Old Dominion Monarchs football
Encyclopedia
The Old Dominion Monarchs football team is the college football
program for Old Dominion University
in Norfolk, Virginia
. The Monarchs compete at the NCAA Division I-FCS level. The university did not compete between 1941 and 2009. The team was reborn beginning in 2009, competing for two years as an independent. Beginning in the 2011 season, they joined the Colonial Athletic Association
and added conference games to their schedule.
, then the associate head football coach at the University of Maine
, would be the head coach, and the team signed its first recruiting class in 2008. As is the case with many new football programs, all players in 2008 were redshirt
ed. These players, along with the recruiting class of 2009 and transfer players comprised the initial 2009 roster.
Old Dominion began play in 2009 as an independent team at the Division I FCS level (formerly I-AA), and joined the Colonial Athletic Association
for the 2011 season.
In 2009, their first competitive season in 68 years, the Monarchs finished 9–2. That was the best winning record ever for a first-year program in college football's modern era. The Monarchs were outscored by a total of only eight points in their two losses.
Wilder's inaugural team finished the year ranked in the top ten in five FCS statistical categories, including second in sacks allowed, third in scoring offense, turnover margin and net punting. The 2009 Monarchs were ninth in rushing offense.
In its first three years of competition after its rebirth, Old Dominion compiled a 26-7 record and earned a berth in the 2011 FCS playoffs, hosting crosstown rival Norfolk State
. Also in 2011, after playing 27 games in its "modern era", ODU received its first Top 25 ranking on October 3, coming in at No. 21 in The Sports Network
poll. The Monarchs were ranked among the Top Ten after competing in 33 games.
ODU was fifth in FCS attendance in 2009, selling out all of their home games in the 19,782-seat Foreman Field
. Season tickets for the Monarchs' inaugural season sold out quickly and the school had to refund 1,065 orders. Foreman Field, formerly the ODU field hockey
and women's lacrosse teams' home venue, was renovated to accommodate the new football program. Field hockey and women's lacrosse were relocated to the Powhatan Sports Complex.
ODU finished 9-2 in their first season in the CAA, good enough for second place in the conference. Many pundits had picked ODU to finish near the bottom of the conference, however ODU smashed those predictions and ultimately hosted a first round FCS playoff game. On the 26th of November, 2011 the ODU Monarchs crushed their crosstown rivals, the Norfolk State Spartans, 35-18 to advance to the second round of the 2001 FCS playoffs. ODU will next visit Statesboro, Georgia to take on Georgia Southern in the second round of the playoffs on the 3rd of December.
on October 12, 2011 in the inaugural Battle for the Silver Mace. ODU won by a score of 35-31 over the Tribe in the first meeting and was presented with a replica of the Norfolk Mace.
played for the first time on November 26, 2011 in the first round of the FCS playoffs which resulted in a 35-18 Monarch win. They will then play annually for six years starting in 2013.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
program for Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. The Monarchs compete at the NCAA Division I-FCS level. The university did not compete between 1941 and 2009. The team was reborn beginning in 2009, competing for two years as an independent. Beginning in the 2011 season, they joined the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
and added conference games to their schedule.
1930–1941
Old Dominion previously played football for eleven seasons (1930-1941) when the university was a two-year school, with a record of 62-19-4. The program was discontinued due to a rule against freshman players and a 10,000 USD debt.Rebirth
On June 14, 2005, the Board of Visitors approved with a 14-0 vote to create a new football team to compete at the NCAA Division I level, along with university's other sports teams, and to begin play in 2009. On February 9, 2007, Athletic Director Jim Jarrett announced that Bobby WilderBobby Wilder
-External links:*...
, then the associate head football coach at the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
, would be the head coach, and the team signed its first recruiting class in 2008. As is the case with many new football programs, all players in 2008 were redshirt
Redshirt
-Groups and movements:* Redshirts , , followers of Giuseppe Garibaldi in southern Italy during his Expedition of the Thousand.Other groups and movements have use the phrase since Garibaldi...
ed. These players, along with the recruiting class of 2009 and transfer players comprised the initial 2009 roster.
Old Dominion began play in 2009 as an independent team at the Division I FCS level (formerly I-AA), and joined the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
for the 2011 season.
In 2009, their first competitive season in 68 years, the Monarchs finished 9–2. That was the best winning record ever for a first-year program in college football's modern era. The Monarchs were outscored by a total of only eight points in their two losses.
Wilder's inaugural team finished the year ranked in the top ten in five FCS statistical categories, including second in sacks allowed, third in scoring offense, turnover margin and net punting. The 2009 Monarchs were ninth in rushing offense.
In its first three years of competition after its rebirth, Old Dominion compiled a 26-7 record and earned a berth in the 2011 FCS playoffs, hosting crosstown rival Norfolk State
Norfolk State Spartans Football
The Norfolk State Spartans football team represents Norfolk State University in Division I FCS college football. The team plays their home games at William "Dick" Price Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia....
. Also in 2011, after playing 27 games in its "modern era", ODU received its first Top 25 ranking on October 3, coming in at No. 21 in The Sports Network
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
poll. The Monarchs were ranked among the Top Ten after competing in 33 games.
ODU was fifth in FCS attendance in 2009, selling out all of their home games in the 19,782-seat Foreman Field
Foreman Field
Foreman Field at S. B. Ballard Stadium is a 19,818-seat multi-purpose stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. It opened in 1936 with a football game between the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary's Norfolk Division...
. Season tickets for the Monarchs' inaugural season sold out quickly and the school had to refund 1,065 orders. Foreman Field, formerly the ODU field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
and women's lacrosse teams' home venue, was renovated to accommodate the new football program. Field hockey and women's lacrosse were relocated to the Powhatan Sports Complex.
ODU finished 9-2 in their first season in the CAA, good enough for second place in the conference. Many pundits had picked ODU to finish near the bottom of the conference, however ODU smashed those predictions and ultimately hosted a first round FCS playoff game. On the 26th of November, 2011 the ODU Monarchs crushed their crosstown rivals, the Norfolk State Spartans, 35-18 to advance to the second round of the 2001 FCS playoffs. ODU will next visit Statesboro, Georgia to take on Georgia Southern in the second round of the playoffs on the 3rd of December.
William and Mary - Battle for the Silver Mace
ODU played William and MaryWilliam & Mary Tribe football
The William & Mary Tribe are a college football team representing the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. William & Mary currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision. As of 2010, Jimmye Laycock is in his 31st...
on October 12, 2011 in the inaugural Battle for the Silver Mace. ODU won by a score of 35-31 over the Tribe in the first meeting and was presented with a replica of the Norfolk Mace.
Norfolk State - Five Mile Rivalry
ODU and Norfolk StateNorfolk State Spartans Football
The Norfolk State Spartans football team represents Norfolk State University in Division I FCS college football. The team plays their home games at William "Dick" Price Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia....
played for the first time on November 26, 2011 in the first round of the FCS playoffs which resulted in a 35-18 Monarch win. They will then play annually for six years starting in 2013.
External links
- Official web site
- ODU football history
- Scratching out success, The Washington Times, July 21, 2009.