ESPN/USA
Today Picks Delaware No. 1 in Pre-Season
Football Poll
NEW YORK (August 9,
2004) -- The defending NCAA I-AA
national champion University of Delaware
football team has opened the 2004 season
at the same place it ended up last
fall.
The Blue Hens, coming
off the finest season in school history
when Delaware posted a 15-1 record, shared
the Atlantic 10 Conference title, and
captured its sixth national championship,
was picked No. 1 in the pre-season
ESPN/USA Today I-AA Pre-Season Top 25 poll
announced Monday afternoon.
Delaware, which earned
its first pre-season No. 1 selection and
the first No. 1 pre-season selection by an
Atlantic 10 team since the poll was
started in 1997, earned 26 of the 35 first
place votes and had 863 total points in
voting of NCAA I-AA member head coaches
and sports information
directors.
The Sports Network Top
25 poll, which includes voting from I-AA
sports information directors and media
members, will be announced next Monday,
Aug. 16. Delaware was No. 1 in both polls
at the end of the 2003 season.
In Monday's poll,
Delaware was No. 1 with 26 first place
votes and 863 points followed by Southern
Illinois (6, 791), Montana (702), Wofford
(1, 685), and Colgate (664) in the top
five. The Blue Hens defeated Southern
Illinois, Wofford, and Colgate during the
I-AA playoffs in 2003, including a 40-0
win over Colgate in the national
championship game.
Northern Iowa (1, 644),
McNeese State (1, 592), Furman (532),
Georgia Southern (500), and Villanova
(466) rounded out the top 10.
The remainder of the
Top 25 included No. 11 Maine (428),
Western Illinois (414), Northern Arizona
(392), Western Kentucky (367), Montana
State (308), Grambling State (301),
Stephen F. Austin (280), Northwestern
State (264), Massachusetts (247),
Appalachian State (246), Northeastern
(234), Lehigh (192), Eastern Kentucky
(161), North Carolina A&T (151), and
Southern (148). Five of the 12 Atlantic 10
teams earned notice in the poll.
The Blue Hens, who
welcome 16 starters back from last year's
national championship squad for third-year
head coach K.C. Keeler, opened pre-season
practice Monday afternoon and will
practice once per day before double
sessions begin on Aug. 16. The season
opener will be held Sept. 2 vs. New
Hampshire at Delaware Stadium.
- DDD -
Copyright,
© 2004, University of Delaware. All
rights reserved.
Please direct Athletics questions to the
Athletics
Media
Relations
office.
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