Chris Madden always admired the idea of playing college football in his hometown. 

The thought of playing every home game in front of friends and family reminded him of his days at Lewiston High School, where he was the starting quarterback. Four more years of playing for his hometown was too good to pass up. 

The Lewiston native had offers from a number of NESCAC schools coming out of high school, but the decision was a no-brainer with Bates among those interested in his services.

“One of the reasons I came here was because I live right down the street,” Madden said. “The biggest thing was so my family could come see me play. All my family, all my boys from my high school team are coming out and it’s a great atmosphere here.” 

Madden is one of seven players from Maine, but the only one from the Lewiston-Auburn area. He’s not the first from the area to don a Bates uniform. Madden joins the likes of Rob Dionne and Dave Bodger, who played at Lewiston, and Edward Little’s Matt Capone, who was a standout track and field athlete, to compete at Bates. Bates’ six other Mainers are from Biddeford, Clinton, South Portland, Camden, Cumberland and Turner.

“We’d love to have more,” Bates coach Mark Harriman said. “We have a decent group of Maine guys right now. With the admissions standard, it’s something we have to make sure both pieces balance out with the football aspect and the academic aspect as well.” 

Madden’s progression from high school football to the college game hasn’t come without its share of adjustments. The biggest adjustment was the switch from offense to defense.

Recruited as a quarterback, Madden was given the option to remain a signal-caller at the expense of perhaps never seeing the field due to the number of quarterbacks already on the roster, or try a different position on the opposite side of the ball and get more exposure in games. Madden chose the latter and plays primarily on special teams, although he is listed as a defensive back on the roster. Prior to Bates, Madden had never played on special teams. 

“It takes awhile to get used to it,” Madden said. “It’s a whole new position, obviously, and special teams is a chance where I can get on the field, play every game, make tackles, which is something new for a quarterback.” 

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior didn’t see playing time as a freshman and appeared in three games last year. He made his first career tackle as a sophomore against Bowdoin on Nov. 2. But Madden’s contributions on and off the field aren’t always reflected in the statistics. 

“To me, he typifies what our program is all about,” Harriman said. “He comes and works every day to get better. He’s got a great work ethic both during the season and during the offseason. He’s done a great job on special teams and those are things that don’t necessarily show up in the stats, but there’s always got to be 11 guys on the field doing their job and he’s one of those guys I feel I can count on special teams situations and things like that to do what’s asked of him.”

Harriman said Madden’s gotten bigger, stronger and faster during his three years with the program, a testament to his work ethic.

Madden said he’s come a long way since his freshman season. Switching over to defense, he had to learn the most basic of skills, including tackling. 

“It’s pretty rough at first,” Madden said. “My sophomore year was when I first really got into it, and it took awhile. I never had to make a tackle before. As the year went on I started to progress a lot and even this year I work hard every day and I’m getting better at it. Having a chance to make plays on special teams was beneficial to my progress.”

If there’s one thing Madden has learned from being a college athlete, it’s that balancing athletics and academics is a full-time job during the football season. Madden said he doesn’t get much sleep during the season as he tries to juggle his course work with everything that goes along with being a football player — practice, film study, workouts and games. 

“It’s definitely tough,” Madden said. “During football season you don’t get too much sleep. You wake up and have your classes and set up your schedule so you’re not so full with work by the time you get out of practice. Learning how to use time management and have good study habits, those are good habits that stick with you.” 

Madden is working on a degree in history. 

Madden is already looking forward to his senior season, his final year playing football because in his words, “I don’t think I’m going to get drafted in the NFL.” Instead, Madden is hoping to earn a starting spot as a defensive back and play in every game. 

Under Harriman’s philosophy, if Madden continues to display the work ethic he’s demonstrated in his first three years, it’s a realistic goal. 

“We tell every one every year is a new year,” Harriman said. “Somebody that comes in and works hard is going to get their opportunities.” 

Bates’ season concludes Saturday when it hosts Hamilton. It’s Madden’s 12th home game in a Bobcat uniform, and, just like the 11 prior, his parents will be in the parking lot tailgating before the game and watching in the stands at kickoff along with his former high school teammates and coaches.

“It’s pretty cool to say you played college football right down the street from your house and all your friends and family get to watch you play,” Madden said. “That’s really cool.” 

Copy the Story Link