Waking up before the sun for workouts, practicing in the blazing heat and freezing cold, pushing through injuries, and pouring countless hours of blood, sweat and tears into a sport. Those are experiences only a few truly understand.
Not everyone goes to college. Even fewer make it onto a college athletic roster. And only a small number push through the grind, the injuries, the early mornings and late nights and the pressure long enough to reach their senior year. For the seniors of the Campbellsville University Tigers Football Team, this season’s ending marked more than the conclusion of a schedule, it marked the end of something that has shaped their lives for years.
Though graduation is still one semester away, their football careers are officially behind them. And once they took off their pads after that final game on Nov. 29 against Benedictine College, they knew they wouldn’t be putting them back on. Now, they’re left reflecting on what it meant to be a Campbellsville Tiger, and how being a student-athlete at CU changed them.
For senior Dhane Montgomery, an offensive lineman from Carrolton, Kentucky, playing at the next level felt like a blessing from the start.
“My journey was nothing short of interesting to say the least,” Montgomery said. “Coming from a small town having an opportunity to play football at the next level was a blessing in itself.”
But the road wasn’t always easy. Coaching changes, personal challenges and the uncertainty of staying with the program made his early years difficult.
“My first years of the program were definitely a struggle and deciding what to do with the program in the coaching turnover was a really tough decision as well, but I had to trust God and trust the process that I was brought to Campbellsville for a reason,” said Montgomery.
Over time, that trust paid off. The environment at Campbellsville, on and off the field, became one of the biggest reasons he stayed.
“Just seeing the coaching staff implement Christ in this team has also been a huge part of my love for this team,” Montgomery said. “This game, and this university has done so much for me beyond words, and I’m blessed to be a Fighting Tiger.”
For Montgomery, being a Tiger meant more than football, it meant finding a place where he felt supported, pushed and shaped into the man he’s becoming.
“Being a Campbellsville Tiger is something that I speak of proudly,” said Montgomery. “I definitely look at this university as more like a large family than as a school. Since I was a freshman, the relationships I’ve just been able to develop to grow me as a man, but also a man of faith, I’m truly grateful.”
Some moments stood out more than others, especially those shared with his teammates.
“Being able to say the last time I stepped on the field with Lindsey Wilson, I left a winner. Knowing that that Highway 55 trophy was in my hands and there’s nothing they can do about it till next year,” said Montgomery. “But also, the baptisms we’ve had within the team, seeing your brother turn towards salvation, and just the road trips to games and being able to spend time with your brothers is just something you can’t take for granted.”
For Montgomery, certain people also made the experience unforgettable.
“All the coaches were great and a blessing to be able to play under them. Coach Lane definitely made a huge impact on the football side of things, helping me whether it was football struggles or issues with life, he always gave me a sense of accountability, checking in on me as an athlete, but also as a man, making sure I’m living my life for Christ,” said Montgomery. “Dr. Willis definitely made a huge impact as well on me through my five years here. I always had my eyes so focused on football, but she cared about me off the field, whether it was through faith, school or sports, she was always in my corner, she was like a university mom to me in a sense. I think that’s one thing that makes Campbellsville University so special is just the relationships you’re able to develop here, that it’s so much bigger than your performance.”
As the end of his career sinks in, Montgomery feels both sadness and gratitude.
“It makes me sad, but I’m also rejoicing in the fact that I even had an opportunity to play football at the next level. I’m happy with the fact that I was able to get a degree while doing something I love. That I was surrounded by great people, through great times,” said Montgomery. “I can definitely see I made the right decision, by coming here you are able to see the love of Campbellsville through everything this university does… Campbellsville will always hold a special place in my heart.”
For senior Gabriel Maurer, a receiver from Owenton, Kentucky, the moments that shaped him weren’t always the big plays, they were the people beside him.
“Every moment as a football player has a been a trial. The hardest part of being a player has been the time management, but what got me through was being with my brothers,” said Maurer. “The people who got me through the hardest and best moments were the men on my left and right.”
To Maurer, being a Tiger meant embracing adversity, pushing through challenges and striving for excellence with humility.
“Being a Tiger means that you are someone with the grit to finish what you start and do it correctly… having the mentality of ‘they have to play us’… that you understand what it means to be great, and you sacrifice to achieve that greatness,” said Maurer.
And like many seniors, one memory stood above the rest.
“One moment that I will never forget about being a Tiger is when we defeated Lindsey Wilson this past year for the first time in 10 years,” said Maurer. “Being a part of the group that took home the Highway 55 trophy again means a great deal to me. Especially sharing those moments with my brothers, who also sacrificed so much to earn that win.”
The people around him, coaches, teammates and close friends helped shape his journey.
“The culture that exists here allows guys like me to grow into strong godly men,” said Maurer. “For me personally, I look to the coaching staff and a few personal friends on the team like Alain Lopez, Spencer McCown, Dhane Montgomery, Luke Manning and Caden Thiemen, among so many others. These men have all been a light to me in hard moments and shared with me in my joy in the good ones. The brotherhood is what makes football so strong and what makes this team so good.”
Ending a college career brings mixed emotions, and Maurer feels both pride and loss.
“Part of completing my career feels satisfying, knowing that I saw it through and I completed what so many could not,” Maurer said. “The satisfaction to see it complete with the same guys you came in with is very special. I have the upmost respect for all the men that can do what we do for four or more years, and they will always have me at their back to help whenever I can.”
Still, what remains, the relationships, the brotherhood and the growth is what matters most.
“There is also emptiness knowing that a large part of who I am is complete and I will never play this sport again,” Maurer said. “It is only manageable because I did not lose the best part of this game. My brothers who I will always have for the rest of my life, that’s what makes football and specifically Tiger football so rare and special.”
For the senior offensive lineman, Daulton Peetz, his journey at Campbellsville University as a Tiger has shown steady growth.
“My journey as a Campbellsville football player has been a constant uphill climb. Every year we have gotten better, and I’m really excited to see them keep growing.” Peetz said.
For Peetz, being a football player, and specifically a Campbellsville University football player, has been more than just playing the game.
“Being a Campbellsville Tiger has meant everything to me. Being a football player is a lifestyle, it has been my identity on and off the field,” Peetz said.
Like many seniors, Peetz credits the people around for shaping who he is and his experience at CU, but one coach specifically made all the difference.
“Coach Lane, the offensive line coach, has been more than a coach to me since he arrived here,” Peetz said. “He is one of the greatest men I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, and he is like a brother to me.”
As Peetz reflects back on his career, he feels a sense of longing for what could’ve been but also pride in what he accomplished within the past four years.
“There’s always that initial feeling of what we could have done this season and how great we could have been, but I know we were one of the best teams in the nation we just fell short,” Peetz said. “Me as an individual, I am very satisfied. I gave everything I had to the sport, and it paid off. I’ve grown so much these last four years and I’m a better man because of it.”
