judson University Football Program made one more significant step towards opening night on September 4 by hosting a media day prior to the inaugural season. The Eagles took team headshots and also held a press conference to signify the season is nearing.
The biggest revealed news during the press conference was the announcement of Judson University's home field.
"We will play our home games at Dundee-Crown High School [in Carpentersville, Illinois], and we are very excited about it," said Dr. Nikki Fennern, Judson University's Executive Vice President. "[Our relationship with Dundee-Crown] is not a transactional process. It's about how we can both make an impact on each other. We look forward to capitalizing on this partnership and great vision."
Part of this vision that Dr. Fennern elaborated on included the football scholar-athletes having the opportunity to visit the schools in District 300 to encourage students to live out their dreams to pursue a college education.
Head Coach Dan Paplaczyk is eager to get things rolling but knows there's a lot to do prior to the team's first game on September 4.
"We're getting there," he said. "We have a brand new offense and a brand new defense. We have 80-plus guys coming together as a team. Each day we've gotten a little better, which is awesome to see. We've been challenged by bad practices and are doing a really good job [bouncing back]. We talk about improving 1% each day. The progress we are making now is slow ... but we will be ready to play in 22 days."
The day began with the locker room reveal. Players were shown the finished locker rooms with their brand new jerseys in the Fitness Center and the Eastview Building on the north side of campus. Many players were thrilled with their findings.
"The experience [today] is great," said Aubrey Williams, Judson's starting quarterback. "Most of us are thankful for the coaches and the school for making that happen for us."
Offensive Lineman Wes Thompson agreed.
"I did not know that was going to happen today," he said. "I talked to Coach Pap, and told him that this is the most real it has felt as a program. The hype is continuing to grow."
Coach Paplaczyk was quick to acknowledge that today's efforts could not have been done with the team effort of the University's Plant Operations Staff, the Coaching Staff, and several players who volunteered their time to make the locker room what it is today.
But on a larger scale, the Judson University Football program would not have happened without the significant contributions from the local NEXT Foundation.
"To think three or four years ago with Ted Scislowski, Ed Grasse, and Dr. Crume came together to [make this happen]; we would not be here without [Scislowski and Grasse's] support and Dr. Crume saying 'yes'," said Dr. Fennern. "We think we have a tremendous opportunity to be great influences in the Fox Valley area for football."
The anticipation continues to build for the season which will begin on Saturday, September 4 at 7:00 p.m. on the football field of Dundee-Crown High School.
Original source can be found here.