JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 10, 2015) - On the eve of ETSU Football's first spring game in more than a decade, alumni of the program gathered at Johnson City Country Club for a momentous reunion event highlighted by a special golf outing and dinner.

Past members of the ETSU Football program were able to reconnect at the event, while also having the opportunity to mix and mingle with members of the ETSU Athletics staff and ETSU Football coaching staff, forming a unique crossroads of the program's past and future.

"This is something that has been a very long time in the making," ETSU Senior Associate Athletic Director/COO Scott Carter said. "People that loved this program in the past have really kept this reunion going through the years, but this one is super special, because it has been well over a decade since we've had a true reunion event surrounding a spring game."

Friday's golf outing and reunion dinner kicked off a monumental weekend for the revived ETSU Football program, which will culminate with the playing of the MSHA Blue-Gold Spring Game Saturday, April 11 at 2:00 p.m., inside Kermit Tipton Stadium in Johnson City.

"It's a family," ETSU Football alumnus and Knoxville, Tenn., native Jonathan Godfrey said. "It's good to get back and reconnect with old faces, but it is also about the future and these kids getting a great education."

Carter emphasised the importance of bonding the program's rich history with its bright future.

"I always talk a lot about the priorities of the department," Carter said. "The priorities have got to be 1) the student-athletes that we have—the young men that we have who are out there competing every day, and then 2) everybody that supports them—the coaches, the fans, and certainly the letterman are such a huge part of that, because they've lived it.

Their blood, sweat, and tears have gone into the program, and it means so much to them. I am really looking forward to moving this celebration into tomorrow, so that our current players can see how much love is out there for them."

Admission and parking for Saturday's MSHA Blue-Gold Spring Game are free, with gates opening at noon.

"The spirit of the program is alive, and probably more well than it's ever been," Carter said. "I really believe there are so many people doing all their hard work for the right reasons, because they truly care about the program and I think our kids feel that, and that is very, very special for us and for them."

For additional information regarding Saturda'ys spring game, click here.

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