Homecoming 2016: Largest-ever alumni crowd cheers Flames to victory

Smells from grilled meats wafted through the air Saturday as tailgaters donning Flames red passed around Cokes and told stories of times past — many about the very campus on which they were celebrating Homecoming. Along the street, kids gathered spoils from candy showers as floats of Liberty University students paraded by. President Jerry Falwell and his wife, Becki, as well as other administrators, got in on the fun, tossing treats from classy sports cars.

More than 9,000 registered participants — a record high — joined the celebrations, which culminated inside Williams Stadium as Liberty Football ran away with a 52-28 victory over the Monmouth Hawks, tallying a season-high 681 offensive yards.

Each had their own story to tell, but for the out-of-towners, the most common was of how much campus had changed.

“I love the way the campus looked when we were walking up from the dining hall,” said Jason Pizzino (’99), who travelled in with his family from Raleigh, N.C. “It just looks beautiful, the buildings, the greenway.”

“It just seems so much nicer now to study,” Kelly, Jason’s wife, added. “DeMoss (Hall) and the (Montview) Student Union look amazing. There’s so much space. It was really nice to see kids just sitting outside studying.”

The couple joked that they are considering re-enrolling.

“We’re jealous,” Kelly Pizzino said.

The Pizzinos said they enjoyed sharing campus with their children, who interjected to say that their favorite activities were the parade, inflatables, and playing corn hole.

“The last time we came, (our kids) got the bug, and ever since, they have been talking about how they want to come to Liberty,” Kelly Pizzino said.

Similarly, Mike (’98) and Diane (’99) Labruto said that their children “are counting down the days until they can come here.”

The Labrutos, who are from Philadelphia, said they enjoyed the chance to reconnect with old friends and teachers at Friday night’s alumni social.

“Our professors always make us feel like we are still family,” Diane said.

Stephanie Saavedra (’12) travelled from Connecticut for Homecoming Weekend. Although she was one of the younger graduates in the crowd, she said she still found herself wondering where she was at times.

“It is awesome,” she said, “the amount of change that happened so quickly. It blows my mind. You can see the vision, and I appreciate that. I am so proud to be an alum and that they put so much hard work and thought into the campus.”

Saavedra said that while on campus, she tried to take part in every available activity.

“There is so much to do, why wouldn’t I?” she said. Her face lit up as she looked around Williams Stadium, her smile growing like the crowd of people filling the stands. “It is home here. It was the best four years of my life and coming back is special.”

Convocation, festival kick off fun-filled Homecoming Weekend

10/21/2016

Liberty University’s new Academic Commons Lawn was the prime location for alumni and their families on Friday as Homecoming festivities got underway. With even more alumni planning to visit campus on Saturday, Liberty’s Alumni Relations Office is expecting a record number of over 9,000 registered participants.

From end-to-end, the lawn featured a number of exciting activities for the whole family, from corn hole, giant Jenga, and other lawn games, to polaroid and green screen photo stations, as well as inflatables and live music. A retro video game arcade was set up in the Jerry Falwell Library. The library also gave away T-shirts, and alumni could browse yearbooks in the archives and snap selfies with their decade display.

Hayride tours of campus gave visitors an opportunity to take a ride down memory lane, reminiscing about their college days while they admired the many new buildings that have been constructed in the past five years.

On Friday morning, alumni were welcomed to Convocation, where NFL legend Joe Theismann challenged the crowd to live by faith as he shared his powerful testimony.

For some, the festivities began even earlier as Christian rock groups Switchfoot and Relient K put on an intense show Thursday night in the Vines Center, hosted by Student Activities.

The events will continue on Saturday with the early-morning Deep Hollow Half Marathon and 5K, starting 8 a.m. at the Hydaway Outdoor Recreation Center. The festival and hayride tours will be open in the morning until early afternoon, when tailgating and the Homecoming parade will stir Flames spirit before the Liberty Football game set for 3:30 p.m.

Read the full Homecoming schedule on the alumni website.