The St. Thomas Tommies last lost a football game at O’Shaughnessy Stadium on December 3, 2016. Their 30-game home winning streak is currently the longest in college football.

To add perspective to how long it has been since that last loss, members of this year’s recruiting class were in fifth grade when the Tommies fell to Wisconsin-Oshkosh 34-32 in the Division III playoffs.

The Tommies (7-3 overall, 6-1 Pioneer Football League) will honor 21 seniors on Saturday prior to their season finale against Valparaiso (3-7, 2-5) at O’Shaughnessy Stadium, 16 of whom will be playing their final game in a St. Thomas uniform. A victory will ensure that that will have played their entire collegiate career without losing at home.

Through it all, St. Thomas coach Glenn Caruso said there has been no emphasis on winning at home over the years, something he regarded as “noise” that only interferes with preparing for the next opponent.

“If we do our job, then it will take care of itself,” Caruso said. “We don’t talk about “Defending our home!’ We talk about playing as well as we can. I don’t know how long ago it was that we talked about the importance of playing well at home; maybe it was 2010 or 2011.

“Maybe the fact that we don’t worry about home or away is what leads to some consistency. You’re just trying to play well wherever you are. Our players are not perfect, but they believe they are going to be successful. It’s not a cockiness, it’s not even a confidence. It’s actually a humility in focusing on this play at this moment and trusting your brothers.”

That is not to suggest that the streak does not have meaning. Inside linebacker Tommy Shelstad is among those who will be playing in his final game. He said the goal is to keep the
streak alive and to “pass the baton” to the next group of seniors, who at this point are well versed on what has gone into making the winning streak possible.

“Playing at home is different, with the crowd and the energy,” Shelstad said. “I just think all the boys just have a different mentality playing at home. It’s like, ‘We don’t lose here, it’s our home turf.’ It’s a big deal.”

Adding to the accomplishment is the fact that the Tommies have kept the streak alive the past three seasons after making the unprecedented move from Division III to Division I.

“Attitude and culture know no division,” Caruso said. “The way we were set up in the old division has allowed us to play well in the new division. It’s because we are talking about core principles.”

Asked if he thought it would have been possible, Shelstad said, “No, but yes.”

“No, in the sense that it’s D1 and who knows what is going to happen,” he said. “At the same time, we prepare every week like every other team. When we went Division I, we just had to set higher standards for ourselves.”

Talking about the streak earlier in the week, Caruso said he wasn’t sure about the exact number of consecutive wins. His recollection of the loss to Oshkosh, which ended the Tommies’ season at 12-1, was much clearer.

“We were playing one of the best teams in the country in the quarterfinal round,” Caruso said. “We are minus-8 that day on turnovers. We had 8, Oshkosh had 0, and we had the ball with two minutes remaining to go down the field and try to win it.

“That is just crazy. You’re going to lose a game; we’re very fortunate that it doesn’t happen a lot around here.”

Should the Tommies get past Valparaiso, as expected, the streak will be in jeopardy to start the 2024 season when the Tommies host Northern Iowa. The teams played in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in 2021, with the Panthers winning, 44-3.

Tougher opponents will be coming to St. Paul as the Tommies continue to evolve as a Division I program.

“There’s going to be a time when we lose a game, whether it’s Saturday or next year or another 30 games from now,” Caruso said. “And we’re going to wake up the next day and go back to work the same way we always did.”

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