Tufts University Football Team Visits Hall

It's approximately a five-hour drive from the Tufts University campus in Boston to Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., and when traveling from the hustle and bustle of The Hub to pastoral Central New York, there isn't a better stop to make than Cooperstown.

That's what the Tufts Jumbos football team had in mind when they visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on Friday en route to Hamilton, where they will play the first game of their 2015 season tomorrow. The average height in the Museum certainly gained a few inches during the afternoon hours, when approximately 90 players toured its historic exhibits along with the coaches and athletic training staff.

Head coach Jay Civetti said he and his players are anxious to get off the practice field and into live competition on the gridiron, and said he hopes the players' visit to the Museum puts them in the right frame of mind for tomorrow's game.

"Most of the players haven't been here, so it's an awesome opportunity to share such an important part of our pastime," Civetti said. "Surrounding guys with greatness the day before a game is a nice mental approach too. A big part of our theme is not to focus on the championship but on being champions, and I couldn't think of a better place to take these guys and show them people who did it the right way, made sacrifices and had a commitment to their teams."

Freshman linebacker Michael Paloian is making his first visit to the Museum today, and said he and his teammates were hoping to draw some inspiration from the men and women on the oak-lined walls.

"I'm excited to just hear the stories of the heart these (Hall of Famers) played with and their passion for the game," Paloian said.

The Jumbos compete in Division III athletics in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and begin their eight-game slate Saturday with a 1 p.m. start. The team tied for fifth place in the conference last season with a 4-4 record.