When John Stutzman heads off to Madison Square Garden this weekend, he'll be putting the cherry on top of an unprecedented season that's seen his squad defy the odds and make history. But the road that Stutzman had to take to make history at his alma mater was the toughest test in his coaching career.
That test started three years ago when former Athletic Director Danny White had called after firing former coach Jim Beichner. Stutzman immediately jumped at the opportunity to coach his alma mater, but was in for a rude awakening when he arrived. The ninth-year head coach knew that UB was in dire straits, coming off a 1-11 campaign, but things were much worse than he realized when he stepped on campus.