University of New Hampshire Athletics
Supporting “the loneliest place” on the field
12/22/2015 1:44:00 PM | Athletics Development
E. Chandler Sanborn ’55 and Ann Bidwell Sanborn Football Scholarship Fund
Chandler Sanborn '55 didn't play football at UNH, but he and his wife, Ann, have been involved with just about every other aspect of the sport. Cowell Stadium fixtures throughout the Wildcats' season, the Sanborn's have been known to sit on the sidelines at practices and regularly travel to catch the team's away games. Both of their sons played football, distinguishing themselves as punters and kickers; the Sanborn's ran the chains for their boys' team—Rochester, N.H.'s Spaulding Red Raiders—for 25 years. A high school player himself, Sanborn has also coached.
In 1997, football was the hook that pulled Chan and Ann into the Field House Sports Gallery project, cataloging nearly a century's worth of UNH athletics teams. More recently, the Sanborn's established the E. Chandler Sanborn '55 and Ann Bidwell Sanborn Football Scholarship Fund. The fund supports players in any position, with preference given to a punter/kicker with financial need.
"In the past 10 years, we've seen the punting/kicking game at UNH emerge as a very important part of the game plan, and a vital part of the recruiting effort," Chan says. "We have seen it play out and pay dividends." Adds Ann, "Both of our sons played the position in college, and we learned from them, it can be the loneliest place on the field." The Sanborn's had the opportunity of meeting the first Sanborn scholar, senior defensive back Ryan McGuinness, of Howell, N.J., this summer. "It fills us with great satisfaction to be able to support a player in any position," says Ann.
UNH Head Football Coach Sean McDonnell '78 is just one of many Wildcats who say gifts like the Sanborn's make a genuine difference. "Scholarships are probably one of the most important pieces of the puzzle in a successful program, because they help us recruit athletes and show our support," he says. "They're critical to keeping us competitive—on the field, and off."
In 1997, football was the hook that pulled Chan and Ann into the Field House Sports Gallery project, cataloging nearly a century's worth of UNH athletics teams. More recently, the Sanborn's established the E. Chandler Sanborn '55 and Ann Bidwell Sanborn Football Scholarship Fund. The fund supports players in any position, with preference given to a punter/kicker with financial need.
"In the past 10 years, we've seen the punting/kicking game at UNH emerge as a very important part of the game plan, and a vital part of the recruiting effort," Chan says. "We have seen it play out and pay dividends." Adds Ann, "Both of our sons played the position in college, and we learned from them, it can be the loneliest place on the field." The Sanborn's had the opportunity of meeting the first Sanborn scholar, senior defensive back Ryan McGuinness, of Howell, N.J., this summer. "It fills us with great satisfaction to be able to support a player in any position," says Ann.
UNH Head Football Coach Sean McDonnell '78 is just one of many Wildcats who say gifts like the Sanborn's make a genuine difference. "Scholarships are probably one of the most important pieces of the puzzle in a successful program, because they help us recruit athletes and show our support," he says. "They're critical to keeping us competitive—on the field, and off."
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