2003 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

The 2003 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by second-year head coach K. C. Keeler, the Fightin' Blue Hens compiled an overall record of 15–1 with a mark of 8–1 in conference play, sharing the A-10 with UMass. Delaware advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where the Fightin' Blue Hens beat Southern Illinois in the first round, Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals, Wofford in the semifinals, and Colgate in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game. The team played home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.

2003 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
NCAA Division I-AA champion
A-10 co-champion
Lambert Cup winner
ECAC Team of the Year
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 1
Record15–1 (8–1 A-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorKirk Ciarrocca (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorDave Cohen (2nd season)
Home stadiumDelaware Stadium
Seasons
← 2002
2004 →
2003 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Delaware +^   8 1     15 1  
No. 11 UMass +^   8 1     10 3  
No. 20 Northeastern   6 3     8 4  
No. 25 Villanova   5 4     7 4  
Maine   4 4     6 5  
William & Mary   4 4     5 5  
James Madison   4 5     6 6  
New Hampshire   3 6     5 7  
Rhode Island   3 6     4 8  
Hofstra   2 6     2 10  
Richmond   1 8     2 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule edit

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 67:00 pmThe Citadel*No. 14W 41–720,612
September 137:00 pmRichmondNo. 11
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
CN8W 44–1421,388
September 207:00 pmWest Chester*No. 8
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE (rivalry)
W 49–721,002
September 2712:30 pmat HofstraNo. 7CSTVW 24–143,228
October 47:00 pmWilliam & MaryNo. 4
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE (rivalry)
W 41–2720,485
October 1112:00 pmat New HampshireNo. 4CSNW 22–214,815
October 1812:00 pmRhode Island No. 4
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
W 55–1020,795
October 251:30 pmat Navy*No. 3HDNetW 21–1734,982
November 11:00 pmMaineNo. 2
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
W 24–21 OT22,057
November 812:30 pmat NortheasternNo. 2L 14–244,198
November 1512:20 pmNo. 3 UMassNo. 6
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
TFNW 51–45 3OT21,804
November 224:00 pmat No. 18 VillanovaNo. 3CN8W 20–1712,253
November 291:00 pmNo. 4 Southern Illinois*No. 3
CSTVW 48–714,572[1]
December 1012:00 pmNo. 7 Northern Iowa*No. 3
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)
ESPN PlusW 37–711,881
December 131:00 pmNo. 2 Wofford*No. 3
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)
ESPN2W 24–914,351
December 197:00 pmvs. No. 6 Colgate*No. 3ESPN2W 40–014,281

[2][3]

Roster edit

2003 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 10 Ryan Carty Fr
QB 12 Andy Hall Sr
WR 18 Joe Bleymaier So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 24 Mike Adams Sr
DB 4 Roger Brown So
LB 15 Mondoe Davis Jr
DB 47 Sidney Haugabrook Jr
DL 96 Shawn Johnson Sr
DL 90 Richard Washington Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

Roster

References edit

  1. ^ Tresolini, Kevin (November 30, 2003). "Blue Hens advance in playoffs". The News Journal. p. A1. Retrieved December 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Delaware Blue Hens Schedule 2003". ESPN. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "2003 Football Schedule". Delaware Blue Hens. Retrieved November 8, 2022.