DAYTON – The University of Dayton begins its 111th season of varsity football when the Flyers host the Robert Morris Colonials on Saturday, Sept. 1. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET.  The game can be heard on WHIO Radio, and will be video streamed on Facebook Live via the NCAA's FCS Facebook page.

UD is hosting a free cookout from 11:30 a.m. ET until game time.  In addition, fans are encouraged to bring school supplies to donate to "Crayons to Classrooms", a local non-profit.  Those who bring school supplies will be eligible for a prize giveaway at halftime.

UD returns 17 starters (nine offense, six defense, both kicking specialists) from last season.

Dayton coach Rick Chamberlin is in his 11th season as UD's head coach. With 79 wins, he is the Flyers' third-winningest coach in school history.  

OT Ben Gauthier and DE Nick Surges are the Flyer football captains this year.  Matt Tunnacliffe is UD's special teams captain.

Dayton was picked to finish second in the PFL in a preseason vote of the league's coaches.  Dayton has 12 championships to its credit the PFL's 25 seasons. 


The Flyers entered the season with the fourth-best winning percentage (.744, 148-51) in FCS football since 2000 AND have produced the most football Academic All-Americans (29) at any level of competition in the same time frame.  The top five in winning percentage are Harvard (.782), North Dakota State (.778), Montana (.753), Dayton (.744), and San Diego (.741).

Dayton is on the road for two weeks before beginning Pioneer Football League play. The Flyers make their first-ever trip to Cape Girardeau, Mo. to take on SEMO next week.  Game time is 2 p.m. ET.  After closing out the non-conference schedule at Duquesne on Sept. 15, UD returns home to take on Davidson on Sept. 22.