On January 8, University of Michigan defeated University of Washington in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, with a score of 34 to 13. Deerfield Alumni Stone Anderson ’23, who committed to the University of Michigan as a kicker, was on the Wolverines’ roster during their historic season.
For the Wolverines, the national championship capped a successful season in which they won the Rose Bowl and the Big Ten conference championship, among other accomplishments.
Anderson joined the Deerfield football team in his junior year. While Anderson’s story is somewhat unique, according to Head Football Coach Brian Barbato, it is more common now for football kickers to come from a background of soccer and rugby due to the similarities in hand eye coordination, core-strength, and understanding the angles of a ball.
Anderson was first exposed to football in the first month of his junior year when he switched from water polo and soccer to football. Mr. Barbato asked the team at the end of football practice if anyone thought that they would be able to kick. Eight people raised their hands and all eight people made the goal, but according to Mr. Barbato, “Stone’s [kick] was pretty impressive, so he stayed after with Mr. Crosby.”
Deerfield coaches quickly noticed his talent, and soon he sat down with Mr. Barbato to talk about what camps he would go to. According to Mr. Barbato, during a meeting where they discussed recruitment for college, they “set the bar really high.” Anderson came out with a list of dream schools, including the University of Michigan at the top.
Mr. Barbato recalled the vivid memory of when Anderson had found out that he got an offer from the University of Michigan. “I was on vacation in New Hampshire,” Mr. Barbato said, “I got a call from [Stone’s] family and it was like we were trying to figure out… all these different options and, Michigan came through.” He said that it was “a moment of elation and everybody was so excited.”
Anderson noticed a team culture on the Michigan Football Team similar to Deerfield’s supportive dynamic, where seniors welcomed younger players and built a culture around the weight room and the field. He said that “we’re just a family where everyone’s super close and helpful to each other.” The caring dynamic of his team pushed Anderson towards success at the game.
During the season, Anderson had a busy schedule preparing for the championship, with 5 AM lifts, physical therapy, academic classes, meetings, films, and even study hall at night. While other students had winter break, Anderson and his team continued practice with only one day of rest; despite the intense preparation, Stone still had high morale, saying “they prepared us in a way that we were ready to play Bama, but we weren’t going to be exhausted going into it.” Additionally, Anderson mentioned his gratefulness for his education at Deerfield, saying the experience “helped out a lot in being prepared to have a busy schedule and succeed.”
Reflecting on the experience of his team winning a national title, Anderson said, “that reminded me a lot of playing football my junior year when we won against Brunswick.” Anderson also noted his appreciation for Coach Barbato, saying he was “one of my biggest supporters” when he was present to celebrate Anderson’s games at Deerfield and Michigan.
Anderson added, “I appreciate the support from Deerfield a ton. I’ve gotten a lot of love from many people in the community and I’m super thankful to everyone.”
Anderson is the first Deerfield alum to compete in a college football national championship game, but some other accomplished Deerfield football alumni include Randal Williams ’96, who holds a record in the NFL for the fastest touchdown; Hunter Long ’16, who drafted in the third round by the Miami Dolphins and still plays today; and Elic Ayomaner ’22 who is currently a key player on the Stanford Football Team.
The future of the University of Michigan’s football programis up in the air as their head coach is suspected to leave, and their starting kicker will graduate. Still, Mr. Barbato believes that “whoever is there is going to be pretty lucky to inherit a team of a lot of character and a lot of talent.”
As for Deerfield football, Mr. Barbato thinks that “the game is growing,” and encourages anyone who has thought about playing football to come try out.