Villanova Wildcats football

Villanova Wildcats
First season	1894
Head coach	Andy Talley
	27th year, 190–117–1  (.619)
Home stadium	Villanova Stadium
Field	Goodreau Field
Year built	1927
Stadium capacity	12,500
Stadium surface	AstroPlay
Location	Villanova, Pennsylvania
League	Football Championship Subdivision
Conference	Colonial Athletic Association
All-time record	575–456–39 (.556)
Postseason bowl record	2–2–1
Claimed national titles	1 (2009 FCS)
Conference titles	5
Colors	Blue and White
Fight song	"V for Villanova"
Mascot	Will D. Cat
NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances	2010, 2009, 2008, 2002, 1997, 1996, 1992, 1991, 1989
Rivals	Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens Temple Owls Penn Quakers
Website	Villanova.com

The Villanova Wildcats football program represents Villanova University in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA). The Wildcats currently compete in the Colonial Athletic Conference for football only. They play on-campus at Villanova Stadium with capacity of 12,500 and are planning to play select games at PPL Park in Chester. Legendary head coach Andy Talley has been at the helm of the program since it was reinstated in 1985 and led the program to it's first NCAA Division I National Championship in 2009.

History

The Wildcats football team played their first game in November 1894 coached by legendary trainer and coach Mike Murphy. They continued to play as an independent team for 87 seasons participating in several Bowl Games and sending numerous players into Professional football including NFL Hall of Fame defensive end, Howie Long. On April 14, 1981 the program was officially disbanded due to weak attendance and monetary reasons cited by the University Board of Directors.

Under heavy pressure from alumni and students, the program was reinstated by the Board of Trustees in April 1984 and sponsored a sold out Blue-White game for Homecoming that November. Led by current head coach Andy Talley, they began playing NCAA games in September of 1985 with an abbreviated 5 game schedule whom they defeated. The program moved up to 1-AA (FCS) and joined the Yankee Conference in 1988.

The 1997 season marked Villanova's first ever undefeated, untied regular season, as well as their first time reaching #1 in the FCS rankings.

In 2002, Villanova advanced to the NCAA FCS semifinals before falling just short of the Championship Game.

In 2008, Villanova went 10-3 losing only 2 FCS games all season. Both losses were to James Madison on a "hail mary" game ending TD in the regular season and an overtime quarterfinal loss in the NCAA playoffs.

In 2009, Villanova was CAA co-conference Champions with the Richmond Spiders. They finished 14-1 and won the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS National Championship.

In 2010 season, Villanova made it to the NCAA semifinals before losing to eventual champion, Eastern Washington Eagles. Villanova finished ranked #3 in the country in 2010 season.

NCAA National Championships

The Wildcats won their first national championship on December 18, 2009 under Andy Talley. The team defeated the Montana Grizzlies in the national championship game in Chattanooga by a score of 23-21.

Walter Payton Award winners

The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding college offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors.

• Wide Receiver Brian Finneran won the 1997 Walter Payton Award and went on to play several seasons in the NFL mostly with the Atlanta Falcons.
• Running Back Brian Westbrook won the 2001 Walter Payton Award before a highly successful NFL Career with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Conference affiliations

• 1894-1980: NCAA Division I-A Independent
  • Football program was dropped following the 1980 season and reinstated for 1985 season
• 1985-1987: NCAA Division I-AA Independent
• 1988-1996: Yankee Conference
• 1997-2005: Atlantic 10 Conference
• 2006–present: Colonial Athletic Association

After playing as an independent from 1985-87, Villanova Football joined the Yankee Conference for the 1988 season before winning Conference titles in both 1989 and 1991.

In 1997, the Yankee Conference was absorbed into the Atlantic 10, following the NCAA's rule changes regarding single-sport conferences. In 9 years with the A-10, Villanova won 2 conference championships (1997, 2001).

In 2005, all A-10 football schools agreed to switch conferences for 2006 season and became charter members of the Colonial Athletic Association creating the most successful FCS League in the country. The Wildcats qualified for the playoffs in three consecutive seasons from 2008 thru 2010. Villanova won the CAA Championship during their 2009 national championship season.

Rivalry games

Villanova plays the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens in the "Battle of the Blue". The all-time series between Villanova and Delaware dates back over 100 years to the first meeting between the teams on November 23, 1895. The Wildcats lead the series by a current margin of 23-21-1 and had won five straight against the Blue Hens since the inception of the Battle of the Blue Trophy in 2006 before dropping the 2011 game by the score of 26-16. As conference rivals in FCS, the teams have met each season since 1988 and Villanova head coach Andy Talley is 12-12 in his career versus Delaware. The 2011 game was played at PPL Park in Chester, PA for the first American Football game to be played in that venue.

Villanova also plays intra-city rival University of Pennsylvania in a match-up with "college football's most historic program". The majority of the games with the Ivy League powerhouse are played at historic Franklin Field on the campus of PENN. The teams first met on November 18, 1905 in a game won by PENN. The Quakers won the first 5 meetings thru 1911 and then the two teams didn't play again until 1980 when Villanova won their first game of the series. The teams renewed the series as FCS (I-AA) teams in 1999 and Villanova has won all 10 games since then in some very close battles. Villanova holds a 11-5 lead in the series vs PENN.

The Wildcats also currently have a four-year series where they play Temple University for the Philadelphia "Mayor's Cup" on Temple's home turf at Lincoln Financial Field. Villanova won the inaugural game in September 2009 in front of a crowd of 27,759 on a last second field goal by Nick Yako. The Wildcats lost the 2010 game on late field goal by the Owls in front of a larger crowd of 32,193. Temple won the 2011 game in convincing fashion for the FBS program in front of an announced crowd of 32,638. Prior to the "Mayors Cup", the two teams last met in 2003 when Villanova tallied a 23-20 win in double overtime in the first match-up that was played since 1980. The Philadelphia programs first met on November 8, 1928 in a game that ended in a 0-0 tie. They met for 16 consecutive years but suspended the series after the 1943 game won by Villanova. The series was reignited in 1970 with a Wildcat win and continued for 11 years thru the 1980 game also won by Villanova. The Wildcats lead the all-time series vs Temple 16-14-2.

Andy Talley era

Villanova head coach Andy Talley has completed his 32nd season as a collegiate head coach, including his 27th at Villanova. The winningest coach in school history and the winningest coach in CAA history, Talley's Villanova record currently stands at an impressive 190-117-1. Throughout his Main Line career, Talley has guided the Wildcats to nine NCAA playoff appearances, five conference championships, three Lambert Meadowlands Cup, three ECAC Team of the Year awards, three NCAA semifinal appearances and the 2009 National Championship.

A graduate of Haverford (Pa.) High School just five minutes from the Villanova campus, Coach Talley is a native of Bryn Mawr. He can feel responsible for every facet of the Villanova program, having started it from scratch after he was hired on May 29, 1984 as the school's 29th head coach. Talley has led Villanova teams to NCAA FCS (Formerly Division I-AA) playoff appearances in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Following his National Championship success in 2009, Talley received numerous coaching honors. Highlighting the list was the AFCA National Coach of the Year Award. Talley also earned this award in 1997 and becomes just the 17th coach to win the award twice. He also garnered the 2009 CAA Coach of the Year, the Sportsman's Award from the Marine Corp Scholarship Foundation and the Maxwell Club President's Award. In 2008, Talley was named the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year, the Field Turf/Howie Long FCS National Coach of the Year and the Maxwell Club Coach of the Year. Talley's all-time College Coaching record stands at 218-135-2 including his 5 years at the helm of St Lawrence College where he had advanced to the D-III National Semifinals in 1982.

Season	Head Coach	Overall Record	Conf. Record	Postseason	TSN ranking
1985	Andy Talley	5-0	-	-
1986	Andy Talley	8-1	-	-
1987	Andy Talley	6-4	-	-
1988	Andy Talley	5-5-1	4-4
1989	Andy Talley	8-4	6-2*	NCAA FCS playoffs
1990	Andy Talley	6-5	5-3
1991	Andy Talley	10-2	7-1*	NCAA FCS payoffs
1992	Andy Talley	9-3	6-2	NCAA FCS playoffs
1993	Andy Talley	3-8	1-7
1994	Andy Talley	5-6	2-6
1995	Andy Talley	3-8	2-6
1996	Andy Talley	8-4	6-2	NCAA FCS playoffs	#12
1997	Andy Talley	12-1	8-0*	NCAA FCS Quarterfinals	#5
1998	Andy Talley	6-5	4-4
1999	Andy Talley	7-4	6-2
2000	Andy Talley	5-6	3-5
2001	Andy Talley	8-3	7-2*		#20
2002	Andy Talley	11-4	6-3	NCAA FCS Semifinals	#4
2003	Andy Talley	7-4	5-4		#25
2004	Andy Talley	6-5	3-5
2005	Andy Talley	4-6	2-6
2006	Andy Talley	6-5	5-3
2007	Andy Talley	7-4	5-3
2008	Andy Talley	10-3	7-1	NCAA FCS Quarterfinals	#6
2009	Andy Talley	14-1	7-1*	NCAA FCS CHAMPIONS	#1
2010	Andy Talley	9-5	5-3	NCAA FCS Semifinals	#3
2011	Andy Talley	2-9	1-7
1985 - 2011 VILLANOVA RECORD: 190-117-1

Wildcats in Professional Football

Current NFL players from Villanova:

• Brian Finneran
• Benjamin Ijalana
• Raymond Ventrone
• Ross Ventrone
• Brian Westbrook
• Darrel Young

34 Wildcats have gone on to play in the National Football League. The only Villanova alumnus in the NFL Hall of Fame is former Raiders defensive end Howie Long.

Bowl games

Villanova Football played in 5 bowl games, compiling a record of 2-2-1. (Note that in the table below, the year references the season and not the actual date of the Bowl.)

Season Bowl Game Winner Loser Record 1936 Bacardi Bowl Villanova 7 Auburn 7 0-0-1 1947 Great Lakes Bowl Kentucky 24 Villanova 7 0-1-1 1948 Harbor Bowl Villanova 27 Nevada 7 1-1-1 1961 Sun Bowl Villanova 17 Wichita State 9 2-1-1 1962 Liberty Bowl Oregon State 6 Villanova 0 2-2-1 Totals 5 2-2-1

1937 Bacardi Bowl

Villanova’s history in bowl games began on January 1, 1937, when the Wildcats participated in the Bacardi Bowl for their first bowl appearance. Played in Havana, Cuba as the climactic event of Cuba’s National Sports Festival, the game almost never came to be because of a bloodless revolution led by Fulgencio Batista. The ‘Cats opponent, Auburn University, had rolled up an impressive 7-2-2 record and had closed out the 1936 regular season with six shutout wins on their schedule. Villanova, under coaching great Maurice J. "Clipper" Smith, piled up a sterling 7-2 record, and had earned victories over the likes of Penn State, Boston University, Detroit and South Carolina. Like Auburn, Villanova boasted of an outstanding defense, one that recorded four shutouts and had not allowed any opponent more than seven points. At halftime, Auburn led 7-0. Late in the fourth quarter, with time running out for the Wildcats; Auburn had possession of the ball inside its own 15-yard line. Facing second down and eight yards to go for a first down, Auburn mentor Jack Meagher called for a quick kick, a play Auburn had used successfully on a couple of occasions in the first half. Shifting into the quick kick position at the Auburn goal line, Villanova’s John Wysocki and Valentine Rizzo blocked the kick and lineman Matthew Kuber grabbed the ball at the two-yard line and went in for the touchdown. William Christopher kicked the all-important point after and the Wildcats had gained a 7-7 tie.”

1947 Great Lakes Bowl

In a match-up of Wildcats, Kentucky defeated Villanova 24-14 in the Great Lakes Bowl played at Cleveland Stadium on December 6, 1947. Villanova, coached by Jordan Olivar, brought a 6-2-1 record into the game. Kentucky of the Southeastern Conference was in its second season under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and brought a 7-3 record into the game. the first quarter Kentucky's George Blanda kicked a 27 yard field goal. At halftime Kentucky led 3-0. In the third quarter Kentucky's Jim Howe had a 29 yard touchdown run; Blanda's point after kick gave Kentucky a 10-0 lead. In the fourth quarter, Kentucky's Bill Boller had a 15 yard touchdown run on offense and on defense returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown. Blanda hit both extra point attempts to give Kentucky a 24-0 lead. Villanova scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Andy Gordon threw a 9 yard touchdown pass to John Sheehan to make it Kentucky 24, Villanova 7. Ralph Pasquariello had a 10 yard touchdown run for the game's last score.

1949 Harbor Bowl

Villanova Wildcats played in the Harbor Bowl on January 1, 1949 in Balboa Stadium in San Diego where they defeated the University of Nevada 27-7. Nevada, the nation's leading passing team led by All-American QB Stan Heath (American football), could do no better than match Villanova's aerial yardage. The first two times the Wildcats got hold of the ball they marched for touchdowns. The Wolf Pack got nowhere after taking the opening kickoff, and had to punt. Where upon Villanova drove from midfield some 47 yards to a score. Ralph Pasquariello, the plowing 228 pound fullback, hammered off tackle, and Bill Doherty tossed long to Ed Berrang. It was climaxed with D'Alonzo plunging through from the three. Frank Sanches blocked the conversion. Nova's Andy Gordon intercepted Heath's pass and Villanova drove again. This one 43 yards. Pasquariello, going wide on pitch-outs, powered the Main Liners downfield and Polidor went around right end for the touchdown behind massed interference. Clavin kicked conversion and it was 13-0 with 10 minutes gone. The Wildcats picked up another pair of scores in the third period while Nevada's record setting QB, Stan Heath, watched glumly from the bench where he had been sidetracked with two broken ribs and Nevada's speedburning fullback Sherman Howard was being stitched up after a slashing blow to his forehead. On the first play after Nevada punted a horde of blockers got out in front of a scampering John Geppi, 180-pounder from Baltimore, who was escorted down the sidelines, all the 80 yards to a touchdown. Clavin converted, 20-7. A moment later a succession of breaks accounted for the fourth and final score. On a long pass from Nevada's reserve QB Alva Tabor, receiver Dan Orlich fell over the umpire and it went incomplete. Tabor then tossed to Harold Hayes but Nevada was penalized back to its own 18. Then another Tabor pass fell in the hands of Villanova's Steve Romanik who ran it back all the way to Nevada's 8yd line. Pete D'Alonzo, 210-pounder from Orange, N. J., smashed through for the score and Clavin kicked conversion, 27-7. The rest of the game, played in the heavy downpour of rain, was an exchange of fumbles and interceptions ans the score remained in Villanova's favor.

1961 Sun Bowl

Villanova defeated Wichita State 17 - 9 in the Sun Bowl at Kidd Field in El Paso, TX on December 30, 1961. Coach Alex Bell’s 7-1 Wildcats were selected to meet the Wichita University Shockers. His top punter and key receiver, Ron Meyers was declared ineligible for the game because he had already entered into a professional agreement with the Cleveland Browns. Wichita State was a 6-point favorite with Coach Hank Foldberg’s flashy passing offense featuring Alex Zyskowski and Bill Stangerone. The tone of the game was set early. Villanova’s defense bottled Wichita up and the offense drove 43 yards on two Billy Joe runs. Joe shook off three Shockers on a 19-yard touchdown run. In 1961, Billy Joe was a terrifying weapon. The 240-pound fullback was also a champion shot putter. While playing for less than half of the game, he would be named MVP on the strength of 63 yards on 8 carries. The Villanova defensive line, which outweighed Wichita by 17 lbs. a man up front, kept the pressure on all day. They keyed on back, Bill Stangerone and forced 4 Shocker interceptions. They knocked Alex Zyskowski out of the game with a head injury in the second half. He would not return until the last 5 minutes of the game. Villanova led 7-0 throughout most of the first half. With less than three minutes to play, with Stangerone at quarterback, the Shockers drove 47 yards to the Wildcat 18-yard line. Bill Seigle kicked a Sun Bowl record, 36 yard field goal to bring the Shockers to within four at the half. The key play in the game occurred at the opening of the second half. Wichita fumbled the second half kickoff, which was recovered by VU at the 21. Joe Rettino’s 1-yard run gave the Wildcats a 14-3 lead. Later in the 3rd quarter, Villanova’s Sam Gruneisen kicked a 26 yard field goal which made the score 17-3. In the final minutes of the game, Zyskowski returned to lead Wichita on a scoring drive. He hit Adolph Wilson with a 35-yard pass. Zyskowski then swept the end for the score on a 5 yard run with less than a minute remaining to make the final score was 17-9. The story of the game could be seen in the statistics. Villanova outgained Wichita on the ground, 225 yards to 111. Their defense was simply overpowering.

1962 Liberty Bowl

Oregon State led by Heisman Trophy winner Terry Baker defeated Villanova in the Liberty Bowl by the score of 6-0 in Municipal Stadium aka JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, PA on December 15, 1962. While not as heralded as the Oregon State squad, Coach Alex Bell's Villanova had also enjoyed an outstanding season, compiling a 7-2 record. The game immediately became a defensive struggle, and to the surprise of many, Villanova dominated. The Wildcats seemingly got a big break midway through the first quarter when William Sherlock’s 52-yard punt was downed by Larry Glueck on the one-foot line. One play later, disaster struck as Oregon State’s Terry Baker got loose around end, and raced to a 99-yard touchdown with 9:24 left in the opening period. Baker tried a two-point conversion, but the Wildcats regrouped to break up his pass, leaving the score 6-0 in Oregon State’s favor. Another tough break occurred immediately for Villanova. Taking the ensuing kickoff down to the Beavers’ 12-yard line, they seemingly deadlocked the contest when Billy Joe made his way around the left end and romped 12-yards into the endzone. But a holding call nullified the play, and two plays later a Villanova pass was intercepted. The score stood at 6-0 at the half. The third quarter was scoreless, as both teams’ defenses remained unbending. In the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, Villanova made one last effort. Starting on their own 30-yard line, the Wildcats drove to Oregon State’s 11-yard line before fumbling away a chance to win the game. For the day, Villanova dominated OSU’s undersized line and outgained the Beavers on the ground 246-176, and had nine more first downs, 20-11. However, Oregon State’s one big play, coupled with the ‘Cats four fumbles and two interceptions, sealed the win for OSU.

Villanova Stadium

Villanova Stadium was built as part of a school expansion program in 1927 and dedicated on October 8, 1927. On May 7, 1930, the playing field at Villanova Stadium was dedicated to the memory of Leo Francis Goodreau, a Villanova football player who died due to injuries incurred in practice in 1928 season. On September 27, 1980, the running track was dedicated to Villanova's legendary track and field coach James "Jumbo" Elliott.

In Fall 1999, the Stadium underwent a face-lift with the Stadium Renovation Project. Included in this project was a state of the art press box, in addition to housing an 80-person meeting room for all Villanova Athletic Department personnel to use. The former AstroTurf playing field was replaced during the spring of 2002 with a synthetic grass surface known as AstroPlay. The stadium received a new scoreboard along with a new playing surface for the Fall 2009 sport seasons. The stadium currently seats 12,500.

PPL PARK

Villanova football debuted at PPL Park as an alternate Home Stadium on November 19, 2011 in the annual Battle of the Blue rivalry game vs Delaware. Villanova is currently planning to play a select group of future football games at the venue. PPL Park is the state-of-the-art home of the MLS Philadelphia Union and has served as one of the key catalysts of the revitalization of the Chester Waterfront located 15 miles south of Center City, Philadelphia. The stadium has a natural grass playing surface and current seating capicity of 18,500 with further expansion plans in discussion. The first expansion phase would add 1500 additional seats, the 2nd phase would add 7000 additional seats and a 3rd phases could bring the stadium to an eventual 30,000 total seats but only the first phase has a determined timeline by the Philadelphia Union. PPL Park has 29 Luxury Suites and an 11,000 square foot full-service club restaurant as well as State-of-the-art LED signage and innovative experiential zones plus expansive grass areas and large promenades surround the stadium for tailgating.

Possible Football Program Upgrade

Villanova has considered moving into the Football Bowl Subdivision and joining the Big East Conference in football. Villanova Stadium located on-campus stadium seats only 12,500, less than the requirement for an FBS-eligible team. In September 2010, the Big East informally discussed the possibility that Villanova might become a football member. The school undertook several feasibility studies involving the costs involved with such an upgrade. An upgrade of the Football program would require building expensive new football facilities and increases to its women's sports program due to Title IX issues, as well as a move to a larger game venue in the region with speculation focused on the new PPL Park soccer stadium. Prior to the scheduled April 12, 2011 Board of Trustees vote on the Football Upgrade, several Big East Football Schools objected to the Villanova plans to use PPL Park. That venue currently seats 18,500 but is expandable up to 30,000 seats in 3 separate increments but there is no specific timeline available when that expansion would begin or if it would be completed. With the on-going uncertainty of the BIG EAST Football Conference after losing founding Football members Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia, the Villanova Board of Trustees has put any future votes regarding the topic of moving to FBS on hold.

External links

• Official website