In the blink of life’s eye our time at Guilford will pass. Only in our memories will we walk the shady paths that first ignited our academic passions or bask carefree under Guilford’s paternal sun.

So, when that sentimental breeze creeps in, what are alums to do? Come home, fellow Quakers, to a month-long celebration of honored traditions. All roads lead to one melee of rip-roaring, helmet- smashing, get-up-on-your-feet good time. Homecoming football marks the ages Oct. 2 at 1 p.m., with reflections.”

Dave Walters, Guilford Sports Information Director, said that the game is significant because “This is the first home game of the season. We are playing against rival Greensboro College, and it is Homecoming.”

Walters, a New York transplant, spent most homecomings at alma mater Ithaca College as a broadcaster for the campus radio station.

“I have never been able to make it back to my own homecoming because every year since my graduation (in 1993), I have had to attend a homecoming of the school I have worked for,” he said.

Observing the celebratory spirit of Quaker games has left Walters longing for a Homecoming of his own. “I hope to return one day to visit with old friends, share their memories of the past, and the happenings of the present.”

The Guilford Quakers will work for the eighth year in a row to fracture the Greensboro College “Pride.” Affectionately called “The Soup Bowl,” rivalry has grown steadily since the Guilford-Greensboro series tradition began.

The Pride currently holds a 4-3 edge after a 13-7 win last year. The Quakers hope to even the score by emulating their last win in the series — at home in 2002, Guilford pounded out a 21-7 victory.

“The team is amazingly young,” said head football coach Mike Ketchum. “They are fairly talented, but they have made some mistakes. The thing about youth is that losses do not seem to wear on them. They still play like there is a tomorrow.”

The spirit of the team, said Ketchum, makes the game exciting. “Plays on both sides of the ball are wonderful to watch.”

Coach Ketchum said that “Most days I have to remind myself that it has been 30 years since I was a freshman.” Ketchum graduated from Guilford College in 1978 and is proud of the effort by the college to make Homecoming more accessible.

“We do a major disservice to ourselves by always thinking that young people are different and strange. Home-coming gives people the chance to come here, see their team and their school, the changes we have made. They see that the players and students of today are not so different.”

Football coaches often spend 12-13 hours per day, 6-7 days per week analyzing plays and preparing for games during football season. Shanard Smith, defensive coordinator, said the team will work to keep the Pride at bay with a skillful mix of pressure, blitz, and man coverage.

The Homecoming crowd should keep their eye on two standouts this year: Desmond Jordan, first-year running back and Chris Burnette, sophomore offensive wide receiver.

A graduate of Elon College, Smith said that his favorite homecoming memory was also a defining moment in his life. “I was a free safety for the team, so I played in the game. During the pre-game, I walked to my mom and my grandma. I took a rose for each.”

Homecoming was also family weekend at Smith’s college. “All of my family was there. It was the last game of my last year at college, the last game I would play in the home stadium, seemed like the last of everything” said Smith. This year, 13 seniors from Guilford will make a similar transition, storing memories for their own homecoming.

Guilford graduate Coach Garrick Vogt says his team of defensive linebackers can hold the line of scrimmage. “They are the leading tacklers, the heart of the defensive. They are the run stoppers, the main blitzers, they get underneath.”

The Greensboro College Pride will feel a burning itch from team members like weak-side linebacker sophomore Ray Welborn, a.k.a “The Will.”

Middle linebacker Nate Hummel is a gear in tandem, adding striking power to the pair’s youthful edge. “They will become even stronger if they keep working together over the next three seasons,” Vogt said.

Vogt found it difficult to leave Guilford after his graduation in 2000. Earning a political science degree led Vogt to teaching high school social studies, but he soon returned.

“(Division 3) is academics’ first level of play,” Vogt said. “The team is out there to play for the love of the game.”

“Guilford does not offer any athletic scholarships. The team works hard because they want to play the sport,” he said.

“What makes Homecoming special here,” said Vogt, “is you will see people from all over the nation. Maybe 1,000-2,000 people coming to the campus. When you see that, you realize just how important it is to all of those people and to what it will mean to you as a graduate.”

The fundamentals of football are in line with Guilford traditions. Floydricka Pettress, a Center for Continuing Education student helping to organize interest groups for the event, said, “The reason why this (Homecoming) is significant is that we are redefining the ‘Guilford Challenge.’ The core values are diversity, community, equality, excellence, integrity, justice, and stewardship.”

Pettress decided to take part in the event because she sees an opportunity to mingle with fellow students and enjoy her favorite sport. She is hoping that she will be celebrating the event in the company of her fellow classmates.

“There are a large number of CCE students who do not realize that Homecoming also includes them. There are several CCE students participating on the athletic teams,” said Pettress.

“CCE’s role in Home-coming is changing with the significant increase of students. My hope is that more CCE students will participate,” Pettress said.