Andrews played safety, the same position as Thobe. They didn’t play together, but Andrews played with Thobe’s brothers, Mark and Brad. Another brother, Todd, also played at UD.
That history makes an event being held at 11 a.m. Saturday all the more meaningful. Five years after Dan died at 46 eight months after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, UD will dedicate the Thobe Tower at the Jerry Von Mohr Practice Football Field. The tower is a structure UD uses to film practices from above. It was built earlier this year.
Twenty nine members of Thobe’s family will attend the event.
“A big group of his classmates and teammates spearheaded the whole thing,” Andrews said, “and it’s just a great way to to honor such a great guy who was a great player here and went on to become a great high school football coach.”
After the ceremony, Dayton (2-5, 0-4) plays Butler (4-3, 2-2) at 1 p.m. at Welcome Stadium. The Flyers are in last place in the Pioneer Football League. Valparaiso (1-5, 0-3) is the only other team without a PFL victory. Dayton will try to avoid its first 0-5 start in the PFL since 2006.
“We have great leadership on this team,” wide receiver Gavin Lochow said, “and they’ve made sure we keep on fighting every day and come in and work hard.”
Dayton rallied from a 17-0 deficit with 17 points in the fourth quarter but lost 20-17 to Presbyterian (3-3, 1-2) in overtime last week at Welcome Stadium. That was its second PFL game decided on the final play.
“You watch our film and then you watch the other film in the league, and the league is so tight this year,” Andrews said. “The parity is unbelievable. You’ve just got to take advantage of opportunities, and sometimes you feel like you’re not getting very many of them, but sometimes you’ve got to make your own opportunities and kick the door down. Hopefully, we found a spark there in the fourth quarter last week. We’ve just got to take one more step and try to get a win and find a way to finish one of these things. Losses are tough. I take them all the same.”
Butler beat Dayton 31-0 last season, ending UD’s 501-game scoring streak and a seven-game losing streak in the series. Butler has lost two games in a row after a 2-0 start in the PFL: 17-10 at St. Thomas and 35-33 at home to Davidson.
“They’re a team that beat us last year,” Dayton wide receiver Sam Bubonics said, “and we know that they’re going to play their hearts against us. They’re going to play similar defensive schemes to us, and they have a dynamic quarterback that loves to throw the ball and run the ball. It’s not gonna be easy, but we’re trying everything we can.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Butler at Dayton, 1 p.m., 1290, 95.7
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