With his recent First Team All-American selection, senior defensive back Jake Connolly followed in the footsteps of his father, Scott Connolly ʼ96, who earned his All-American selection in 1995. The Connolly’s became the second father-son duo in program history to both earn All-American honors. 

In his senior season, Jake was recognized as the Liberty League Co-Defensive Player of the Year, leading the team with 86 total tackles and two forced and recovered fumbles. Jake also tallied five-and-a-half tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and six pass breakups.

Scott said the Connolly family would not be who they are without their ties to Ithaca College and their time as student–athletes.

“I’m not where I am today, and Jake is, for all kinds of purposes, not where he is without the Ithaca College football program,” Scott said. “It’s a special honor to be represented by a very special institution in Ithaca College. To be the second father-son duo to do that is just such a special moment for us as a family.”

Head coach Michael Toerper said Jake’s unquestionable commitment to the team goes back to the beginning of his career, when he was waiting for his chance to take the field.

“He had a great opportunity to learn from a lot of guys that came before him that played a similar role, so he didn’t take that for granted,” Toerper said. “When that moment came to be a starter his junior year, he seized it and was instantly one of the best players in the program.”

Toerper said Jake was the backbone of the team and that his work ethic is something that inspired others on the team to follow in his footsteps.

“When your best players are your hardest workers, then it is a great beacon for the culture of your program,” Toerper said. “When other guys watch Jake and the work that he puts in, it raises the level of everybody else because the results match the work.”

With the Connolly family’s ties to the college, Toerper said Jake’s parents’ support of the program has built an everlasting relationship between the family and the college’s coaches and players.

Before committing to the college, Jake was a multisport athlete. He said he was torn between whether he wanted to play basketball or football in college. Jake eventually chose football and picked his father’s alma mater. He said the college was one of the last to recruit him, but that the Roy H. Park School of Communication’s curriculum became the driving factor in his decision to commit.

Jake said that joining the long list of All-Americans to play for the program was something that was always in the back of his mind when he took the field. He said that seeing his vision fulfilled was an honor.

“Adding my name to that wall and into that list of legendary names means a lot to me,” Jake said. “Just knowing all the hard work that I had put in over the four years paid off, and I was able to do everything that I could in my ability to just produce at a high–level on Saturdays.”

For Jake, the part of the football program he said he will remember the most is the time he spent with all of his teammates and coaches, from the long hours on the field to coming together as friends.

“I’ve made so many great relationships that I’ll have for a lifetime,” Jake said. “[Toerper] has done so much for me and my family, and we love him very much. Each and every player that has come through this program has been nothing but great, and the relationships and the experiences that I’ve had just really sit close up to my heart.”

Scott, the athletic director at Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody, Massachusetts, works with student-athletes interested in competing in college. He said that playing in college was never a question for Jake, but rather if the school he chose would be his new home.

“It’s about the best fit for you,” Scott said. “As parents, we look back now and just say Ithaca College was the best fit for Jake without question.”

Scott, who played defensive end for the Bombers from 1992–95, also earned his All-American selection his senior season, when he totaled 10 sacks, 66 total tackles and 15 tackles for loss. 

The only other father-son duo to both earn All-American honors in program history is offensive lineman Bob Garone ’87 and his son Nick Garone ’20 at the linebacker position. 

During his senior season in 2019, Nick was named to the Liberty League First Team for the second time in his career, as well as the All-East Region Second Team. On the field, Nick Garone led the Bombers with 101 total tackles, five interceptions and two blocked kicks.

Nick, like Jake, said his family ties run deep with the college. After his father, his older brother Bobby ’15 also played for the program. While watching the Connolly family join that short list of father-son All-American duos, he said it was a great boost for the football program and the college to foster a greater sense of community.

“I think Ithaca as a whole is a great place to spend your college years, and it says something about the community and the experience that you get when you go,” Nick said. “Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to go there because my dad went there.”

Jake said that before he began his playing career, he thought about the idea of joining his dad among the list of All-Americans in the program’s history. On Jan. 2, that thought became a reality for the Connolly family.

“It’s super cool and I had known that my dad was an All-American when I was a freshman going here,” Jake said. “I had always thought it would be very cool and just an honor to be able to share being All-American with him, especially the father son being the second time in program history, which is pretty crazy.”

Toerper said Jake’s playing career epitomizes the strength of Bombers football, providing a glimpse into what it takes to build a successful football career.

“He’s grown in a leadership standpoint, but the work ethic was always the foundation of success,” Toerper said. “And then, just a great story, as far as what it takes to be a captain, a leader and eventually, an All-American here.”