Aug. 29, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
An era that was 33 years in the making begins Sunday when the University of Dayton takes on Central State University in the "Dayton Classic IV" at Welcome Stadium. Former Flyer linebacker and long-time assistant coach Rick Chamberlin takes over as UD's head coach in 2008. Chamberlin was a Football Coaches Association Kodak All-American on UD's first Division III playoff team in 1978, and then served as a defensive assistant under head coaches Rick Carter and Mike Kelly. Chamberlin retains his responsibilities as the Dayton defensive coordinator in addition to his head coaching duties.
WORTH A LOOK BACK
Mike Kelly's final season at the helm of the Flyer football program was one for the books, as UD went 11-1 and earned a share of the Pioneer Football League title. That put the Flyers in the Gridiron Classic against Albany, where they won 42-21 to claim the FCS Mid-Major national championship. Seven Flyers earned All-America status, including tight end Matt Champa, who was named on six different teams, and quarterback Kevin Hoyng, who finished his career as UD's career record holder in completions, passing yardage ant total offense. UD took home three of the four top awards in the PFL. Kelly was Coach of the Year, Hoyng was Offensive Player of the Year, and Joe Castaneda was Rookie of the Year. And safety Brandon Cramer was named the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year for Division I football, the first such honor for the Flyer football program.
NO ONE'S DOING IT BETTER
Since 2000, the Flyers have the second-best winning percentage in FCS football (.793 at the start of the year) AND have produced the most football Academic All-Americans at all levels of college football (14).
SERIES STUFF
This is the fifth meeting between Dayton and Central State. CSU won the first contest (28-25) in 1974, with UD wins coming in 1977 (27-14), 1978 (28-7) and last year (40-0). Every game in the series has been played at Welcome Stadium. Last year, the UD defense had an incredible game, getting a season-high 11 sacks, forcing three turnovers and limiting a Marauder offense that averaged 344.1 yards in total offense on the year to just 53 yards. The Vossler brothers came up big for Dayton as safety Corey returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown and end Scott had 13 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. Linebacker Brian Kelly added 10 tackles while tackle Sean Heenan added six hits and two-and-a-half sacks. On the offensive end, quarterback Kevin Hoyng accounted for 266 yards and three touchdowns, with two in the air and one on the ground.
STREAKING
UD has not been shut out in 353 straight games, the best such active string in all of college football. The last team to shut out the Flyers was Marshall, 9-0, on October 16, 1976.
TEN FLYERS NAMED ALL-PFL
UD placed ten players on the 2007 PFL all-league teams, and five return this season. Defensive tackle Kalen Hemmelgarn, Flyer Steve McDonald and defensive end Scott Vossler, all seniors, were on the first team last year. Sophomore cornerback Joe Castaneda and senior safety Corey Vossler were on the second team.
SEVEN FLYERS NAMED SPORTS NETWORK MID-MAJOR ALL-AMERICANS
The Flyers also had seven players named to the Sports Network's 2007 FCS Mid-Major All-America teams, with three seniors back for this season. Defensive tackle Kalen Hemmelgarn and Scott Vossler were on the first team, and running back Ben Shappie was on the second team.
MORE KUDOS FOR KALEN
Senior DT Kalen Hemmelgarn was also named an Honorable Mention All-American on the Sports Network's All-America team that encompassed all of FCS football. Hemmelgarn was nationally ranked in fumbles recovered (3) and sacks (8.5), and totaled 41 tackles, 10.5 of which were for a loss. He also forced two fumbles.
LEADERS ON AND OFF THE FIELD
Serving as captains for 2008 are quarterback Rob Florian, Flyer Steve McDonald and defensive end Scott Vossler. The trio of fifth-year seniors took varied routes to become captains. McDonald and Vossler were First Team All-PFL last season, while Florian has just one career start to his credit (in which he threw for 411 yards). McDonald redshirted due to an injury, Vossler redshirted for developmental reasons and Florian has been a team leader even though he has been UD's backup QB for the last three seasons.
LET'S TALK DAYTON D
Last season, UD led FCS football in sacks (4.00), was second in rushing defense (75.42), fourth in scoring defense (15.58) and total defense (271.50), and sixth in tackles in the backfield (8.45). The Flyers led the PFL in four of the five categories (they were second in rushing defense), and they also lead in pass defense (196.1 yards), pass efficiency defense (109.46) and fumbles gained (16).
BRINGING NEW MEANING TO THE TERM "TEAM DEFENSE"
The Dayton defense returns seven starters from last year (and that does not include All-American DT Kalen Hemmelgarn) and eight of its top ten tacklers. In addition, UD returns all four players who had multiple fumble recoveries, six of the seven who intercepted passes, four of the five who caused fumbles and three of the top four "sack artists" from last season. In 2007, Valparaiso came into the game on October 20 leading the PFL in rushing, averaging 239.9 yards a game. The Dayton D held VU to less than half (114 yards), including just 30 in the first half. San Diego came into the game on October 27 averaging just under 50 points and 500 yards a game, and was held to 16 points and 340 yards.
PAPER OR PLASTIC?
Dayton had 48 sacks last season, after getting just 13 in all of 2006. Four of the top six sack artists in the PFL were Flyers -- Scott Vossler was second and tied for 14th nationally (0.75), Kalen Hemmelgarn was third and 20th nationally (0.71), the since-transferred Bobby Burger was fifth and tied for 25th (0.67) and Sean Heenan was sixth and tied for 33rd (0.63). UD was the only team in FCS football with two players in the top twenty. Last year, UD's six sacks at Fordham came from six different players and 17 different Flyers recorded a sack on the season. Davidson came to Dayton on October 13 leading the nation in fewest sacks allowed (3), and UD sacked Wildcat QB Ryan Alexander three times in that game. San Diego had allowed just six sacks before allowing QB Josh Johnson to be bagged three times two weeks later.
SUPER SIZE ME
Senior Steve McDonald plays the hybrid linebacker/safety position known as "Flyer" or "nickel" in the Dayton defensive package, and at 5-10, 184 lbs., he is not the most imposing physical specimen. But his game is large. In 2007, he led the team in solo hits (40), tied for team and league honors in fumbles recovered (3, including one for a TD), was second in total tackles (79), was tied for third in interceptions (2), and was fifth in tackles for loss (8.5) and passes batted down (4). He also had a fumble forced and a sack.
MEET THE OLD "VOSS"
Scott Vossler returns for his fifth year after one of the most productive seasons in UD history by a Flyer lineman. Vossler led UD in sacks (9.0), tackles in the backfield (16.5), QB hurries (4) and fumbles forced (6). He led the PFL in fumbles forced and was second in sacks.
CAPTAIN ROB
Offensive captain Rob Florian returns for his fifth year and steps up to replace record-setting QB Kevin Hoyng. Florian has only one start in his career, but what a start it was. In 2006, without ever throwing a collegiate pass, Florian filled in for the injured Hoyng at Jacksonville and threw for 411 yards, just three yards short of the school single-game record. Last season, Florian completed 26 of 42 passes (.619) for 261 yards and two TD's. He led Cincinnati Elder to back-to-back Ohio High School Division I state championships in 2002 and 2003.
BIG BEN
Senior running back Ben Shappie is back after being listed as starter every game in 2007, and finishing second on the team in rushing. Shappie's numbers of 529 yards and six touchdowns in 108 carries (4.9 yards per carry) were also ninth in the PFL in yards per game (44.1).
TO SERVE AND PROTECT
The Dayton offensive line, led by returning starters Ryan Pollock (tackle) and Patrick McCormick (guard), allowed just one sack for every 22 pass attempts in 2007. By contrast, Dayton opponents were sacked once every eight times.
JUSTIN TIME
Wideout Justin Watkins is back eight months after suffering a knee injury in the PFL-title-clinching win at Drake. Last year the redshirt sophomore led Dayton in yards per catch (17.8) and is UD's top returning receiver with 20 catches. Six of his receptions were for TD's, which was tied for second on the team.
IT'S SO
Cornerback Joe Castaneda was the 2007 PFL Rookie of the Year. Castaneda was only the third freshman in Kelly's 27 years as a head coach to earn a starting job. He led Dayton with eight pass break ups, and tied for team honors in interceptions (3, all in conference play). He was in on 51 tackles (27 solo). He was also UD's top kick returner, averaging 11.8 yards a punt return and 24.1 yards a kick return.
STICKY FINGERS
Sophomore cornerback Joe Castaneda and senior safety Corey Vossler co-led Dayton in interceptions last season, each with three. Four players had two each, including Castaneda's partner at the other corner, junior Scott Horcher.
McGLAVIN
Junior Nick Glavin returns at kicker for the Flyers after converting 35 of 37 PAT's in 2007. He was also three-for-five in field goals.
TOPS IN I-AA NON-SCHOLARSHIP
In the 15 years I-AA Non-Scholarship has been an option, UD has the best winning percentage (.795, 136-35) of the 20 schools playing at this level. Duquesne's .730 (116-43) is second, followed by Drake (.668, 107-53-1), San Diego (92-56, .622) and Robert Morris (.607, 85-55-1).
PFL POWER
The Flyers' 55-14 PFL record is the best in the history of the league. UD has won nine league championships in the 15 years the PFL has existed. Including ties, UD has nine titles, the rest of the league has ten.
WELCOME MAT
The UD Flyers moved to Welcome Stadium in 1974. The word "Welcome" implies hospitality, but Dayton has been anything but hospitable to its opponents at home, where its record is 188-37-2 (.833). The "Welcome" in Welcome Stadium is not a greeting, but an honor to the late Percival Welcome, long-time Director of Athletics for the Dayton Public Schools. UD has won 45 of its last 54 home games (including 7-0 last season), and 24 of its last 30 road games.
GREAT GRAD RATES
UD's 97 score in the 2007 APR (Academic Progress Report) is the second-best the Pioneer Football League and one of the best in NCAA Division I football. UD was one of 26 teams honored by the NCAA for having an APR in the top 10 percent of all Division I football-playing institutions. The others were Air Force, Brown, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, William and Mary, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, fellow PFL member Davidson, Duke, Furman, Harvard, Navy, New Hampshire, Penn, Princeton, Rice, Richmond, Rutgers, Stanford, Villanova, Wofford and Yale.
GOTTA PLAY SMART
The University of Dayton placed a league-best 16 players on the 2007 Academic All-Pioneer Football League team. It was the fifth straight year UD had the most players on the PFL Academic team. Since the league's origin in 1993, over a quarter (154 of 558) of the PFL All-Academic selections have been Flyers. UD also had 64 players on the PFL Academic Honor Roll (3.0 GPA or better). That was 15 better than the next-best school.
HITTING THE BOOKS
The Dayton football program has produced 14 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans since the 2000 season. That's most at any level of college football. Safety Brandon Cramer was named the 2007 Division I football Academic All-American of the Year, capping a career that saw him named an Academic All-American for three straight seasons. In the history of the Academic All-America program, UD has had 44 Academic All-Americans. Among school currently playing Division I football, only Nebraska (95), Notre Dame (51), Penn State (48), Ohio State (47) and Oklahoma (45) have had more. UD has had at least one football player named Academic All-American in 15 of the last 16 years. UD had eight players named to the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team, twice as many as any other school in the district. At least twelve Flyers were nominated for Academic All-America in each of the last four years (16 last season).
SUPER STAT
When Jon Gruden coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl championship in 2003, he became the second UD grad to coach a Super Bowl winner. Former UD co-captain and 1993 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Chuck Noll won four Super Bowls (IX, X, XII & XIV) as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Noll started at center and linebacker for the Flyers and graduated from the University in 1953. Gruden played quarterback at Dayton and earned his degree in 1986. UD became only the third school to have two alumni coach Super Bowl winners. The others San Jose State, with grads Bill Walsh (XIV, XIX, XXIII) and Dick Vermeil (XXXIV), and Arkansas with grads Jimmy Johnson (XXVII, XXVIII) and Barry Switzer (XXX). Gruden is the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl, and Noll is the fourth youngest. As a matter of fact, UD has ties to 18 Super Bowl rings. In addition to Noll's four and Gruden's one, five former members of Dayton coaching staff own a total of 14 Super Bowl rings between them. They are the late Len Fontes (New York Giants, Super Bowl XXI), Jon's father Jim Gruden (San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowls XXII & XXIV), John McVay (49ers, XVI, XIX, XXII, & XXIV), current Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore (Pittsburgh Steelers, XIII & XIV, Indianapolis Colts XLI) and George Perles (Steelers, IX, X, XII & XIV). McVay was the Flyers' head coach from 1965-72, and Fontes, Gruden, Moore and Perles were on his staff.
