As the Colgate community prepares to honor Coach Biddle with the dedication of Biddle Plaza, Biddle Way, and the Coach Dick Biddle Videoboard this Saturday, former players, colleagues and friends share their memories of the legendary Colgate football coach.

Colgate Athletics expresses gratitude to Noel Rubinton, who has close family ties to Colgate including his father, sister, Sarah '74, and brother-in-law, Jim Laditka '73. Noel fondly remembers many shared conversations with his father, Noel Rubinton '43, admiring Coach Biddle, so Noel (a Brown graduate) volunteered to interview former players, athletics directors, coaches and others to develop this piece to help honor Coach Biddle.

#1 By the numbers
Dick Biddle is by far the winningest coach in Colgate's 131-year football history. He won 137 games and led the team to seven Patriot League championships and NCAA playoff appearances, including the 2003 I-AA national championship game. 

He was Patriot League Coach of the Year five times (the award is now named after him), and was the American Football Coaches Association Division I-AA national coach of the year in 2003. 

His 137-73 record is the highest winning percentage for any Colgate coach with more than seven years as head coach, and he won at least seven games in a season 14 times out of his 18 seasons as head coach. He is on the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame ballot.

#2 Communicator  
"Coach Biddle was unlike any other coach I have ever played for. He was old school, rough and tough, and truly represented what Colgate football was all about. He wasn't a man of many words. He was that type of coach that didn't have to say much, but you knew what he was thinking and what was expected of you when you were in his presence." — Gavin McCarney '14, Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 when he led the nation scoring with 140 points

"People sometimes perceived his silence as not being involved. I think he always was observing and watching, taking notes, mental or physical, such that he retained it and then he would speak on it later. By him being more selective about when to speak up, I think it carried different weight. He knew when something needed to be said. I also think he knew when to be tough, but he also knew when to be supportive. Players valued that. When he talked to you, it was meaningful. It wasn't just to make small talk. There was an objective of trying to improve you." — Brendon Biddle '03, the team's starting punter for three seasons and one of Dick and Sheila Biddle's two sons

"Coach Biddle was a special coach because he did not present himself as anything more than who he was. There was no pretense to the man. He shot straight, when he did actually speak. Also his silence spoke volumes, so much so that when he did speak you knew he felt very passionate about it and you listened differently." — Tem Lukabu '04, two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and current defensive coordinator for Boston College

"Dick is a very misunderstood person. You may have found him a little standoffish, but if you walked up to him and talked to him, he's very friendly." — Debbie Rhyde, Colgate's administrative assistant for football for 40 years

"I almost didn't hire him. He interviewed very poorly; I couldn't get anything out of him," says Fred Dunlap '50, Colgate's head football coach from 1976-87 and athletics director from 1976-92, of his first interview of Biddle for an assistant coaching position in 1976. The head coach at Allegheny, where Biddle worked then, told Dunlap, "He's a wonderful guy, take a chance on him." Dunlap spoke to Biddle again, hired him, and found "when he does say something, he's very direct." A player once told Dunlap about Biddle: "He doesn't say much, but when he looks at you, he gives you a brain scan." 

#3 Motivator
"He used our failures to motivate us in the future. A year we didn't win the Patriot League, we had to wear shirts that said "Payback" on them throughout all of summer workouts. Before games, it was less about getting you all amped up and more about motivating you underlying." — Brendon Biddle

"I remember we went up and we played Dartmouth and before the game, everybody's sitting there waiting to go out on the field, all the players. And Dick comes in and I'm thinking, 'Oh, we're going to have this really big pep talk and everything.' He comes in and says, 'We don't lose to Dartmouth. Let's go.' And then they went out on the field. He's just a unique guy who resonated well with players." — Dave Roach, Colgate's athletics director from 2004-12

"He wasn't a rah-rah guy at all. He was a matter-of-fact, lay-it-out in front guy—this is what we got, this is what we need to do, and this is how we should win." — Stan Dakosty '05, Fred '50 and Marilyn Dunlap Head Football Coach since August 2021 and a coach at Colgate since 2007

"He always deflected the success to his players." — Bob Cornell, Colgate's director of sports information from 1976-2008, who saw all of Biddle's games as assistant and head football coach

Late in the fourth quarter of the 1996 game against University of Pennsylvania, in what would become the 16th game of Colgate's long losing streak, Anthony Caravetta '97 recalls being a running back on the field: "We ran a play action, I faked a sweep right, the quarterback threw a pass over the middle, a UPenn linebacker batted the ball high and it got picked off by the cornerback. He sprinted down the left-hand sideline with nobody near him. I was on the opposite side of the field and said to myself, 'no way is the guy scoring right now.' I geared down and sprinted as fast as I could and caught him from behind, stopping him on the five yard line while he was about to score. Coach Biddle ran onto the field, grabbed my face mask, pressed his nose against it, and said, 'that's the type of plays that turns a program around, you're starting RB next week and you're getting the ball a lot.'" Caravetta was Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year in 1996 and serves as co-president of the Maroon Council, Colgate Football's fundraising support group.

#4 Honesty
"Players knew when he said something, he really meant it. The fact that he was so honest made the intensity ring true." — Fred Dunlap

"He was brutally honest with his players, and that's what they wanted." — Mark Murphy '77, four-year defensive back for Colgate, Colgate's athletics director from 1992-2003 (he hired Dick Biddle as head coach), 1982 Super Bowl champion with the Washington Redskins, and President/CEO of the Green Bay Packers since 2008

"He would not sugarcoat anything. I appreciated that more than anything." — Quarterback Ryan Vena '00 wasthe first three-time winner of the Patriot League Player of the Year award

"First and foremost, Coach Biddle is known for his honesty and transparency. At the end of the day, that's all that really matters to a player. Whether you're an All-American star on the team or simply trying to earn a spot to travel that weekend, the most important thing to you is if you believe in your coach and will he keep his word. Coach Biddle not only would keep his word, but he would run up to you during practice or a game and tell you what you did well or how badly you screwed up."  —  Anthony Caravetta

"Anybody who played for him, they would say they loved playing for him. They knew exactly where they stood." — Dave Roach

"He was the best and most authentic version of himself as a head coach as opposed to trying to be some other kind of coach. He was who he was, and there has not been a head coach at Colgate quite like him, and there likely may never be one quite like him again." — Dr. Nicki Moore, Colgate's vice president and director of athletics since 2018

#5 Respect
"He had tremendous respect from his players. When he said something, they'd listen. He treated them all equally." — Bob Cornell

"The players really respected him. Why? They knew he could help them. I've never seen a better example of what a difference a coach makes. You could just see there was a completely different vibe — the way he treated players and the way they thought about him." — Mark Murphy

"We all believed in Coach Biddle, trusted him and would run through a brick wall for him." — Anthony Caravetta

#6 Toughness
"He willed people to play with his intensity. He had fire in his eyes."  — Fred Dunlap

"Did he yell? Yes, he yelled. But it was more that his demeanor was just intense, and it's almost, as a player, as if you were trying to get on his toughness radar." — Stan Dakosty

"His character, the way he conducted himself and carried himself really was related to players. He had been there, he had played at a relatively high level [at Duke]. He was kind of an old-school, physical, hard-nosed type player, and that formed the basis of the kind of coach he was." — Brendon Biddle

"I feel that you overlooked an obvious choice in your selection of the Lineman of the Week for your Oct. 19 issue. Jeff Siemon of Stanford [later an NFL star] received the honor after a fine performance of eight assists and seven unassisted tackles while taking part in a mild upset. Dick Biddle of Duke, however, made 14 unassisted tackles and 16 assists in a major upset of previously unbeaten West Virginia. Moreover, Biddle was hampered by a back injury. I feel that an inspired performance such as his definitely deserves SI's recognition. — Robert B. Marshall, Durham, N.C., from the November 9, 1970 issue of Sports Illustrated, "19th Hole: The Readers Take Over"

#7 Strategy
"He had a thesis of 'Alright, this is how we're going to win in bad weather or unpredictable weather. We're going to lead with the running game and we're going to stop the run. He was partial to the mobile quarterback, a tough running back that you can feed throughout a game, and a defense that can stop the run." — Brendon Biddle

"He played it to win. ," says Bob Cornell. In his first season as head coach, Biddle called for Colgate to go for a two-point conversion attempt in overtime in the season's deciding game at Bucknell. The attempt failed and Bucknell was league champion, but Cornell says Biddle never expressed any regrets.

"He always went for it," remembers Brendon Biddle, years ahead of the trend where coaches embraced not giving up the ball on fourth down. "Hey, we're going to go for it," he remembers his father saying often, "We're going to want to keep the ball, and we want to go for seven as opposed to three." 

"He had many strategic thoughts, but he also had a core idea, 'Let's get some tough guys that play hard, get them going in the right direction, and let's not overthink it.'" — Stan Dakosty

"His knowledge of football was tremendous. He believed in tough, physical football." — Mark Murphy

"He took some shots and chances," says Ryan Vena. When the team was mired in a long losing streak in 1996, Biddle started him as a freshman quarterback in the season's fifth game, versus Brown. "He believed in me," Vena recollects, and the result was a 44-27 Colgate win, which started a six-game winning streak. "It was a perfect storm, it was time for a change offensively," and after the Brown game ended, Biddle said to Vena, "Great job, got to be better." 

#8 Recruiting
"You walk into his office and he has all of his Patriot League championship rings laid out across his desk. As you sit and talk with him, you can't help but notice them, and he made sure of that. It makes you want to be a part of the winning culture. It's why you play, and to be able to play under a legendary coach like him is an honor." — Gavin McCarney

On being recruited by Biddle as a player from northeastern Pennsylvania: "Being Coach Biddle, as you would imagine, it's not going to be a lot of used car salesman stuff. It's going to be simple and to the point. — Stan Dakosty 

On his version of Biddle's recruiting pitch: "This is Colgate, we're in central New York, yeah the weather might not be good all the time, we don't apologize for it. We're not for everybody, do you want to be part of something really good?" — Dave Roach

When he hired Biddle as an assistant coach in 1976, Fred Dunlap worried about how Biddle's taciturn nature would translate in recruiting. To his surprise, Biddle would light up in the car on the way to a house of a recruit and his parents and "would talk a lot in the living room with parents. I could hardly get a word in."  — Fred Dunlap

"He knew Colgate well and what would resonate with recruits," says Mark Murphy. He recalls Biddle telling potential players about the history of the school and the football program, as well as prime opportunities for them such as "stretch" games with prestigious opponents. 

In one of his first conversations with Biddle, Dave Roach talked about putting in a new scoreboard and some other physical upgrades. "Dave, I don't care," Roach recalls Biddle telling him, "I just want players. Help me get players. So that's what we did." 

#9 Management style
One of Biddle's strengths was knowing what he didn't know, says Fred Dunlap. The same day Biddle was appointed head coach in 1995, Dunlap remembers a night-time telephone call from Biddle, "I've been a defensive coach, I don't know anything about offense. Would you be my offensive coordinator?" A year later, Dunlap was joined on Biddle's staff by Mike Foley '78, another former Colgate head coach. 

"He hired his staff, experts in the area. He gave them [assistant coaches] the ability to do their thing without overshadowing them, without micromanaging them. He surrounded himself with a great staff." — Debbie Rhyde

"When hiring coaches, we talk about who we think they can hire. Do we think they can and will hire a staff who will be better than them? Review the evidence from Coach Biddle's time here and see that was in fact a strategy he used and factors into that secret of success." — Nicki Moore

"He let us coach. He had great coordinators here. Every now and then, you got a glimpse of him taking the outside linebackers and doing drills and getting excited about coaching something again. It wasn't often because he let us do our deal. He got to be a head coach for a reason." — Stan Dakosty

#10: Recovering from losing
"When we lost, we all knew he took it personally and it bothered him. He was the ultimate competitor. I loved that because I am the same. We played hard and prepared at a high level partly so we didn't let him and the coaches down. He is the ultimate winner and it didn't matter how it got done. We won tons of games during my time because Coach never put style points on victory. It was win or nothing." — Tem Lukabu

If Colgate lost, Biddle would "tell it straight and he would always put it on himself," says Ryan Vena, and Biddle said he should have prepared them better. Players responded to that. "I would go to war for him right now." 

"If he lost a game, he was quiet. Never really ranted and raved. If you thought he was quiet when he won, he was even quieter when he lost. He was not one to complain, and not one to point fingers." — Dave Roach
 
#11: Mastering Colgate's Brand
"He would always say, 'You know this is a big game coming up this weekend. You know why it's a big game? Because Colgate's playing.' He said it all the time, 'because Colgate's playing.' He gave them the feeling that, yeah, we're Colgate. They better be ready for us because it's a big game." — Debbie Rhyde

"He took great pride in wearing the Colgate name and colors, and the Raiders under Biddle always stood for toughness, grit, determination, wins and championships. He made a point to pass those traits down to his student-athletes and his coaches. Pride in Colgate. It's what made Coach Biddle one of the all-time greats." — John Painter, Colgate's director of athletics communications from 2012 to May 2021

"As you look at college football today, the coaching carousel is something that cannot go unnoticed. I think that is why Coach Biddle was so successful. He was committed and dedicated to building a brand at Colgate, and he did just that. As you saw over his tenure, he did nothing but win. Colgate isn't for everyone, and we know that but we like that. I believe that plays into the mentality when recruiting. Coach Biddle knew the types of players he wanted and ones that fit his brand of football. He knew what worked and never strayed from that." — Gavin McCarney

#12: Legacy
"I am glad that he is being recognized and his mark will forever be engraved at Colgate, because he has made such a huge impact on hundreds of players who were lucky enough to play under him. You cannot mention Colgate football without also mentioning Coach Biddle, as they are both one and the same." — Gavin McCarney

"His record of success is something that will always be a really important foundational element for Colgate Athletics generally, and certainly for the football program. Having a history of winning is not something that anyone can manufacture. Either you have it or you don't. It's a hard tradition to establish, but it is one that is lasting in that his record helps elevate the expectations of Colgate students of that time, and also in the future."  — Nicki Moore

"It's knowing that it can be done here. I've been here for so long for a reason. It's because I believe in how we've done it here." — Stan Dakosty

#13: In his own words
When Colgate snapped its 16-game losing streak in 1996: "They knew they could go out and win, but talking about it and going out and doing it are two different things. We got to the point where maybe we were happy just being in the ballgame. But you can't be happy just being in the ballgame and having a chance to win. You've actually got to win."

After the 2003 national championship game with Delaware: "The problem with the playoffs is you either go all the way and win a national championship or you lose and feel lousy. This is the best team Colgate has ever had."  

After losing to Villanova, ranked sixth in the country, in the Division I-AA playoffs in 2008: "It's always a challenge once we get in the playoffs because we're a non-scholarship school and almost everyone else has scholarships. Some of our kids have to write 20-page papers after practice and they're not getting any financial aid. They're playing here because they love football, simple as that. That's how it is around here."

After beating Lehigh to win his seventh Patriot League title in 2012: "This was a great win for our players, our assistant coaches, for the school, for the athletic department. But I am most happy for the players, especially the senior group because this would have been the first group [of mine] to graduate at Colgate and not get a ring. I know they'll always cherish this. This is probably the best win I've had."

On the day he announced his retirement in 2013: "We've had a great run here. We've had a lot of laughs, a lot of fun."