Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rutgers Scarlet Knights | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| First season | 1869 | ||
| Staff | |||
| Athletic director | Robert E. Mulcahy III | ||
| Head coach | Greg Schiano | ||
| 7th year, 38–46 | |||
| Stadium | |||
| Home stadium | Rutgers Stadium | ||
| Stadium capacity | 43,500 | ||
| Stadium surface | Field Turf | ||
| Location | Piscataway, New Jersey | ||
| League/Conference | |||
| Conference | Big East | ||
| Team records | |||
| All-time record | 588–585–42 (.501) | ||
| Postseason bowl record | 2–2–0 | ||
| Awards | |||
| National titles | 1 (Shared 1869) | ||
| Conference titles | 7 | ||
| Heisman winners | 0 | ||
| Pageantry | |||
| Colors | Scarlet and White | ||
| Fight song | The Bells Must Ring | ||
| Mascot | Scarlet Knight | ||
| Marching band | Marching Scarlet Knights | ||
| Website | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | ||
Rutgers University is the State University of New Jersey. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights participate in NCAA Division I FBS American football. Rutgers University beat Princeton University in the first intercollegiate game ever played in 1869.[1]
Despite being the "Birthplace of College Football" and sharing the 1869 national championship with Princeton University in the first year of intercollegiate play, Rutgers has not had an overly successful heritage in the sport through the years.[2] Especially in the last three decades, Rutgers was regarded as one of the worst teams in Division I-A (now FBS), posting several losing seasons in a row and raising discussion of possibly reducing the team to Division I-AA (now Division I FCS) competition.[3][4] For most of its existence, the football team was not associated with any formal football conference and remained independent even when the first football leagues were forming.[2] At present, Rutgers participates in Division I FBS and is a member of the Big East Conference (since 1991). The current coach of the football team is Greg Schiano.
Contents |
[edit] Championships and bowl games
In 1869, when Rutgers and Princeton met for the inaugural intercollegiate football game, they were the only two teams playing. Rutgers won the first game with a score of six runs to Princeton's four, on 6 November 1869.[2] However, Princeton was victorious in the next game, played the following week, with a score of eight to zero.[2] A planned third game, scheduled 29 November 1869, did not occur as the faculties of both schools presumably thought that the game would interfere with the studies of the respective school's student bodies.[5] Other sources claim that it may have been cancelled due to disagreement over what set of rules to play under.[6] While some might consider the awarding of a championship in the 1869 "season" to be disingenuous—as there were only two teams playing "football" at the time, both showing 1-1 records—Princeton and Rutgers have been regarded as having shared the 1869 national championship. [7]
From 1946 to 1951, Rutgers was a member of the Middle Three Conference, winning that conference's championship in the first four years as a member, in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949. Rutgers became an independent team again in 1952. Rutgers was a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference from 1958 to 1961. The college won the conference championship in three of those four years (1958, 1960, and 1961). The 1961 season was particularly remarkable as it was the Scarlet Knights' first undefeated season (9-0)—with Alabama, one of only two undefeated teams in the nation—and the team was captained by future college football hall-of-famer Alex Kroll.[8] In 1961, Rutgers was considered a contender for the Rose Bowl, but was not selected because university president Mason Welch Gross did not express interest with the Rose Bowl's organizers.[9][10] The following year, Rutgers once again went independent, and remained so until it joined the Big East Conference in 1991. In 1976, Rutgers declined an invitation to play an unranked McNeese State University at the Independence Bowl, feeling snubbed by more prestigious bowls despite its undefeated 11–0 season.[11] Rutgers has gone to four bowl games in its 138-year history in college football of which it has won two. The results are, as follows:[2]
| Date | Bowl | Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 December 1978 | Garden State Bowl | Arizona State Sun Devils | Loss | 34 – 18 |
| 27 December 2005 | Insight Bowl | Arizona State Sun Devils | Loss | 45 – 40 |
| 28 December 2006 | Texas Bowl | Kansas State Wildcats | Win | 37 – 10 |
| 5 January 2008 | International Bowl | Ball State Cardinals | Win | 52 – 30 |
[edit] Head Coaches
Twenty-five men have served as head coach of the Rutgers football team since 1891, when the first coach was hired. From 1869 to 1890, and 1892 to 1894, there was no coach.
| Coach | Dates | Record (%) | Coach | Dates | Record (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - No Coach - | 1869–1890 | 34-59-8 (.376) | - | Howard Gargan | 1910–1912 | 12-10-4 (.538) |
| William A. Reynolds | 1891 | 8-6-0 (.571) | - | George Foster Sanford | 1913–1923 | 56-32-5 (.629) |
| - No Coach - | 1892–1894 | 7-15-1 (.326) | - | John H. Wallace | 1924–1926 | 12-14-1 (.463) |
| H. W. Ambruster | 1895 | 3-4-0 (.429) | - | Harry J. Rockafeller | 1927–1930, 1942–1945 | 33-26-1 (.560) |
| John C. B. Pendleton | 1896–1897 | 8-12-0 (.400) | - | Wilder Tasker | 1931–1937 | 31-27-5 (.532) |
| William V. B. Van Dyke, Jr. | 1898–1899 | 3-15-1 (.184) | - | Harvey Harman | 1938–1941, 1946–1955 | 74-44-2 (.625) |
| Michael F. Daly | 1900 | 4-4-0 (.500) | - | John R. Steigman | 1956–1959 | 22-15-0 (.595) |
| Arthur P. Robinson | 1901 | 0-7-0 (.000) | - | John F. Bateman | 1960–1972 | 73-51-0 (.589) |
| Harry W. Van Hovenberg | 1902 | 3-7-0 (.300) | - | Frank R. Burns | 1973–1983 | 78-43-1 (.643) |
| Oliver D. Mann | 1903, 1905 | 7-10-1 (.417) | - | Dick Anderson | 1984–1989 | 27-34-4 (.446) |
| A. Ellet Hitchner | 1904 | 1-6-2 (.222) | - | Doug Graber | 1990–1995 | 29-36-1 (.447) |
| Frank H. Gorton | 1906–1907 | 8-7-3 (.528) | - | Terry Shea | 1996–2000 | 11-44-0 (.200) |
| Joseph Smith | 1908 | 3-5-1 (.389) | - | Greg Schiano | 2001–present | 38-46-0 (.452) |
| Herman Pritchard | 1909 | 3-5-1 (.389) | - | TOTAL | 588-585-42 (.501) |
[edit] 2006 Season
2006 was what many people consider to be a breakout season for Rutgers. Led by Draddy Trophy winning senior Fullback Brian Leonard, Sophomore Quarterback Mike Teel, Sophomore Halfback Ray Rice, Sophomore Wide Receiver Tiquan Underwood, Junior defensive tackle Eric Foster, and Junior kicker Jeremy Ito, Rutgers finished 12th in the nation, won eleven of thirteen games, and won the first bowl game in school history. They started off the season going undefeated through nine, including a dramatic win over then-3rd ranked Louisville highlighted by kicker Jeremy Ito's last minute field goal to seal the win. They were defeated by both West Virginia and Cincinnati, but nonetheless received an invitation to play Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl. Rutgers defeated Kansas State 37-10 to win the first bowl game in school history. Halfback Ray Rice was named the game's MVP and ran for 170 yards and one touchdown in twenty four carries. Because of his tremendous 2006 season, in which he ran for 1794 yards and scored twenty touchdowns, Rice won Big East Player of the Year honors. He also finished seventh in Heisman Trophy votings and was a finalist for the Maxwell Award.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 2006 | North Carolina | Win | 21 – 16 |
| 9 September 2006 | Illinois | Win | 33 – 0 |
| 16 September 2006 | Ohio* | Win | 24 – 7 |
| 23 September 2006 | Howard | Win | 56 – 7 |
| 29 September 2006 | South Florida | Win | 22 – 20 |
| 14 October 2006 | Navy | Win | 34 – 0 |
| 21 October 2006 | Pitt | Win | 20 – 10 |
| 29 October 2006 | Connecticut | Win | 24 – 13 |
| 9 November 2006 | Louisville | Win | 28 – 25 |
| 18 November 2006 | Cincinnati | Loss | 30 – 11 |
| 25 November 2006 | Syracuse | Win | 38 – 7 |
| 2 December 2006 | West Virginia | Loss3OT | 41 – 39 |
| 28 December 2006 | Kansas State** | Win | 37 – 10 |
[edit] 2007 Season
For the first time in almost two decades, the Rutgers football team entered a season with tremendous expectations. The team began the season ranked 16th in both the AP and USA TODAY polls, the first time the school has been ranked to begin a season.
| Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/30/07* | Buffalo | #16/16 | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPN+ | W 38–3 | 43,091 | |
| 9/7/07* | Navy | #15/16 | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPN | W 41–24 | 43,514 | |
| 9/15/07*† | Norfolk State | #13/13 | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPN+ | W 59-0 | 43,712 | |
| 9/29/07* | Maryland | #10/10 | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ABC | L 34-24 | 43,803 | |
| 10/06/07 | #20/24 Cincinnati | #21/21 | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPN2 | L 28-23 | 43,768 | |
| 10/13/07 | at Syracuse | #NR/NR | Carrier Dome • Syracuse, NY | ESPN+ | W 38-14 | 36,226 | |
| 10/18/07 | #2/3 South Florida | #NR/NR | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPN | W 30-27 | 44,267 | |
| 10/27/07 | #6/6 West Virginia | #25/NR | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ABC | L 31-3 | 43,620 | |
| 11/03/07 | at #16/16 UConn | #NR/NR | Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT | ESPNU | L 19-38 | 40,000 | |
| 11/9/07* | at Army | #NR/NR | Michie Stadium • West Point, NY | ESPN2 | W 41-6 | 39,073 | |
| 11/17/07 | Pittsburgh | #NR/NR | Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, NJ | ESPN+ | W 20-16 | 43,531 | |
| 11/29/07 | at Louisville | #NR/NR | Papa John's Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY | ESPN | L 41-38 | 37,012 | |
| 01/05/08* | Ball State | #NR/NR | International Bowl at Rogers Centre • Toronto, ON | ESPN2 | W 52-30 | 31,455 | |
| *Non-Conference Game. †Homecoming. #Rankings from AP and Coaches Polls released prior to game.. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||
[edit] References
- ^ Rutgers Football History Capsule, published by Rutgers Athletic Communications, accessed 8 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Rutgers Historical Scores at Division I-A Historical Scores, published by James Howell. Accessed 12 January 2007.
- ^ Army vs. Rutgers in USA Today 14 September 2002. (no further authorship information available), accessed 12 January 2007.
- ^ Futility "U" - The Worst Football Programs of Division I-A 2006 by John Fuentes (4 January 2007), published by College Football Channel. Accessed 12 January 2007
- ^ Rutgers - The Birthplace of College Football: The First Intercollegiate Game - November 6, 1869 at scarletknights.com, published by the Rutgers University Athletic Department, accessed 12 January 2007.
- ^ NO CHRISTIAN END! The Beginnings of Football in America published by the Professional Football Research Association (no further authorship information available), accessed 12 January 2007.
- ^ Sportswriter Parke Davis asserts that Rutgers shares the 1869 championship with Princeton at College Football Past National Championships at the National Collegiate Athletic Association website, accessed 29 December 2006.
- ^ "Doing for Dear Old Rutgers" in Time Magazine (1 December 1961) (No further authorship information available). Accessed 12 January 2007.
- ^ "Army, Navy May Hold Key to Rose Bowl" in The Washington Post (2 December 1961). Page A16. Only authorship information given "by a staff reporter".
- ^ "Son of former Rutgers coach sees Schiano as reincarnation of dad" by Rick Malwitz in The Home News Tribune (30 November 2006). Accessed 12 January 2007.
- ^ "Rutgers Votes to Skip Independence Bowl" in The Washington Post (23 November 1976). Page D6. (No further authorship information available).
