Syracuse Welcomes 10th Mountain Division for Fort Drum Combine

‘Cuse strengthens bond with Fort Drum in latest event

The strong relationship between the Syracuse football program and Fort Drum added another element on Monday as members of the 10th Mountain Division participated in the first Syracuse Football Fort Drum Combine at the Ensley Athletic Center.

The soldiers participated in drills members of the Orange participate in at the NFL Combine and Syracuse Pro Day, under the supervision of the coaching staff and current student-athletes, creating another opportunity for members of the program to bond with the soldiers from Fort Drum.

“For us it’s always great for us to spend time with the troops because what they do is for real,” said head coach Scott Shafer. “We have great appreciation for what they do so we can go out here, play football and have a good time and not worry about the well-being of our country because we’re defended so well by these men and women.”

The day began with the troops going through a warmup with the Syracuse strength and conditioning staff before being placed separated into five groups inside the Ensley Athletic Center. The soldiers participated in the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill, short shuttle, broad and high jumps before heading to the weight room for the bench press.

Following the workouts, the troops and student-athletes shared breakfast and coach Shafer handed out awards to the top performers in each event.

“It was a fantastic day, we know that Syracuse is New York’s College Football Team and we like to think of the 10th Mountain as New York’s Army Division, so we’re glad to have this relationship here,” said Major Sean Morrow.

“Fitness is an important part of our combat readiness and the ability to come up here this morning and see how an elite athletic program trains its players and prepares to go on the field are the same types of skills that prepare our unit and division for combat. The things that we’ll take home today is that it was fun, inspiring and they’re also very functional and will help us in our mission.”

The combine event was the latest in a long line of events that the Syracuse football program and Fort Drum have combined to participate in, highlighted by the team spending a week during training camp on post each season.

“This is a neat experience and it’s very consistent with the University’s mission to become the nation’s exemplar in higher education for serving the nation’s veterans and their families,” said Vice Chancellor of Veterans and Military Affairs and Executive Director of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families Michael Haynie. “The relationship with Fort Drum is longstanding and the football team has a very special relationship with the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum, and it’s something that we’re looking to build on in the future.”