On Sept. 7, Colgate University football coach Dick Biddle recorded his 96th career victory, making him the school’s all-time leader. Biddle answered O-D reporter Marques Phillips’ questions via e-mail in the week that followed the big win.

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Question: Having set the record for school wins, what was your first thought when it was over?

Answer: I thought about our first win in 1996 versus Brown and about all the great players and coaches who have made this possible.

Q: Now that you’re a legend, are you going to request a bust of yourself be made? Where will you have it displayed?

A: That will not happen. I just would like the players to know that the coaches will always work hard and do everything possible to give them a chance to succeed and that I love and respect them.

Q: Looking back, what does winning all those games involve?

A: A tremendous amount of hard work by the coaches and a total commitment by the players to do all the things necessary to win, which is not an easy task.

Q: When you inherited the program, you turned it around immediately. What were the keys to turning an 0-11 team into a winner in just one year?

A: At that time, there was not a lot of respect for the football program or for the players. We expressed that football was important and that winning was a priority. The players took pride in being on the team, and we really came together. It also helped that we put Ryan Vena in at QB.

Q: Is it harder to be competitive at a school with such high academic standards?

A: It is not easy because the pool of players you can recruit is small. It also hurts when your opponents give better financial aid packages and scholarships.

Q: Going forward, what goals do you have for the rest of your career?

A: To someday be a head coach at a scholarship school.

Q: Do smart kids get the playbook quicker?

A: Smart football players learn the notebook quicker.

Q: Who is more frustrating, officials or parents?

A: Neither. It is people that take winning for granted and don’t understand how hard it is to be successful.

Tuesday conversation with …
By Marques Phillips, The Utica Observer-Dispatch
http://www.uticaod.com/archive/x1780975694/Tuesday-conversation-with