“I give back to Plymouth State because many people gave me an opportunity,” explains Tony Mann ’91, leader of the Plymouth State Football Gridiron Club. “My professors gave me an opportunity to excel in the classroom, and Coach Lou Desloges gave me an opportunity to play football.”
Tony played center for the PSC Football team all four years he was a student. He met his wife, Mary (Xavier) Mann ’92, at Plymouth State and graduated with a B.S. in Marketing.
“There’s nothing more special than being a player on the field and looking up and seeing all those people in the stands,” Tony says. “It’s awesome: Division III football, the setting, the mountains, the trees, the foliage.
“The teammates that I shared that passion and bond with, we still have that same friendship today that we did over thirty years ago when we played our last game together.”
The Gridiron Club is a network of alumni, players, parents, and fans who stand alongside athletics and coaching staff in support of Plymouth State Football. As leader of the Gridiron Club, Tony engages hundreds of alums with Plymouth State and drives fundraising efforts that have raised over $100,000 to enhance the student-athlete experience and honor beloved mentors.
Tony led the campaign to erect a statue on campus in honor of Coach Charlie Currier, a founder of Plymouth State Football. Presently, he is raising funds to name the Lou Desloges Memorial Press Box at Panther Field. In recognition of his commitment to his beloved alma mater, the Plymouth State Alumni Association will present Tony with the 2022 Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) Award over Homecoming weekend.
Last fall, the Plymouth State community lost longtime Football Coach Lou Desloges, known by many for his mentorship of Division III Student-Athletes, the young men who dedicated much to the game, just as he did.
In Lou’s memory, his family has established the Lou Desloges Press Box Fund to name the press box overlooking the new Panther Field after him. Tony quickly jumped in to make his own contribution and to garner support from his fellow members of the Gridiron Club.
“Lou coached and mentored his players through the game of football and often more importantly through the game of life, with toughness and respect,” shares his wife, Jennifer Desloges. “Every single player mattered to Lou as if they were his own sons!”
Tony agrees. “We made a brotherhood,” he says.
Family and friends have raised $41,000 towards a goal of $100,000 to name the Lou Desloges Memorial Press Box. From here, games will be called and streamed, and the legacy of a dedicated coach will live on in the DIII commitment.
