Those of you that know me, you know that I am a die-hard Liberty Athletics fan. I bleed the Liberty navy and red. Do I have any hobbies? Yes, cheering on and following my Liberty Flames. Every sport. The Flames keep me up at night and wake me up early in the morning. I can’t sleep on the eve of big games, and I lose sleep when the team loses.

The highs and the lows, I’ve been riding the Liberty Flames roller coaster since I enrolled at LU in the fall of 2002. I’ve seen the lows of the Ken Karcher era on the old Astro Turf when maybe 5,000 people showed up at Williams Stadium. When I was in school, Liberty was a basketball school. The Vines Center is where you showed your school spirit when Randy Dunton took over and began his rebuild of the Flames program with the likes of Gabe Martin, Ryan Mantlo, and Larry Blair.

But my fandom for the football program grew as time went on. It went to the next level after Karcher. I stood out in a tropical storm on a Thursday night in 2006 to usher in the Danny Rocco era of Liberty football. I suffered through the heartbreaks and agonizing setbacks that kept the Flames out of the playoffs when it felt like we were knocking on the doorstep for the better part of a decade.

Road trips to Gardner-Webb to celebrate the team’s first ever Big South championship, Coastal Carolina, Stony Brook, and then finally that playoff run in 2014. I was in Harrisonburg when the Flames finally broke through and defeated James Madison in the program’s first ever FCS playoff game.

I went to every message board I knew pleading Liberty’s case to join the FBS and the SunBelt about the time Turner Gill took over for Rocco. Then, it finally happened. You all remember that day in February 2017 when the news finally trickled down that the NCAA had approved Liberty’s waiver to join the FBS as an Independent. It felt like a dream come true.

So much has happened for Liberty football in such a short time under the direction of Ian McCaw and now Hugh Freeze. I know 2020, and now even 2021, has been such a difficult year for countless people. I know there are those of you reading this right now that 2020 was the worst year of your life. I empathize with you.

But, for me, 2020 was an amazing highlight and one that I will always remember fondly, and the biggest reason is for Liberty football.

I got to attend all 11 Liberty football games in 2020. I was in Kentucky when Malik Willis made his debut and we all realized we had something special in the quarterback transfer from Auburn. I was at Williams Stadium when FIU nearly spoiled the season thanks to their kick return game. I suffered through the North Alabama game when Willis was sidelined. I watched the destruction of ULM and realized then this team could be special.

I went to the Carrier Dome and saw the first ever Liberty football win over an ACC opponent. And it wasn’t even a very competitive game. The Flames dominated the Orange that day. I saw Liberty run all over Southern Miss in the first half and nearly give the lead away in the second.

I traveled to Blacksburg and witnessed history. I saw Fuente call a timeout. I heard the whistle blow, but then thought it was my imagination as the Hokies ran the blocked field goal back into the end zone. Then, I saw Alex Barbir drill the game winner and the celebration ensue. I saw Barbir come back onto the field minutes later when the stadium had been cleared out to sit at midfield and soak that moment in.

I saw us roll all over Western Carolina as we improved to 8-0 and continued to rise in the national rankings. I began to do the calculation in my head – could Liberty run the table and if so where would they end up ranked?

I took the trip to Raleigh and saw the Flames pray at midfield when they got off the bus as they do every game. Somehow the NC State players and fans took that as stomping on their midfield logo. I was on pins and needles in that 4th quarter, hoping and truly believing we would find a way to pull it out. When we got down to the 20 yard line with time ticking away, I knew we were going to win that game. It was destiny. Those hopes were dashed just a few moments later when Barbir’s kick was blocked.

I was at Williams Stadium on that Black Friday when Liberty shut out UMass, 45-0. I saw a dream come true when we heard that College GameDay was going to be at the Liberty-Coastal Carolina game. Those good feelings were then crushed when Liberty had to back out of the game due to a COVID spike.

I wondered if the season was over. Would we be able to play in a bowl game? Would a bowl invite us?

Of course those answers came in the affirmative as we got the rematch with Coastal on a nationally televised game on the day after Christmas in Florida.

My family and I made the trip to Orlando for the 2020 Cure Bowl. The experience that week wasn’t as special as it was in 2019 because of COVID, but we still made it fun. There was no pep rally, no fan meet and greet. We didn’t have thousands of Liberty fans. But the Flames were there and I was there to support them. And, of course, the cherry on top was ending yet another perfect Chanticleer season.

2020 was great. I fail to put the words together to describe it. It’s the greatest Liberty football season ever, no other year comes close. The Flames were ranked for several weeks. In the FBS top 25. I keep having to pinch myself and remind me that it wasn’t a dream. It really happened.

This off-season has been one that we have never experienced before as Liberty fans. Never before has a player received as much hype and expectation entering the year as Malik Willis. Never before has Liberty football been a common mention in national news outlets. Never before have the Flames received votes in the preseason FBS top 25 polls. Never before have the expectations risen to a point where there are real hopes, dreams, and expectations of 10+ win season at the FBS level. More eyeballs will be on the Liberty Flames football team this season than we have ever experienced.

I don’t know what this season holds. I don’t know how many games will be played or how much of an impact COVID will have on the team or the crowd sizes. I don’t know if there will be injuries that cost us games. I don’t know how many games this team will win. I don’t know if the expectations will be met or not.

But there is one thing I know – I will be there following every step of the way. I will have sleepless nights and restless mornings. I will have weeks drag on just waiting for Saturday to get here. I will be on the edge of my seat every Saturday from now until sometime in December. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Buckle up and enjoy the ride Flames fans, we’re about to witness something special.