By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Rene Moyen was 24 years old when he enrolled at the former Bridgewater State College in 1996.

After attending Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island, Moyen was a junior when he transferred to Bridgewater State, determined to be part of the Bears' football team.

"I just wanted to play college football," said Moyen. "Whatever, I said, 'I'm going to play. I don't care how old I am. I'll try to make it happen.'"

Moyen had graduated from Coventry High School in Rhode Island in 1989, and he embarked on an interesting journey before finally getting to Bridgewater State.

He went to RIC and CCRI in order to improve his grades to eventually transfer to Bridgewater State, and he stayed sharp football-wise by playing for semi-pro teams, the Ocean State Buccaneers and the Hockomock Colts. Moyen was also an assistant high school football coach during that time.

It took patience and determination, but Moyen did all he could in order to study and play football at Bridgewater State, and he made it happen seven years out of high school.

Moyen was a right guard in the 1996 Bears' season, then played center in the 1997 season despite having a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

It was a fulfilling experience for Moyen, but his connection to Bridgewater State didn't end there.

Moyen is now in his 25th year being associated with Bridgewater State football, spending those two years as a player, three years as an assistant coach from 1998-2000 and has been on the coaching staff the past 20 years after returning as an assistant under former coach Chuck Denune in 2005.

The Rhode Island resident is currently the associate head coach, the offensive coordinator and the offensive line coach at Bridgewater State University.

"It's just like a habit, who I am, what I am," said Moyen, who owns the Next Level Fitness Center in Johnston, R.I. "The years keep rolling by. I have so much fun doing it. It keeps me young and energetic.

"I'm pretty lucky. I'm a strength coach and a football coach. Those are two things I'd probably do anyway even if I wasn't getting paid. I enjoy the kids. I've had some phenomenal players.

"I definitely feel that I'm glad our colors are red because I think I do bleed Bridgewater red. It's just been a part of me."

Despite the time between his high school football playing days and his 1996 season with the Bears, Moyen was ready to go when he arrived at college.

Moyen was a teenager, lining up against older players in the semi-pro games, and it made him a better offensive lineman.

"It was pretty intense with a lot of Division 1 players," said Moyen, a 1998 Bridgewater State graduate. "I was 18 years old. I played against the Worcester Tigers who had a player who had just been in camp with the Cincinnati Bengals. He lined up against me and it was pretty eye opening.

"To be honest, I never really missed a beat when I got to Bridgewater. Semipro wasn't nearly as organized, but I had played against some really good players and played for some very good coaches.

"It was kind of easy to transition. I was older and experienced and had a pretty good idea what I was doing and was able to contribute right away."

After splitting time at guard with John Florence in 1996, Moyen moved to center for his senior year and was named a captain. But he tore an ACL in a preseason practice and it looked like the end of his career.

"I'm in camp and having a really good camp. I'm in great shape,'' said Moyen, who was a physical education/health science major. "A couple days before the end of camp, coach (Peter) Mazzaferro told me one morning I was going to be a captain.

"Then in that afternoon session, I tear my ACL. I'm devastated. A few days go by and it's confirmed that it's torn. I'm decimated. I put everything on hold in my life and this happens.

"I had had a couple of injuries before. I said, 'I'm going to try to play.' I missed three weeks. The school was not going to let me play. I had to get the team surgeon from my semi-pro team to clear me.

"The integrity of my knee was pretty good. The surgeon said, 'If you can do you, do it. Finally, the school cleared me. I came back and started the first conference game against Maine Maritime after missing the non-conference games."

As Moyen was playing through an injured knee, his workload increased near the midway point of the season.

A graduate assistant in charge of the offensive line left the team after four games, leaving the Bears with a void.

Mazzaferro decided to have Moyen, who had coached at Coventry and Pilgrim High, take charge of the offensive line as a student assistant while playing center.

"I'm playing and doing everything I can just to be on the field," said Moyen. "We find out the offensive line coach leaves in the middle of the week. Mazz calls me in and says, 'Moyen, you think you can coach the offensive line?' I said, yeah, I'll do it. I was a little older, so I kind of had the respect of the guys.

"We were a veer offense, so it wasn't all that complicated. It was just keeping the guys going. I remember to this day (quarterback) Pat Callahan, who became one of the best coaches I've ever coached with, was injured and he was my assistant. He'd grab the white board and the marker and talk to the guys about what just happened on the field."

Moyen and Callahan would later be co-offensive coordinators of the Bears, implementing an offense that featured plenty of passing.

Moyen has plenty of duties in his role on the football staff and is second to head coach Joe Verria (who arrived in 1988) in tenure with the program.

"He's huge," said Verria. "He's an integral part of everything we do. "He cares about the kids. He's smart, he's always trying to get better. He's a player's coach. He knows what it takes to win."

Moyen is looking forward to Saturday afternoon when BSU hosts Worcester State University at 4 p.m. It is Homecoming Weekend, a number of former players will be on hand for a trip down memory lane.

He has been part of the football program for a quarter of a century, and Moyen is ready to keep adding the years.

"For me, it's that pure love of the game," said Moyen. "Football, for me, is almost like a sickness. I don't think I can live without it. (Assistant) Coach (John) Gendron said to me, 'If you get to a point where you can live without it, you probably should.' I don't feel like I can live without it.

"My wife, Stephanie, has been incredibly supportive through all the long hours. She knows what it means to me.

"I still feel young. I'm 52 now. I can't see anything less than another 10 years of doing this. I need to be active. There's not much more fun than football. I'm not tired. I don't mind hustling. I'll stick it out for quite a while."