Andy Padyk; Jason Hall of Valleytown Photo; additional photos from Phil
WCU Creative Media, Marlon Howard and Ava Schmitt. Printing is by the on-campus WCU Print Shop. Advertising sales for EXTRA POINTS are administered by Chad
and Kaleb Ambrose. To advertise with or sponsor the Catamounts, call (828) 227-2767 or (828) 227-2038.
GAME TIMES:
All game times are subject to change. WCU will publicize any game time changes through its social media channels (TwitterX: @ Catamounts, @CatamountsFB; Facebook: FB.com/catamountsports) and website, CatamountSports.com. Tickets and game day parking refunds will NOT be made because of a change in kickoff times ON-CAMPUS TAILGATING:
Pregame tailgating is only allowed in permissible lots. There are no grills or tents allowed in the North Baseball Parking Deck. NO GLASS is permitted in on-campus tailgating on football game days. Also, policy states that there is NO POSTGAME TAILGATING ALLOWED
STADIUM RE-ADMITTANCE:
There is a no re-admittance policy at E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Once you enter the stadium, you must purchase another ticket to re-enter.
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES:
Outside alcohol and alcoholic beverages ARE PROHIBITED in E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Also, containers and/or coolers are also prohibited inside the stadium. Alcoholic beverages are being sold within Whitmire Stadium with points of sale on either side of the stadium and a point of sale on Paws Porch and Catamount Corner Patrons must be 21 years of age and present valid ID at the time of purchase and may only purchase TWO (2) alcoholic beverages per valid ID with the ID holder present at the time of transaction. Sales will begin when gates open 90 minutes prior to kickoff and close at the end of the third quarter PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.
GATE INSPECTION / CLEAR BAG POLICY:
Western Carolina University abides by a "Clear Bag Policy" – ALL parcels, bags and alike are subject to inspection upon entry into E.J. Whitmire Stadium. All alcoholic beverages, outside food and beverages, and other items not permitted in the stadium must be discarded prior to entering the stadium. Ticket holders are allowed to bring one empty, clear plastic water bottle into the stadium for use at the stadium water fountains. See Page 7 for more info.
Stadium cushions and seats ARE PERMISSIBLE for entry into Whitmire Stadium – but please note that they are restricted to 18 inches in width to fit within the standard stadium bleacher seat.
UMBRELLAS:
Umbrellas ARE NOT PERMITTED in the seating area of Whitmire Stadium. No umbrellas will be allowed through the stadium gates. Patrons may either leave their umbrella at the gate or return it to their vehicle prior to entering the stadium.
ARTIFICIAL NOISEMAKERS:
Unapproved and unsanctioned artificial noisemakers (ie., air horns, cowbells, clappers, etc.) are not permitted in E.J. Whitmire Stadium as per Southern Conference rules. However, in accordance with SoCon regulations, sanctioned noisemakers such as "Thunder Sticks" are permissible only when part of a game day promotion. Fans are asked to be considerate and allow your neighbor to enjoy the game. Please keep portable radios at a low volume.
CONCESSION STANDS:
Concession stands by Catamount Dining are located on the main concourse on both the East and West sides of the stadium serving a variety of soft drinks from Pepsi including bottled water and Gatorade. Concession stands do accept credit cards, and there are also cash-only drink and snack lines available. Other concession options include: Betty's Funnel Cakes, Bojangles Famous Sweet Tea, Farm House Lemonade, Kona Ice, Sunset Slush and Tubby's Popcorn and More.
FIELD REGULATIONS:
No one is allowed on the playing field before, during, or after the game without proper credentials (Zone 1 & 2; Pregame Recruit). Fans will also be ejected for throwing any objects in the stadium.
REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE:
Requests for assistance should be directed to AXIS stadium ushers, located at every ramp throughout the stadium.
CHANCELLOR'S BOX, PRESS BOX & CAMERA DECKS:
No one is allowed in the Chancellor's Box, the working press box, camera decks, Paws Porch, Catamount Corner, or onto the field without proper credentials (Zone 1 & 2). Those not adhering to this policy will be escorted out of the stadium.
LOST AND FOUND:
If you find an item, please return it to an AXIS game day usher. To recover a lost item, please visit the check bag location near the main entrances of either side of the stadium to make a proper ID of the lost item.
FIRST AID / EMERGENCY SERVICES:
First aid tents are located on the concourse level of both sides of Whitmire Stadium. Local physicians and emergency medical personnel are also in attendance at all WCU football games and can be paged through the public address system in the press box. An oxygen-equipped ambulance is in the stadium during the games. For games where forecasted temperatures are high, misting cooling stations for spectators will be made available on the concourse levels on either side of the stadium.
CATAMOUNT MERCHANDISE:
Western Carolina apparel and game day merchandise from the WCU Bookstore can be found at stands on both sides of the stadium near Gate 1 and Gate 4. The WCU Bookstore is open on home game days from 10 am until 4 pm – and anytime online at bookstore.wcu.edu. Merchandise is also available anytime at CatamountSports.com through CatamountFanShop
TICKETS FOR CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL:
Tickets sales for Western Carolina Catamount football games can be purchased at the WCU Athletics Ticket Office Monday thru Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm or by phone at (828) 227-2401. Tickets can be purchased on game day beginning at 9:00 am at the Northwest ticket booth near the main entrance – or Gate 1. Avoid the line and buy online anytime at CatamountSports.com.
Southern Conference teams shall be supported with enthusiasm and dedication, for strong spectator support is a vital part of the experience of college competition.
We expect good sportsmanship from players and coaches. They have a right to expect the same from spectators.
Therefore, we urge Southern Conference students, alumni and friends to cheer their teams to victory while upholding those ideals our colleges and universities have nurtured during the long history of the Southern Conference.
Our spectators should be courteous and judicious in choice of expression, and should exhibit good manners and kindness to all others.
The scoreboard will reflect the quality of the teams in competitions while the kind of support given by the spectators will reveal the character of Southern Conference fans.
u WESTERN CAROLINA hosts mountain-rival EAST TENNESSEE STATE in the "Blue Ridge Border Battle" on Senior Day / Hall of Fame Day in #CatamountCountry on Saturday WCU saw its six-game seasonal win streak snapped as the Catamounts were dealt their first SoCon loss of the season last week, entering this weekend in second-place in the league standings;
u CHANCE TO SHARE SoCon CROWN: Western Carolina still has an outside chance of sharing the school's first-ever Southern Conference regular-season title WCU MUST win out against ETSU on Saturday and at VMI next week to finish at 7-1 in the SoCon – which would be a program record the Catamounts ALSO NEED Chattanooga to defeat Mercer in Macon on Saturday (Nov 15) to relegate the Bears to a 7-1 league finish . . . Mercer has the automatic qualifier, but WCU can still share the regular-season title with the Bears;
u TROUBLE WITH NUMBERS: Dating back to 2023, WCU has now dropped its last NINE games as a nationally-ranked NCAA FCS team … WCU's last win AS A RANKED TEAM came against ETSU in the "Blue Ridge Border Battle" as the then No 17 Catamounts dismantled the Bucs, 587, at home on Nov 11, 2023 … Two of WCU's nine-straight losses came to NCAA FBS opponents (at NC State; at Wake Forest) and three came against another FCS ranked opponent;
u WESTERN CAROLINA and ETSU meet for the 55th time on the gridiron with the competitive headto-head series standing at a one-game differential, with WCU leading 27-26-1 the last 10 meetings have been split evenly, 5-5 SEVEN of the last 10 meetings have been decided in ONE-POSSESSION games, including a three-point ETSU win last year (24-21) that halted WCU's two-game win streak;
u WCU is 14-11 in series games played in Cullowhee In the last meeting at WCU, the Catamounts scored the biggest margin of victory in the series with a 58-7 win;
u The traveling trophy, "the Rock," has been on the line over the past seven seasons with ETSU winning the inaugural meeting in triple overtime in Johnson City back in 2018 ETSU leads the trophy series at 4-3 overall after ETSU snapped WCU's two-game win streak FIVE of the previous SEVEN "Blue Ridge Border Battles," have been decided in one-possession games, including FOUR by three-points or fewer;
u One of the longest running series in program history sat dormant from 2003–16 after ETSU dropped football The WCU–ETSU series was rekindled in the biggest of ways in 2016 with a meeting held at the "Last Great Colosseum," the World's Fastest Half Mile – the Bristol Motor Speedway ETSU's first league game since 2003 marked the Bucs' official return to the SoCon
u CATAMOUNT IMPACT PLAYER NOTES:
u QB TARON DICKENS has 2,752 passing yards to rank THIRD in the NCAA FCS and FOURTH in WCU's single-season record books … Dickens is just 51 yards shy of third-place Cole Gonzales, who threw for 2,803 yards in 2023 – and just 241 yards shy of the school single-season record (Jeff Gilbert, 2,993 yds in 1983) Dickens LEADS the NCAA FCS with a 393 1 passing yard per game average Dickens has already broken WCU's single-season passing touchdown record with 33 aerial scores on the season, breaking the benchmark held by Cole Gonzales with 28 TD passes in 2023 … He is just THREE TD passes shy of tying the SoCon record of 36 passing scores in a season held by former Samford QBs Michael Hiers (2022) and Devlin Hodges (2016);
u WR JAMES TYRE has a career-best 11 receiving TDs this season that LEADS the SoCon and NCAA FCS Tyre is second in the program record book for receiving TDs in a season, one TD shy of the two-way tie for first between Karnorris Benson (12, 2013) and Eric Rasheed (12, 1983) Tyre is one of just SIX Catamount wide receivers to reach double-digit TD receptions a combined seven times in a season Through 10 games, Tyre now has a SoCon-leading and team-best 59 receptions, tied with former Catamount David Patten (59, 1995) for 15th on WCU's single-season record books … Tyre also ranks third in the SoCon with a team-leading 692 receiving yards, just ahead of MALIK KNIGHT, who is fifth with 680 receiving yards; u DEFENSIVE TAKEAWAYS: WCU ranks SECOND in the SoCon with 11 interceptions as a team this season, tied for NINTH nationally in the NCAA FCS Six different Catamounts have interceptions this season with KEN MOORE JR . and HASAAN SYKES with three picks apiece . . . SAMAURIE DUKES and ZAYVEON WELLS both had interceptions against ETSU last season
ALL-TIME SERIES . . . WCU LEADS, 27-26-1
First Meeting Sept 1, 1932 (L, 26-0)
In Cullowhee WCU leads, 14-11 (W–1)
In Johnson City WCU trails, 12-15-1 (L–1)
Current Streak WCU, L–1
WCU Most Points Scored 58 (2023)
ETSU Most Points Scored 56 (2021)
Longest WCU Win Streak: 7 gms (1982-1988)
Largest Margin of Victory 51 pts (58-7, 2023)
Longest WCU Losing Skid: 6 gms (1932-1937)
Largest Margin of Defeat 39 pts (49-10, 1996)
Nov 9, 2024 Johnson City L, 24-21
Nov 11, 2023 Cullowhee W, 58-7
Nov 12, 2022 Johnson City W, 20-17
Nov 13, 2021 Cullowhee L, 56-35
March 27, 2021 Johnson City L, 24-17
Nov 9, 2019 Cullowhee W, 23-20 (ot)
Oct 27, 2018 Johnson City L, 45-43 (3ot)
Oct 14, 2017 Cullowhee W, 49-10
Sept 17, 2016 Bristol, TN L, 34-31
Sept 27, 2003 Johnson City W, 28-21
1. North Dakota State (55)
Tarleton State 9-1 1,130 6
7. Harvard 8-0 956 9
8. Mercer 8-1 916 12
9. UC Davis 6-3 890 11
10. Villanova 7-2 888 10
11. Rhode Island 8-2 800 14
12. Monmouth 8-2 661 7
13.
163
145
78
u EAST TENNESSEE STATE comes to Cullowhee riding a two-game winning streak, with victories at home against Wofford (W, 14-10) and a the team's first road victory of the season last week at Samford ETSU has won three of its last four games overall . . . the Bucs represent WCU's FIFTH-straight opponent entering the meeting riding a winning streak – Furman had won three in a row (WCU, 52-7); The Citadel had back-to-back wins snapped (WCU, 45-38); Chattanooga had a three-game win streak halted (WCU, 35-28); and Mercer (L, 49-47) saw its seven-game win streak extended when WCU's field goal attempt on the game's final play missed;
u 2025 has been a season of "what-if’s" for ETSU Discounting the early season game at Tennessee, the Bucs held double digit leads in the fourth quarter in EACH of their four losses against FCS opponents (West Georgia, Mercer, Furman, and Chattanooga) If some of those games had gone differently, the Bucs could still be fighting for an FCS playoff spot;
u Despite the late losses, ETSU still has an opportunity to have a winning season After finishing last season 7-5, the Bucs could put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the mid-1990’s with Saturday's road game at Western Carolina and a home tilt against The Citadel in Johnson City next week;
u ETSU's roster is littered with players who spent time on NCAA FBS rosters – ETSU made big news in the offseason by signing a pair of FBS transfer quarterbacks in CADE McNAMARA (Michigan/Iowa) and JACOLBY CRISWELL (North Carolina/Arkansas) . . . Even with the plan on playing them both, the Bucs haven’t had both veteran signal callers available to play since Week 3 at West Georgia – Criswell will likely get most, if not all snaps, for ETSU under center against Western Carolina;
u CRISWELL RETURNS AGAINST SAMFORD: ETSU grad transfer QB Jacolby Criswell returned to the lineup from injury last week, his first action since Oct 11 against VMI Passed for 261 yards on 19-of-30 passing with two TDs, adding 31 rushing yards on limited carries Criswell played at TWO Power Four Conference teams – Arkansas and North Carolina;
u ETSU put NINE players on the preseason All-SoCon teams – the All-SoCon first-team honorees included RB DEVONTAE HOUSTON, WR HAKEEM MEGGETT, OL ASHTON FLINN, and pass rusher NICK HUNTER On the second team, OL JOHNATHAN CLINE and OL MICAH SUMPTER, DL BRENDEN LEBLANC, LB TY ANDERSON and kicker EWAN JOHNSON;
u The Buccaneers (5-5, 3-3 SoCon) were picked to finish FOURTH in the preseason coaches poll
u BUCCANEERS IMPACT PLAYER NOTES:
u RB DEVONTAE HOUSTON – the graduate student is in his second season at ETSU after transferring from UConn He has developed in arguably the top running back in the SoCon, as he leads the conference with 839 rushing yards (6 3 per carry) and 10 rushing touchdowns Houston, who surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards a couple of weeks ago, also serves as ETSU’s primary kickoff returner;
u DB WILLIAM WELLS – a transfer from UCF, ranks second on the ETSU squad with 57 tackles – and though he is a safety, is third on the team with 5 5 tackles for loss Tallied first career interception last week at Samford Wells is also a fixture on most special team units for the Bucs and has one of ETSU’s two blocked kicks in 2025
u ABOUT ETSU HEAD COACH WILL HEALY: Is in his first season in Johnson City, named the 21st head football coach at ETSU on Dec 12, 2024 He joined the Bucs after having head coach tenures at Austin Peay (2016-18) and Charlotte (2019-22), as well as assistant coach roles at UCF (2023) and Georgia State (2024) He earned his coaching start at Chattanooga (2009-15) as the wide receivers coach
u In his second season at Austin Peay, Healy spearheaded one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football history as the second youngest football coach in NCAA D-I Coming into 2017 with just one win in the last four years, Healy guided the Governors to an 8-4 mark, including an 8-1 record against NCAA FCS competition Austin Peay tallied seven OVC victories – the most conference wins in program history;
u Originally from Chattanooga, Tenn , and a 2008 graduate of Richmond, Healy was a captain on the Spiders’ 2008 National Championship team .
QUICK FACTS:
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. Founded: 1911 Enrollment: 14,400
Colors: Navy Blue & Gold Conference: Southern (SoCon) Facility (Capacity): Greene Stadium (7,694) President: Dr. Brian Noland
Athletics Director: ........... Dr. Richard Sander
Senior Woman Administrator: Lauren Aksionoff
Landon ENZOR 2025-26 Catamount Cheerleading
Riley LEDFORD 2025-26 Catamount Cheerleading
Lindsay MENDOZA 2025-26 Catamount Cheerleading
Deante Anthony, Lizzy Bargher, Alycia Bayardelle, Jazzie Blankenship, Kaesi Blythe, Caleb Branaugh, Jay Bull, Chris Burch, Mac Carter, Bryan Clingerman, Noah Cox, Michael Davenport, Mattie DeBiase, Angie Delgado, Nathan Gant, Ja-cai Germain, Cierra Gillum, Zoe Glauser, Jordan Harwood, Allison Hatfield, Madison Hedgpeth, Eli Henry, Druw Jenkins, Alexandria Lankert, Connor Mahin, Gage Moorefield, Cai Murphy, Jacob Pendergraph, Nicole Petersohn, Jackson Pressley, Connor Raebel, Hannah Rash, Gracie Rogers, Victor Rountree, Emilia Sepulveda, Aidan Sevigny, Kay Snyder, Erik Stauffer, Danny Strother, Aaron Talamantes, Jay Taylor, Cooper Tennerino, Ashton Thompson, Sam Torres, Callie Turner, Davis Weaver, Ilah Williams, Rayne Woods, and Josh Zapeta-Garcia
Catie OSBORNE 2025-26 Catamount Cheerleading Emma
NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. YR. HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS COLLEGE / HIGH SCHOOL)
0 AJ Colombo WR 5-8 170 Sr. Waxhaw, N.C. (Cuthbertson HS)
0 Ken Moore Jr. N 5-10 160 R-Jr. Miami, Fla. (Christopher Columbus HS)
1 Patrick Boyd Jr. RB 5-10 170 R-So. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Fort Lauderdale HS)
1 Caleb Fisher DE 6-3 240 R-Sr. Decatur, Ga. (Columbia HS)
2 Branson Adams RB 5-9 190 5th Greensboro, N.C. (Dudley HS)
2 Micah Nelson DE 6-3 265 5th Murphy, N.C. (Murphy HS)
3 Kha’leal Sterling WR 5-9 170 Fr. Miami, Fla. (Miami Central HS)
3 Samaurie Dukes CB 5-11 185 Sr. Miami, Fla. (Miami HS)
4 Dominic Dutton WR 5-10 175 Jr. Glen Allen, Va. (ODU / South Carolina / Glen Allen HS)
4 Jordan Thompson LB 5-11 220 R-So. Charlotte, N.C. (Middle Tennessee / Julius Chambers HS)
5 Taron Dickens QB 5-11 180 R-So. Miami, Fla. (Northwestern HS)
5 Hayward McQueen Jr. LB 6-1 215 Sr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (TRU Prep Academy)
6 Marcus Striggles WR 5-9 180 So. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Concord Univ. / Dillard HS)
6 Bo Simpson-Nealy S 5-10 185 R-So. Altamonte Springs, Fla. (Seminole HS)
7 Malik Knight WR 6-2 185 R-Jr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Fort Lauderdale HS)
7 Ed Jones IV S 6-1 205 R-Sr. Arlington, Texas (Cisco College / Martin HS)
8 Painter Richards-Baker WR 6-2 185 5th Hillsborough, N.C. (Dartmouth College / Christ School)
8 Jahleel Anderson DT 6-4 320 Sr. Statesboro, Ga. (Alcorn State / Highland CC / Statesboro HS)
8 Ian Grissom QB 6-1 165 Fr. Rock Hill, S.C. (Rock Hill HS)
9 Jaylin Terzado WR 6-0 180 R-Jr. Liberty City, Fla. (Champagnat Catholic HS)
9 Darian Anderson Jr. CB 5-10 160 R-So. Miami, Fla. (Dade Christian School)
10 Michael Rossin WR 6-0 195 Fr. Suwanee, Fla. (Suwannee HS)
10 Justin Wallace DE 6-2 250 R-Jr. West Palm Beach, Fla. (Killian HS)
11 Isaac Lee QB 6-3 190 R-Fr. Concord, N.C. (Jay M. Robinson HS)
11 Kenyon Partridge DE 6-3 250 R-So. Decatur, Ga. (Columbia HS)
12 Hasaan Sykes CB 6-0 185 So. Tucker, Ga. (Tucker HS)
13 Richard Hollis WR 5-8 160 Fr. Pompano Beach, Fla. (Blanche Ely HS)
13 Marseille Taylor CB 6-2 185 Jr. Sanford, Fla. (SFA / USF / Riverside City / Seminole HS)
14 Josiah Thomas TE 6-2 215 Fr. Austin, Texas (Lake Travis HS)
14 Vanier Baptiste III DT 6-3 280 R-Fr. Fort Myers, Fla. (Dunbar HS)
15 Jai Boyd WR 6-2 175 R-So. Winnsboro, S.C. (Fairfield Central HS)
15 Gavin Rowell DE 6-3 255 Jr. Melbourne, Fla. (Tusculum / Melbourne HS)
16 James Tyre WR 5-10 175 R-So. Suwanee, Ga. (Lambert HS)
16 Jhamari Pierre-Louis S 5-11 180 R-Jr. Delray Beach, Fla. (Atlantic HS)
17 Bennett Judy QB 6-3 200 R-So. Simpsonville, S.C. (Hillcrest HS)
17 Armond Anderson LB 6-2 215 Sr. Lithonia, Ga. (St. Thomas Univ. / South Gwinnett HS)
18 Jordan Martin-Durham QB 6-3 240 Fr. Jacksonville, Fla. (Zarephath Academy)
18 Ryan McKinnis LB 6-2 220 R-So. Buford, Ga. (Appalachian State / Buford HS)
19 Bode Burns TE 6-4 230 R-Fr. Dunnellon, Fla. (Dunnellon HS)
19 Cam Smith CB 6-0 185 R-So. New London, N.C. (North Stanly HS)
20 Camury Reid RB 5-11 200 R-Jr. Gastonia, N.C. (Forestview HS)
20 Na’Koma Simpson-Nealy S 5-10 170 R-Fr. Altamonte Springs, Fla. (Seminole HS)
21 Jaiden Bond RB 5-9 185 R-Sr. Boone, N.C. (Watagua HS)
21 Cam’Ron Dabney CB 5-11 185 5th Atlanta, Ga. (Northern Illinois / Kansas / Cherokee Bluff HS)
22 Josh Perry RB 6-0 200 Fr. Orlando, Fla. (Edgewater HS)
22 Jeno Junius Jr. N 6-0 200 R-So. Hollywood, Fla. (Chaminade-Madonna HS)
24 Anthony Benjamin RB 5-10 165 R-So. Fort Myers, Fla. (Jacksonville State / Dunbar HS)
24 Zayveon Wells S 5-10 190 R-So. Sumter, S.C. (Palmetto Prep Academy / Lakewood HS)
25 Noah Best RB 5-11 190 Fr. Charlotte, N.C. (Corvian Community HS)
25 Nassor Ashenafi N 5-9 170 Fr. Washington, D.C. (Mallard Creek (N.C.) HS)
26 Devin Brown N 5-10 170 Fr. Miami, Fla. (Northwestern HS)
27 Jayden Cornelius CB 5-10 160 Fr. Plant City, Fla. (Durant HS)
28 Markel Townsend RB 5-8 185 R-Fr. Columbia, S.C. (A.C. Flora HS)
29 Christian Robbins CB 6-1 190 Fr. Orlando, Fla. (Jones HS)
30 Richard Garrett DE 6-5 245 R-Jr. Jacksonville, Fla. (Andrew Jackson HS)
31 Don Robinson III CB 5-9 175 R-Jr. Winston-Salem, N.C. (West Forsyth HS)
32 AJ Mintze S 6-0 185 Fr. Delray Beach, Fla. (Miami Norland HS)
33 Lee Campbell S 6-1 205 R-Jr. Charlotte, N.C. (Queen City Prep / Vance HS)
34 Joshua Collins LB 6-1 215 R-Fr.
35 Trey Berry
36 Ja’morri Downing N 6-1 195 R-Jr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Stranahan HS)
37 Christopher Hobbs CB 6-2 175 Fr. Rabun, N.C. (Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School)
38 Canden McGill
39 Julian Quintero
Shelby, N.C. (Shelby HS)
St. Augustine, Fla. (St. Augustine HS) 40 Cain Jefferson
Decatur, Ga. (Columbia HS)
41 Beady Waddell V LB 6-0 215 R-Fr. Summerville, S.C. (West Mecklenburg (N.C.) HS)
42 Hank Bodine LB 6-0 220 Fr. Velva, N.D. (Velva DAG HS)
43 Braeden Barger
44 Isaac McLellan
45 Sean Morris
Weddington, N.C. (Weddington HS)
Rock Hill, S.C. (Northwestern HS)
280 Sr. Lansdowne, Pa. (UAlbany / Morgan State / St. Joseph’s Prep)
46 Nolan McClanahan LB 6-1 215 Fr. Lake Mary, Fla. (Lake Mary HS)
47 Blue Monroe LB 6-1 225 R-Jr.
48
49
51
N.C. (Jay M. Robinson HS)
Tarboro, N.C. (Tarboro HS)
6-2 295 R-So. Clearwater, Fla. (Clearwater HS)
52 Manasseh Ripert OL 6-4 300 R-Jr. Lakeland, Fla. (Dodge City / Kentucky Christian / Lakeland HS)
53 Zach Watson OL 6-1 295 R-So. Waycross, Ga. (Ware County HS)
55 Secrea Algie OL 6-5 310 R-Fr. Snellville, Ga. (Brookwood HS)
56 Mabry Bumgarner LS 5-9 200 R-Fr. Sylva, N.C. (Smoky Mountain HS)
57 Jeremy Johnson DT 5-10 300 R-Fr. Lilburn, Ga. (Concord Univ. / Parkview HS)
58 Brett Gray OL 6-4 300 Sr. Vancouver, Wash. (Valparaiso / Skyview HS)
59 J’evon Bush DT 6-5 330 Fr. Orlando, Fla. (Jones HS)
60 Bryan McCollum K 5-8 165 Fr. Sanford, N.C. (Southern Lee HS)
62 Emmett Rhoades OL 5-10 225 R-So. Chicago, Ill. (Akron / Florida A&M / Saint Ignatius College Prep)
63 Thomas Guerrero OL 5-9 160 Fr. Greenville, S.C. (Greenville HS)
64 Konrad Henderson OL 6-3 320 R-Fr. Alpharetta, Ga. (Chattahoochee HS)
65 Nicholas Foster OL 6-1 290 Fr. Charlotte, N.C. (Indiana Land HS)
66 John Hammond OL 6-5 295 Fr. Spartanburg, S.C. (Spartanburg HS)
67 Steven Hamby OL 6-5 320 R-So. Statesville, N.C. (Statesville HS)
68 Aiden Cooper OL 6-4 285 Fr. Charlotte, N.C. (Butler HS)
69 Cole Cooke OL 6-8 325 Fr. Fort Myers, Fla. (Riverdale HS)
70 Dale Greene OL 6-3 300 R-Fr. Buford, Ga. (Buford HS)
74 Elijah Collins OL 6-5 305 So. Lehigh Acres, Fla. (West Virginia Wesleyan / East Lee County HS)
75 Renard Smith OL 6-4 310 R-So. Dallas, Ga. (Univ. of Pikeville / East Paulding HS)
77 Ilija Krajnovic OL 6-8 340 R-Sr. Zrenjanin, Serbia (Boston College / IMG Academy)
78 Evan Carney OL 6-3 305 R-So. Nashville, Tenn. (Christ Presbyterian Academy)
79 Vito Moriana-Sigel OL 6-5 315 Jr. Estepona, Spain (Miss. Valley State / Trinity Valley CC / Kiski School)
80 Trey Walker WR 5-10 175 Fr. Hoschton, Ga. (Mill Creek HS)
81 Ca’Lique Cunningham WR 5-9 185 R-So. Rock Hill, S.C. (Northwestern HS)
82 Matthew Keener WR 6-2 200 R-Fr. Pilot Mountain, N.C. (East Surry HS)
83 Austin Cunningham WR 6-0 185 R-Fr. West Columbia, S.C. (White Knoll HS)
84 Marcus Trout K 5-11 180 Fr. Cocoa, Fla. (Cocoa HS)
85 David Hulbert TE 6-4 250 R-Fr. Charlotte, N.C. (Charlotte Christian School)
86 Brayden Blackmon TE 6-3 250 R-Sr. Duncan, S.C. (Byrnes HS)
87 Eli Griffin WR 6-1 160 Fr. Brevard, N.C. (Brevard HS)
88 Jemarious Reaves WR 6-1 185 R-Fr. Hopkins, S.C. (Lower Richland HS)
89 Ellis Chappell WR 6-0 180 Fr. Hickory, N.C. (Hickory HS)
90 Jamichael Wilson DT 6-3 330 Gr. Chattanooga, Tenn. (Tusculum / Brainerd HS)
91 Jackson Banks DT 6-2 295 R-So. Broxton, Ga. (Mississippi Gulf Coast / Old Dominion / Coffee HS)
92 Brandon Joseph II DT 6-3 285 Fr, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
93 Adrian Stone DT 6-3 290 R-Fr. Fort Myers, Fla. (North Fort Myers HS)
94 Jaden Meeks DT 6-2 225 R-Fr. Charlotte, N.C. (Julius L. Chambers HS)
95 Stephen Brantley P 6-2 225 Jr. Pilot Mountain, N.C. (East Surry HS)
96 Christian Lowery K 5-11 185 Sr. Acworth, Ga. (Cincinnati / Harrison HS)
97 Caleb Bradford DT 6-1 260 R-Sr. Canton, N.C. (Pisgah HS)
98 Jackson Hensley DT 6-3 255 So. Maiden, N.C. (Maiden HS)
99 Jordan Cardentey DE 6-0 260 R-Fr. Atlanta, Ga. (Creekside HS) Marlin Cochran RB 5-11 185 R-So. Miami, Fla. (Miami Northwestern HS) Trevaughn Martinez DB 5-10 165 R-Fr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Dillard HS)
NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. YR. HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS COLLEGE / HIGH SCHOOL)
0 Chris Davis Jr. JACK 6-3 235 R-Sr. Tampa, Fla. (Georgia State / Armwood HS)
0 Cole Keller TE 6-5 230 R-Sr. Grain Valley, Mo. (Washburn / Grain Valley HS)
1 Brian Alston DL 6-2 264 R-So. Birmingham, Ala. (Arkansas State / Spain Park HS)
1 Justin Franklin WR 5-8 160 R-Sr. Douglasville, Ga. (Gardner-Webb / Douglas County HS)
2 Jackson Crosby WR 5-10 185 Gr. Six Mile, S.C. (Clemson / D.W. Daniel HS)
2 Jason Duclona DB 6-1 185 R-So. Estero, Fla. (UCF / Liberty / Estero HS)
3 Kaven Call DL 6-3 240 R-So. Apopka, Fla. (UCF / Apopka HS)
3 Devontae Houston RB 5-10 163 Gr. Roanoke, Ala. (UConn / Handley HS)
4 Hakeem Meggett WR 6-2 180 Gr. Monck’s Corner, S.C. (Gardner-Webb Berkley HS)
4 Kendall Williams DB 5-11 180 R-Jr. Winston-Salem, N.C. (Carson-Newman / West Forsyth HS)
5 Jimmy Bowdry DB 5-11 185 Sr. Thomasville, Ga. (Gardner-Webb / Thomasville HS)
5 Karim Page WR 6-0 178 Sr. Dalton, Ga. (Gardner-Webb / Dalton HS)
6 Jacolby Criswell QB 6-1 230 Gr. Morrilton, Ark. (Arkansas / North Carolina / Morrilton HS)
6 Raymari Oggs DB 5-10 180 R-Jr. Mansfield, Texas (NE Oklahoma A&M / Mansfield Lake Ridge HS)
7 Sterling Galban WR 5-10 170 Gr. Frisco, Texas (Jacksonville St. / Texas Tech / UMass / Burnet HS)
7 Mike Jenkins DB 6-2 167 Jr. Summerville, S.C. (Summerville HS)
8 Jeremiah Harrison WR 6-1 178 Fr. Charlotte, N.C. (Julius L. Chambers HS)
8 Rashad Whitehead DL 6-3 255 Gr. Atlanta, Ga. (Gardner-Webb / B.E.S.T. Academy)
9 William Wells DB 6-2 185 Sr. West Palm Beach, Fla. (UCF / Suncoast HS)
10 Ty Anderson LB 6-1 210 Sr. Thomasville, Ga. (Gardner-Webb / Thomasville HS)
10 Jake McNamara QB 5-11 196 R-So. Franklin, Tenn. (UTEP / New Mexico State / Page HS)
11 Moin Gammage DB 5-9 160 Jr. Inglewood, Calif. (Fullerton College / City of Honors)
11 Cade McNamara QB 6-1 205 Gr. Reno, Nev. (Michigan / Iowa / Damonte Ranch HS)
12 Ephraim Floyd WR 5-10 190 Sr. Vero Beach, Fla. (Gardner-Webb / Vero Beach HS)
12 Kensly Johnson DB 5-11 185 Sr. Jacksonville, Fla. (Keiser / Trinity Christian HS)
13 Jackson Byrd QB 6-0 190 Fr. Clayton, N.C. (Cleveland HS)
13 Jackson Norkunas DB 5-9 170 R-Fr. Coconut Creek, Fla. (Coconut Creek HS)
14 Qua Birdsong LB 6-3 202 So. Roanoke, Ala. (UCF/ Troup County HS)
14 Trenton Wanjogu WR 6-1 185 Fr. Marietta, Ga. (Kell HS)
15 CJ Gilmore DB 5-11 160 Jr. Orlando, Fla. (Keiser / Lake Nona HS)
15 Ewan Johnson K 5-10 180 R-Jr. Knoxville, Tenn. (South Doyle HS)
16 Nate Brackett P 6-4 221 R-Sr. Rockwood, Tenn. (Rockwood HS)
16 Javion Clark DB 6-2 190 R-So. Macon, Ga. (ECU / Jones County HS)
17 Marlon Ayers Jr. DB 5-11 163 R-So. Woodstock, Ga. (Clark Atlanta / River Ridge HS)
17 Ethan Lane K/P 6-0 180 Fr. Hixson, Tenn. (Boyd Buchanan HS)
18 Ryan Barrett DB 6-1 185 R-So. Marietta, Ga. (Gardner-Webb / Kell HS)
18 Zion Cooley TE 6-4 223 Fr. Carrollton, Ga. (Carrollton HS)
19 Xavier Gaillardetz WR 6-0 204 R-Jr. Troi-Riveieres, Quebec (McCallie School)
19 Andrew Hand DB 6-1 180 R-Fr. Woodstock, Ga. (River Ridge HS)
20 Weston Edmondson QB 6-5 210 Fr. Knoxville, Tenn. (Grace Christian Academy)
20 Tywan Royal DB 6-0 180 Jr. Norcross, Ga. (Gardner-Webb / Norcross HS)
21 Jason Albritton RB 5-9 220 R-Jr. Lithia, Fla. (USF / Ole Miss / Newsome HS)
22 Nick Hunter JACK 6-5 218 R-Sr. Atlanta, Ga. (Gardner-Webb / Hapeville Charter Academy)
23 Khalil Eichelberger RB 5-10 225 R-Jr. Solon, Ohio (Grand Valley State / Solon HS)
25 Cole Horine DB 5-11 193 R-So. Boone, N.C. (Watauga HS)
26 D’Marius Rucker RB 5-9 193 R-Fr. Lakeland, Fla. (Coastal Carolina / Lakeland HS)
27 Teddy Wilson LB 6-1 225 R-Sr. Edenton, N.C. (Louisburg College / John A. Holmes HS)
28 Jamari Farmer LB 6-0 210 Fr. Mooresville, N.C. (Indiana / Mooresville HS)
29 Elijah Taylor JACK 6-2 212 Jr. Gadsden, Ala. (Gadsden City HS)
30 Drew Armbrister LB 6-0 210 Fr. Greeneville, Tenn. (Greeneville HS)
31 Brycen Dowdell DB 6-2 180 Fr. Madison, Ala. (James Clemens HS)
32 Drew Francis LB 6-3 228 Gr. Knoxville, Tenn. (Middle Tennessee / West HS)
33 Dre Delinois LB 6-1 220 Jr. Chicoutimi, Quebec (McCallie HS)
35 Jeremiah Curry LB 5-11 205 R-Fr. Bluffton, S.C. (Bluffton HS)
36 Alijuan Bleechington DB 6-3 180 Fr. Harvey, Fla. (Gadsden County HS)
37 Hayden Ross LS 6-1 175 R-Fr. Tiger, Ga. (Rabun County HS)
38
39
40 Vashawn Nalls
41 Nathan Holbrook K/P 6-2
Raleigh, N.C. (ECU / Leesville Road HS)
Sugar Land, Texas (Michigan / Fort Bend HS)
R-Fr. Oak Ridge, Tenn. (Oak Ridge HS)
Fr. Knoxville, Tenn. (Hardin Valley Academy)
43 Logan Miller DB 5-9 160 Fr. Nashville, Tenn. (Ensworth HS)
44 Grant Bullard
45 Trevor Moffitt
R-So. Rome, Ga. (Gardner-Webb / Rome HS)
R-Sr. Bushnell, Fla. (App State / Gardner-Webb / South Sumter HS)
46 Samuel Iroh JACK 6-1 206 Fr. Collierville, Tenn. (Collierville HS)
47 Ramani Bruton DB 5-11 170 Fr. Greenville, S.C. (JL Mann HS)
48 Jaiden Daniels RB 5-8 165 Fr. Commerce, Ga. (Commerce HS)
49 Isaiah Thomas JACK 6-2
6-1
50 Josh Meltzer
Fr. Antioch, Tenn. (Pearl Cohn HS)
R-So. Fort Pierce, Fla. (John Carroll HS)
51 Isaiah Hall OL 6-3 270 R-Fr. LaGrange, Ga. (Troup County Comprehensive HS)
52 Frank West OL 6-3 320 R-Fr. Corbin, Ky. (Corbin HS)
55 Will McCraw OL 6-4 265 Sr. Tiger, Ga. (Gardner-Webb / Rabun County HS)
56 Connor Doeren OL 6-5 260 R-Fr. Raleigh, N.C. (Cardinal Gibbons HS)
58 Maddox Radcliffe OL 6-0 256 R-So. Rockville, Va. (Patrick Henry HS)
59 Taylor McClure LB 6-1 210 R-Fr. Hayesville, N.C. (Hayesville HS)
60 Micah Sumpter OL 6-4 300 Jr. Knightdale, N.C. (Charlotte / Knightdale HS)
64 Braxton Shipp OL 6-3 290 R-Sr. Concord, N.C. (Northwest Cabarrus HS)
65 Cole Norred OL 6-3 280 Fr. Bremen, Ga. (Carrollton HS)
67 Seth Williams OL 6-4 300 R-Jr. Statesville, N.C. (App State / Statesville HS)
68 JT Cook OL 6-2 230 Fr. Boone, N.C. (Watauga HS)
70 Eli Dorton OL 6-5 290 Fr. Norris, Tenn. (Anderson County HS)
71 Johnathan Cline OL 6-4 315 R-So. Cartersville, Ga. (UCF / Cartersville HS)
72 Eli Greene OL 6-2 275 R-Fr. Boone, N.C. (Watauga HS)
73 Joshua Benson OL 6-7 337 Fr. Irmo, S.C. (Dutch Fork HS)
74 Jay Wade OL 6-1 278 R-So. Knoxville, Tenn. (Webb School)
75 Frankie Tinilau OL 6-6 325 So. Brisbane, Australia (Miami (Fla.) / Immaculata-LaSalle HS)
77 Ashton Flinn OL 6-4 290 Sr. Jackson, Mo. (Murray State / Jackson HS)
79 Mitchell Dunlap OL 6-5 265 R-Fr. Cumming, Ga. (East Forsyth HS)
80 Koda Cutlip WR 6-3 175 Fr. Johnson City, Tenn. (Science Hill HS)
81 Taharin Sudderth TE 6-2 239 R-Sr. Alcoa, Tenn. (Middle Tennessee / Alcoa HS)
82 Izay Bridges WR 5-8 160 R-Fr. Shelby, N.C. (Shelby HS)
83 Colin Rutland TE 6-7 240 R-Fr. Reston, Va. (Youngstown State / South Lakes HS)
84 Hudson Makuch WR 5-11 187 Fr. Cleveland, Tenn. (Walker Valley HS)
85 Travien Watson WR 5-11 175 So. Gainesville, Ga. (Gainesville HS)
86 Matthew Manning WR 6-1 180 R-Fr. Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood HS)
88 Charlie Browder TE 6-7 255 R-Sr. Kingsport, Tenn. (UCF / Tennessee / Christ School)
90 Dailen Howard DL 6-1 260 Jr. Athens, Ga. (Georgia Military College / Clark Central HS)
91 Brenden LeBlanc DL 6-0 262 Jr. Marrero, La. (Brother Martin HS)
93 Ki’Shawn Harvey DL 6-1 312 R-So. Raleigh, N.C. (Western Kentucky / Knightdale HS)
95 Jaden Pierce DL 6-3 285 R-Fr. Shelby, N.C. (Shelby HS)
97 Isaiah Potts DL 6-1 305 R-Sr. Fayetteville, N.C. (Charlotte / Camp
ETSU 24, WESTERN CAROLINA 21
WILLIAM B. GREENE, JR. STADIUM – JOHNSON CITY, TN
SATURDAY, NOV. 9, 2024
WESTERN CAROLINA
SCORING SUMMARY:
QTR
1st 9:54 ETSU – Ewan Johnson 40 yd field goal 12 plays, 53 yards, 5:06
8:51 ETSU – Ephraim Floyd 13 yd pass from Gino English (Ewan Johnson kick) 2 plays, 21 yards, 0:53 0 10
1:15 WCU – Jake Young 11 yd pass from Taron Dickens (Christian Lowery kick) 5 plays, 72 yards, 1:44 7 10 3rd 13:30 ETSU – Xavier Gaillardetzr 23 yd pass from Gino English (Ewan Johnson kick) 3 plays, 26 yards, 1:17
17 5:38 WCU – Taron Dickens 2 yd run (Christian Lowery kick)
plays, 71 yards, 3:19
17 0:26 WCU – Taron Dickens 8 yd run (Christian Lowery kick)
4th 05:55 ETSU – Devontae Houston 14 yd run (Ewan Johnson kick)
JOHNSON CITY, TENN. – TARON DICKENS rushed for a pair of touchdowns and threw for a third score in guiding No. 22 Western Carolina back from an early deficit to take a lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, missed opportunities and a late Buccaneers' touchdown led ETSU to the 24-21 victory over the Catamounts in the "Blue Ridge Border Battle" at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium.
ETSU capitalized on a trio of short fields as each of the three Buccaneer touchdown drives started within 28-yards of the end zone including the eventual game-winning score that came inside the game's final six minutes.
WCU's offense was unable to get into gear on its final possession and was forced to punt the ball back to the home squad with just over three minutes to play. The Bucs then kept the ball away from WCU, though, totaling 29 yards and a pair of first downs to run out the clock and reclaim "the Rock," the traveling trophy in the mountain rivalry.
Dickens passed for 233 yards and a TD in his second career start, completing 24 of his 34 attempts with an interception. However, he lost a pair of fumbles that were both cashed in for touchdowns by ETSU and was sacked a combined eight times by the SoCon leader. Dickens scored his first two rushing touchdowns to lead the Catamount offense.
Nine different receivers caught passes for WCU with Zion Booker leading the way with five receptions for 85 yards. TE Jake Young caught a pair of passes for 19 yards including an 11-yard touchdown pass. BRANSON ADAMS led the Catamounts with 94 all-purpose yards, rushing for a team-best 81 yards on 14 carries without a loss and catching a trio of passes out of the backfield for 13 yards gained.
Midway through the final frame, a series of negative plays for the Catamounts led to what proved to be the eventual game-winning score.
WCU's ZAYVEON WELLS joined SAMAURIE DUKES with an interception that gave the Catamounts the football at ETSU's 23-yard line. However, a negative rush and a pair of penalties dropped the offense back to its own 7-yard line. A misfire on the eventual punt coming out of its own endzone set up the Buccaneers at the WCU 28-yard line. Five rushes later, ETSU pulled in front with a 14-yard DEVONTAE HOUSTON score and the 24-21 lead.
WCU managed just 10 yards on its final possession with the Bucs collecting a pair of first downs to effectively bleed out the clock in halting WCU's two-game series win streak and reclaiming "the Rock."
Dukes was credited with eight tackles to trail Jordy Lowery, who had a career-high 10 stops for his first career double-digit effort. Safety BO SIMPSON-NEALY tallied his first interception.
The Catamounts outgained ETSU in the loss, 352-to-328. WCU gained 233 through the air and 119 on the ground despite the losses associated with the eight sacks that accounted for 52 yards in losses. ETSU had 174 on the ground and 154 yards in passing.
Gino English, ETSU
RUSHING
Branson Adams, WCU 14 carries, 81 yds
Patrick Boyd Jr., WCU 11 carries 37 yds
Bryson Irby, ETSU 21 carries, 79 yds
Devontae Houston, ETSU 14 carries, 64 yds, TD
RECEIVING
Zion Booker, WCU 5 rec., 85 yds
Jai Boyd, WCU 2 rec., 37 yds
AJ Colombo, WCU 3 rec., 25 yds
AJ Johnson, ETSU 2 rec., 58 yds
Xavier Gaillardetz, ETSU 3 rec., 28 yds, TD Hakeem Meggett, ETSU 2 rec., 25 yds
DEFENSIVE LEADERS: TACKLES
Jordy Lowery, WCU 10 tckls (6 ua), INT, 2 PBU
Samaurie Dukes, WCU 8 tckls (4 ua), INT, PBU
Mateo Sudipo, WCU 6 tckls (1 ua)
Ray Coney, ETSU 17 tckls (4 ua), 2.5 TFL Jaden Woods, ETSU
GARDNER-WEBB
Saturday, Aug. 30
CULLOWHEE L, 52-45
at Wake Forest
Saturday, Sept. 6
Winston-Salem, N.C. L, 42-10
ELON
Saturday, Sept. 13
CULLOWHEE L, 37-31
SAMFORD *
Saturday, Sept. 20
CULLOWHEE W, 50-35
at Campbell Saturday, Sept. 27
Buies Creek, N.C. W, 42-35
at Wofford * Saturday, Oct. 4
Spartanburg, S.C. W, 23-21
FURMAN *
Saturday, Oct. 11
CULLOWHEE W, 52-7
at The Citadel * Saturday, Oct. 18 Charleston, S.C. W, 45-38
at Chattanooga * Saturday, Nov. 1 Chattanooga, Tenn. W, 35-28
#10/12 MERCER * Saturday, Nov. 8
CULLOWHEE L, 49-47
ETSU * Saturday, Nov. 15
CULLOWHEE Noon
at VMI * Saturday, Nov. 22 Lexington, Va. Noon
CULLOWHEE — Josiah Harris pulled down a game-sealing interception and Nate Hampton ran for a 26-yard score to pull away late as Gardner Webb stormed back to beat Western Carolina 52-45. The Runnin’ Bulldogs were down 35-7 after WCU scored 35 unanswered points, rallying down the stretch to upset FCS No. 19 WCU. In his first start, Bennett Judy finished 15-of-27 with 151 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for WCU. Hampton was 12-of-30 with two scores, adding 130 and four rushing TDs. It was the third-straight series win for GWU.
WINSTON-SALEM, NC – Demond Claiborne scored on three touchdown runs as Wake Forest beat Western Carolina 42-10 in a weather-hampered game. Claiborne, who suffered a rib injury in the opener, finished with 193 yards on 10 carries with two first-quarter TD runs. QB Robby Ashford was 13 for 22 for 227 yards with a 64-yard strike to Sterling Berkhalter in the third. Western Carolina scored on a Christian Lowery 23-yard field goal, and got into the end zone with less than seven minutes left on Markel Townsend’s 1-yard TD run.
CULLOWHEE — Landen Clark accounted for 377 yards of offense and four touchdowns to lead Elon to a 37-31 victory over Western Carolina. Clark broke loose on a 10-yard TD run and connected with Isaiah Fuhrmann on the two-point try to cap the scoring with about five minutes left. Asher Cunningham intercepted Isaac Lee with 49 seconds left to seal it. Clark finished 11-of-28 passing for 305 yards with two touchdowns and added 72 yards on the ground with two scores. James Tyre and Dominic Dutton both scored two touchdowns apiece for the Catamounts.
CULLOWHEE — Taron Dickens had career highs with 582 yards passing and six touchdowns as Western Carolina pulled away from Samford for a 50-35 victory. Dickens was 35-of-46 passing and connected with 10 receivers. Camury Reid (4–107 yds) caught three touchdown passes, and he added 39 yards rushing and TD. WCU built a 21-20 halftime lead before Dickens threw three TD passes, including his 62-yarder to Reid, that capped a 29-point third quarter. Quincy Crittendon was 35-of-54 for 456 yards and threw each of his three touchdown passes to Calvin Jones.
BUIES CREEK, NC — Taron Dickens threw for 427 yards with four touchdown passes and Western Carolina defeated Campbell 42-35. The Catamounts scored 21 points in the second quarter and led 28-10 at halftime. Dickens’ fourth TD pass — 10 yards to Patrick Boyd Jr. — made it 35-10 early in the third quarter. Wide receiver James Tyre threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Painter Richards-Baker for the Catamounts’ final score and a 42-28 lead. Kamden Sixkiller threw for 205 yards and led the Fighting Camels in rushing with 55 yards and two TDs.
SPARTANBURG, SC – Taron Dickens completed 46 consecutive passes to break the FCS record for consecutive completions in a game, and threw three touchdown passes to lead Western Carolina to a 23-21 win over Wofford. Dickens led the comeback for the Catamounts after the lead changed hands in the late third quarter. Marcus Trout, whose previous field goal attempt was blocked, made a game-winning 34-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining. Dickens was 53 for 56 for 378 yards passing, the highest completion percentage in a game in FCS history 94.6%).
CULLOWHEE – Taron Dickens threw four touchdown passes, and the Western Carolina defense forced four turnovers in a 52-7 win over Furman in a Southern Conference rout. Furman was derailed by turnovers. Despite a scoreless first quarter on either side, the game got away from the Paladins in the second frame as WCU scored 24-straight points. A week after setting the FCS record with 46 consecutive completions to start the game, Dickens was 17 of 24 for 220 yards with another 60 on the ground. Ken Moore Jr. led the team with two interceptions. Hasaan Sykes had the other.
CHARLESTON, SC – Taron Dickens threw for 369 yards with five touchdowns and Western Carolina defeated The Citadel 45-38. Dickens powered the top offense in the SoCon, completing 28 of 33 passes, and his 18-yard scoring pass to Dominic Dutton gave the Catamounts a 45-31 lead with 3 minutes remaining. The Citadel led 14-7 after a quarter before a short TD pass by Dickens and a 7-yard touchdown run from Markel Townsend helped WCU take a 24-17 lead at half. Two more Dickens’ TDs, the second a 37-yard connection with Malik Knight, led to a 38-24 lead through three quarters.
CHATTANOOGA, TN – Taron Dickens threw four touchdown passes and Western Carolina beat Chattanooga 35-28 on Saturday night for its sixth straight win. The Mocs rallied to get within seven on Justus Durant’s 8-yard TD run midway through the fourth quarter and were driving in the final minute, reaching the Catamounts’ 5-yard line before Cam’Ron Dabney intercepted Camden Orth. Three of Dickens’ TD tosses went to James Tyre in the first half and WCU led 21-7 at the break before the Mocs rallied to tie on a pair of third-quarter touchdowns through three quarters.
CULLOWHEE – Taron Dickens matched a SoCon record with seven TD passes, including three in the fourth quarter as the Catamounts twice rallied from down 12, but a last-second game-winning field goal attempt missed just wide right as Mercer escaped Whitmire Stadium with a 49-47 win. The Bears won their 10th straight over WCU and claimed a share of the 2025 SoCon regular-season title. Reice Griffith’s 37-yard field goal gave the Bears their 49-47 lead with 1:30 remaining before Dickens drove WCU to the 15-yard line with 3 seconds left. WCU then missed a 33-yard field-goal attempt on the final play.
Mountain-rivals Western Carolina and ETSU meet in “Blue Ridge Border Battle” in Cullowhee. The Bucs took back the traveling trophy, “the Rock” with last year’s 24-21 win in Johnson City. The Catamounts carried a 21-17 lead into the fourth quarter and ETSU scored the game-winner with six minutes to play and managed to run out the clock. WCU amassed 687 yards of offense in dominating the most recent Cullowhee meeting, 58-7. WCU leads the series 27-26-1 with five of the last seven series meetings decided in one-possession games, including a pair in overtime. Western Carolina closes the regular season in northern Virginia, visiting the VMI Keydets at Foster Stadium. The Catamounts hold a commanding 26-5 lead in the all-time series with 11 wins in games played in Lexington. But the Keydets won the most recent meeting on post with a 27-24 home victory over WCU in 2023 that thwarted WCU’s bid for the NCAA FCS playoffs. Last year, the Catamounts exploded for 35 points in a decisive second quarter, including three scores inside the final three minutes of the second frame to lead 41-7 at half in the 58-28 victory.
An accomplished player who worked his way from walkon to All-American to the National Football League, and a 17-year veteran head coach who won a combined four conference championships and the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship, KERWIN BELL was named the 14th head football coach at Western Carolina University on April 27, 2021, coaching his first year in Cullowhee that fall.
Bell enters 2025 – his fifth season on the sidelines in Cullowhee – with 117 career victories between his three coaching stops, eclipsing the 100-win benchmark in the 2022 season with a home win over VMI in Cullowhee.
Western Carolina rebounded from a six-game slide to start Bell's first season in Cullowhee in 2021 by winning four of its final five games to finish the Southern Conference slate at 4-4. After being picked ninth in the preseason, the Catamounts finished tied for fourth in the league SoCon standings, defeating both teams amongst the tie including a 43-42 win over Furman in Cullowhee and a 52-24 win over defending conference champion VMI to end the regular-season.
In his encore season in 2022, Bell guided WCU to its best regular-season finish since 2017, finishing 6-5 overall after closing the year with three consecutive victories – scoring home wins over Wofford and nationally-ranked Chattanooga and a road victory at ETSU to reclaim the traveling rivalry trophy. The win over UTC also halted an eight-game slide against nationally-ranked NCAA FCS teams.
The Catamounts closed 2022 with a 4-4 mark in the SoCon for the second-straight season marking the first consecutive .500-or-better league finishes since the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.
Over the past four seasons under Bell, Western Carolina has eclipsed 5,000 yards of total offense each season, establishing and breaking program records. In 2024, WCU broke the year-old benchmark with 5,665 total yards to edge the 2023 (5,545), 2022 (5,339), and 1983 teams (5,333). WCU’s offensive has surpassed the 3,000 passing
yard mark for just the fifth time in program history in 2024, throwing for a school-record 4,029 yards. WCU passed for a school-record 33 TDs in 2023, amassing 24-or-more aerial scores in each of Bell's first four seasons. The Catamounts led the NCAA FCS in total offense in 2023, the only program to average over 500 yards per game at the season's end, and paced the nation as the statistcal champion in passing offense in 2024.
Bell came to Cullowhee having served as the offensive coordinator at the University of South Florida under head coach Charlie Strong in 2019. Before taking over in Cullowhee, he had most recently walked off the field as a head coach following the 2018 NCAA Division II national championship, leading Valdosta State where he coached for three seasons, twice making playoff appearances.
Over a 12-year head coaching career prior to WCU, Bell led the football programs at Valdosta State (2016-18) and Jacksonville University (2007-15). He did this coming on the heels of a 13-year playing career in professional football that included several stops in the NFL and the Canadian Football League.
BORN: June 15, 1965
HOMETOWN: Mayo, Fla.
ALMA MATER: Florida, 1987
FAMILY: Wife, Cosette Odom; Three children; Kade, Kolton, and Kenzley; and a grand daughter, Palmer
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, former walk-on, three-year starter at QB (1984-88); SEC Player of the Year (1984); First-Team All-SEC (1985) and Honorable mention AllAmerica (1985, 1986)
u Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame, 1996 inductee
u Univ. of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, 1997 inductee
MIAMI DOLPHINS (NFL), 7th-round draft pick (180), 1988
ATLANTA FALCONS (NFL), 1988
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (NFL), 1989
ORLANDO THUNDER (WLAF), 1991-92
SACRAMENTO GOLD MINERS (CFL), 1993-94
EDMONTON ESKIMOS (CFL), 1995
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (NFL), 1996-97
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (CFL), 1998
u CFL East All-Star (1998)
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (CFL), 1999-2000
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (CFL), 2000-01
COACHING EXPERIENCE:
UNIV. OF FLORIDA, graduate assistant (1990)
TORONTO ARGONAUTS, offensive coordinator (2000-01)
TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH, head coach (2002-06)
JACKSONVILLE UNIV., head coach (2007-15)
u Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year (2008)
VALDOSTA STATE UNIV., head coach (2016-18)
u Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year (2018)
u Don Hansen NCAA Division II Co-Coach of the Year (2018)
u NCAA Division II National Champion (2018)
UNIV. OF SOUTH FLORIDA, offensive coordinator (2019)
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIV., head coach (2021–)
Bell served three seasons as the head coach at Valdosta State where he also guided the offense. He led the Blazers to a 27-7 record during his tenure including a school-record 15 straight victories, two Division II playoff appearances, and won both a conference and a national championship in 2018. He was named the 2018 Don Hansen NCAA Division II Co-Coach of the Year and the Gulf South Conference CoCoach of the Year after leading VSU to a 14-0 record – the first unbeaten season in program history that included a thrilling 49-47 victory over Ferris State in the D-II National Championship game. Picked fifth in their conference in the preseason and the No. 3 seed entering the playoffs, the Blazers finished No. 1 nationally in the final AFCA D–II poll.
Wells finished as the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy, presented to the Division II Player of the Year, and was named both the Region Two and Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
Wells accounted for 50 touchdowns on the year (including one receiving), led the nation in points responsible for (300), was second in passing touchdowns (38) and points responsible for per game (21.4 ppg), 10th in passing yards (3,075), 12th in passing efficiency (160.6) and 25th in total offense (271.9 ypg). He finished second on the team with 732 yards rushing and led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns.
Additionally, senior offensive linemen Jeremy King was the runner-up for the Gene Upshaw Award presented to the most outstanding Division II lineman.
Serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach as well as head coach, Bell was named the 2008 PFL Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award after leading the Dolphins to a 9-4 seasonal record and conference title.
He also led Jacksonville to a school-best 10-1 record and conference championship in 2010 as the Dolphins led the nation in total (486 ypg) and scoring (42.2 ppg) offense. JU also posted a 9-2 overall mark and won a conference title in 2014.
Bell’s 2018 offense led the nation in scoring (52.0 ppg), ranked second in first downs (341), and was fourth in total offense (523.9 ypg), red-zone offense (.901), and pass efficiency (167.37). The Blazers scored 728 points on the year, the most in NCAA Division II history, as they posted 7,334 yards (3,676 rushing/3,658 passing) and 7.9 yards per play on the year.
Within Bell’s system, VSU sophomore quarterback Rogan
Bell led VSU to runner-up conference finishes in his first two years guiding the program and went 8-3 with a playoff appearance in his first season at the helm in 2016 as the Blazers led the nation with 27 interceptions on defense.
Prior to Valdosta, Bell led Jacksonville University for nine seasons, guiding the NCAA FCS program to a 66-35 record and three Pioneer Football League (PFL) championships.
Before taking over the Jacksonville program, Bell led Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Fla., for six seasons (2001-06), earning a Florida 2B state title in 2005 and runner-up finish in 2006. His coaching career began in earnest at the end of his professional playing career as he served as the offensive coordinator for two seasons while still a player for the Toronto Argonauts (2000-01).
Originally from Mayo, Fla., Bell was a quarterback at the University of Florida from 1983-87 where he completed over 57 percent of his 953 pass attempts for 7,585 yards and 56 touchdowns. A former walk-on, Bell concluded his collegiate career as the SEC Player of the Year in 1984 after leading Florida to a 9-1-1 record and a conference championship, and both a first-team All-SEC selection and All-America honorable mention in 1985, a season that saw the Gators earn the programs first-ever No. 1 national ranking in the Associated Press poll.
Garnering a second honorable mention All-America honor in 1986, Bell was a 1987 team captain and earned the program’s Fergie Ferguson Award.
Bell was ranked the No. 26 Greatest Gator of all-time from the first 100 years of football at Florida in 2006 by The Gainesville Sun. Bell later served as a graduate assistant for the 1990 season under Steve Spurrier at Florida after earning a degree in psychology in 1987.
Kerwin Bell was selected in the seventh round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, beginning his 13year professional career that saw stops with the NFL teams in Miami, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Indianapolis as well as stops in the Canadian Football League, where he passed for 19,538 yards and 101 touchdowns in nine seasons, and the World League of American Football (WLAF).
Married in 1986 while both students at Florida, Bell and his wife, Cosette, have three children: sons Kade and Kolton, and a daughter, Kenzley, and a grand daughter, Palmer.
On Monday, May 19, 2025, Western Carolina University Chancellor Kelli R. Brown announced the selection of KYLE PIFER to serve as the director of athletics following approval of his contract by the university’s Board of Trustees during a special-called meeting earlier in the day.
Pifer (pronounced PIE-furr) has served as the deputy athletics director and chief operating officer for WCU Athletics since November 2020 and, most recently, as the interim director of athletics following the departure of Alex Gary.
The appointment, effective immediately, follows a national search conducted by a 13-member committee, chaired by WCU Provost Richard Starnes. The North Carolinabased executive search consulting firm CSA assisted the search committee.
Pifer has served as a WCU Athletics senior staff member and second in command within the department for the past four years, managing all internal functions for the Catamounts, including budget and finance, capital projects, sport administration, event and facility operations, and human resources.
A skilled administrator, Pifer has spent the past 23 years of his professional career working in higher education and intercollegiate athletics. He served previously as the senior associate athletics director for compliance at Oregon State in Corvallis, Oregon, from 2013 until 2020, when he came to Cullowhee. He also held an associate athletic director position at the University of Washington in Seattle from 2009 until 2013 and worked in NCAA compliance positions at Oregon State and Gonzaga.
Pifer’s professional experience in major collegiate athletic conferences, such as the Pac-12, combined with his strong relationships on campus, in the community, with regional leaders, and within the Southern Conference, make him a good fit to lead the Catamount athletics program.
“After a comprehensive national search for WCU’s next Director of Athletics, I’m incredibly pleased that the best candidate was already a member of our Catamount family. Mr. Kyle Pifer is an outstanding choice to lead Catamount Nation into its next era,” said Brown. “In the short amount of time that Kyle has served as interim AD, he has distinguished himself as a collaborative and strategic university leader with a commanding grasp of the landscape of intercollegiate athletics. Catamount Athletics is in good hands with Kyle at the helm, and I am confident and excited about the future for our amazing student-athletes.”
Over the last four years in Cullowhee, Pifer has spearheaded the formation of the sport administrator committee and the student-athlete well-being committee, both aimed at the better management of the teams and to evaluate the student-athlete experience at Western Carolina. He has also served on numerous campus committees, including the institutional planning, well-being, health and safety, and emergency crisis management teams.
Pifer began his professional career as an NCAA compliance officer in 2003 at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. In 2007, Pifer departed for the first of his two stints at Oregon State, beginning as an assistant director of compliance. He then took on the role of the director of compliance at the University of Washington in Seattle, advancing rapidly and earning four promotions in under five years, working his way to an associate athletics director position. He was a member of the UW Athletics department senior staff.
As the senior associate athletics director for compliance at Oregon State, Pifer has experience within oncampus and department operations, including a wealth of knowledge on NCAA compliance within the changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics. As a part of the OSU athletics executive staff, he was the sport supervisor for the Beavers’ men’s golf and the women’s cross country/track and field teams. He was also particularly influential in the development of the Oregon State track and field program, rekindling the program after a nearly 20-year hiatus from the sport sponsorship.
During his eight-plus years at OSU, concluding as the senior compliance administrator, Pifer served on a variety of campus committees, including the Enrollment Management Leadership Team, the High Incident and Event Group, and the Criminal History Attendance and Participation Committee.
Pifer was selected from an exceptionally competitive and well-qualified pool of candidates. The search committee identified three finalists who participated in on-campus interviews in Cullowhee.
“Kyle Pifer has the experience, vision, and energy to build on the great momentum Catamount athletics has experienced in recent years to take us to the next level,” Starnes said. “He is deeply committed to the success of our student-athletes in competition, in the classroom, and their lives after graduation.”
A native of Frankfort, Indiana, Pifer is a former intercollegiate student-athlete at Francis Marion University, where he was a four-year track and field letter winner and earned academic all-district honors. He possesses a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Francis Marion where he was a member of the Francis Marion Honor Society and graduated summa cum laude in 1999. He earned his master’s degree in sport and athletic administration from Gonzaga in 2021.
Pifer and his wife, Sydney, have three daughters: Reese, Delaney, and Ellis.
Today, thanks to Champion Credit Union and the Catamount Club, we highlight MARSHA and MIKE SULLIVAN, of Fort Myers, Fla.
Mike Sullivan is the CEO and president of Gargiulo, Inc., a produce company specializing in tomatoes. The company owns more than 160,000 acres of farmland in Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, and California, and represents about 8% of the fresh tomato market in the United States.
He worked as a CPA for 10 years before joining Gargiulo Farms in the 1990s. Mike is also a member of the Florida Tomato Committee, and has served in several volunteer roles in the greater Naples area, including as chair of Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida and on the board of the Univ.of Florida Foundation for Institutional Research.
Among his generous donations over the years, Mike helped with a sizeable pledge to the most recent turf replacement project.
Marsha is the customer service manager for the Lee County Tax Collection Office, having worked for the county since 1984. Along with her husband, the couple were members of WCU's "Fill the Western Sky" Campaign Steering Committee.
Their daughter, MARISSA SULLIVAN, is a 2022 graduate of Western Carolina, earning a degree in elementary education. She is currently enrolled in the Comprehensive Education / Elementary Education Literacy master's program.
WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD (2012-15)
Alisha Bradshaw remains one of the most decorated field performers within a storied Western Carolina University track & field program. The Salisbury, N.C., product was a four-time Southern Conference Most Outstanding Performer, twice earning honors during both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2013 and 2015. She is one of just two Catamount women's student-athletes to earn multiple Field Athlete of the Year awards, joining fellow Hall of Famer Laura Tieszen (2004-05).
Her litany of awards includes Southern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year honors in 2012, collecting All-Freshman honors in four different events – indoor shot and weight throw, outdoor discus, and hammer throw – as a rookie. She was a three-time champion in the weight throw in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and thrice won the SoCon women's shot-put competition.
Bradshaw's efforts allowed WCU to win three straight SoCon Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships from 2013 through 2015, and post a runner-up finish in 2012 indoors. The Catamounts also won the SoCon Outdoor Championships twice in 2013 and 2015, also posting a pair of runner-up team showings in 2012 and 2014.
Bradshaw was a four-time SoCon Field Athlete of the Week from 2012-14, one of just five SoCon student-athletes to collect four or more weekly plaudits in a career. She is also WCU's only three-time SoCon Outdoor Field Athlete of the Month, earning honors in March 2013, April 2013, and April 2015, one of just two SoCon women to have more than two monthly awards.
Bradshaw continues to hold the Western Carolina indoor track & field records in the shot put (15.04m), set in the 2015 SoCon Championships, and the weight throw benchmark at 19.27m, thrown in Winston-Salem, N.C., in 2014 at the JDL Fast Track. She additionally has WCU's top mark in the women's discus throw in the outdoor record books at 49.81m, unleashed at the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla., back in 2015. Additionally, in WCU's outdoor records, Bradshaw holds two of the top five distances in the shotput – third at 14.33m (2013) and fourth at 14.14m (2015) – while also possessing two of the top five distances in the hammer throw – second with a mark of 53.36m and third at 53.08m.
In 2021, Bradshaw was again recognized as she was listed on the prestigious Southern Conference 100th Anniversary team, honoring the greatest student-athletes in the league from 1921 through 2021.
Bradshaw gained her start in track & field thanks to her late mother, Glorida Bradshaw, who was a founding member of the Salisbury Speedsters Track Club. She was a three-time individual state champion at Salisbury High as a prep, twice in discus and once in the shot put, which put her on the map and landed her in Cullowhee.
WOMEN'S GOLF (2002-06)
Enshrined along with her teammates on the trendsetting 2002-03 Western Carolina women's golf team, Ashley Hovda Kress takes her rightful place among the Catamount immortals as an individual inductee into WCU's Athletics Hall of Fame, celebrating her contributions to laying the foundation for the program's success.
Kress was a three-time All-Southern Conference selection on the links, earning second-team recognition in 2004 and 2005 before collecting first-team plaudits in 2006. She was also one of just two WCU women's golfers to earn a trio of SoCon Women's Golfer of the Month accolades, joining Brandy Andersen (2003-06). During her Catamount career, Hovda recorded 17 Top 10 individual finishes – the third-most in program history – including nine Top Five showings with individual medalist honors three times. She twice won the team's home event, the Great Smokies Intercollegiate at the Waynesville Country Club, in the fall of 2004 and 2005, while also winning the Elon Sea Trails Intercollegiate in September 2005.
Kress continues to hold WCU's seventh-best single-season scoring average, averaging 74.81 over 26 seasonal rounds in 2005-06. She additionally has the top and third-best, 36-hole scores in program history with a two-round record of 134 (68-66) in winning the 2005 Great Smokies Intercollegiate, while ranking third with a 138 (68-70) at the Elon / Sea Trails Intercollegiate held in the fall of 2005. Over her outstanding four-year career, Hovda held a 77.38 stroke average over 105 career rounds, tied for the fifth-most rounds representing the Catamounts. She fired five career rounds in the 60s, twice shooting a school-record tying low round of 66, both coming in the fall of 2005.
While an undergraduate, Kress qualified and played in the 2005 Women's United States Amateur Golf Championship. Also, during the summer of 2003, she scored a runner-up finish in the Ohio Women's Amateur.
Kress recorded three Top 10 finishes at the Southern Conference Women's Golf Championship, guiding WCU to a fourth-place showing in 2005 with a career-best runner-up finish individually that marked the second-best placement by a Catamount at the conference champion crowning event. She also finished in fourth place in 2004 and eighth in 2006. She was a part of WCU's SoCon Championship team in 2003, as well as runner-up finishes in 2004 and 2006 as part of the program's best four-year run.
Originally from Springfield, Ohio, Ashley Hovda Kress was one of just two Catamount women's golfers selected to the SoCon's 100th Anniversary team, joined by Desiree Karlsson (2006-10). She was a two-time Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar in 2002-03 and 2003-04, and was a three-year member of WCU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), serving as the women's golf representative as a sophomore, the vice-president as a junior, and the committee's president in her senior year.
Ashley is married to Catamount men's golf alum Chase Kress (2001-05), and the couple has two sons – Knox and Maxwell.
BASEBALL – (PLAYER,1988-91; COACH, 1993-95 AND 2000-07)
Todd Raleigh was a two-time All-Southern Conference selection during his four-year playing career in Cullowhee from 1988 through 1991, collecting second-team plaudits in 1990 and first-team accolades in 1991 behind the plate. He went on to serve as an assistant coach for two seasons in the early 1990s before taking over as the ninth head coach in Catamount baseball history in 2000, where he twice on SoCon Coach of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007.
Raleigh guided his alma mater to 257 victories, including a pair of regular-season crowns, a tournament championship, and two berths in the NCAA postseason, reaching the regional finals both times. His 257 victories and 132 SoCon wins rank him inside the Top 25 overall and Top 20 in SoCon tallies in league history. Raleigh's teams turned in five top-three league finishes, scoring 30 or more wins in six of his eight seasons at the helm, with 42 wins in 2007 and 43 victories in 2003 as both squads played in the NCAA postseason. His 2000 squad orchestrated one of the largest single-season turnarounds in league history (+15).
As a player, Raleigh led the SoCon in RBI in 1991 with a program-record 78 runs driven in, a mark that continues to rank him third in WCU's all-time single-season record books. He also collected Player of the Week plaudits in '91 on his way to All-SoCon honors. Raleigh legged out a team-best four triples in 1990, tied for the most in the league that season. In a 1989 SoCon tournament game, Raleigh blasted a two-run homer in a 4-2 win over Marshall, adding to his plaudits by throwing out a runner at home from the outfield after being forced out from behind the plate by team injuries. He later earned SoCon All-Tournament team accolades in the 1991 postseason event.
Raleigh continues to rank in WCU's career record books with his 43 career doubles. Defensively, he ranks tied for 12th with a .984 career fielding percentage over 873 career chances (17th), with 746 career putouts, the 19th-most in program history.
Originally from Swanton, Vermont, Raleigh signed a professional free agent contract with his longtime favorite baseball franchise, the Boston Red Sox, in 1991, following his WCU career. He played the following summer in the Florida State League before returning to New England, where he earned his start in coaching at the University of Vermont, with the NCAA's other Catamounts. That opened eight developmental years where he honed his leadership philosophy with five different programs.
Raleigh returned to WCU as an assistant coach in 1993-94. He then bounced from Belmont Abbey (NCAA Division II), James Madison, and East Carolina over the next five seasons, before trading in the other two shades of purple and gold of his alma mater in 2000, with his first head coaching opportunity coming at WCU.
Raleigh was also named the North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2003. He coached three SoCon Players of the Year in Donovan Minero (2002, media), Alan Beck (2003, coaches), and Kenny Smith (2007, coaches & media). Between 2000 and 2007, 12 Catamount baseball players were drafted, with three others signing as free agents. Of those 15, three – Greg Holland, Jared Burton, and Charles Thomas – each played in the Major Leagues.
A two-time graduate of WCU, Raleigh is married to the former Stephanie Deitz of Sylva, N.C., and the couple has four children – Cal, who played at Florida State and plays in the Majors with the Seattle Mariners; Emma Grace, who played collegiate volleyball at Bradley; Carley, who started her collegiate volleyball career at Mercer and is now at Lincoln Memorial; and Todd Jr., who caught while his father pitched to his brother Cal in winning the 2025 MLB All-Star Game Home Run Derby.
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT – ATHLETIC TRAINING (1980-84)
An athletic training student at Western Carolina from 1980 through his graduation in 1984, L. Ray "Slim" Davis Jr. earned an honorary induction into the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame with the 2025 class. This year's enshrinement marks his third Hall of Fame nod, selected to the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers Association (MAATA) Hall of Fame in 2022, and in 2015, he was inducted into the North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association (NCATA) Hall of Fame.
Davis received his Bachelor of Science in Health Education at Western Carolina in 1984 before earning his master's degree in Sports Medicine from the United States Sports Academy in 1986. Following his graduation, he served as an assistant athletic trainer at UNC Charlotte, and served in the same role, as well as a CPR instruction at Washington & Lee University before moving into middle and secondary education, including Apex High (19990-95), West Lake Middle (1995-2008), John A. Holmes High (2008-13), and Southeast Guilford High School (2013-2020), serving as a health science teacher and athletic trainer at Southeast.
His professional training experience also includes the National AAU Junior Olympics, IBM Fitness Center & Marriott Corporation (1988-90), and was the head athletic trainer with the Harlem Globetrotters and Washington Generals (1986-88).
Davis served in a variety of roles within the NCATA and the MAATA, including as the association's treasurer for the NCATA. Serving 16 years in that role, he performed a remarkable job of overseeing the financial records of the organization and was also elected to assume the same role with the MAATA. He also served as the MAATA Evaluator of the Student Research Committee (2004).
During his illustrious career, Davis was selected to represent North Carolina at the annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas football game in 2011, and in 2009, joined the East-West staff in covering the East-West All-Star football game. He was named the Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 1999 at West Lake Middle, and has been recognized by both the NCATA and the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) with 25-year Service Awards. He received the NATA Service Award in 2013 and in 2014, was named the Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year.
Davis was also a volunteer trainer for the Special Olympics and events such as the Annual Spooktacular Run and the Spring Kiwanis Run. He is currently the MAATA District 3 Director and serves on Western Carolina's Advisory Board for the College of Health and Human Sciences, representing athletic training.
NAME (INDUCTED) YEARS AT WCU
ARDREY, Sam (1997) 1937-40
Baseball, Men’s Basketball, Football ARLEDGE, Jayne (1992) 1976-79
Women’s Basketball
ATTEBERY Kennelly, Christy (2013) 1998-2001 Volleyball
AYERS, Gary (2023) 1985-present Broadcaster & Announcer
BEVERLIN, Jason (2008) 1992-94 Baseball
BIASUCCI, Dean (1997) 1980-83 Football
BIGGERSTAFF, Mike (2016) 1966-69 Football
BODINE, Tom (2010) 1991-94
Football
BRADSHAW, Alisha (2025) 2012-15
Women's Track & Field
BROADWATER, Tom (2015) 1957-60
Football
BROWN, Regina (1998) 1987-92 Volleyball & Women’s Basketball
BYRD, Art (1990) 1946-49 Football
CANTLER, Fred (2016) 1978-2012 Administration
CARMICHAEL, Alonzo (2008) 1983-86 Football
CARPENTER, Wille (1994) 1976-80 Football & Baseball
CARR, Ronnie (1999) 1980-83
Men’s Basketball
CHEUNG, Patrick (1990) 1970-73 Men’s Soccer
CHILDERS, Tobe (2010) 1957-60 Football
COOK, Matt (2024) 2004-08 Men's Golf
COOPER, Louis (2005) 1981-84 Football
CRISP, Beth (2020) 1977-81
Women’s Basketball & Softball
D’ALESSANDRIS, Joe (2018) 1972-76
Football (Player & Coach)
DALTON, Don (1995) 1966-81 Football (Player & Coach)
DeGRAFFENREID, Al “Mutt” (2013) 1974-76, 77-96 Football & Administrator
DENNIS, Greg (1997) 1979-82
Men’s Basketball
DODSON, Clinton F. (1991) 1934-69 Administrator
DOWELL, Jean (1992) 1963-66
Women’s Basketball
DURR, Walter J. (1991) 1951-98 Team Physician
ECHOLS Wellmon, Laura (2009) 1999-2002
Women’s Basketball
ELLIOTT, Keith (2018) 1965-1968 Football
FAIREY, Clint (1998) 1986-89 Baseball
FERGUSON, Mark (2006) 1970-73 Football
FINCH, Nora Lynn (1991) 1967-70
Women’s Basketball, Field Hockey, Tennis & Volleyball
GAINES, Jerry (1991) 1970-75
Football, Track & Field & Baseball
GALLOWAY, Alonzo “Lonnie” (2015) 1990-94 Football
GARDNER, Jennifer (2024) 2001-05
Women’s Basketball
GARDNER-MAYHORN, Susie (2004) 1989-93
Women’s Track & Field / Cross Country
GAY, Scott (2006) 1983-85 Baseball
NAME (INDUCTED) YEARS AT WCU
GIBSON, Mel (1992) 1960-63
Men’s Basketball
GILBERT, Jeff (2000) 1981-84 Football
GREEN, Judy (1990) 1980-84
Women’s Basketball, Softball, Volleyball
GREENE, George “Tiger” (1998) 1981-84 Football
GRIFFIN, Odell (1992) 1939-40
Men’s Basketball
GRUNDY, Phillip (2005) 1991-93 Baseball
GUDGER, Jim (1990) 1940-69 Athlete & Coach
HAILEY, Freddie (1999) 1984-87 Baseball
HAMILTON, Brenda Johnson (2023) 1974-77
Women’s Basketball
HAMILTON, Hugh “Pee Wee” (1992) 1947-50 Football
HARKINS, Todd (2011) 1989-92 Football
HARP, Gerald (1992) 1977-80 Football
HARTBARGER, Jim (2000) 1969-75 Coach
HARTSELL, Susan B. (1994) 1973-76 Gymnastics
HASTINGS, Rebecca Twiner (2010) 2000-04
Women’s Golf
HAYES, Kerry (2010) 1991-94 Football
HAYWOOD, Bill (1996) 1969-81 Baseball Coach
HELMS, Terry (2011) 1968-72
Cross Country, Track & Field
HOLDEN, Leroy (2014) 1963-66 Football
HOLLIDAY, Emily (1996) 1982-86
Women’s Basketball, Volleyball
HOOVER, Brad (2008) 1996-99 Football
HOVDA KRESS, Ashley (2025) 2002-06
Women's Golf
HOWELL, Charles “Babe” (1998) 1950-53 Football & Baseball
HOWELL Dunn, Jordan (2019) 2000-03
Women’s Soccer
JAMES, Anthony (1991) 1979-83 Football, Track & Field
JOHNSON, Eric (2012) 1995-99 Baseball & Football
KING, Frankie (2013) 1993-95
Men’s Basketball
JONES, David L. (2013) 1957-60
Men’s Basketball
JONES, Paul (2002) 1967-68 and 1969-81
Cross Country / Track & Field (athlete and coach)
LAVELLE, Tommy (2000) 1961-64
Men’s Basketball
LeCLAIR, Keith (2002) 1985-88 and 1992-97
Basetball (player and coach)
LEGGETT, Jack (2001) 1983-91 Baseball Coach
LIPFORD, Darrell (2004) 1974-77 Football
LIVESAY, Robyn Keeler (1995) 1980-84 Softball & Volleyball
LOGAN, Henry (1990) 1965-68
Men’s Basketball
LOTT, Steve (2022) 1998-2010
Women’s Golf Coach & Administrator
LOVE, Joe C. (2020) 1964-69 Football
LUNDY, Ralph (2006) 1970-71
Men’s Soccer
NAME (INDUCTED) YEARS AT WCU
LYONS Wilson, Lori (2002) 1990-93
Women’s Basketball
MARTIN, Kevin (2019) 2001-04
Men’s Basketball
McCOLLUM, Anquell (2010) 1992-96
Men’s Basketball, Coach
McCONNELL, Charlie (2015) 1962-66
Men’s Basketball
McGINN, Bob (1992) 1947-50
Men’s Basketball
McINTOSH, Otis (1997) 1968-71 Football
McKENNIE, Tony (2008) 1986-90 Track & Field
MENHART, Paul (2021) 1988-90, 2002-05
Baseball, Coach
MILLER, Brett D. (2001) 1984-86 Men’s Golf
MITCHELL, Manteo (2024) 2005-09
Men’s Track & Field
MOORE, Chris (2011) 1996-99 Baseball
MOORE, Nardia (2011) 1999-2002
Women’s Soccer
MORGAN, Ken (1998) 1960-63
Football & Baseball
MURRAY, Darrell (2006) 1960-64
Men’s Basketball
NELLOMS, Skip (2022) 1985-88 Baseball
PEELE, Betty (1997) 1963-96
Coach & Administrator
PERSONS, Susan (2005) 1969-75 Coach
PETERSON, Bruce (2001) 1960-64
Football, Men’s Basketball & Men’s Tennis
POINDEXTER, C.C. (1991) 1930-35
Athletic Director & Coach
POWERS, Don (2017) 1964-83; 2006-07 Football
PRYOR, Harris (1994) 1956-59
Men’s Basketball, Baseball
RALEIGH, Matt (2004) 1989-92 Baseball
RALEIGH, Todd (2025) .....1988-91; '93-95; 2000-07 .................................... Baseball (Player & Coach)
RASHEED, Eric (2000) 1981-84 Football
RATCLIFFE, Carl (1992) 1933-36 Football
RATHBURN, David (2020) 1971-74 Football
RAY, Dr. Bob (2009) 1951-92
Basketball, Coach & Administrator
REED, Jerry (1994) 1974-77 Baseball
ROACH, Kirk (1996) 1984-87 Football
ROBINSON, Dan (1990) 1946-68 Athlete & Coach
ROGERS, Ronald (1990) 1950-53
Men’s Basketball
ROSS, Devondia (2005) 1990-93
Women’s Track & Field
RUTA, John (2008) 1962-65 Football
SALTZ Simmons, Cindi (2000) 1979-82
Women’s Basketball
SANDERS Peterson, Karen (2001) 1962-64
Men’s Tennis
SCHRADER, Dr. Charles (1998) 1968-93
Men’s Soccer Coach
SCOTT, George “Ronnie” (2013) 1964-66 Football
SEAL, Gaston (2010) 1959-63
Men’s Basketball
NAME (INDUCTED) YEARS AT WCU
SELZER, Tommy “Bromo” (1995) 1948-52 Football, Baseball
SETZER, Bobby (1992) 1951-92 Football, Coach & Administrator
SIMMONS, Clyde (2002) 1982-85 Football
SPRADLING, Steve (2009) 1967-70 Football
STANKUNAS, Frank (1992) 1960-63 Football
STANLEY, Bill (2012) 1964-69 Football
STROUD, Judy (1999) 1973-76 Women’s Basketball TIESZEN Kamarainen, Laura (2012) 2002-05 Women’s Track & Field WESTMORELAND Suhre, Betty (1990) 1965-79 Coach
THARPE, Danny (1991) 1960-64 Men’s Basketball, Baseball, Football & Tennis TOLLESON, Wayne (1990) 1974-78 Football & Baseball
WALKER, Harvey (2021) 1969-70, 1975-76 Football
WATERS, Bob (1993) 1969-88 Football Coach & Athletic Director
WIKE, Johnny (2009) 1964-2004 Football, Men’s & Women’s Golf Coach WILLIAMS, Denny (2004) 1955-60 Football
WILLIAMS, Jim (1992) 1964-66 Football
WILLIAMS, Steve (1996) 1968-71 Football
WILLIAMS, Willie (2006) 1990-92 Football
WILLIAMSON, Danny (2023) 1987-2016 Track & Field / Cross Country WILSON, Thomas “Bubba” (2002) 1975-78 Men’s Basketball WITTMAN, Greg (1996) 1966-69 Men’s Basketball WHITE, Steve (1999) 1970-98 Administrator
YATES, Steve (2009) 1971-74 Football
YOUNG, Tom (1990) 1946-68 Athletic Director & Coach
1983 FOOTBALL TEAM (2003)
1963 MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM (2003)
1969 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM (2003)
1949 FOOTBALL TEAM (2007)
2003 WOMEN’S GOLF TEAM (2014)
1969 FOOTBALL TEAM (2018)
1996 MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM (2022)
1992 Ralph Sutton
1993 E.J. Whitmire & Dr. Wallace Hyde
1994 Dr. Quinn Constantz
1995
The students and staff of the 2025 “The Pride of the Mountains,” Marching Band are proud to present our 2025 production entitled, “CONNECT.” The directors, staff, student leadership team, and membership have worked incredibly hard to provide audiences with another unforgettable performance experience. The "Pride of the Mountains" Marching Band is poised to set new performance standards in 2025, while continuing to push boundaries of design innovation and entertainment at the collegiate level.
B.H. Graning Landscapes and Supply, Inc. is making possible the opportunity for The Pride of the Mountains to be a member of the Forte Athletics team. Forte Athletics is a nationwide physical conditioning initiative that serves as a training program for students in the marching arts. Through our involvement, students are receiving instruction on preemptive techniques that will reduce injury and build a stronger body. We look forward to a long relationship with Daniel Recoder, founder of Forte Athletics and feel confident that this program will build longevity to our students’ physical health while teaching best practices for lifelong wellness.
This fall promises to again be one of the busiest on record regarding recruitment performances. For the first time in our history the band will be traveling off campus four times to four different states. Beginning Saturday, Sept. 27, the band will perform for over 3,000 spectators in exhibition at the 51st annual Enka High School “Land of the Sky” Marching Band competition, which showcases 30 of the top high school bands in the area. On October 6, the band will travel to Gwinnett County, Ga. to share their love of the pageantry arts with some of the best bands in the Southeast at their annual Gwinnett County Exhibition. The 24th annual Western Carolina University Tournament of Champions takes place on Saturday, Oct. 18, when The Pride welcomes 21 high school bands from around the Southeast to our campus, as well as our worldclass evaluation panel assimilated from across the United States. The Pride of the Mountains will perform twice during this event for over 10,000 attendees.
We are also very pleased to announce that the "Pride of the Mountains" has also been asked to perform in exhibition at the Tarpon Springs Outdoor Music Festival on October 25, in Tarpon Springs, Fla. This is an event filled with elite high school bands, and we feel honored to be invited to share our talents at such an esteemed venue. The PotM concludes its exhibition season in Spartanburg, S.C. on November 1 at the South Carolina 6A State Championships.
And now, about our 2025 production . . . “CONNECT”
Life is filled with people who come and go, but each leaves behind a mark that strengthens us. This movement explores how we are always stronger together, celebrating the bonds we create throughout our journey. Musical selections include In My Life (The Beatles), Seasons of Love (Rent), Stronger
(Kelly Clarkson), and Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey). Interwoven throughout are musical quotes from past Pride of the Mountains productions, blending our history with new music and arrangements — a reminder that our alumni remain with us every step of the way.
Part II: CONNECT with Community
Last fall, when Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina, our region was tested in profound ways. During that time, we learned the true meaning of resilience and community. This movement is dedicated to those bonds of compassion and strength, brought to life through Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel). It is a tribute to these mountains, our people, and the spirit that carries us forward together.
Part III: CONNECT the Dots
Large dots on the field become symbols of the milestones in our life journey — the moments and decisions that shape who we are. This high-energy percussion feature uses Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger to drive the narrative, piecing together the story of how every connection and experience leads us to our future selves.
The Long Purple Line is alive and strong. This movement celebrates our alumni — the giants on whose shoulders we proudly stand. With You Raise Me Up (Josh Groban), we honor their sacrifices, their passion, and their commitment to building this band into what it is today. The production closes with Defying Gravity (Wicked), symbolizing our collective responsibility to carry the Pride of the Mountains into new heights. Past, present, and future unite as we spread our wings and step boldly into what lies ahead.
This season, we also celebrate the roots of the WCU Marching Band. Our program features a replica of the very first WCU marching band uniform from 1941. Audiences will see a tribute to Joe Hedden — the student who began the marching band as a club activity, taught every section, and became WCU’s first music major and graduate. His vision and dedication sparked a tradition that has grown into the Pride of the Mountains we know today.
From Joe Hedden’s single step in 1941 to the thousands of steps taken on this field each season, the Long Purple Line continues — carried with honor, pride, and an unwavering connection to one another.
This is our story. This is our legacy. CONNECT!
Matt Henley Director of Athletic Bands Percussion Arranger
Dillon Ingle Assistant Director of Athletic Bands Front Ensemble, Rhythm Section & Sound Design / Arranger
Jeremy Loui Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Jayda Copeland Administrative Assistant
Doug Thrower Wind Music Arranger
Daniel Brodie Sound Design
Jamey Thompson Visual Designer
Bob Buckner Pregame Visual Designer
Katie Pacifico Color Guard Director
Billy Pacifico Color Guard Choreographer
Anne (AJ) Junttila Color Guard Instructor
Shaun Brown Director of Audio Production
Collin Tastet Director of Front Ensemble
Line Kinsey Purple Drum Line Instructor
Seaon Carter Cymbal Instructor
STAFF COORDINATORS:
Emilia Sepulveda and Davis Weaver
2025 DRUM MAJORS:
Joely Martin (Head), Mariana Hernandez and Kadence Watford
CAPTION COORDINATORS:
Elizabeth Bargher, Bryan Clingerman, Noah Cox, Eli Henry, Katy Riggs, Katie Sammons, Erik Stauffer, Austin Williams
SERVICE STAFF CHIEFS:
Rachel Walker, Katy Riggs, Rayne Woods, Ainsley Briggs, Payton Ledford, Skylar Wheeler, Gwen Muchmore, Atticus Boersma
Fight on! You Catamounts, Fight for purple and gold. Fight on to victory, True warriors bold. Wave the royal banner high, And let it fill the Western sky. So, fight on! you Catamounts, Fight to vic–to–ry!
Western, Western, Go–Western! Go—Cats!
Fight on! You Catamounts, Fight for purple and gold. Fight on to victory, True warriors bold. Wave the royal banner high, And let it fill the Western sky. So, fight on! you Catamounts, Fight to vic–to–ry!
Adopted in 1981, Western Carolina’s fight song was composed by members of the University faculty including Mr. Dick Trevarthen Western Carolina and Catamount Athletics was saddened to learn of
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater; Faithful, kind, and true; Every son and every daughter Offers praise to you.
– CHORUS –
Hail to the dearest spot of all; Hail to WCU! Light and life and fond devotion, All to thee are due.
Purple robes and colors golden, Streaming everywhere, Swell our hearts with pride for olden Days and friendships dear.
– CHORUS –
Under shade trees’ friendly bowers, Voices, ever gay, Mingles with breath of flowers And the song birds’ lay.
– CHORUS –
Shout aloud with one loud chorus, Voices clear and true, Lifted high in praise and honor, All for WCU!
– CHORUS –
Kelli R. Brown, Ph.D., is the 12th Chancellor of Western Carolina University, a regional comprehensive university that serves over 11,000 students with a wide range of bachelor’s degrees across the spectrum of arts and sciences disciplines and professional programs in business, education, health care, and engineering; more than 30 master’s degree and certificate programs; and five professional doctoral programs. She became the University’s first permanent woman chancellor when she took office in July 2019. Since her arrival, Chancellor Brown has highlighted several priorities: an comprehensive regional institution emphasizing quality and excellence; a commitment to access, affordability, inclusive excellence and student success; and a focus on the University’s role as an engine of economic development for its communities.
Under Chancellor Brown’s leadership, WCU has continued to capitalize on the opportunity to be a thought leader regarding how regionally engaged universities can be student focused, with a high level of teaching innovation and a large connection with the surrounding region. Business North Carolina magazine has seen the impact
has included her on their Power List of the state’s most influential leaders four separate times.
Throughout her time at Western Carolina, Chancellor Brown has spearheaded several major capital projects on campus. In 2021, the state-of-the art, Apodaca Science Building, was completed to replace the university’s 1970-era Natural Science Building. The following year in 2022, “The Rocks”, a collection of three freshman residence halls were opened with an emphasis on building student community. Later that year, WCU completed its new energy production facility, replacing the campus’ century-old steam plant. Additionally, she has overseen the implementation of the highly successful NC Promise tuition reduction program and the innovative Catamount Commitment financial aid program. Each program has had a tangible impact on the reduction of student debt.
Western Carolina University is led by the Chancellor, the university’s chief administrative officer, with guidance and policy oversight from the Board of Trustees. As one of the 16 universities in the University of North Carolina system, WCU also falls under the administration of the UNC system president and the Board of Governors, advised by the UNC Faculty Assembly.
As Provost, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs serves as the top administrator for academics and as the senior member of the Chancellor’s Executive Council: WESTERN CAROLINA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Dr. Kelli R. Brown, Chancellor
Dr. Richard Starnes, Provost / Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Mr. Mike Byers, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance
Mr. Kyle Pifer, Director of Athletics
Mr. Chris Williams, Chief Information Officer
Mr. Ben Pendry, Vice Chancellor for Advancement
Dr. Sam Miller, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Mr. Shea Browning, General Counsel
Dr. Melissa Wargo, Chief of Staff
Dr. William Moultrie, Vice Chancellor of Enrollment & Student Success
Ms. Jessica Woods, Assistant to the Chancellor
universities committed to educating students for civic and social responsibility, partnering with communities for positive change, and strengthening democracy. Nationally, she is a member of ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge President’s Council (nonpartisan mission is student registration and turnout) and a member of ACE Women’s Network Executive Council.
She has also helped champion the University's comprehensive fundraising campaign for Athletics, "Fill the Western Sky," as she and husband Dennis made an estate gift of $4 million that will benefit 11 university funds.
Chancellor Brown serves on numerous regional boards including Harris Regional Hospital/Swain Community Hospital, NC Arboretum, Givens Estates, Asheville Chamber of Commerce, and is Chair of North Carolina Campus Compact — a collaborative network of colleges and
Before coming to WCU, Brown served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Georgia College & State University. In July 2016, she was appointed interim president of Valdosta State University, a regional comprehensive university in southern Georgia. She served in that capacity until a permanent president took office in January 2017. In addition to her leadership at Georgia College, she has taught undergraduate and graduate students and has served in academic leadership roles at the University of Florida, University of South Florida, Illinois State University, and Western Illinois University.
Chancellor Brown earned her doctorate in education from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; a master’s and baccalaureate degree in public health from the University of Toledo; and an associate in applied sciences degree in dental hygiene from Michael J. Owens Technical College in Toledo, Ohio.
Chancellor Brown is originally from the Midwest, and she and her husband of 35 years, Dennis, live in Cullowhee.
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY – 2025-26 WCU DANCE TEAM
Western Carolina had struggled through its first 15 seasons of football with only two winning seasons in two decades, but all that frustration was forgotten in 1949 when Coach Tom Young completed a four-year, post-World War II building program with an 8-2 regular season and the school’s first North State Conference championship and first postseason appearance.
The Cats, led by a stingy defense, won its first five games and allowed only two touchdowns in those victories. The only blemishes on the season were non-conference losses to Maryville (20-13) and Emory & Henry (27-26) as Western finished unbeaten in conference play.
The team was rewarded by a bid to play in the Smoky Mountain Bowl in Bristol, Va., where the Cats lost to West Liberty State.
Art Byrd, a 165-pound guard, was named to the Associated Press Little All-America Team, Western’s first AllAmerica selection. Linemen Buffalo Humphries and Hugh Constance along with backs Hugh “Pee Wee” Hamilton and Ralph McConnell joined Byrd on the All-North State Conference Team.
Coach Bob Waters, who saw a perfect season and a trip to the NAIA playoffs denied by a loss in the final game of the 1969 season, led WCU to its first NCAA postseason appearance the hard way five years later.
The 1974 Catamounts, playing in a sparkling new stadium, lost their season and stadium opener to visiting Murray State and struggled the next two weeks before establishing themselves as one of the nation’s top NCAA Division II teams.
After the season-opening loss, The Cats continued to struggle offensively for the next two weeks but did manage wins over Tennessee Tech (9-7) and Appalachian State (21-14) with outstanding defense. The offense, behind the running of freshman Darrell Lipford and passing of quarterback Jeff Walker to Jerry Gaines and Eagle Moss, found the right gear and the defense continued its great play. In the process, the Catamounts won nine in a row—including victories over top 10 teams Indiana State and Western Kentucky—and won a bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs where they lost a heartbreaker to No. 1 ranked Louisiana Tech, 10-7.
The 1974 Catamounts finished the season ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press College Division poll and their defense established team records that still stand to this day. Most significant was allowing a mere NINE total touchdowns on the season (eight rushing and one passing) and only three over the last six games. WCU held four opponents out of the endzone and intercepted a combined 21 passes.
JERRY GAINES and linebacker STEVE YATES were first-team All-America selections.
Like the 1974 team, the 1983 Catamounts got off to a slow start by losing its first two games to Clemson and Wake Forest. After the two setbacks, WCU would go through the next 12 Saturdays unbeaten en route to the NCAA Division I-AA championship game – the first by a Southern Conference school.
The winning streak started in the third week of the season when WCU rallied from a 10-point deficit in the closing two minutes to defeat East Tennessee State, 17-16, and ended with a loss to Southern Illinois in the national championship game in Charleston, S.C.
Despite the strong comeback in regular season play that produced an 8-2-1 record and No. 9 national ranking, Waters’ Cats barely made it into the I-AA playoffs. They proved their worthiness the next three weeks with comefrom-behind, heart-stopping wins over Colgate (24-23), Holy Cross (28-21) and Furman (14-7). The win over Furman was particularly pleasing as the teams had tied, 17-17, in the regular season, and allowed the Paladins to win the SoCon title as they had played and won one more league game due to a scheduling quirk. Over 5,000 WCU fans traveled to Greenville, S.C., for the rematch which was aired by CBS-TV.
On the 1983 team, WCU had EIGHT players named AllSoCon with head coach Bob Waters named Coach of the Year. Wide receiver ERIC RASHEED and defensive back TIGER GREENE selected All-America. Seven members of the ‘83 squad went on to play in the NFL and the team set an NCAA record for the most games played (15) in a season.
is a proud sponsor of Western Carolina University
The Southern Conference, which celebrates its 104th year in 2025, is a national leader in emphasizing the development of the studentathlete and in helping to build lifelong leaders and role models.
The Southern Conference has been on the forefront of innovation and originality in developing creative solutions to address issues facing intercollegiate athletics. From establishing the first postseason college basketball tournament (1921), to tackling the issue of freshman eligibility (1922), to developing women’s championships (1984), to becoming the first conference to install the 3-point shot in basketball (1980), the Southern Conference has been a pioneer.
The Southern Conference is the nation’s fifth-oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association. Only the Big Ten (1896), the Missouri Valley (1907), the Pac-12 (1915) and the Southwestern Athletic (1920) conferences are older in terms of origination.
Academic excellence has been a major part of the Southern Conference’s tradition. Hundreds of Southern Conference studentathletes have been recognized on CoSIDA Academic All-America and all-district teams. A total of 20 Rhodes Scholarship winners have been selected from conference institutions, most recently in 2012-13, when former Wofford volleyball player Rachel Woodlee earned the prestigious award.
The conference currently consists of 10 members in six states throughout the Southeast and sponsors 21 varsity sports and championships that produce participants for NCAA Division I Championships.
The Southern Conference offices are located in the historic Beaumont Mill in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A textile mill that was in operation from 1880 until 1999, Beaumont Mill was renovated in 2004 and today offers the league first-class meeting areas and offices as well as a spacious library for storage of the conference’s historical documents.
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE – MEMBERSHIP HISTORY
On Feb. 25, 1921, representatives from 14 of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s (SIAA) 30 members met at Atlanta’s Piedmont Hotel to establish the Southern Intercollegiate Conference. On hand at the inaugural meeting were officials from Alabama, Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn), Clemson, Georgia, Georgia School of Technology (Georgia Tech), Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi A&M (Mississippi State), North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) and Washington & Lee.
Dr. S.V. Sanford of Georgia was chosen as acting chairman and N.W. Dougherty of Tennessee was named secretary. The decision to form a new athletic conference was motivated by the desire to have a workable number of conference games for each league member. With 30 schools in the SIAA by the early 1920s, it was impossible to play every school at least once during the regular
GARDNER-WEBB L, 52-45 at Wake Forest L, 42-10
ELON L, 37-31
SAMFORD * W, 50-35 at Campbell W, 42-35 at Wofford * W, 23-21
FURMAN * W, 52-7
at The Citadel * W, 45-38 at Chattanooga * W, 35-28
#10 MERCER * L, 49-47
ETSU * Nov. 15 – Noon
at VMI * Nov. 22 – Noon
season and many schools went several years between playing some conference members. In addition, in 1920, the SIAA voted down proposed rules that an athlete must be in a college a year before playing on its teams and refused to abolish a rule permitting athletes to play summer baseball for money.
Play began in the fall of 1921, and a year later, six more schools joined the fledgling league, including Tulane (which had attended the inaugural meeting but had elected not to join), Florida, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. VMI joined in 1923 and Duke was added in 1929.
By the 1930s, membership in the Southern Conference had reached 23 schools. C.P. “Sally” Miles of Virginia Tech, president of the Southern Conference, called the annual league meeting to order on Dec. 9, 1932, at the Farragut Hotel in Knoxville, Tenn. There, it announced that 13 institutions west and south of the Appalachian Mountains were reorganizing as the Southeastern Conference. Members of the new league included Alabama, Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Florida, Georgia, Georgia School of Technology, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Mississippi A&M, University of the South, Tennessee, Tulane, and Vanderbilt.
According to the minutes of the meeting, Georgia’s Dr. Sanford stated that the division was made along geographical lines. Florida’s Dr. J.J. Tigert, acting as spokesman for the withdrawing group, regretted the move but believed it was necessary as the Southern Conference had grown too large. The resignations were accepted and the withdrawing schools formed the new league, which began play in 1933.
The SoCon continued with membership of 10 institutions, including Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State,
#1 NORTH DAKOTA ST L, 38-0 at Samford * W, 40-13 at (RV) Gardner-Webb L, 23-13
#25 MERCER * L, 38-0 at (RV) Chattanooga * W, 28-10
VALDOSTA STATE W, 38-14
(RV) W. CAROLINA * L, 45-38 at Furman * L, 24-14
VMI * W, 35-24 at Ole Miss L, 49-0
WOFFORD * Nov. 15 – 2 pm at ETSU * Nov. 22 – 1 pm
MURRAY STATE W, 45-17 at #17 Tennessee L, 72-17 at #25 West Georgia L, 35-31
(RV) ELON W, 26-16
#23 MERCER * L, 38-34 at Furman * L, 31-22
VMI * W, 45-10 at Chattanooga * L, 42-38
WOFFORD * W, 14-10
at Samford * W, 38-14
at #25 W. Carolina * Nov. 15 – Noon
THE CITADEL * Nov. 22 – 1 pm
WILLIAM & MARY W, 23-21
PRESBYTERIAN L, 39-38 (OT) at Campbell W, 28-24
at Samford * W, 31-13
ETSU * W, 31-22
at Western Carolina * L, 52-7
at Wofford * L, 31-13
THE CITADEL * W, 24-14
#13 MERCER * L, 52-28
at Chattanooga * L, 45-28
VMI * Nov. 15 – 1 pm
vs #7 UC Davis No Contest (weather)
PRESBYTERIAN L, 15-10
WOFFORD * W, 22-21 at The Citadel * W, 38-0 at ETSU * W, 38-34
SAMFORD * W, 45-21
at Princeton * W, 38-14
VMI * W, 62-0
at Furman * W, 52-28
at #24 W. Carolina * W, 49-47
WEST GEORGIA L, 34-3
THE CITADEL * L, 40-13
at Baylor L, 42-7
at Western Carolina * L, 50-35
FURMAN * L, 31-13
at #24 Mercer * L, 45-21
at VMI * W, 24-22
CHATTANOOGA * L, 49-13
at Wofford * L, 26-16
ETSU * L, 38-14
South Carolina, Virginia, VMI, Virginia Tech and Washington & Lee.
The second major shift occurred some 20 years later. By 1952, the Southern Conference included 17 colleges and universities. Another split occurred when seven schools – Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest – departed to form the Atlantic Coast Conference, which began play in 1953. The revamped Southern Conference included members The Citadel, Davidson, Furman, George Washington, Richmond, VMI, Virginia Tech, Washington & Lee, West Virginia and William & Mary.
A third major shift occurred in 2012-13, when five members announced their departures and three schools were added. College of Charleston announced its decision to leave for the Colonial Athletic Association following the 2012-13 season, while Appalachian State (Sun Belt), Davidson (Atlantic 10), Elon (Colonial) and Georgia Southern (Sun Belt) announced they would depart following the 2013-14 campaign. At the Southern Conference’s 2013 spring meetings in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the league officially extended invitations to former members ETSU and VMI, as well as Mercer, to join the league for the 2014-15 academic year. Today, the league continues to thrive with a membership that includes 10 institutions and a footprint that spans six states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Current league members are The Citadel, ETSU, Furman, Mercer, UNCG, Samford, Chattanooga, VMI, Western Carolina and Wofford. In the summer of 2025, the SoCon announced that Tennessee Tech will join as a full member in the summer of 2026, bringing the league's active full-time membership to 11 schools.
STETSON * W, 63-0
at #3 Tarleton State L, 52-24
THE CITADEL * L, 28-10 at VMI * W, 21-14
ETSU * W, 42-38 at Samford * W, 49-13
(RV) W. CAROLINA * L, 35-28
FURMAN * W, 45-28
at Clemson * Nov. 22 – 4:30 pm at Memphis L, 45-10 at #17 Tennessee Tech L, 45-17
CHATTANOOGA * Nov. 16 – 3 pm at Auburn Nov. 22 – 2 pm
at Austin Peay Nov. 15 – 2 pm at Texas A&M Nov. 22 – Noon
at #8/8 Mercer * Nov. 15 – 3 pm
at Wofford * Nov. 22 – 1:30 pm
at (RV) Navy L, 52-7
FERRUM W, 42-7
at Bucknell L, 35-28 at Richmond L, 38-14
CHATTANOOGA * L, 21-14 at ETSU * L, 45-10
SAMFORD * L, 24-22 at Mercer * L, 62-0
at The Citadel * L, 35-24
WOFFORD * L, 52-10
at Furman * Nov. 15 – 1 pm
WESTERN CAROLINA * Nov. 22 – Noon
at S.C. State L, 16-15
RICHMOND L, 14-10 at #22 Mercer * L, 22-21 at Virginia Tech L, 38-6
WESTERN CAROLINA * L, 23-21
NORFOLK STATE W, 31-14
FURMAN * W, 31-13 at ETSU * L, 14-10
SAMFORD * W, 26-16
at VMI * W, 52-10
at The Citadel * Nov. 15 – 2 pm
CHATTANOOGA * Nov. 22 – 1:30 pm
Construction of E.J. Whitmire Stadium was completed in 1974 at an initial cost of $1.66 million that was granted by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1971. The new facility, located on the southern-most expanse of Western Carolina University's Cullowhee campus, replaced Memorial Stadium and included the construction of the Jordan-Phillips Field House.
Dedicated on October 5, 1974, the Catamounts defeated Morehead State, 31-12, in their second game at the new facility. Murray State won the first-ever game played on the artificial surface at Whitmire Stadium on Sept. 14, 1974. That 1974 team went on to win nine-straight games and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs, boasting one of the program's greatest defenses.
Over the years, Western Carolina has posted highlight victories at the facility including wins over nationally-ranked squads such as No. 2 Marshall in 1992; sixth-ranked Appalachian State in 1998 to regain the Old Mountain Jug; and thanks to five interceptions, a win over No. 2 Furman, 41-21, in 2005.
Goal posts have also been removed from the premises on several occasions. Brad Hoover set a stadium and school-record with 49 rushing attempts in 1998 as WCU upset Appalachian State, ending a 13-year losing skid its archrival. In 2004, Western Carolina again reclaimed the Jug, posting a dramatic, 30-27, comefrom-behind win over the Apps, and the goalposts fell once again in what was the program’s 100th victory at Whitmire Stadium.
In 2006, Western Carolina’s defense recorded five interceptions and Darius Fudge rushed for 133 yards on offense to lead the Catamounts to a 41-21 victory over second-ranked Furman, setting the stage for another goalpost celebration.
The stadium has also hosted numerous television games over the years. One of the earliest came in 1978 as ABC showcased the Catamounts and Mountaineers from Cullowhee. Other broadcasts include ESPNU, SportSouth, Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS-TV) and most recently, the combined efforts of WLOS-TV and WMYA-TV in Asheville, as well as through the Nexstar Network / SoCon Games of the Week airing on The CW62 locally.
Currently with 13,790 seats, the football facility is located on the south end of the WCU campus and is bordered by the picturesque Cullowhee Creek on the west side; Jordan-Phillips Field House and WCU Weight Room on its north end; and the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center, which in addition to serving as the home venue for men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball also features the Dale and Diane Hollifield Football Locker Room, WCU Football Offices and Team Room as well as the athletic training / sports medicine facilities.
Construction Completed: June, 1974
West Side Stands Completed: August, 2003
Current Seating Capacity: 13,790
Playing Field: Bob Waters Field, Artificial Turf (IRONTURF)
First game: Sept. 14, 1974 vs. Murray State (WCU lost 10-3)
Dedicated: Oct. 5, 1974 vs. Morehead State (WCU won 31-12)
Largest Attendance: 15,247 on Nov. 12, 1994 vs. Appalachian State
BOB WATERS FIELD PLAYING SURFACE / FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS:
Western Carolina first installed AstroTurf on the playing surface in 1974. A similar product material was used in replacing the artificial surface several times. Following the facilities’ silver anniversary in 1999, a newer version of synthetic grass called AstroPlay was installed in 2000 for a cost of $1.2 million and was the surface that adorned Waters Field for the next eight years.
Amidst the 2008 season, the artificial surface was replaced by the Carolina Green Corporation which installed the Desso Challenge Pro 2 turf, a product of the overseas Desso Sports Systems. That surface remained until the summer of 2020 when Waters Field received a new surface. Designed by Woolpert, Inc., of Charlotte and executed by GeoSurfaces Southeast Inc., out of Mooresville, N.C., the group handled the removal and demolition of the old synthetic surface and replacing it with a new turf called “IronTurf” over a shock pad. The 2020 project also included resurfacing the perimeter immediately around the field and the addition of a new synthetic turf sled and practice area referred to as the “Hog Pit.”
In 2002, the creation of a $93,000 Team Room complete with meeting and office space, as well as storage, was completed on the second floor of the Ramsey Center.
Prior to the 2003 season, more facility improvements and upgrades to the stadium were completed. A $3.1 million addition featured a 4,000-seat West Side grandstand seating area that included concessions and restroom facilities as well as new, updated lighting. The weight room in the Jordan-Phillips Field House was expanded, nearly doubling its previous capacity which also added a hospitality patio that overlooks the stadium on the north end zone. It also includes additional team meeting space, computer lab and visiting team locker room. The field house and East Side stands were also bricked to match the brickwork of the Ramsey Center and of the new West Side stands.
Also, on Sept., 16, 2006, the Dale & Diane Hollifield Football Locker Room facility located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center was dedicated. At a cost of $225,000, the 100-plus locker facility was expanded with beautiful, wooden lockers located throughout.
During the off-season prior to the 2010 campaign, a new Daktronics scoreboard with HD video screen were installed in the south end zone – Ramsey Center end – of the facility. It marked the first true video board at the stadium, though the scoreboard
when it was in the northwest corner of the endzone had a digital message board. Nicknamed "PurpleVision" at its inception, the video screen measures 17-feet tall by 32-feet wide and includes a scoreboard with a matching score and time board adhered to the facade of the Jordan-Phillips Field House and controlled through wireless communication.
STADIUM BENEFACTORS AND NAMESAKES:
Western Carolina’s football facilities are named after two prominent figures in Catamount Athletics. The late E.J. WHITMIRE, for whom the stadium is named, spent most of his adult life involved with the University. An educator, contractor, agriculturalist and public servant, Whitmire – from nearby Franklin, N.C. – served WCU for more than a quarter century with the attitude, leadership and “get it done” ability that made him successful in every walk of life.
Whitmire was on the WCU Board of Trustees from 1949-72 and was the driving force behind the University’s unparalleled period of growth. His tireless work served as the cornerstone of the structure that now bears his name. His construction company prepared most of the stadium site gratis. He was granted the Patron Award in the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.
In 1988, the playing surface where ROBERT LEE "BOB" WATERS made a name for himself in the coaching and administrative ranks while also putting WCU football in the national spotlight was dedicated in his honor and memory.
Bob Waters served as the University’s head football coach for 20 years and worked in a dual capacity as its athletics director for 15 years. During his tenure, he became the school’s winningest football coach with 116 victories, 13 winning seasons and top 10 national finishes at three different levels – NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I-AA, now FCS). He also had the privilege of coaching 13 national All-Americans and 36 All-Southern Conference players.
As athletics director, Waters directed the school’s rise from NAIA to NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I competition and move into the Southern Conference in 1976. He was also instrumental in the planning and constructing of Whitmire Stadium, Childress Field (baseball) and the Ramsey Center.
Waters died on May 29, 1989 following a six-year battle with amyotrophic lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He was posthumously inducted into the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.
Kirk Roach was Western Carolina’s – and the Southern Conference’s – first, three-time All-America Selection (1984, 1986 and 1987) ... He additionally was the first player in league history to be a fourtime, first team All-SoCon selection (1984-87), an accomplishment which has since been duplicated just three other times ... Continues to rank as Western Carolina’s all-time scoring leader with 302 points ... He connected on 71-of-101 (70.3-percent) field goals in his career and only missed one extra point, making 89-of-90 (98.9-percent) .... Roach also still holds the distinction of being the highest Catamount taken in the NFL draft, selected in the fifth round overall by the Buffalo Bills in 1987 ... Was listed on the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame divisional ballot. Inducted into the WCU Hall of Fame in 1996; his jersey was honored at WCU in 2006 and he was inducted into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame in 2021.
Jerry Gaines was an Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association All-America selection in 1974 ... Also earned All-America honors in baseball and track & field while at WCU ... He set Western Carolina records with 3,449 career receiving yards, a average of 20.6 yards per reception for his career and finished 15 games with over 100 receiving yards ... Only the second Western Carolina University football player to have his jersey retired.
Inducted into the Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.
Brad Hoover starred at tailback for the Catamounts from 1996 through 1999 before playing 10 seasons for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League. Affectionally known as "Hoov," Hoover ranks third in Western Carolina football history with 3,616 career rushing yards, trailing just secondplace Detrez Newsome (3,728 yards from 2014-17) and all-time leader Darrell Lipford, (4,089 yards from 1974-77). His career tally includes a WCU single-season record of 1,663 rushing yards in 1998 which came on a single-season best 331 carries. Hoover's 708 career rushes additionally rank him third in program history, finishing fourth with a 5.10 career rushing average and tied for eighth with 23 scores on the ground. During his recordsetting 1998 season, Hoover keyed an upset of archrival Appalachian State by rushing for 195 yards on a school single-game record 49 carries. WCU upended the second-ranked Mountaineers 23-6 in Cullowhee, returning the "Old Mountain Jug" to Cullowhee. Hoover was a 2008 inductee into Western Carolina's Athletics Hall of Fame and a two-time All-SoCon selection at running back.
Art Byrd was the first football All-America selection at Western Carolina, playing guard on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball ... Helped the Catamounts to an 8-2 regular-season mark in 1949 and their first North State Conference title ... That team additionally holds the distinction of being WCU’s first team to earn a postseason bid, playing in the Smoky Mountain Bowl (Bristol, Va.) ... Art Byrd was the first Western Carolina University student-athlete to have a jersey and a number retired. Inducted into the Western Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990.
Western Carolina continues a tradition resumed in 2009, returning the “Victory Bell” – a mounted, transportable bell that rings the football team’s arrival for pre-game and also accompanies the “Pride of the Mountains” Marching Band and the Catamount Cheerleaders in their pregame parades to E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.
Whereas the bell is a relatively new tradition, it is actually the re-birth of an old tradition on the WCU campus as is noted on the plaque which adorns the Alumni Bell Tower, the centerpiece in the quad. The tower houses the original “Victory Bell,” which hung in the old Madison Hall from 1904 until 1938 and was run to signal class periods. After the building was torn down, the bell was mounted on a stone base between the Moore and former Joyner Building – which was destroyed by fire – and was rung in celebration of Catamount athletic victories.
The bell was later moved closer to the Old Student Union building before making its last active move in the late 1960s to the lawn of the Hinds University Center.
The bell and its traveling apparatus were designed and constructed by Mr. Ron Bumgarner, an assistant professor of engineering technology at Western Carolina, and several students in his class. 54 41 14 23
65TH NFF ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER PRESENTED BY LAS VEGASHeld on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at the ARIA Resort & Casino is “THE place to connect for the college community.” Hosts the induction of the College Football Hall of Fame Class, the recognition of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments, and the announcement of the William V. Campbell Trophy® recipient.
NFF COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME - Inducting the greatest players and coaches in the history of college football.
NFF WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY® AND NATIONAL SCHOLARATHLETE AWARDS - Awarding the William V. Campbell Trophy® to college football’s top scholar-athlete. Honoring the NFF National ScholarAthlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments. Bestowing postgraduate scholarships. Recognizing Faculty Athletics Representatives.
NFF FUTURE FOR FOOTBALL - Celebrating the positive impact the game has made on millions of players, coaches, administrators, volunteers and fans nationwide.
NFF CHAPTER NETWORK - Distributing $1 million in scholarships annually and holding local events to promote amateur football through 120 chapters in 47 states.
NFF NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARDS AND HATCHELL CUP - Recognizing the nation’s top high school football programs for their efforts in the classroom, on the field and in the community via the National High School Academic Excellence Awards, presented by Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, and the Hatchell Cup, presented by “The Original” Bob’s Steak & Chop House, which is awarded to the best team in the nation.
