JACKSONVILLE – They may not be the Pioneer League champions, but that didn't stop JU head coach Kerwin Bell from rewarding his team with rings.
"It's special to honor them for a fantastic year," Bell said. "They played together as a football team. They sacrificed a great deal to put us in the position we were in this year."
The Dolphins were on their way to a Pioneer League championship and an automatic berth in the FCS Playoffs. But the night before the regular season finale, JU was forced to withdraw from championship consideration for "financial aid inconsistencies".
"We made some tough decisions," Bell said. "There were some things that we didn't do properly probably and we had to get out of the playoffs. But in the end, it came down to we won it on the field."
The Dolphins celebrated their players and a successful 2014 season with a ring ceremony at the Jacksonville Landing. And they made sure they picked out the right rings.
"A bunch of us seniors picked out the rings and we picked out the biggest rings they had," senior wide receiver Andrew Robustelli said. "I know for a lot of us, this is the first time getting a ring because the past three years we came close but could never finish."
"They put in a lot of hard work," Bell said. "And you'll see the size of these rings. They're dynamic so they'll be able to walk around for the rest of their life and tell a story about what a great year and great season we had here at JU."