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ALMA MATER
In the Mississippi Valley,
In the Crescent Bend
Stands our loved and noble Xavier,
Far her praises send.
Refrain:
Wave her colors bear them onward
Gold and white so true
Hail to thee, all hail, dear Xavier
Hail, all hail, X.U.!
Xavier, ever be our guide
And lead us on the way,
Through life's journey, onward, upward
To the eternal day. (Refrain)
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May 28, 2007
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Xavier athletics rush back in a big way
First sports seasons after Katrina yield great achievements
By Corey Green
Contributing writer
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Xavier Athletic Director Dennis Cousin could cope with losing cars, clothes and
other possessions because of Hurricane Katrina.
Material things could always be replaced, but how could Cousin
replace Xavier's 2005-06 athletic seasons?
Players were displaced from coast to coast, and Cousin had to
make a decision whether or not to bring back athletics.
"It was discouraging," Cousin said. "A part of our life
was missing, especially after seeing Loyola University field their teams."
Xavier athletics had been previously successful, and
there appeared to be potential for greatness, but in a blink of an eye it was wiped away.
"With everybody displaced, one of our main concerns was
whether or not our students would return, after such a disaster," Cousin said.
It didn't come easy
With New Orleans on a long road to recovery, Xavier pulled
together to uplift the school and community.
The administration dealt with the financial challenges,
and coaches and players kept in touch throughout the storm's aftermath.
Mock schedules were made, and new supplies were ordered.
"We lacked a number of things, but every time I
requested something the administration made it work," Cousin said.
During the suspended seasons, players and coaches
worked within NAIA Division I guidelines but without the help of a strength and conditioning program.
"It was tough at first not playing," senior guard
Mark Stewart said. "Five out of seven days we were in random gyms working
on getting each other better, pushing each other while coach was on the other
end making sure we stayed together and was doing something. Our work ethic became
amazing and crazy, and when the season started we bonded more as a team."
Back to the top
After spending nearly $125 million in repairs and
rebuilding, Xavier reopened for classes in January 2006, and in May the university
president Dr. Norman C. Francis reinstated the athletic programs for the following school year.
"A lot of people felt it was going to be too hard to
compete at the level we're used to competing at," Cousin said. "Dr. Francis didn't
feel the same. He's the type of person you can't tell him he can't do something and do it well."
Early in the season, it seemed as though having to
relocate for a year, not practicing in an organized setting, or the distress of
Katrina's aftermath might have been too much for the Xavier men's basketball team.
On Jan. 11, the Gold Rush was struggling with an 0-4 record
in the GCAC conference and 7-7 overall.
"We had a group of guys who were young and who needed to
learn the game," Coach Dannton Jackson said. "We were already down, so we couldn't go anywhere but up."
The Gold Rush went on a 10-game conference winning streak,
earning a share of the GCAC championship with Tougaloo College.
Then, for the first time since 1973, the Gold Rush reached
the second round of the NAIA Tournament, defeating No. 3 seed Georgetown (Ky.) 82-79.
The Gold Rush finished 22-10. It was the 24th season of at
least 20 victories at Xavier, but it was clear the 2006-07 season was like no other.
"It was an unbelievable season," Jackson said. "It was a
real special team, at a special time, and that's what made the year so special."
The men's and women's cross country teams also made history.
It was the first time at Xavier that both squads won conference titles.
"The kids stayed loyal to the college and me by returning to
Xavier," cross country coach Joseph Moses said. "They couldn't wait to get back to the place they called home."
A week before Katrina hit, the cross country team was scheduled
for their first meet at City Park.
They never made it.
"It was depressing for all of us, but especially for me," junior
Ebony Harding said. "At that time, I was fresh out of high school, and I trained real hard for
college — and to do all that for nothing was hard."
The layoff didn't just cost the team the 2005 season,
it forced changes in training habits.
"I had to learn how to race again," Harding said. "My first
race was like someone slapping me in the face. I had to adjust to competing all over again."
The Gold Nuggets' tennis team had won four consecutive
GCAC titles from 2002-05.
When it got back, the Gold Nuggets picked up where they
left off, winning the GCAC championship again.
"Being away from the game so long made everybody hungry,"
said men's and women's tennis coach Alan Green. "It was a relief to be on the tennis court once again."
By the end of the school year, five of the six Xavier athletic
programs had won a GCAC championship: men's and women's cross country, men's basketball
and men's and women's tennis.
"It was the best thing that has ever been done in the history
of Xavier athletics," Cousin said. "Not participating in organized ball a whole year is
tough, and then trying to come back and maintain consistency is even tougher. I honestly
didn't think we could come back and be as strong as we did."
Overcoming the odds
School is out once again, this time for summer break, and
Xavier has something to build on.
"Xavier is one big family," Cousin said. "In times like this,
families must work together in order to pull through such a tragedy."
Only 75 percent of the college student enrollment has returned
post-Katrina, but Xavier plans to expand that figure, along with the campus. Within the
next two to three years a new Convocation Center will be built on campus, replacing The Barn.
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