Sept. 2, 2010
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2 DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF - Michael Truncale grew up at Lamar University, where his parents were members of the music faculty. He swam with his father in the campus pool. He played cello in Lamar orchestras.
"Lamar has been part of my life," he said. "I've seen the vision.
"We have some wonderful old traditions, and I'm proud of them, but we're also going to create new traditions for Lamar. It's going to give us that sense of community, and, as we come together, the university is going to grow. Great things are in store."
Truncale was talking about Lamar football, which has been part of his life since he was a child whose earliest memories include shivering under a blanket during a fall cold front at South Park's Greenie Stadium, the old home of the football Cardinals. He remembers the magic of the marching band and its "front line" of twirlers.
He pictures Vernon Glass pacing the sidelines. His parents, Joseph and Ruth, never missed a football game. His father sang the National Anthem, and he recalls the pride he felt in hearing his magnificent voice over the loud speaker.
"I remember the bell and the cannon, and I also remember, as a child, when Terry Bradshaw came to town, playing for Louisiana Tech," Truncale said. "We always were glued to the halftime show. It was a fabulous deal, and I will say this: We never lost a single halftime."
Truncale was there for the devastating 42-7 loss to Baylor - a game that attracted a record crowd of 18,500 to Cardinal Stadium on Sept. 13, 1980. A year later, he shared in the jubilation when the Cardinals upset the Bears 18-17 on a last-second field goal by Mike Marlow in Waco. Later, he lamented the decision to drop football at Lamar.
These memories - and many more - are indelibly etched into the heart and mind of this diehard Cardinal fan, now a regent of The Texas State University System. None rivals that of his motion leading to the regents' 9-0 vote to bring football back to Lamar.
"I was delighted to make the motion to bring football back," said Truncale. "I jokingly commented that whenever someone writes my obituary, that's the one thing I want in there."
As a regent, Truncale said, "I want to make this university viable and grow exponentially. Do you see how important this is for the growth of the university? It's huge."
A senior partner with the law form of Orgain Bell & Tucker LLP, Truncale graduated from Lamar with high honors in 1978, earning a degree in economics. He received a master of business administration from the University of North Texas and a law degree from Southern Methodist University. In December 2007, he was Lamar's commencement speaker.
Truncale has vivid memories of the Baylor game in Beaumont because his wife, Denise, is a Baylor graduate, and the weekend marked the first visit by his future in-laws. He and Denise were married by the even more memorable rematch in Waco.
"I was amid all these Baylor fans, standing up and cheering every time, and .people looked at me like I was out of my mind, but I didn't care," said Truncale. "When Mike Marlow kicked that wonderful field goal, I felt like I was blowing across the end zone when the ball went through the uprights.
Truncale was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, and several of his fraternity brothers were football players.
"As pledges, we had to get to the stadium early to get our letters set up and block off enough room in the stands for our fraternity members and their dates,." said Truncale.
Truncale's parents frequented athletics events, and their friends who were coaches, such as Jack Martin and Dan Rogas, attended Joseph Truncale's opera productions.
"They would be supportive of whatever my dad was doing, and my dad would go to the games,' daid Truncale. `There was a sense of Lamar community among the faculty.
"On and on and on, there was so much excitement. We had a competitive season (5-5) that last year and so much expectation and hope that we could prove the community would support this."
Truncale sometimes wishes he had been on the board to make it a 5-4 vote to save football. On the other hand, he said, when the regents did bring football back, "We did it right, and we did it on a 9-0 vote."
When Cardinal Stadium opened in 1964, Truncale said, "We were so amazed walking into it."
Now, the amazement is amplified. On summer commencement day, President James Simmons and his wife, Susan, took Truncale and the speaker, regents' Chairman Ron Blatchley, on a tour of the renovated stadium and new athletic complex.
"It was fabulous," Truncale said. "I saw the architectural drawings when we voted, but it's even better than what the architects promised."
And there's a reason: "We got the people who built Reliant Stadium to build it. We got the people who did the Dallas Cowboys' football field to do our football field. We have a first-class facility that not just every Lamar football player but every Lamar student and fan can be proud of.
"A lot of study went into it. Before we voted, I talked to Jimmy Simmons, and I talked to Billy Tubbs. I knew they had done their homework. I knew this dream to bring football back was not just a pipe dream. I knew they had laid the right foundation, with sound analysis and a viable plan. Now, what the public's going to see is that plan in action."
It was important to the board that the return of football have the full support of students, faculty, alumni and the community, Truncale said. "This was the right decision. This wonderful facility is due, in large part, to the support shown by the community. Every time I go to a restaurant; every time I see alumni, I get feedback on how much the community wants this."
Truncale added, "I like Ray Woodard's attitude. I think he's a builder. I know what he's done as a football player, and I know what he did at the junior-college level. He's a champion."
Truncale concluded: "We can't afford not to have a football program. Not only does it provide opportunities for these 75 to 80 young men who will play football, but also for other athletes and members of the band, cheer squad, dance team and Lamar students in general. These students are going to bring life to campus."
"Our graduates will go on to do wonderful things. They will become taxpayers, home and business owners, executives and teachers and on and on. They're going to end up teaching and coaching in schools throughout Texas. And where are they going to suggest their students go to school? To Lamar University, of course.
"I think football is the cornerstone, along with basketball and baseball. When the water rises, all ships rise. As football rises, basketball, baseball - all these ships are going to rise as our athletic department grows. And the rise of the athletic department will enhance our academics.
"I have high expectations, and I believe Lamar football should set the bar high and think big. When you reach for a star, you'll get it."
The Texas State University System Board of Regents approved an athletic fee to restore the program in February of 2008 and named former NFL player Woodard its eighth head coach on June 19, 2008.
Lamar will play an 11-game schedule this season, with six games being played in the newly renovated Provost Umphrey Stadium. The first home game will be against Webber International on Sept. 11.
Tickets for this historic season are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling the Lamar Ticket Office at (409) 880-1715 or by visiting the athletics website at www.lamarcardinals.com/tickets/footbl-s-tickets.html.
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