The Syracuse football team can’t hit paydirt this season. But maybe the offense’s inability to find the goal line is legit: The endzone is actually located in Woburn, Mass.

No joke. The Carrier Dome’s west endzone from 1993 to 2004 still screams ‘SYRACUSE,’ only now from inside a concrete building 12 miles northwest of Boston.

Erik Kaloyanides, a former SU offensive lineman from 1999 to 2002, bought the entire endzone for his new strength and conditioning facility, Athletic Evolution, when SU ditched the asphalt of AstroTurf for the friendliness of FieldTurf this season. The 70-by-10-yard strip serves as the center’s area for running, agility and plyometrics drills. More than anything else, the endzone bestows instant credibility upon Kaloyanides’ fledgling company, open since June.

Athletic Evolution trains high school, college and professional athletes – mainly baseball and hockey players – individually or in group sessions. Kaloyanides employs a full-time staff of five trainers, 2 to 5 interns, a chiropractor and a massage therapist.

After working independently for more than a year – roving to different high schools to train football players – Kaloyanides decided in November he would start the business he always wanted. Kaloyanides passed the required Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist exam from the National Strength and Conditioning Association in the spring. He relies on his finance degree from SU to manage the company economically.

Kaloyanides did not know a Carrier Dome endzone would be available when he decided to start the company. He only knew he wanted to buy AstroTurf from somewhere. He hit the phones right after reading SU was selling its entire AstroTurf surface to ProMounds, a private company that sells smaller pieces to individuals and schools.

He reached ProMounds owner Joe Murphy just in time to buy an entire endzone for what Kaloyanides would disclose only as a ‘discounted price.’ Kaloyanides flew to Syracuse the first weekend in June, hauled the rolled-up turf in two rented, 28-foot long trucks and drove back to the Bay State with two Carrier Dome summer interns, who installed the turf.

Carrier Dome Managing Director Pat Campbell said the turf is still in solid condition and will last many years. Kaloyanides chose the ‘SYRACUSE’ endzone over the ‘ORANGEMEN’ one because Campbell told him it was in better shape.

Though Kaloyanides made sure there was room for the endzone, it couldn’t have fit more perfectly. He figured they’d need to trim the edges somewhere – say to accommodate a pesky bathroom – but one would think now the building was built around it.

Its bizarre appearance sets the facility apart from the endless array of weight-lifting machines found at similar training centers.

‘They’ll ask me if I spray-painted it,’ Kaloyanides said of his clients. ‘They’ll say, ‘We know you went to SU, but you didn’t have to do all that.’

‘It’s a huge drawing point. A lot of famous athletes have competed on that turf. It stands out right when people walk in and it’s a good way to break the ice and close the deal with clients.’

Kaloyanides said SU Strength and Conditioning coach William Hicks is the person most responsible for his success. The two have been close ever since Kaloyanides played at SU. Kaloyanides frequently asks Hicks about different routines and exercises, always looking to stay on top of the profession.

They established their friendship during Kaloyanides’ sophomore season in 2000 – Hicks’ first at SU – when the lineman’s longtime back trouble flared up. The two worked closely, bouncing ideas off each other, and developed a routine that eventually eliminated the pain. Kaloyanides went on to start at left guard the next two seasons.

‘When Erik played here, he always took to the training closely and was very interested in why he was doing something instead of just doing it,’ Hicks said. ‘He was always gathering information.’

Kaloyanides hopes to train prospective NFL draft picks on the endzone next spring. He said players will want to train on the same surface as the NFL combine. However, the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, where the combine is held each year, switched to FieldTurf from AstroTurf this season. Regardless, Athletic Evolution is one of few facilities in the Boston area that will offer running space this winter.

Kaloyanides’ most notable clientele right now are minor league baseball and hockey players. To increase the latter, Athletic Evolution will install a 40-by-30-foot synthetic ice rink (fake ice, doesn’t require a Zamboni) inside the facility in the next few months.

Clearly, Kaloyanides is one his way to a successful career, one that neatly combines his academic and athletic experience at SU. Not bad for somebody 24 years young.

But as much as Kaloyanides’ company expands, the Carrier Dome’s ‘SYRACUSE’ endzone will forever remain his trademark – the spark of his business, his post-graduate life.

And by the way, it’s really not that hard to find. Unfortunately, the closest the Syracuse offense will come to crossing the goal line this season was Friday in East Hartford, Conn., exactly 100 miles away from Woburn, Mass.

Ethan Ramsey is an assistant sports editor at The Daily Orange, where his columns appear every Tuesday. E-mail him at egramsey@gmail.com.

Published on October 10, 2005 at 12:00 pm