Saint Joseph Indians excited for Downey’s return

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - The biggest offseason storyline for the South Bend Saint Joseph Indians football team was the return of head coach Ben Downey.

Downey led the Indians for six seasons from 2010-2015. In that span, the Indians never had a losing season. Since 2015, they’ve only had one.

Downey talked about why he’s making his return to the sidelines.

“The best part of being back is the relationships that coaches get to have with the players and with the staff,” he said. “By far that’s the best part. And then I’m passionate about the sport of football, but my true passion in life is using the sport of football to help these young men just accomplish the most amazing things when their careers are done.”

Meanwhile, the players are excited to have him back.

“A lot of us have had him as a gym teacher, and I know we’ve all liked him since we were freshmen,” says Antonio Morrell, senior cornerback. “He’s a great coach. He’s motivating and he’s willing to push us to where we need to be and take us down the hard road.”

Senior safety Sam Sparks agreed.

“In the years past, he’s been successful,” Sparks said. “He’s a fun guy. Usually, football coaches that are really good, you don’t expect them to be fun. But he definitely knows how to have fun, he’s a great guy.”

The Indians start their season on the road at Lakeland on Aug. 19. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

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