Kunczewski says Berry is about more than winning titles
Vikings head coach wants team to be known for what they do off the field
Six years into his time helping mold the Berry College football program from its beginnings, head coach Tony Kunczewski can boast about a lot of things.
But as he told the Rome Exchange Club during their weekly meeting Friday afternoon, he’s not really one for stats.
Instead, he likes to spotlight what his players do when they’re not being put through drills or between the lines on Saturdays in the fall.
“Yes, we’ve had a lot of success on the field, but what we’re trying to build the program to is far more than what we do on the field,” Kunczewski said.
A native of Western Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh area, Kunczewski said he has been converted to a southerner through his six years at Berry and seven years as the defensive coordinator at LaGrange College. And he is sure that there is no better state for football talent than Georgia.
But as an NCAA Division III school, Berry isn’t able to offer athletic scholarships to its athletes in the way Division I and Division II schools do. Kunczewski said most student-athletes at Berry get financial help through academic scholarships.
Part of that affects the type of players the Vikings attract, and Kunczewski said it is a positive, with many people of different backgrounds and different body types coming together for a common goal.
“The thing is, we didn’t draft our guys. We didn’t make them come to Berry and play football. They don’t get paid through any football scholarships. They’re volunteers motivated by their heart and mission to do their best at what they do,” he said.
Berry comes into the 2018 season as back-to-back Southern Athletic Association champions having gone 27-5 in the last three seasons, giving the Vikings the most wins of any team in the conference during that span. Kunczewski himself has been named the SAA Coach of the Year two years in a row.
The stat the coach really takes to heart, however, is the one that shows Berry has led the conference with 120 players named to the SAA Academic Honor Roll over the last three years. Plus many of the players have been recognized for their service to the college and community, including senior defensive back Justen Booket.
Booket, who played for Veterans High School, was recently announced as a nominee for the 2018 Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team, making it the second year in a row a Berry player has been nominated for the honor.
The former Rome resident volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Georgia as an academic mentor and the Arrowhead Environmental Education Center. He also helps with community service projects through the Berry group Athletes Bettering the Community.
This year, Berry will have 116 players on its roster, including 47 newcomers and 20 seniors. The Vikings open the season Sept. 1 against Maryville at Valhalla Stadium at Williams Field, where Berry is 15-1 since the facility opened in 2015.
“We’re fortunate that we’ve gotten great support from the local community,” Kunczewski said. “Our guys really feed off of the atmosphere we have at our home games. I think a big part of our success at that stadium and on that field is attributed to the support we get.”
In other recent college football news:
Berry ranked No. 22 in D3football.com preseason poll
The reputation of the Berry College football team has grown by leaps and bounds in just five seasons, and the Vikings are heading into season No. 6 with a program first.
Berry will open the 2018 season ranked No. 22 in the D3football. com Top 25 preseason poll after the website, which covers all of Division III football, released it this week.
The Vikings closed the 2017 season ranked No. 15 in the final poll, which was the team’s highest ranking in program history.
It all came after Berry finished the season with a program-best 11- 1 record after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The team broke more than 100 program records on its way to a perfect 10-0 regular-season record and the team’s second straight Southern Athletic Association title.
Berry head coach Tony Kunczewski was selected as the Regional Coach of the Year by both D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association, while defensive lineman Mamadou Soumahoro was a first team All-American selection for the second year in a row for his final season in addition to being named the D3football. com National Defensive Player of the Year.
Berry also had three players named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic AllDistrict teams, five SAA Player of the Week honors this season, three D3football.com Team of the Week and AllRegion selections and 21 total All-Conference honorees.
The Vikings will open the season at home Sept. 1 against the Maryville (Tenn.) Scots.
The D3football.com Top 25 is voted on by media members, coaches and sports information directors from across all four regions of NCAA Division III football.