Broken, bloody noses, gashed legs and bruised body parts were the byproducts of a historic moment.

After storming the field, Tufts fans chanted “Olé, Olé.” They high-fived strangers and crowd-surfed. They congratulated players and didn’t care that they smelled like sweat.

“People are getting to be concerned, because my legs are so bruised from it,” said Carolyn Margulies, a Tufts freshman who cut her leg while flipping over a fence to get onto the field.

“But it was totally worth it.”

Tufts had not won a game since the season opener in 2010 — until two weeks ago.

The Jumbos ended a 31-game losing streak with a 24-17 win over Hamilton on Sept. 20 at Ellis Oval / Zimman Field in Somerville, Massachusetts. For every player on the team, it was the first time they had ever won a college football game.

But the win was not a flash in the pan. Tufts followed up the monumental victory with another against Bates on Saturday — two wins that are a product of community support and stronger leadership than in recent years.

Hamilton hasn’t won a game since 2012, so fans had a feeling that the Jumbos’ losing streak might end two weeks ago. With five minutes left, students lined the fence around the field. They didn’t mention the potential win fearing that they would jinx it, but they prepared to rush the field anyway.

“We went out to go shake hands and the next thing you know there was 3,000 kids screaming onto the field running around us,” Tufts head coach Jay Civetti said.

Throughout the week between the two games, fellow students congratulated the players around campus. Civetti said his team had to contain its excitement in practice on Tuesday. Students joked that their team should now take on Alabama.

“There was a bit of a reality check,” Civetti said. “‘Hey look, it’s one win guys.’”

But that didn’t stop the fans from getting excited. This past weekend was homecoming, which meant an even bigger crowd attended the game. There were numerous sporting events, a carnival and parties throughout the weekend. Though the energy wasn’t as high after the second win, students stormed the field again.

This time, security guards opened the fences to avoid injuries.

One of the biggest differences between this season and years past is that Tufts picked captains for 2014 as soon as last season ended. They used to be announced at the start of the season. The change allowed for roles to be established early on throughout the spring so the team had strong leadership when the season started.

This is also the first year that Civetti, who took over in 2011, recruited all four classes on his team.

Senior quarterback Jack Doll said he and the other seniors shared the moment and gathered around Civetti to take in the new experience.

“We stuck together and in difficult times we just leaned on each other and that’s where most of us get our motivation from,” Doll said. “It’s from the group.

“We did what we set out to do and it was on to the next one. We didn’t sit around and pat ourselves on the back.”

After years of futility, Tufts seems to be changing its identity. While seniors are seeing a win for the first time, the freshmen have yet to see them lose.

“I always joke that I feel like I was lied to when I got here, because I was promised a losing team and now this is happening,” Margulies said. “I don’t even know if I can trust Tufts anymore.”

Published on September 30, 2014 at 12:15 am

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds