Aug. 8, 2005

University of Dayton head football coach Mike Kelly and his staff will welcome 109 players back to campus Monday, August 8 as the Flyers prepare for the 2005 football season. UD will celebrate three significant milestones this season.

Mike Kelly will be coaching his 25th season as the Flyers' head coach, the 50th presentation of the Lt. Andy Zulli Memorial Trophy will occur on Senior Day, and the entire season will mark 100 years of varsity football at the University of Dayton. Every living Flyer football player will be invited to UD's "100 Years of Football" celebration when the Flyers host Jacksonville on October 1.

Kelly's 25 years as Dayton's head coach is the longest of any UD football coach.

UD will be gunning to keep two significant streaks alive. The Flyers have had 28 straight winning seasons, tying Florida State for the longest streak among Division I schools. And UD also brings into the year its NCAA-leading streak of 321 games without being shutout.

Dayton will open the season on Saturday, September 3 at Tiffin. Game time will be 1:00 p.m. EDT. The home opener will be Saturday, September 10 against Wittenberg at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

After reporting, attending meetings, getting their equipment and undergoing physicals Monday, the team will undergo fitness tests. First practice for the 2005 Flyers will be Tuesday afternoon, August 9, at 2:30 p.m. Practices will be conducted at Welcome Stadium and the Jerry Von Mohr practice field adjacent to Welcome Stadium.

The Flyers will be looking for their ninth Pioneer Football League Championship in the 13-year history of the league. UD was 7-3 overall last season, and finished 2003 ranked fifth in the final Football Gazette rankings and sixth in the final Sports Network NCAA I-AA Mid-Major poll.

UD is 126-27 over the last 14 years, and since moving to non-scholarship football in 1977, has the second-best winning percentage in all of college football (.828, behind Mt. Union's .848).

A total of 34 letterwinners and 12 starters (eight offense, three defense and one specialist) are back from last year's team, including senior co-captains John Hoppe at linebacker (a Sports Network pre-season All-American), Steve Verhoff at tailback and Ryan Winner at offensive tackle (also a Sports Network pre-season All-American).

Dayton Ranked Third In Sports Network Division I-AA Mid-Major Pre-Season Poll...The University of Dayton Flyers were ranked third behind Drake and Monmouth in the Sports Network's NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major Pre-Season Poll, which was announced August 8. Drake and UD were two of the four Pioneer Football League teams ranked. San Diego was chosen seventh, and Morehead State was eighth. The entire poll follows: 1. Drake; 2. Monmouth; 3. DAYTON; 4. Duquesne; 5. Robert Morris; 6. Central Connecticut State; 7. San Diego; 8. Morehead State; 9. Wagner; 10. Albany. Four other teams on the Flyers' schedule (Valparaiso, Austin Peay, Jacksonville and Davidson) also received votes.

Tickets Now On Sale...Season tickets are only $50 for adults, and $30 for children eighth grade and younger. Single game tickets are $10.00 for adults. Call 229-4433 for info on group rates.

Coach Mike Kelly...Is in his 25th year as a head coach (all at Dayton), and has 222 wins. His 25th seasons as UD's head coach are the longest tenure in school history (College Football Hall of Famer Harry Baujan coached for 24 years at UD before becoming Director of Athletics). Kelly's .827 winning percentage (222-46-1) is the best among active NCAA Division I-AA coaches (minimum five years head coach).

Shutout String Continues...The University of Dayton has not been shutout in a school-record 321 games, the longest active streak in college football. When you talk streaks, you should speak of Cal Ripken. Cal ended his streak in 1998, but the Flyers didn't. The last time the Flyers were shut out (versus Marshall in 1976), Cal Ripken Jr. was a 16-year-old high school student at Aberdeen High School in Aberdeen, Maryland. Putting it another way, Dayton has not been blanked in more than two decades. And while Ripken's Farewell Tour is over, the Flyer offense isn't going anywhere, having averaged 32.0 points a game during the streak.

PFL Power...The Flyers' 45-8 PFL record is the best in the 12-year history of the league.

Tops In I-AA Non-Scholarship...In the eight years I-AA Non-Scholarship has been an option, UD has the best winning percentage (.800, 104-26) of the 22 schools playing at this level.

Ranking Run...Dayton has been ranked either first or second in the Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major poll for 45 of a possible 54 weeks the Sports Network poll has been in existence. The Flyers have been #1 half of the time (26 of 54 weeks).

Can't Spell Dayton Without The D...UD led NCAA Division I-AA in total defense (263.1 yards a game) and was third in scoring defense (14.0) and fifth in rushing defense (97.5 yards per game) in 2004. The Flyers' defensive performance this season has truly been a team effort. Name the category, and a plethora of players, a division of defenders, a flock of Flyers...you get the idea. Of the 55 tackles in the backfield by Dayton this season, 20 players have done the deed. Same goes for the Flyers' 38 passes defensed (13 players), 13 fumbles forced (8), 13 fumbles recovered (10) and 18 sacks (13).

PFL Numbers...UD led the Pioneer Football League last season in scoring defense (13.17), rushing defense (97.50), total defense (263.10), passing efficiency defense (102.15), opponent first downs (135), rushing offense (240.70), third-down conversions (43.0%), and time of possession (33:51).

The Cream Does Rise To The Top...UD's 2005 football roster includes a number of what some might call "over-achievers." A total of 53 members of the team were members of the National Honor Society, and 92 current Flyers were team captains.

Hitting The Books...The University of Dayton had two football CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in 2004, matching the most from one school for the fourth straight year. UD had eight players named to the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, which double any other team in the district (Kentucky had four). UD has had 43 football Academic All-Americans. Among schools currently playing Division I football, only Nebraska (80) and Notre Dame (44) have had more. UD has had at least one football player named Academic All-American in 13 of the last 14 years. Twelve Flyers were nominated for Academic All-America in each of the last two years (2003 and 2004).

Gotta Play Smart...The University of Dayton placed a league-best 10 players on the 2004 Academic All-Pioneer Football League team. Since the league's origin in 1993, over a quarter (113 of 410) of the PFL All-Academic selections have been Dayton Flyers. UD also had 46 players on the PFL Academic Honor Roll (3.0 GPA or better).

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 13 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), Tom Moore (Pittsburgh Steelers, XIII & XIV) and George Perles (Steelers, IX, X, XII & XIV). McVay was the Flyers' head coach from 1965-72. The other four were UD assistants.