Western New England University’s Football Team is on a winning streak as of late, clinching the win in their last seven games and scoring more than 40 points in the last five games. With a record of 7-1, they will keep the ball rolling as they push through November for two more regular season games before they head into postseason.
The team is led by a group of strong individuals, and they have 17 seniors that work to lead the pack. Specifically, there is one senior who has stood out this season and even worked to break a University record: cornerback Tommy Ganley.
Ganley, a graduate from Bethlehem Central High School, has been a dedicated football player for all of his life. “I immediately knew it was the sport for me,” he recalls, stating that he’s been playing the sport since he was six years old. He was an accomplished football player in high school as he was named captain for the team during his senior year, to the Section 2 First Team All Star at wide receiver, and to the Troy Gazette Second Team All Star at cornerback.
The path that led Ganley to Western New England University was a clear one, and he felt in tune with both the academics and athletics programs. “I was very interested in the great business school the University had to offer, especially the Sports Management program,” he recalls. He also recognized that the football program was especially right for him. “What stuck out to me while visiting and meeting the football coaches and football team was the value of football,” says Ganley.
Now, during his time as a Golden Bear, Ganley has worked hard on and off the field to ensure success as a student athlete. On top of being one of the most accomplished athletes in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), he is a student in the College of Business and is pursuing a degree in Sports Management.
Starting as a wide receiver for the Golden Bears and transitioning to a cornerback during his junior year, Ganley has garnered 18 solo tackles and 24 total tackles this season alone. He also has a total of six interceptions for the season, which is a new University record, and has five picks for the season. Ganley is tied for first in the CCC and tied for second in all of Division III with his high number of picks.
Due to his polished senior year season, Ganley has earned a variety of different honors. In mid-September, he was named CCC Football Defensive Player of the Week. Most recently, in the first week of October, he gained national recognition as he was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week. He was the only athlete from New England to be acknowledged this week.
In addition to this season’s success, Tommy Ganley has been a part of the Golden Bears Football Team as they have won a handful of different championships. For the past three years, he has been a part of three NCAA Championship wins, the NEFC Championship in 2015 and 2016, and the CCC Championship in 2017. “This season, something that I look forward to is playing for a fourth straight championship,” he shares, referring to the NCAA Championship.
But it wasn’t just pure hardwork and talent that led him to where he is today. He has been influenced by his current and former teammates, especially Mark Dietrich, a 2018 graduate of the University. “Mark was helpful in getting me better every day at practice,” declares Ganley.
Tommy Ganley is just one of the steadfast players on the football team, and his dedication to the program throughout the last four years has gained him recognition by a variety of different platforms, not just the University.
As a strong force that plays a prominent role in the success of the team, he will lead his team through the rest of the season and into a vigorous postseason. Ganley, along with the other members of the Golden Bears Football Team, will strive to bring another championship home to Western New England University.
