Delaware State Hornets football
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The Delaware State Hornets football team represents
Delaware State University Delaware State University (DSU or Del State) is a public historically black land-grant research university in Dover, Delaware. DSU also has two satellite campuses: one in Wilmington and one in Georgetown. The university encompasses four col ...
(DSU) at the
NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...
level as a member of the
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National C ...
(MEAC). They play at the 7,193-seat
Alumni Stadium Alumni Stadium is a football stadium located on the lower campus of Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, approximately west of downtown Boston. It is the home of the Boston College Eagles. Its present seating capacity is 44,500. Offic ...
located in
Dover, Delaware Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part of ...
. The facility opened in 1957 as a multi-purpose venue, for football and
track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
.


History

On November 9, 1980, Delaware State took on
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Neil Lomax Neil Vincent Lomax (born February 17, 1959) is a former American football quarterback who played his entire professional career for the St. Louis / Phoenix Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Portland S ...
and the
Portland State Vikings Portland State Vikings is the nickname of the NCAA-affiliated, intercollegiate athletic teams representing Portland State University of Portland, Oregon. The Vikings compete at the NCAA Division I level in basketball, soccer, volleyball, golf, ...
and were defeated 105–0 in the biggest loss in Division I-AA Football history. This marked a low point for the team and with the help of new coach
Joe Purzycki Joseph Purzycki (born February 20, 1947) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware from 1981 to 1984 and James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia from 1985 t ...
, the Hornets rebuilt their program. He was hired as Delaware State's head coach in 1981, and compiled a 21–21–1 overall record, including a 15–5–1 mark in his last two seasons. Bill Collick, who was Purzycki's defensive coordinator, took over the program in 1985. The Hornets had their most successful run under Collick's leadership. He led the Hornets to the team's first MEAC championship in his first season. In 1987, Delaware State faced the
Howard Bison The Howard Bison and Lady Bison are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Howard University, located in Washington, D.C. The Bison compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s and Division I Footba ...
for the conference championship. The Hornets lost 12–7, crowning Howard champions. Howard's championship was stripped after it was revealed that they played with three ineligible players during the season, retroactively awarding Delaware State the championship. Delaware State won another championship in 1988, sharing the title with Bethune–Cookman and
Florida A&M Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the U ...
, finishing 5–5 with a 4–2 MEAC record. The next year, DSU went 7–4 with a 5–1 conference record to win the 1989 MEAC championship, their third straight. In 1991, the Hornets finished with a 9–2 record, winning another MEAC title after their loss to Bethune-Cookman was forced to forfeit due to an ineligible player. In the twelve seasons under Collick's leadership, Delaware State went 81–48, winning 5 MEAC championships. Collick resigned from coaching in 1996 after a 3–8 season, moving to athletic director. Delaware State announced that Fayetteville State offensive coordinator John McKenzie would be Collick's successor. McKenzie's head coaching tenure lasted three seasons, leaving after the 1999 season with a record of 7–26. Ben Blacknall was hired before the 2000 season. Blacknall earned Coach of the Year honors after a 7–4 season in his first year. This was the most wins the team earned since 1991 and their first winning season since 1995. DSU struggled the next three years, recording a losing record each season. After starting the 2003 season with an 0–6 start, Delaware State fired Blacknall and hired
Al Lavan Alton Lavan (September 13, 1946 – April 23, 2018) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Delaware State University from 2004 to 2010. Lavan was also as the interim head football coach at Eastern Michi ...
as their new head football coach, with the task of rebuilding the program once again. When Lavan was hired as head coach of the Hornets in January 2004, he promised to bring championship football back to Delaware State. During his first season at Delaware State in 2004, Lavan led the Hornets to a 4–7 overall record and a 4–3 mark in the MEAC, DSU’s first winning record in conference play since 2000. Lavan's first DSU victory in the 2004 season was a 28–23 upset of eventual MEAC champ
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, the Pirates only loss in a 10–1 regular season. In addition to installing the team's first comprehensive strength and conditioning program, Lavan brought changes in the team's academic, recruiting, practice and discipline policies. The team also secured new audio/visual and computer equipment, thanks to a large donation from prominent alumni. Lavan also initiated a program of speakers to address the team to share their life experiences, including: former Hornet offensive lineman Matt Horace, subsequently an agent with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms;
Joe Purzycki Joseph Purzycki (born February 20, 1947) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware from 1981 to 1984 and James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia from 1985 t ...
, former DSU head football coach and later a banking executive; former pro quarterback and NFL executive James Harris; and former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker. The 2005 squad posted the Hornets' first winning season since 2000. The team was 7–4 overall, and third in the MEAC with a 6–2 record. Delaware State was picked to finish sixth in the 2005 pre-season MEAC poll. The 2005 season also marked the first time since 1985 that the Hornets posted an undefeated record at home (5–0). In 2006, the Hornets were 8–3 overall and 6–2 in the MEAC, the first time that DSU posted back-to-back winning seasons since 1994–95, while the eight wins were the most by the team since 1991. Delaware State also appeared in the SportsNetwork Division I-AA Top 25 poll for the first time since 1992, coming in at No. 23 in week ten. In the 2007 season the Hornets made a school record of 10 wins, their MEAC championship since 1991 and first ever appearance in the NCAA playoffs. In addition, the 2007 Hornets were ranked as high as No. 10 in the weekly SportsNetwork Football Championship Subdivision poll and were No. 15 in the final poll. Delaware State was recognized as 2007 American Sports Wire Division I Black College National Champions and No. 2 in the final Sheridan Broadcast Network poll of historically black colleges and universities teams. Lavan was honored as the 2007 Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C., MEAC Coach-of-the-Year and Football Championship Subdivision Region II Coach-of-the-Year. He was second in the voting for the 2007
Eddie Robinson Award The Eddie Robinson Award is awarded annually to college football's top head coach in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). The award was established by The Sports Network, since merged into Stats Perform, ...
, recognizing the top Football Championship Subdivision coach, and was awarded the 2008 Making A Difference Award by the DSU Alumni Association. He was also selected as head coach for the 2008 American Heritage Bowl/Navy-Marine Corps All-Star Classic in San Clemente, Calif. He led the Northeast All-Stars to a 24–7 victory in the contest. In four seasons at DSU, Lavan posted an overall record of 29–16, including a 24–7 mark in MEAC contests. He has led the team to winning records in each of the last three seasons. In the three years prior to his arrival, the Hornets were 10–24 overall and 6–17 in the league. Delaware State had just one winning season in the eight years before Lavan took the job. After three straight losing seasons, Lavan was fired from Delaware State on December 2, 2010.
Kermit Blount Kermit Blount (born May 16, 1958) is an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Winston-Salem State University from 1993 to 2009, Delaware State University from 2011 to 2014 and at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlo ...
was hired as head coach, beginning his tenure with the 2011 season. The Hornets had average outputs in 2012 (6–5, 5–3 in the MEAC) and 2013 (5–6, 5–3 in the MEAC), leading to fourth place finishes both seasons. In 2014, Delaware State recorded a 2–10 record, its worst in since 2003. The season ended with five straight losses, including a 69–7 loss to Morgan State in the final game. Delaware State decided not to renew Blount's contract after the 2014 season. Kenny Carter was named head coach in 2015. He was fired in 2017, with a 3–30 record. Delaware State slumped to a seventeen game losing streak over the course of Carter’s tenure. Rod Milstead, a former NFL player and DSU alum, was named head coach in January 2018. Delaware State had a 3–8 season in 2018, a 2–10 season in 2019, and a 2–3 abbreviated season in 2020 (played in spring 2021).


Hornets vs. Blue Hens controversy

The most controversial aspect of the DSU football program was the fact that it had never been scheduled by potential instate rival
University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...
for a regular season game. It was highly unusual for two state universities that play on the same athletic tier to not play one another, especially schools that are less than one hour's drive away from campus. Critics charged that this had to do with the fact that Delaware State is a
historically black college Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...
. Furthermore, supporters of a game between DSU and UD claimed that it would be akin to other in-state college rivalries and would be good for the state. In response to the charges of racism on UD's part, their supporters pointed out that Delaware had scheduled and played regular season games against several other HBCUs such as Morgan State and
North Carolina A&T North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...
. UD supporters also claimed that DSU's team was not as strong as the Blue Hens, and that UD's program had made commitments to other universities that they had to fulfill. Finally, UD supporters also noted the fact that the two colleges routinely meet in sports other than football. This controversy was laid to rest when UD and DSU met on the football field for the first time on November 23, 2007 in Newark, Delaware in the first round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The Blue Hens defeated the Hornets 44–7 in front of an attendance of 19,765, the largest playoff crowd in
Delaware Stadium Delaware Stadium is a 18,800-seat multi-purpose stadium in Newark, Delaware, and is home to the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team. The stadium is part of the David M. Nelson Athletic Complex, which includes the Bob Carp ...
history. In 2009, the teams began playing each other during the regular season, and in 2011 the teams began an annual series (skipping 2015 and 2018), with each of these games played at Delaware Stadium. Delaware has won all nine meetings to date as of 2019.


Conference affiliations


Classifications

*1956–1972: NCAA College Division *1973–1977: NCAA Division II *1978–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS


Conference memberships

*1924–1933: Independent *1934–1936: Middle Atlantic Athletic Association *1937–1944: Independent *1945–1970:
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. CIAA institutions mostly consist of historically black coll ...
*1971–Present:
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National C ...


Championships


National championships


Conference championships

Delaware State has won 9 conference championships as of the 2020 season. † co-champions


Bowl games

Delaware State has participated in two bowl games.


Hornets in the pros

*DE
Steve Coleman Steve Coleman (born September 20, 1956) is an American saxophonist, composer, bandleader and music theorist. In 2014, he was named a MacArthur Fellow. Early life Steve Coleman was born and grew up in South Side, Chicago. He started playing al ...
– Denver Broncos *FB
Steve Davis Steve Davis (born 22 August 1957) is an English retired professional snooker player who is currently a Sports commentator, commentator, musician, DJ, and author. He is best known for dominating professional snooker during the 1980s, when he rea ...
– Pittsburgh Steelers/New York Jets *DT Rodney Gunter – Arizona Cardinals *DE/DT
Uhuru Hamiter Uhuru A. "Joby" Hamiter (born March 14, 1973) is a former American football defensive end who played three seasons in the National Football League with the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Delaware State U ...
– New Orleans Saints *CB
Victor Heflin Victor Heflin (born July 7, 1960) is a former American football defensive back who played two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 1983 NFL Draft. He p ...
– St. Louis Cardinals *C Jamaal Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles *C Chris Jones – New York Giants *TE David Jones – San Diego Chargers/Los Angeles Raiders *CB
Tim King Tim King (born June 15, 1967) is an American educator and former non-profit leader, and the founder and CEO of Urban Prep Academies, a network of all-male charter public high schools in Chicago. King and Urban Prep have received national attenti ...
– Tampa Bay Buccaneers *FL
Al Lawson Alfred James Lawson Jr. (born September 23, 1948) is an American businessman and politician who was the U.S. representative for Florida's 5th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. The district, which was eliminated following redistricting du ...
– New York Jets (AFL) *WR Shaheer McBride – Philadelphia Eagles *WR
Darnerien McCants Darnerien Richard McCants (born August 1, 1978) is a former gridiron football wide receiver. He was NFL Draft, drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Delaware State University, ...
– Washington Redskins/Philadelphia Eagles *OG
Rod Milstead Roderick Leon Milstead, Jr (born November 10, 1969) is the former head football coach at Delaware State University. He is a former American football guard in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Washi ...
– San Francisco 49ers/Washington Redskins *LB Frank Nicholson – New York Giants *DE Lybrant Robinson – Washington Redskins *WR John Taylor – San Francisco 49ers *WR Walter Tullis – Green Bay Packers *WR
Clarence Weathers Clarence Weathers (born January 10, 1962 in Greenville, South Carolina) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League. Weathers played nine seasons for the New England Patriots (1983–1984), the Clevela ...
– Cleveland Browns/New England Patriots/Green Bay Packers/Kansas City Chiefs *OG Gordon Wright – Philadelphia Eagles (NFL)/New York Jets (AFL)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Delaware State Hornets Football American football teams established in 1924 1924 establishments in Delaware