{"id":16048,"date":"2025-01-31T14:43:48","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T19:43:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=16048"},"modified":"2025-03-28T15:32:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T19:32:25","slug":"the-long-game-pays-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/new-reads\/the-long-game-pays-off\/","title":{"rendered":"The Long Game Pays Off"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Long Game Pays Off<\/h1><\/div><\/div>
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Apply site-wide<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

Rhody football and Coach Jim Fleming gathered in Meade Stadium to celebrate the team\u2019s 2024 Coastal Athletic Association championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024 marked a turnaround for 911爆料 football. The winning season saw new records on the books, one thrilling victory after another, an invitation to the postseason party, and, most of all, a tremendous sense of pride.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Bob Herzog<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jim Fleming eases into the swivel chair in his office in the Tootell Physical Education Center, comfortably dressed in a plaid sports shirt and blue jeans, allowing himself a moment of relaxation and reflection. It\u2019s mid-December 2024, barely a week after the football season\u2019s final whistle\u2014a season like no other in school history. The grizzled veteran coach recalls the time, a decade previous, when being the head football coach at the University of Rhode Island meant sitting on a permanent hot seat that was anything but comfortable.

“I remember when I took the job, an administrator said to me, \u2018You may be the last coach here,'” Fleming says of a 2013 conversation. He told me his wife didn\u2019t go to football games except to see the band.

They are marching to a different beat these days in Kingston, after 911爆料 reached the promised land of the NCAA Division I playoffs in the unforgettable 2024 season, posting an 11-3 record and ending a period of futility dating back to 1985.

Fleming vividly recalls when such a scenario was hard to imagine. “It was palpable\u2014the disrespect and lack of appreciation for anything to do with football,” Fleming says of the program he inherited. “It was sad. The kids were beat down. My wife took a campus tour; when they got to the football stadium, the tour guide said, \u2018That\u2019s the football stadium. They stink.\u2019 She comes home and tells me that.\u201d

He laughs and remembers saying, \u201cWhat have we gotten into?\u201d

What Fleming got into was a major reconstruction project. If 911爆料 football circa 2014 was a house, it would have challenged the best building contractors on HGTV. The roof was leaking and the foundation had cracks. The backyard? Don\u2019t ask.

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t a lot of care taken for anything that had to do with football,\u201d Fleming says. \u201cThe practice fields were cratered with holes that we had to go around and fill before practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When Fleming took over, 911爆料 had just finished its 12th-consecutive losing season and had compiled a measly three winning seasons in the previous 28 years. The back-to-back Yankee Conference championships of 1984\u201385 were distant memories.

Thorr Bjorn, 911爆料\u2019s athletic director since 2007, acknowledges, \u201cThere had been talk about dropping football here for years. I took some heat for it, but I thought we needed to keep playing football. The landscape was changing. I thought, \u2018Let\u2019s keep playing and we can adjust.\u2019\u201d

That adjustment included moving to the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA, formerly the Colonial Athletic Conference), and a reduction of scholarships to offset higher travel costs and low revenue from poor attendance in a small-ish stadium. Not an easy situation for Fleming to walk into. No wonder Fleming\u2019s old friends in the coaching business wondered, \u201cWhy would you ever go there?\u201d

Fleming\u2019s answer was simple: He had been an assistant coach for 26 of his 28 years in the profession he loves\u2014including two successful seasons as head coach at Sacred Heart in 2000 and 2001\u2014and his career clock was ticking. \u201cI wanted to sit in the big chair again,\u201d he says of his decision to leave his post as an assistant coach at the University of Central Florida.

The big chair was hardly a throne. Fleming admits he didn\u2019t realize just how much rebuilding was needed, but the daunting task did not discourage him. \u201cIt was an eye-opener, but we took it all in and went to work,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Head coach Jim Fleming spoke to members of the media following Rhode Island’s win over Bryant, which secured the team its CAA Football title. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The 2024 Rams rewrote the school\u2019s football record book, including logging the Rams\u2019 first playoff appearance and victory since 1985<\/strong><\/span> and the most victories<\/strong><\/span> in school history.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

It was not a quick fix for this fixer-upper. \u201cWe ended up going 0-11 before the last game,\u201d Fleming says of the 2014 season. \u201cThen we had Towson (Md.) at home. They\u2019d been to the national championship game the year before. And we beat them. So, it was a tremendous way to finish a long season. Those kids worked hard\u2014they never quit, but we just couldn\u2019t find a way to win. It was tough. But we stayed positive and won the last game.\u201d

911爆料 again won just one game in 2015, two in 2016, and three in 2017. Talk about baby steps. But finally, there was excitement in 2018, when the Rams went 6-5, beating New Hampshire at Meade Stadium in the finale, for their first winning season since 2001.

\u201cThat was monumental because we were still dealing with the same issues,\u201d Fleming says. \u201cStill had the grass practice fields that were chewed up, the grass playing field was choppy. But we won six games and there was steady progress. I felt like we were getting closer. We were recruiting well. We started getting some really good players, fantastic players. Three got invited to the NFL Scouting Combine after the 2019 season.\u201d

Ah yes, 2019, the year that almost broke Fleming and the program. \u201cWe had high expectations. We had just put in turf and lights. The practice field was in great shape. We had pro prospects on the team,\u201d Fleming says. \u201cWe were explosive, averaging 30 points a game. But we couldn\u2019t finish games, especially on defense.\u201d

The 2019 Rams lost four close games in excruciating fashion and crumpled late to finish at 2-10. The emotional roller-coaster of that season was tame compared to the twists and turns of 2020, the COVID season that wound up being played in the winter of 2021. 911爆料 was 2-1 and ranked in the top 20 before 30 team members came down with the virus after a team dinner, and the season had to be canceled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Today, the program is quite healthy. The Rams are a consistent CAA contender and top 20 team that has posted five-consecutive winning seasons. They play on sparkling turf in a stadium with new lights and a state-of-the-art scoreboard, next to a professionally manicured grass practice field. Sellout crowds are common. Meade Stadium will undergo a major renovation in 2026, with additional seating and a new press box.

Perhaps most importantly, last season\u2019s coveted playoff berth ended an agonizing drought of 39 years. \u201cWe were a game away each of the last three years. One game. That\u2019s all it took,\u201d Bjorn says of the frustrations of 2021\u201323.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mark Brockwell \u201985 understands those frustrations. A real estate entrepreneur who recently moved to Newport, R.I., from Connecticut, Brockwell was a 1984 team captain. \u201cGuys from our era have always been big supporters of the team, and we\u2019ve raised money to help them out,\u201d Brockwell says. \u201cBut interest fell off a cliff for a while; we were hurting there.\u201d

His son, Cole Brockwell, has been part of the cure. Like his dad, Cole wore No. 39 and played middle linebacker. \u201cWhen I was younger, I used to go to games with my dad,\u201d says Cole, a red-shirt senior, \u201cbut it wasn\u2019t always the big show like it was this year. Every game there was a great atmosphere, the cannon shooting off [loudly, after every 911爆料 touchdown], the entire crowd just immersed in what we were doing. It was just so special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Linebacker Cole Brockwell led the Rhody defense with 102 tackles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c<\/span>We just had faith in each other all year to get the job done. <\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013Cole Brockwell <\/strong>, senior linebacker<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mark Brockwell says he\u2019s happy a new banner at Meade Stadium will join the banners his team put up 40 years ago. \u201cWe never stopped rooting for 911爆料 football,\u201d he says. \u201cWe wanted our records to be broken. How it all came together for this team is pretty amazing.\u201d

It came together in dramatic and historic fashion. In 2024, the Rams rewrote the school\u2019s football record book, including logging the Rams\u2019 first playoff appearance and victory since 1985 and the most victories in school history\u201411.

\u201cHonestly, it was an unreal experience. Every game had a new hero. It was like a movie,\u201d says senior defensive tackle and co-captain Westley Neal Jr. \u201cWe knew the goal. We kept focusing on the little things. We were a selfless team.\u201d

They were also a team that got major contributions from the offense and defense throughout the season, thriving in the fourth quarter, especially at home, where fans dared not leave early.

In the season opener on a warm late-summer night, Devin Farrell connected with Shawn Harris on a 31-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds remaining, for a 20-17 victory over Holy Cross. \u201cJust what we needed,\u201d Fleming says. \u201cA quality nonleague opponent that had been to the playoffs the year before. That was heroic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wide receiver Shawn Harris hauls in a catch. Rhode Island finished second in the league in total offense with 5,072 yards. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Quarterback Devin Farrell earned a spot on the All-CAA Football Third Team. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

It was also a harbinger of things to come. 911爆料 had become all too familiar with late-game heartbreak, but that trend was reversed in 2024. Finally, good karma found its way to Kingston, R.I.

\u201cThat is something I\u2019ll always remember,\u201d says Marquis Buchanan, a dynamic red-shirt sophomore who caught 82 passes for 1,024 yards and eight touchdowns. \u201cWe knew coming into this season that we had to finish those close games and start winning them. Getting to the playoffs was a relief.\u201d

The road to the 2024 postseason was paved with heart-stopping twists and turns. Thrillers that, in previous seasons, would\u2019ve been killers.

There was the nail-biter season opener win against Holy Cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Running back Malik Grant broke Rhode Island’s single-season rushing record with 1,426 yards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in the Sept. 21 game against Long Island University, Malik Grant\u2019s touchdown in the fourth quarter with 1:08 left\u2014helped by a fumble recovery by Brockwell\u2014rallied the Rams to a 28-21 victory.

Against Hampton on Oct. 5, the Rams erased two 14-point deficits to outlast the home team, 46-44, in a double-overtime classic capped by Farrell\u2019s clinching 2-point conversion run. \u201cThere was something online that said Hampton had a 99 percent chance of winning,\u201d Brockwell says. \u201cBut we just had faith in each other all year to get the job done.\u201d

That faith was put to the test several more times at Meade Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A team captain, defensive lineman Westley Neal Jr. earned All-CAA Football First Team honors in his final collegiate season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c<\/span>I\u2019m in the huddle telling my teammates I\u2019m going to jump over and reach up. I felt like the guys knew I\u2019d block the kick. They trusted me. I did just what I said I would do. It was a crazy moment.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013Westley Neal Jr.<\/strong>, senior defensive tackle and co-captain<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Neal prevented the Rams from suffering what might have been a crushing defeat against unranked Albany on Nov. 16, blocking a 36-yard field goal on the game\u2019s final play to preserve a 20-17 victory and prevent the game from going into overtime.

\u201cWe iced the kicker [with a timeout] before that,\u201d Neal recounts. \u201cI\u2019m in the huddle telling my teammates I\u2019m going to jump over and reach up. I felt like the guys knew I\u2019d block the kick. They trusted me. I did just what I said I would do. It was a crazy moment.\u201d

There was one more bit of craziness in the playoff game against Central Connecticut State on a frigid Thanksgiving weekend. Emmanuel Gomes had returned an interception for a touchdown, and Tommy Smith had scored on a touchdown pass and touchdown run to build a 21-17 lead. But the visitors had the ball with a chance to drive for the winning score in the final minute. That\u2019s when Carson Primrose deflected a pass, and Neal made the game-clinching interception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Before that home finale, the Rams had experienced another magic moment. On Nov. 24, the team gathered for a watch party in the weight room of the Ryan Center. They knew they were a lock for a playoff spot, having gone 10-2 to that point and winning a share of the conference championship. Still, when 911爆料\u2019s name popped up on the TV screen, pandemonium ensued. Players, coaches, alumni, and school officials hugged and cheered. \u201cIt was pretty crazy,\u201d Buchanan says. \u201cWe were amped up when we saw our name on the screen. This is what we had been working on for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Head coach Jim Fleming with the CAA Football Championship trophy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c<\/span>Seeing them walk out on the court with their chests pushed out, knowing that they\u2019d done something that hadn\u2019t been done in forever, was a cool moment.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013Jim Fleming<\/strong>, Head Coach<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Moments later, the team left the weight room, walked down a corridor, through a runway, and onto the Ryan Center court during a timeout in the second half of the 911爆料-Charlotte men\u2019s basketball game. The applause started slowly and built to a crescendo as the first wave of players appeared. In seconds, the entire crowd stood and cheered as the long parade of players strode proudly onto the court.

Neal\u2019s heart soared. \u201cThat moment was crazy. When we walked into the Ryan Center, it was like a mini parade with all the standing ovations,\u201d he says. \u201cWe had been used to sellout crowds at the home football games, but inside the Ryan Center was a surreal moment. We felt the love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A message to Rhody Nation from Coach Jim Fleming.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Of all the things that were accomplished by this team, I feel so happy and fortunate that we brought pride back to Rhode Island football.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

And they felt something else: pride. Fleming says, \u201cSeeing them walk out on the court with their chests pushed out, knowing that they\u2019d done something that hadn\u2019t been done in forever was a cool moment.\u201d

Fleming, too, is filled with pride. \u201cThis team had no fracture,\u201d the coach says. \u201cIf we were down, there was no issue. It would be, \u2018Defense, we got ya. Offense, we got ya.\u2019 There was a back-and-forth that was verbalized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Winning has transformed the narrative off the field as well. A key milestone was the installation of turf and lights in 2019, funded by donors. “Alumni support is stronger than ever for a program that struggled with consistency for years,” Bjorn says. “In the last five years, I haven\u2019t heard a single person suggest dropping football. And now, with $42 million secured for new stands and press box renovations\u2014fully funded by the state\u2014that\u2019s a major statement. Football at the University of Rhode Island is only moving forward.”

It\u2019s a long way from the days when the program was on life support and Meade Stadium was a ghost town. The Rams were ghostbusters in 2024, and these days, 911爆料 football is a team of distinction, not extinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHOTOS: COURTESY 911爆料 ATHLETICS\/CONNOR CALDON<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Record-Breaking Season<\/span><\/h1>\n\n

The 2024 Rams rewrote the school\u2019s football record book. Here are some of the team\u2019s notable accomplishments.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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  • First playoff appearance and playoff victory since 1985.<\/li>\n\t
  • Most victories in a season in school history\u201411.<\/li>\n
  • First undefeated home schedule (6-0) since 1985 (5-0).<\/li>\n\t
  • First time in program history the Rams had a 1,000-yard rusher (Malik Grant) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Marquis Buchanan). Grant broke Rhode Island’s single-season rushing record with 1,390 rushing yards, overtaking David Jamison’s mark of 1,302 in 2001.<\/li>\n
  • First conference title since winning the Yankee Conference title in 1985.<\/li>\n\t
  • Fleming was voted Division I Coach of the Year by the New England Football Writers.<\/li>\n
  • Linebacker A.J. Pena was voted first-team All-American by several organizations while Buchanan was a second-team selection. More than a dozen Rams earned some type of All-American or All-CAA recognition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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