2019 Samford Football Game Program--The Alabama A&M Game

2019 FOOTBALL

Nick Nixon Offensive Line

SATURDAY, SEPT. 21

SAMFORD VS. ALABAMA A&M BIRMINGHAM, AL

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Every Bulldog

is energizing.

There’s nothing more exciting than the energy on the field and in the stands.

Whether it’s a cheer from the fans or a big play made on the field, we love to be a part of it all. For more than 100 years, Alabama Power has been proud to provide energy to our community and fans like you.

We proudly support the Samford Bulldogs.

alabamapower.com Š2019 Alabama Power Company

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2019 FOOTBALL

Head Coach Chris Hatcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Football Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Football Support Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Returning Players. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Signees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 National Honors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Today’s Game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Around the SoCon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Fall Sports Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Football Feature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Rosters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Depth Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Sports Feature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Seibert Stadium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Sullivan-Cooney Family Field House. . . . . . . . . 46

Academic Enhancement Program. . . . . . . . . . . 48 Charles Williams Memorial Jersey. . . . . . . . . . 50 Andrew Westmoreland, President. . . . . . . . . . 54 Martin Newton, Athletics Director. . . . . . . . . . 56 Head Coaches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 College Football 150. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Tickets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 NCAA Compliance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Samford University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Hall of Fame. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Southern Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Bulldog Club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Players in the NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Athletics Facilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Editor: Joey Mullins Senior Graphic Designer: Scott Camp Contributors: Erica Eades, Sarah Howard, Leslye Choate, Maggie Rountree Photographers: Bill Dorsten, Marvin Gentry, Chase Cochran, Jimmy Mitchell, David Johnson, contributing NFL teams Produced by Samford Division of Marketing and Communication

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SAMFORD SPONSORSHIPS

VAN WAGNER SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SAMFORD UNIVERSITY 800 LAKESHORE DRIVE BIRMINGHAM, AL 35229

800 THIRD AVE. 28th FL. NEW YORK, NY 10022 212.699.8400

LEON RYAN GENERAL MANAGER JACOB GREER ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE ERICA EADES MARKETING COORDINATOR

RICHARD M. SCHAPS

CHAIRMAN & CEO, VAN WAGNER GROUP

JOHN MASSONI

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, VAN WAGNER GROUP

MIKE PALISI

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

MARK DONLEY

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

DIANA LEPORE

DIRECTOR, MARKETING & OPERATIONS

VAN WAGNER SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment (VWSE) and Samford University athletics announced a long-term partnership naming VWSE as the athletics department’s exclusive multimedia rights partner and sales agent for the department’s corporate sponsorship program in the summer of 2017.

As part of the agreement, the VWSE Collegiate Services division oversees the locally based operation, Samford Sponsorships, which will work with university leadership to enhance the overall gameday experience, and create unique and meaningful opportunities for the program’s sponsors, business partners and a growing and dedicated Bulldogs fan base.

The VWSE team, in collaboration with the Samford athletics department, handles management, sales and integration of corporate sponsorship on all levels within multimedia resources, including the Bulldogs’ digital assets, venue signage, marketing, promotional rights to athletics marks and hospitality.

For more information please contact General Manager Leon Ryan at 205-726-4717.

SOCIAL MEDIA Samford fans can keep up with the Bulldogs 24/7 through the following social media outlets: SamfordSports samford_sports samfordsportsnetwork samfordsports INTERNET The official website of Samford University athletics is samfordsports.com. A partnership of Samford athletics and SideArm Sports, the internet home of the Bulldogs, is full of the most up-to-date information on football and Samford’s 16 other varsity sports. With news stories, coaches’ and student-athletes’ biographies, plus team rosters, statistics, schedules, game notes, 2

results and video, the most comprehensive coverage of the Bulldogs can always be found online at samfordsports.com.

BROADCASTS For the fifth-straight season, Samford’s home games will be broadcast live on ESPN platforms. Three of the five home games during the 2019 season can be seen on ESPN+, while the home games versus Alabama A&M and Chattanooga will air on ESPN3. For the ESPN broadcasts, Curt Bloom will handle play-by-play duties and Chad Pilcher will serve as color analyst.

Both ESPN3 and ESPN+ can be accessed via the ESPN App across most internet-connected media devices or on ESPN.com.

ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment in conjunction with ESPN. It offers fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports from more than 15 conferences), exclusive Top Rank boxing, UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby, cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

It is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App, the leading sports app and the premier all-in-one digital sports platform for fans, and is also be available through ESPN.com.

2019 FOOTBALL

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Bulldogs Head Coach

Chris Hatcher

Chris Hatcher was named Samford’s 36th head football coach on Dec. 11, 2014.

Now entering his fifth season at Samford, Hatcher boasts a career record of 148-76 in 19 years as a college head coach, having previously coached at Murray State, Georgia Southern and Valdosta State.

Hatcher’s 2018 team posted the program’s eighth-straight winning season, the longest streak in program history. Also during the season, quarterback Devlin Hodges became the FCS’ all-time leader in career passing yards. Hodges also earned the highest individual honor at the FCS level, winning the Walter Payton Award. Additionally, he was named the Southern Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year for a third-straight season.

Also in 2018, Hodges set school records for single-season completions (388), attempts (550) and passing yards (4,283). Hodges was named the SoCon’s Offensive Player of the Year and a third team All-American at the conclusion of the season.

In 2017, Hatcher led the team to an 8-4 record and a spot in the NCAA Division I-FCS Playoffs for a second-straight season for the first time since 1992.

As a unit, the 2016 Samford offense ranked third among all FCS schools in passing offense, averaging 349.4 passing yards per game. The offense also ranked sixth in the nation in red zone offense (90.2%), 11th in team passing efficiency (155.24), 12th in scoring offense (35.1 ppg.) and 14th in total offense (446.2 ypg.).

In his first season at Samford in 2015, Hatcher put his stamp on the Bulldog program. Samford finished the season third in the nation in passing offense (332.9 ypg.), seventh in the nation in total offense (479.7 ypg.) and seventh in fourth down 4

conversions (66.7%). Hatcher’s special teams also stood out, ranking fifth nationally in kickoff return average (24.34 ypr.).

Hatcher led the Bulldogs to a 6-5 record that first season, ending the season with a pair of impressive Southern Conference road wins at Wofford and Mercer. The 2015 team also produced a pair of All-Americans in cornerback James Bradberry and place-kicker Anthony Pistelli.

Hatcher came to Samford after serving as the head coach at Murray State University from 2010 to 2014. In five seasons as the head coach of the Racers, Hatcher’s teams employed the high-powered “Hatch Attack” offense to top the Division I-FCS football charts. In 2014, the Racers ranked second in the nation in passing offense, averaging 327.2 yards per game. The team also ranked 15th in total offense at 468.3 yards per contest.

MSU used a balanced attack in 2013. The Racers rushed the ball 424 times, while throwing it 458, in averaging 398.6 yards of offense.

The 2012 Murray State offense led the Ohio Valley Conference for the third-straight season.

The 2011 season saw the Racers go 7-4 and post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 1999-2000 seasons.

The Racer offense was among the most prolific in the nation as MSU ranked third in scoring offense, fourth in total offense and seventh in passing offense.

In 2010, the Racer offense led the OVC in passing offense, total offense and scoring offense, while ranking fourth nationally in passing offense, fifth in total offense and fifth in scoring offense.

Hatcher served as the head coach at Georgia Southern from 2007 to 2009.

In his first season with the Eagles in 2007, Hatcher led GSU to the second-best regular season turnaround in program history, a plus-four improvement from 2006. The Eagles ranked among the national leaders in various categories on offense, defense and special teams.

2019 FOOTBALL

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He also coached quarterback Jayson Foster, the second Walter Payton Award winner at GSU.

The prolific offense ranked first in rushing, eighth in total offense, eighth in scoring offense and 23rd in sacks allowed.

The 2008 season saw Hatcher guide the Eagles to the program’s 25th winning season in 27 years.

Prior to his time at GSU, Hatcher molded Valdosta State into one of the most dominant teams in Division II.

The winningest coach in Blazers’ history, Hatcher was 76-12 at his alma mater. In his first year back at VSU, Hatcher took a 4-7 squad the previous year and produced a 10-2 overall record (8-1 in GSC action), and a berth in the Division II playoffs. He coached quarterback Dusty Bonner, who was a twotime winner of the Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II Player of the Year, an award Hatcher won himself in 1994.

His 2001 and 2002 teams posted back-toback undefeated records during the regular season, part of a Gulf South Conference record 35 straight victories during the regular season.

During the 2004 national championship season, the Blazers lost their season-opener before rattling off 13 consecutive victories, capped by a 36-31 victory over Pittsburg State in the title game.

Hatcher was named National Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.

In 2005, Valdosta opened the season ranked No. 1 for four-straight weeks and saw the season culminate with a sixth-straight NCAA postseason appearance.

The 2006 team finished sixth nationally in passing offense (283 yards per game), 12th in scoring offense (34.9 ppg.) and 19th in total offense (389.9 ypg.).

The Macon, Ga., native spent one year as quarterbacks/tight ends coach at the University of Central Florida where he worked with future NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper. He then spent three years working with the quarterbacks at the University of Kentucky, where he worked under former VSU head coach Hal Mumme. During his 6

time with the Wildcats, he coached the No. 1 NFL draft pick, All-America quarterback Tim Couch.

Hatcher carried his success on the playing field to help him develop into one of the nation’s winningest coaches. A two-time All-American quarterback at VSU (1993 and 1994), Hatcher threw for 11,363 yards and 121 touchdowns during his stellar career. During his senior year in 1994, he led the Blazers to their first postseason berth, advancing to the quarterfinals, and, when it was all said and done, set 29 VSU passing and total offense records.

Not only did Hatcher excel on the field, he was just as successful in the classroom.

Twice he received the Gulf South Conference’s Commissioner’s Trophy which is awarded to the league’s Most Outstanding Student-athlete. He finished his senior year by winning several national honors including: the NCAA Top Eight Award, the CoSIDA Academic All-America National Player of the Year, and a postgraduate scholarship from the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.

At the time when Hatcher won the Harlon Hill Trophy, he won by the second-largest voting margin in the then-19-year history of the award. Hatcher was also voted to the GSC Football team of the 1990s.

The honors continued to add up even after his playing days. Hatcher was named to the Valdosta State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001, in his first year of eligibility. He was also elected into the Macon Sports Hall of Fame the same year.

In 2005, Hatcher was inducted into the Division II Hall of Fame. Hatcher was also inducted into the inaugural class of the GSC Hall of Fame in 2014.

Hatcher graduated from Valdosta State in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education.

He and his wife, Lori, also a graduate of VSU, are the parents of a son, Ty, and daughter, Talley. Ty is entering his second season as a quarterback on the Samford team.

2019 FOOTBALL

Football Staff

Bill D’Ottavio

Russ Callaway

Shawn Bostick

Kynjee Cotton

Darius Eubanks

Jamael Lett

Ross Newton

Michael Nysewander

Assistant Head Coach Defensive Coordinator

Safeties

Offensive Coordinator

Secondary

Offensive Line

Linebackers

Defensive Line

Running Backs

Derrick Sherman Wide Receivers

Kentwan Balmer Defensive Analyst

Ricky Turner

Steve Adams

Ben Ashford

Special Teams Coordinator/ Tight Ends

Director of Player Personnel

Director of Football Strength and Conditioning

James Carlson

Jackson Hadley

Courtland Hays

Director of Equipment Services

Offensive Analyst

Offensive Analyst

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Support Staff

Kendall Johnson Operations/Recruiting Analyst

Aaron Keefer Defensive Analyst

Javier King

Special Teams Student Assistant

Paige Mathis

Assistant Athletics Director for Academics

C

M

Y

J.R. Odom Defensive Analyst

Ben Olinger

Offensive/Special Teams Analyst

Andre Roper State Trooper

Rocky Sabbatini Football Video Coordinator

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Tanner Schultheis

Director of Football Operations

Will Word

Head Football Athletic Trainer

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Nick Serritelli State Trooper

Max Spittler Offensive Analyst

Wes Wilhoite

Assistant Director of Equipment Services

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2019 PLAYERS FRESHMAN

4

C.J. Ackles

27

Kendall Adams

SENIOR

16

Robert Adams

JUNIOR

31

Lamar Anderson

SENIOR

11

Aaron Atkinson

DB

DB

WR

DB

LB

FRESHMAN

SENIOR

JUNIOR

SOPHOMORE

SOPHOMORE

61

Sean Barden

5

Nick Barton

80

Will Bazemore

70

J.D. Beall

44

Tay Berry

DL

DB

WR

OL

DL

SOPHOMORE

JUNIOR

JUNIOR

FRESHMAN

SENIOR

26

Ty Boles

32

John Booth

90

Garrett Brasher

32

Walter Brooks

RB

RB

DL

WR

JUNIOR

JUNIOR

FRESHMAN

JUNIOR

30

Jake Burdeshaw

DB

10

SOPHOMORE

89

Robert Burke

WR

31

Jacob Carson

WR

23

William Bryant

DB SENIOR

35

21

Joshua Carter

D’Marcus Crawford

DB

WR

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samfordsports.com JUNIOR

19

Jai’Rus Creamer

WR SENIOR

71

Anthony Eads

OL JUNIOR

86

Sam Fleming

WR FRESHMAN

83

Titus Gardner

WR FRESHMAN

65/94

Austin Guyse

OL

12

JUNIOR

10

Cooper Cross

QB SOPHOMORE

22

SOPHOMORE

55

SOPHOMORE

12

JUNIOR

28

Caleb Dale

William D’Armond

LB

QB

TE

SOPHOMORE

SENIOR

SOPHOMORE

4

Pete Dorsten

17

8

Mitchell Fineran

Nathan East

Grayson Edgemon

Yassar El-Amin

LB

QB

WR

K

JUNIOR

SENIOR

JUNIOR

SENIOR

26

Tre’Shun Floyd

81

Justin Foster

56

10

Koi Freeman

Lewis Freeman

LB

DL

DB

LS

SOPHOMORE

FRESHMAN

JUNIOR

SENIOR

58

Jeremy Garth

38

Dorien Gooch

76

95

Brett Granger

George Grimwade

DL

LB

DL

OL

SOPHOMORE

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

JUNIOR

19

Chance Hall

DB

18

Ty Hatcher

QB

15

80

Justin Hayes

DL

Ty Herring

DB

2019 FOOTBALL

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samfordsports.com SENIOR

41

Luke Hill

FRESHMAN

11

49

Ryan Holcomb

Will Hudson

SOPHOMORE

94

Nelson Jordan

WR

LB

QB

DL

JUNIOR

SENIOR

JUNIOR

SENIOR

48

Jaleel Laguins

98

77

Nate Lee

Armond Lloyd

75

Brendan Loftus

LB

OL

DL

OL

SENIOR

FRESHMAN

SOPHOMORE

FRESHMAN

18

Christian Matthew

13

35

Joseph Mera

Jordan Montgomery

36

Jonathan Moore

DB

DL

DB

DB

SENIOR

SENIOR

JUNIOR

SOPHOMORE

43

Jalen Nash

2

57

Nick Nixon

Chris Oladokun

72/98 Gavin Orr

DL

OL

QB

OL

JUNIOR

SOPHOMORE

SOPHOMORE

SOPHOMORE

2

Coutrell Plair

DB

14

SENIOR

42

14

Torrence Pollard

WR

Bradley Porcellato

P

37

Tucker Queen

DB

FRESHMAN

12

Ty King

WR JUNIOR

91

Joshua Long

DL FRESHMAN

52

Beau Myers

OL SENIOR

79

Matthew Pittarelli

OL FRESHMAN

67

Peter Renkoski

OL

We’re your biggest fan.

At BBVA, we’re proud to be a part of Birmingham and we’re committed to supporting everything that makes our community a great place to live.

Good luck Bulldogs! We’re behind you 110%.

Andrea Smith Birmingham CEO 205.297.3909

BBVA and BBVA Compass are trade names of BBVA USA, a member of the BBVA Group.

BBVA USA, Member FDIC. Rev. 07/2019

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samfordsports.com FRESHMAN

37

Peyton Ringer

22

Jeremiah Roberts

FRESHMAN

68

Scotty Rogers

WR

RB

OL

FRESHMAN

SENIOR

JUNIOR

60

92

Braeden Royal

Tyler Russell

9

Moise Satine

DL

LS

RB

SOPHOMORE

FRESHMAN

JUNIOR

29

34

Antwione Sims

Chandler Smith

33

John Staton

RB

WR

LB

SOPHOMORE

SENIOR

FRESHMAN

51

Adam Thomas

59

Grant Urenovitch

9

Chase Volpi

SOPHOMORE

36

Conner Rohling

FRESHMAN

38

William Roseman

WR

K

FRESHMAN

SENIOR

42

1

Trent Shedd

Chris Shelling

LB

WR

SOPHOMORE

SOPHOMORE

93

Champ Stewart

69

Emmett Taliaferro

TE

DL

FRESHMAN

SOPHOMORE

17

6

Devan Walker

DeMarcus Ware

LS

K

DB

RB

RB

JUNIOR

SOPHOMORE

JUNIOR

JUNIOR

FRESHMAN

4

Montrell Washington

WR

16

SOPHOMORE

84

Kendall Watson

RB

7

Liam Welch

QB

50

Mike Williams

OL

53

Camren Wood

LS

2019 FOOTBALL

Advance your career with an M.B.A.

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Designed for the working professional, all classes are offered online or on campus in the evening.

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Concentrations in entrepreneurship, finance and marketing are available in addition to a number of dual degree programs.

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samfordsports.com FRESHMAN

46

Slade Ziegler

LB

2019 SIGNEES FRESHMAN

64

Daniel Bettis

15

Cade Blackmon

FRESHMAN

74

Kasra Bojnordi

FRESHMAN

78

Chance Butts

FRESHMAN

54

Luke Byrne

DL

QB

OL

OL

OL

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

47

39

Trimarcus Cheeks

Chris Edmonds

23

Bradley Ellis

LB

WR

WR

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

97

41

Austin Hughes

LB

18

FRESHMAN

6

Nick Jackson

Fletcher Jennings

DL

QB

99

Jamal Ellis

87

Jason Houston

DL

WR

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

24

73

Jocquet Jiles

William Lawrence

RB

OL

2019 FOOTBALL

AT RISK FOR

Concussion In case of medical emergency, call 911 or go directly to your local ER

A concussion

is an injury caused by a blow to the head in which the brain moves rapidly and may collide with the inside of the skull. Even a minor fall or collision may be of concern, so be alert to symptoms such as headaches, unsteadiness, confusion or other types of abnormal behavior. Any athlete with a suspected concussion: n n n n

Should be IMMEDIATELY REMOVED FROM PLAY/ACTIVITY Should be evaluated right away by a doctor/healthcare professional Should not be left alone Should not drive a motor vehicle

Children’s Sports Medicine Behavioral Health

www.ChildrensAL.org/concussion For a Concussion Clinic appointment,

call 205.934.1041

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19

samfordsports.com FRESHMAN

25

Miles Morris

45

Thomas Neville

FRESHMAN

16

Sam Rogers

WR

LB

WR

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

3

A.J. Toney

WR

20

FRESHMAN

88

Michael Vice

TE

40

Donovahn Wyatt

LB

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

20

25

Kyle Ross

DB

Jay Stanton

RB

2019 FOOTBALL

Sam works hard...

...and so do we. Blue Cross makes finding a doctor simple, even when out-of-state.

So no matter how far you travel to cheer on the Bulldogs, we work hard behind the scenes to cover what matters.

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PROUD SPONSOR OF SAMFORD ATHLETICS 21

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We come together

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BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham is where your best games are played, and it’s where we love to cheer on our team. We share your team spirit and your love for the community we’re all a part of. You make Birmingham better every day, and you inspire us to make banking easier, so we all have more time to enjoy life as we take our next step together in this place we call home.

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2019 FOOTBALL

Proud Supporter of Samford Athletics

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All-Americans and National Honors

24

Austin Barnard Fred Bishop Bobby Bowden James Bradberry Wally Burnham Norman Cooper Marcus Durgin

Surkano Edwards Cortland Finnegan Jimbo Fisher Sam Goldman Ahmad Gooden

Karel Hamilton Tim Hamrick Efrem Hill Harold Hill Devlin Hodges

Scott Holmes Harley Hopkins Bobby Jackson Anthony Jordan Nelson Jordan Jim Lovette Kelvin McKnight Joe Milazzo Anthony Pistelli David Primus Shaheed Salmon Justin Shade Bryce Smith Bennie Story James Tarrant Jaquiski Tartt Fabian Truss Mike Williams

All-Americans 2017, Punter (3rd Team, AP, Phil Steele) 1999, Linebacker 1952, Quarterback 2015, Cornerback (3rd Team, STATS) 1963, Linebacker 1936, Center 1991, Cornerback (2nd Team, Sports Network; 3rd Team, AP) 1992, Cornerback (3rd Team, AP) 1992, Running Back (HM, Sports Network) 2002, Safety; 2003, Safety (3rd Team); 2005, Safety (AFCA) 1987, Quarterback 1940, End 2017, Defensive Lineman (1st Team, AFCA, Phil Steele, Walter Camp; 2nd Team, AP, STATS) 2016, Wide Receiver (1st Team) 1987, Punter 2003, Wide Receiver; 2004, Wide Receiver 1937, End 2016, Quarterback (3rd Team); 2017, Quarterback (2nd Team, AFCA); 2018, Quarterback (1st Team, Consensus) 1994, Punter 1938, End 1962, Quarterback 1994, Running Back 2018 Defensive Lineman (Freshman All-American) 1966, Running Back 2017, Wide Receiver (2nd Team, AFCA; 3rd Team, STATS; 4th Team, Phil Steele) 1960, Quarterback 2015, Kicker (1st Team, AP, Walter Camp) 1989, Kick Returner 2017, Linebacker (3rd Team, STATS; 4th Team, Phil Steele) 2013, Linebacker (1st Team) 2010, Linebacker 1961, Defensive Tackle 1940, End (Honorable Mention); 1941, End (3rd Team) 2012, Safety (1st Team); 2013, Safety (2nd Team); 2014, Safety (1st Team) 2012, Kick Returner (2nd Team); 2013, All-Purpose (1st Team) 2017 Offensive Lineman (Freshman All-American)

Jefferson Adcock Joe Collins Devlin Hodges

Graham Lemmond Ty Levie Michael O’Neal

Other National Honors 2007, NFF National Honor Society; 2007, FCS Academic All-Star 2011, Capital One Academic; All-District 2018, Walter Payton Award; 2018, FCSADA Offensive Player of the Year; 2018, Columbus TD Club Offensive Player of the Year 2006, NFF National Honor Society; 2006, FCS Academic All-Star 2009, FCS Academic All-Star; 2009, ESPN The Magazine, Academic All-District 1991, CoSIDA Academic, All-American (2nd Team)

2019 FOOTBALL

TODAY’S GAME opener came in 2013 in a 34-31 loss to Southeastern Louisiana.

Chris Oladokun vs YSU

The Samford football team will play its first home game of the 2019 season when the Bulldogs host the Alabama A&M Bulldogs Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at Seibert Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Curt Bloom will handle the play-by-play, Chad Pilcher will add color commentary and Blake Gardner will serve as the sideline reporter.

The Series The Samford Bulldogs and Alabama A&M Bulldogs will meet for the first time ever in football.

Samford Against SWAC Teams Samford has an all-time record of 4-2-1 against the current members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), but this is the first time Samford has ever played Alabama A&M. Samford has played the following SWAC teams: Alabama State (0-1-1) and Alcorn State (4-1-1).

Samford at Seibert Stadium Samford has an all-time record of 167-78-4 in games played at Seibert Stadium. This season, Samford has five home games on its schedule, and Saturday’s game is the first of those contests.

Last season, Samford posted a record of 4-1 in home games. In the last eight years, Samford has a combined record of 34-10 when playing in the friendly confines of Seibert Stadium.

Samford in Home Openers Samford has an all-time record of 67-28-7 in home opening games.

Last season, Samford played Shorter University in its home opener, earning a 66-9 victory.

Samford has won its last five home openers, and the Bulldogs are 4-0 in home openers under head coach Chris Hatcher. Samford’s last loss in a home

Samford Versus In-state Teams Samford has an all-time record of 87-117-17 against college teams from the state of Alabama, though Saturday’s game is the team’s first ever against Alabama A&M. Samford’s last game against an in-state opponent came on Sept. 7, 2017, when the Bulldogs earned a 49-41 win over West Alabama.

Samford has played the following in-state teams: Alabama (0-20-1), Alabama Presbyterian (5-0), Alabama State (0-1-1), UAB (1-0), Athens State (1-1), Auburn (0-27-1), Birmingham-Southern (16-10-6), Faulkner (1-0), Jacksonville State (21-23-2), Miles (3-0), North Alabama (5-6-2), Southern of Greensboro (2-1- 1), Spring Hill (10-8-2), Stillman (2-0), Troy (9-14) and West Alabama (11-6-1).

Hatcher’s Offenses Produce Through his first four-plus seasons, Samford head coach Chris Hatcher’s offenses have averaged more points than under any other head coach in program history. Entering this week’s game, Hatcher’s teams have averaged 32.80 points per game, ahead of Bobby Bowden’s 28.57 average.

The average is also the highest in the SoCon during the last four seasons. Below is a list of the top five head coaches in points per game in school history.

Samford Coaches Ranked By Points Per Game (Min. 10 games) Coach (Years) PPG Chris Hatcher (2015-Pres.)

32.80 Bobby Bowden (1959-62) 28.57 Terry Bowden (1987-92) 27.92 Bill Gray (2001-06) 25.68 Pat Sullivan (2007-14) 25.50 On This Date Samford has an all-time record of 3-7 in games played on Sept. 21. The last time the Bulldogs played on the date was in 2013 in a 34-31 loss to Southeastern Louisiana.

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Around the SoCon STANDINGS (AS OF SEPT. 10)

SOCON OVERALL TEAM RECORD PCT HOME AWAY NEUTRAL RECORD PCT HOME AWAY NEUTRAL Mercer 1-0 1.000 0-0 1-0 0-0 2-0 1.000 0-0 2-0 0-0 Chattanooga 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 .500 1-0 0-1 0-0 ETSU 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 .500 1-0 0-1 0-0 Furman 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 .500 1-0 0-1 0-0 VMI 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 .500 1-0 0-1 0-0 Wofford 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 .000 0-0 0-1 0-0 Samford 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-2 .000 0-0 0-1 0-1 The Citadel 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-2 .000 0-1 0-1 0-0 Western Carolina 0-1 .000 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-2 .000 0-1 0-1 0-0

CHATTANOOGA (1-1, 0-0 SoCon) Last game: at Jacksonville State, L, 20-41 Games Since: at Tennessee (Sept. 14),

vs. James Madison (Sept. 21)

SAMFORD (0-2, 0-0 SoCon) Last game: at Tennessee Tech, L, 58-59 (2OT) Games Since: at Wofford (Sept. 14)

vs. Alabama A&M (Sept. 21)

The CITADEL (0-2, 0-0 SoCon) Last game: at Elon, L, 28-35 Games Since: at Georgia Tech (Sept. 14)

vs. Charleston Southern (Sept. 21)

VMI (1-1, 0-0 SoCon) Last game: vs. Mars Hill, W, 63-21 Games Since: at ETSU (Sept. 14)

vs. Robert Morris (Sept. 21)

ETSU (1-1, 0-0 SoCon) Last game: vs. Shorter, W, 48-10 Games Since: vs. VMI (Sept. 14)

vs. Austin Peay (Sept. 21)

WESTERN CAROLINA (0-2, 0-1 SoCon) Last game: at N.C. State, L, 0-41 Games Since: vs. North Greenville (Sept. 14)

OPEN (Sept. 21)

FURMAN (1-1, 0-0 SoCon) Last game: at Georgia State, L, 42-48 Games Since: at Virginia Tech (Sept. 14)

vs. Mercer (Sept. 21)

WOFFORD (0-1, 0-0 SoCon) Last game: at South Carolina State, L, 13-28 Games Since: vs. Samford (Sept. 14)

vs. Gardner Webb (Sept. 21)

MERCER (2-0, 0-0 SoCon) Last game: at Presbyterian, W, 45-7 Games Since: vs. Austin Peay (Sept. 14)

at Mercer (Sept. 21) 26

For the latest in standings, log on to soconsports.com

2019 FOOTBALL

SAMFORD FALL SPORTS FOOTBALL Aug. 24 Aug. 31 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Sept. 28 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23

vs. Youngstown St.# at Tennessee Tech at Wofford* Alabama A&M The Citadel* Furman* at VMI* ETSU* at Mercer* Chattanooga* at Western Carolina* at Auburn

L, 22-45 L, 58-59 (2OT) 5 p.m.

6 p.m.

2 p.m.

2 p.m.

12:30 p.m.

12 p.m.

6 p.m.

2 p.m.

1 p.m.

TBD

VOLLEYBALL

Aug. 30 vs. LMU# L, 2-3 L, 2-3 Aug. 31 vs. App. State# Aug. 31 at #24 Arizona# W, 3-2 Sept. 6 North Alabama$ W, 3-0 Sept. 7 Jacksonville St.$ W, 3-0 Sept. 7 UAB$ W, 3-1 Sept. 13 at Kennesaw St.% 6 p.m.

Sept. 14 South Alabama% 11 a.m.

Sept. 20 vs. Tulsa^ 1 p.m.

Sept. 21 vs. Northern Kentucky^ 10 a.m.

Sept. 21 at Western Kentucky^ 5 p.m.

Sept. 25 Chattanooga* 7 p.m.

Sept. 27 at Wofford* 5 p.m.

Sept. 28 at The Citadel* 4 p.m. *Southern Conference Game # Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff (Montgomery, Ala.) Oct. 2 at Mercer* 6 p.m.

All times are Central Oct. 11 Furman* 7 p.m.

Oct. 12 UNCG* 5 p.m.

SOCCER Oct. 18 ETSU* 7 p.m.

Aug. 22 UAB T, 0-0 (2OT) Oct. 19 W. Carolina* 5 p.m.

Aug 25 Murray State L, 0-2 Oct. 23 at Chattanooga* 5 p.m.

Aug. 30 Western Kentucky W, 3-2 (2OT) Oct. 25 The Citadel* 7 p.m.

Sept. 1 LSU T, 2-2 (2OT) Oct. 26 Wofford* 5 p.m.

Sept. 5 MTSU W, 3-0 Oct. 30 Mercer* 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 at Florida State 2 p.m.

Nov. 8 at UNCG* 6 p.m.

Sept. 13 Alabama State 7 p.m.

Nov. 9 at Furman* 5 p.m.

Sept. 15 at Auburn 6 p.m.

Nov. 15 at W. Carolina* 5 p.m.

Sept. 19 at Depaul 7 p.m.

Nov. 16 at ETSU* 6 p.m.

Sept. 27 Furman* 7 p.m.

Nov. 22 SoCon Tourn.! TBD Sept. 29 Wofford* 6 p.m.

Nov. 23 SoCon Tourn.! TBD Oct. 4 at ETSU* 7 p.m.

Nov. 24 SoCon Tourn.! TBD Oct. 6 at Western Carolina* 6 p.m.

*Southern Conference Match Oct. 11 at The Citadel* 4 p.m. # Cactus Classic (Tucson, Ariz.)

Oct. 13 at Mercer* 6 p.m. $ Samford Invitational (Pete Hanna Center) Oct. 18 UNCG* 7 p.m. % Kennesaw St. Challenge (Kennesaw, Ga.) ^ Oct. 20 VMI* 6 p.m.

WKU Invitational (Bowling Geen, Ky.) !

SoCon Tournament (Spartanburg, S.C.) Oct. 27 Chattanooga* 1 p.m.

All times are Central TBD Oct. 30 SoCon 1st Round$ Nov. 2 SoCon Quarterfinals$ TBD CROSS COUNTRY Nov. 8 SoCon Semifinals! TBD Sept. 7 Falcon Classic M-2nd/W-1st Nov. 10 SoCon Finals! TBD Sept. 20 Atlanta Track Club TBD *Southern Conference Game Oct. 5 Louisville Classic TBD $ Campus Sites Oct. 18 Blazer Classic TBD !

Greensboro, N.C. Nov. 2 SoCon Championship# TBD All times are Central Nov. 15 NCAA Regionals% TBD Nov. 23 NCAA Championships@ TBD # Johnson City, Tenn. % Tallahassee, Fla. @ Terra Haute, Ind. 27

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Nick Nixon: Working Behind the Scenes

By Joey Mullins Samford Athletic Communications

In today’s college football world, a lot of players look for individual glory, sometimes even before the needs of the team. Samford senior offensive lineman Nick Nixon, however, is an example of the opposite philosophy.

Nixon plays a position that naturally lends itself to being overlooked in favor of teammates at other more high profile positions. Nixon says that is the way he prefers it.

“I like it that way,” Nixon said of the nature of his position. “I like that approach. It’s more just like, yeah we just have to do our work. We are only seen or called out when we’re doing something wrong. I don’t like having the attention on me all the time.”

Nixon may not love attention, but playing the game of football has always been something he has loved to do. Nixon grew up in a football family, with his father, Barry, playing at Tennessee State University in the 1980s. He also had a cousin, Eric Skipwith, who was a defensive back at Samford in the early 1990s. Skipwith was on Samford’s 1991 team that reached the semifinals of FCS (then I-AA) Playoffs.

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Nixon began playing football at an early age and he fell in love with the game right away.

“I was four years old when I started playing for the Goodlettsville Trojans back in my hometown,” Nixon said. “I always had aspirations of going to the NFL, with my dad being a football player and everything. So, that was just one of those things where, watching it growing up and going to games at my dad’s college back home, I just always wanted to play.”

Like a lot of young players, Nixon played a couple of different positions when he first started playing before settling on the position that fit him best.

“When I was little I started out as a running back and realized quickly I didn’t want to play that,” Nixon said. “I played defensive line as well. I ended up going to offensive line, and then all throughout high school I played both offensive line and defensive line.”

Nixon said he enjoyed playing both defensive line and offensive line, but that offensive line was his more natural position.

“I like d-line because I like hitting,” Nixon said.

2019 FOOTBALL “But I knew more about offensive line and I was quicker than most defensive linemen and most offensive linemen, so it was easy for me to block people.”

Nixon played for Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee, just outside Nashville.

Playing in Tennessee’s toughest conference in Division II-AA, Nixon was a four-year starter, playing both offensive line and defensive line.

Following his senior season in 2015, Nixon was named All-Sumner County and All-Region as an offensive lineman. He was also a first-team selection to the TWSA All-State team as a defensive lineman.

He played in the Tennessee Toyota East/West AllStar Game, starting at left tackle for the East squad.

As his senior season unfolded, Nixon was recruited by several NCAA Division I-FCS schools, but he said he just felt at home at Samford.

“I was looking at Alcorn State, Tennessee Tech and Samford, obviously,” Nixon said. “One of the things that stood out to me for Samford was the education part, and my parents loved that part too.

Samford just felt like home. My cousin had played here and coached here for a year, so it just felt like home.”

When Nixon arrived at Samford, he played right away for the Bulldogs. In 2016, he started 10 games on a team that reached the NCAA Division I-FCS Playoffs. Following the season, Nixon was named to the Southern Conference’s All-Freshman team.

Nixon said playing right away was intimidating at first, but he got used to it pretty quickly.

“That first game was (intimidating), but after that it was just like with anything you first do,” Nixon said. “Even to this day, with the Youngstown State and the Tennessee Tech games this season, I still get jitters all the time. But after those first couple of plays, it becomes natural to you and that is how it was. It just felt natural to me, it felt like practice again and that easily translates into the games.”

As a sophomore in 2017, he started every game as the Bulldogs again reached the NCAA Division I-FCS Playoffs, marking the first time Samford has reached the postseason in back-to-back seasons since the 1991 and 1992 seasons. Nixon earned second team All-SoCon honors after the season.

During Nixon’s junior season, he was again a leader on the offensive line, starting all 11 games. The Bulldogs posted their school-record, eighth-straight,

winning season. Nixon was again named second team All-SoCon at the conclusion of the season.

Entering his senior season, Nixon was named preseason first team All-SoCon. He heads up an experienced offensive line that should be one of the team’s strengths. Nixon said he feels like the experience the team’s offensive linemen have should help the team this season.

“Nate (Lee), Brendan (Frazier), Mike (Lee), Gavin (Orr) and I, all four of us have been playing together since freshman year, or at least sophomore year,” Nixon said. “Our chemistry is through the roof because we’ve known each other for four years. Just coming outside and practicing every day and then playing in games, I know Nate is going to have my back, I know Brendan is going to have my back, and Mike, and I’m going to have theirs every single time.

That’s just how we’ve been rolling ever since we got here.”

Following his Samford career, Nixon hopes to play in the NFL. He will graduate from Samford with a degree in healthcare administration. Whenever his playing days end, he has a plan for what he wants to do for a career.

“I want to get into something in a hospital setting,” Nixon said. “Something like my mom does.

She works with medication adherence and stuff like that, so something along those lines.”

Nixon and his fellow seniors look to finish their careers on a high note by winning the program’s second Southern Conference title. Whether they reach that goal or not, this group has had a major impact on the Samford football program and on Samford University.

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SAMFORD NUMERICAL ROSTER NO 1 2 2 3 4 4 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 21 22 22 23 23 24 25 25 26 26 27 28 29 30 31 31 32 32 33 34 35 35 36 36 37 37 38 38 39 40 30

NAME Chris Shelling Chris Oladokun Coutrell Plair A.J. Toney Montrell Washington Grayson Edgemon C.J. Ackles Nick Barton DeMarcus Ware Fletcher Jennings Liam Welch Yassar El-Amin Moise Satine Chase Volpi Koi Freeman Cooper Cross Aaron Atkinson Will Hudson Ty King William D’Armond Jordan Montgomery Torrence Pollard Ty Herring Cade Blackmon Robert Adams Sam Rogers Mitchell Fineran Devan Walker Ty Hatcher Christian Matthew Jai’Rus Creamer Chance Hall Jay Stanton Joshua Carter Nathan East Jeremiah Roberts William Bryant Bradley Ellis Jocquet Jiles Kyle Ross Miles Morris Tre’Shun Floyd Ty Boles Kendall Adams Pete Dorsten Chandler Smith Jake Burdeshaw Lamar Anderson Jacob Carson John Booth Walter Brooks John Staton Antwione Sims Joseph Mera D’Marcus Crawford Conner Rohling Jonathan Moore Tucker Queen Peyton Ringer Dorien Gooch William Roseman Trimarcus Cheeks Donovahn Wyatt

POS WR QB DB WR WR QB DB DB RB QB QB WR RB DB DB QB LB QB WR QB DB WR DB QB WR WR K RB QB DB WR DB RB DB LB RB DB WR RB DB WR LB RB DB TE WR DB DB WR RB WR LB RB DL WR WR DB DB WR LB K LB LB

HT 5-8 6-2 6-0 5-7 5-10 6-4 6-0 5-10 5-9 6-2 6-2 5-10 5-9 6-0 6-2 6-4 6-0 5-11 6-0 6-0 6-1 5-8 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-1 5-10 5-8 5-8 6-4 6-4 5-9 6-0 6-1 6-2 5-8 6-1 6-3 5-9 6-0 6-2 5-11 5-6 5-11 6-4 5-10 5-11 5-9 6-4 5-7 5-11 6-1 5-11 6-2 5-8 5-11 6-0 5-9 5-6 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-1

WT 173 195 178 177 170 180 190 196 190 185 194 175 178 185 190 185 214 183 167 185 184 170 203 173 190 180 183 182 156 200 230 160 192 190 221 227 191 191 164 179 188 215 178 177 228 186 180 187 205 205 165 215 208 239 163 170 180 175 152 200 168 207 201

CL Sr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. So. Fr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Fr. Fr. So. So. So. Jr. Fr. Sr. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So. Fr. Jr. So. So. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. So. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr.

HOMETOWN/PREV. SCHOOL Lawrenceville, Ga./Army Tampa, Fla./Univ. of South Florida Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood Acad Birmingham, Ala./Jackson-Olin HS Canton, Ga./Cherokee HS Madison, Ala./Madison Academy Mount Zion, Ga./Mount Zion HS Brentwood, Tenn./Ravenwood HS Olive Branch, Miss./Olive Branch HS Cullman, Ala./Cullman HS Augusta, Ga./Aquinas HS Douglasville, Ga./Douglas County HS Avon Park, Fla./Avon Park HS Tampa, Fla./Robinson HS Leeds, Ala./Leeds HS Marietta, Ga./Lassiter HS Hazel Green, Ala./Hazel Green HS Marietta, Ga./Sprayberry HS Wrens, Ga./Jefferson County HS Baton Rouge, La./Episcopal Anniston, Ala./Walter Welborn HS Ensley, Ala./Leeds HS Fernandina, Fla./Fernandina Beach HS Opelika, Ala./Opelika HS Montgomery, Ala./Trinity Presb.

Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS Fort Valley, Ga./Peach County HS Helena, Ala./Birmingham Prep Homewood, Ala./Bessemer Academy Columbus, Ga./Georgia Southern Rome, Ga./Rome HS Homewood, Ala./Homewood HS Crestview, Fla./Crestview HS Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay HS McCalla, Ala./McAdory HS College Park, Ga./Banneker HS Leesburg, Ga./Lee County HS Eads, Tenn./Briarcrest Christian HS Auburndale, Fla./Auburndale HS Munford, Ala./Munford HS Macon, Ga./Tatnall Square Academy Auburn, Ala./Auburn HS Panama City, Fla./William Jewell College Lilburn, Ga./Providence Christian Thompsons Station, Tenn./Independence Marietta, Ga./Walton HS Homewood, Ala./Homewood HS St. Louis, Mo./Ball State Auburn, Ala./Lee-Scott Academy Cumming, Ga./Beloit College Alpharetta, Ga./Alpharetta HS Atlanta, Ga./Lovett HS Zephyrhills, Fla./ Navy Prep Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS Eatonton, Ga./Putnam County HS Vestavia Hills, Ala./Vestavia Hills HS Norcross, Ga./Greater Atlanta Christian Vestavia Hills, Ala./Vestavia Hills HS Lithonia, Ga./The Lovett School Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic Tampa, Fla./Robinson HS Hampton, Ga./Dutchtown HS Albuquerque, N.M./St. Pius X

2019 FOOTBALL 41 41 42 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 64 65/94 67 68 69 70 71 72/98 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 80 81 83 84 84 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 97 98 99

Luke Hill Austin Hughes Bradley Porcellato Trent Shedd Jalen Nash Tay Berry Thomas Neville Slade Ziegler Chris Edmonds Jaleel Laguins Ryan Holcomb Mike Williams Adam Thomas Beau Myers Camren Wood Luke Byrne Caleb Dale Lewis Freeman Nick Nixon Jeremy Garth Grant Urenovitch Tyler Russell Sean Barden Daniel Bettis Austin Guyse Peter Renkoski Scotty Rogers Emmett Taliaferro J.D. Beall Anthony Eads Gavin Orr William Lawrence Kasra Bojnordi Brendan Loftus George Grimwade Nate Lee Chance Butts Matthew Pittarelli Will Bazemore Justin Hayes Justin Foster Titus Gardner Kendall Watson Parker Neal Sam Fleming Jason Houston Michael Vice Robert Burke Garrett Brasher Joshua Long Braeden Royal Champ Stewart Nelson Jordan Brett Granger Nick Jackson Armond Lloyd Jamal Ellis

WR LB P LB DL DL LB LB WR LB LB OL LS OL LS OL LB LS OL DL K LS DL DL OL OL OL DL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR DL DL WR WR WR WR WR TE WR DL DL DL TE DL DL DL DL DL

5-11 6-1 5-11 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-7 6-0 6-4 5-10 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-6 5-10 6-2 6-1 6-4 6-0 6-4 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-7 6-8 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-0 6-3 6-4 5-7 5-10 5-9 6-2 6-5 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-1 6-3 6-3

190 219 165 223 239 273 203 200 205 238 190 310 238 269 160 286 210 232 282 255 151 210 272 209 242 278 270 243 316 283 275 301 293 340 313 336 279 298 205 290 286 163 175 163 195 210 251 222 220 235 220 230 253 240 256 302 262

Sr. Fr. So. Fr. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. So. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Sr. Fr. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. So. Jr. Fr. So. So. Jr. Fr. Jr. Fr.

Franklin, Tenn./Franklin HS Marietta, Ga./Walker HS Melbourne, Australia Dora, Ala./Corner HS Huntersville, N.C./Army Flora, Miss./Madison Central HS Loganville, Ga./Dunwoody HS Mandeville, La./Lakeshore HS Columbus, Ga./Brookstone School Watkinsville, Ga./Univ. of Georgia Madison, Miss./Madison Central HS Bessemer, Ala./Bessemer Academy Cumming, Ga./South Forsyth HS Clarksville, Tenn./Independence HS Hoover, Ala./Hoover HS Forsyth, Ga./Mary Persons HS Navarre, Fla./Navarre HS Dunwoody, Ga./Dunwoody HS Hendersonville, Tenn./Pope John Paul II HS Madison, Ala./James Clemens HS Whitehouse, Ohio/Kent State Niceville, Fla./Southern Mississippi Roswell, Ga./King’s Ridge Christian HS Tuskegee, Ala./Booker T. Washington HS Trinity, Ala./West Morgan HS Roswell, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS Tampa, Fla./Plant HS Kennesaw, Ga./Mount Paran HS Flowood, Miss./EMCC Harpersville, Ala./Coosa Valley Acad.

Southside, Ala./Southside HS Athens, Ala./Athens HS Milton, Ga./Cambridge HS Tallahassee, Fla./Univ. of Miami Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep Valdosta, Ga./Lowndes HS Frankville, Ala./Leroy HS Marietta, Ga./Pope HS Forsyth, Ga./Mary Persons HS Smyrna, Ga./Campbell HS Anniston, Ala./The Donoho School Tuscaloosa, Ala./Tuscaloosa Academy Chattanooga, Tenn./McCallie School Meridian, Miss./Lamar HS Suwanee, Ga./Lambert HS Bremen, Ga./Bremen HS Vestavia Hills, Ala./Vestavia Hills HS Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood Academy Alpharetta, Ga./Mount Pisgah HS Columbus, Ga./Brookstone HS Tuscaloosa, Ala./Tuscaloosa County HS Birmingham, Ala./Briarwood Christian Starkville, Miss./Starkville HS Helena, Ala./Helena HS Orlando, Fla./Winter Park HS Birmingham, Ala./Oak Mountain HS Alpharetta, Ga./Alpharetta HS

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ALABAMA A&M NUMERICAL ROSTER NO 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 56 57 58 59 61 62 63 64

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NAME Jordan Bentley Brian Jenkins Jr. Tyrone Bell Aqeel Glass AJ Harris Odieu Hiliare Josh Cartwright Zabrian Moore Marquise Price Amari Holloway Alvin Bryant Terrell Gardner Justin Cannon Ryan Stoves Torron Murray Tuwile Wilson Kobe White Mike Mills Spencer Corey Armoni Holloway Justin Mitchell Gary Quarles Caleb Riley Titus Jones Ronnie Cleveland Kennedy Obiyor Joshua M. Williams Trenton McGhee Adrian Portlock Jonathan Struggs Josh Crawford Harold Jemison Jr. Mason Ellis Xavion Solomon Quantravis Kelly Harry Crump D’Anthony Garett Joseph Burke Desmond Fletcher Richard Calloway Evan McGhee Alan Rios Eli Jackson Denzel Davis Justin St. John Demarco Gibson Durrell Nash JaBraun McNeal Tyrese Slaughter Jordan Wilson Xavier Billingsley Amir Berry Vance Monroe Maurese Smith Abram Jones Marcus Cushine Tyrell Reid Kiran Kimbrough Dexter Fuqua II Jonathan Williams Joshua Anderson Jeremiah Penick

POS RB WR QB QB DB WR QB WR DL CB RB WR QB WR S CB WR CB K LB WR RB CB S S RB CB S S S RB RB LB CB LB S WR RB S LB LB K DL S S S LB S TE LB LB LB LB DL LS LB DT LB OL OL OL DL

HT 6-1 5-8 6-3 6-5 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-3 6-6 6-2 5-10 5-8 6-2 5-9 6-2 5-10 6-4 5-10 6-2 6-2 6-3 5-6 5-10 6-1 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-0 5-11 5-9 5-9 6-1 6-4 5-10 6-1 6-1 5-10 5-10 6-1 5-11 6-1 5-8 6-1 5-10 5-9 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-0 5-11 6-2 6-3 5-10 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-3

WT 195 160 205 215 185 160 205 185 250 175 170 160 180 170 190 170 190 170 165 190 210 165 175 190 190 200 160 205 190 180 225 228 240 180 215 185 160 210 190 210 225 150 300 190 175 175 230 200 270 195 205 215 225 313 225 220 245 220 285 270 280 210

CL Sr. So. Jr. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. Jr. Gr. R-Jr. Jr. So. Fr. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. So. So. Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Rf. Gr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. So. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. So. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. Fr. Gr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. So. So. Fr. R-Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr.

HOMETOWN/PREV. SCHOOL Guntersville, Ala./Guntersville HS Daytona Beach, Fla./Mainland HS Grovetown, Ga./Jefferson County HS/Savannah State St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran North HS Madison, Ala./Bob Jones HS/Ole Miss Belle Glade, Fla./Glades Central HS Miami, Fla./American Senior HiS/Southwestern College/FAU Tuscaloosa, Ala./Paul Bryant HS Fort Valley, Ga./Peach County HS/South Florida Pinson, Ala./Clay-Chalkville HS Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS / Troy Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay HS Cottondale, Ala./Paul Bryant HS Birmingham, Ala./Bessemer Academy Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett HS Snellville, Ga./Shiloh HS Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica HS Dayton, Ohio/Thurgood Marshall HS New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine HS Pinson, Ala./Clay-Chalkville HS Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay HS Cottondale, Ala./Paul Bryant HS Lawrenceville, Ga./Brookwood HS Kingston, Ga./Woodland HS Daphne, Ala/Daphne HS Hazel Green, Ala./Hazel Green HS Mobile, Ala./McGill-Toolen Catholic/Harding Jacksonville, Fla./Bolles HS Mobile, Ala./Williamson HS Montgomery, Ala./Jefferson Davis HS Montgomery, Ala./Edgewood Academy Nashville, Tenn./Hillsboro HS O’Neals, Calif./Minarets HS / Fresno City Houston, Tx./Heights HS Montgomery, Ala./Lee HS Huntsville, Ala./Mae Jemison HS Lithonia, Ga./Arabia Mountain HS Prattville, Ala./Autauga Academy Fayetteville, Ga./Fayetteville County HS Orlando, Fla./Jones High School Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian Academy/Savannah St. Tanner, Ala./Tanner HS Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon HS Eutaw, Ala./Greene County HS Lancaster, Ca./Quartz Hill HS Waycross, Ga/Ware County HS Chicago, Ill./Brooks College Preparatory Academy Gadsden, Ala./Gadsden City HS Jackson, Tenn./Liberty Tech Magnet / Maryville College Huntsville, Ala./Lee HS/Lindsey Wilson Phenix City, Ala/Central-Phenix City HS Snellville, Ga./Brookwood HS Lakeland, Fla./George Jenkins HS Hazel Green, Ala./Hazel Green HS/Tennessee Huntsville, Ala./Columbia HS Broward County, Fla./Palm Beach Central HS Charlotte, N.C./West Meclenburg HS Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook HS Tanner, Ala./Tanner HS Mobile, Ala./B.C. Rain HS Snellville, Ga./South Gwinnett HS Detroit, Mich./Canton HS

2019 FOOTBALL 65 66 67 68 69 69 70 71 72 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

Taylor Sanders Antearius Harrington Osakwe Ajogbor Jamal Irby Jalen Carter William Blake Silas Little Tevoris Butler Maximus Jones Phillip Haynes Shonye Reams Joshua Williams Tyreik Griffin Darien Moore Robert Samuel Cameron Young Malachi Olszewski Charles Shepherd Ke’Ashes Locklear Tarez Rutledge Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim Jurail Caldwell Anthony Howard Jonathan Woods Kendric Johnson Dreyvione Carter Jevontae Twymon Breon Austin Alijah Jordan Deangelo Woods Hayden Guilford Jalen McGhee Selmar Russell Alic Troutman Elijah Perez

OL OL OL DL DT OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL WR TE WR WR WR WR WR TE WR TE DL LB DL DL DL OL DL DL DL P

6-1 6-5 6-4 6-3 6-0 5-10 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-6 6-1 6-2 5-9 6-4 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-1 5-11 6-3 6-2 6-3 6-4 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-6 5-10

250 290 330 230 280 295 285 300 260 330 275 285 290 300 275 175 235 190 180 190 190 190 230 175 235 245 220 305 250 320 220 270 260 250 180

Fr. So. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Gr. Sr. Sr. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Sr. So. Sr. So. Fr. So. Jr. Fr. Fr.

Livingston, Ala./Demopolis HS Jamestown, N.C./Ragsdale HS Atlanta, Ga./Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy Mobile, Ala./Leflore HS McCalla, Ala/McAdory HS Mobile, Ala./B.C. Rain HS Orange Park, Fla./Orange Park HS Dothan, Ala./Dothan HS Selma, Ala./Selma HS Memphis, Tenn./Manassas HS Dothan, Ala./Dothan HS Mobile, Ala./Vigor HS Fairfield, Ala./Fairfield HS Indian Trail, N.C./Jireh Prep HS Tuscaloosa, Ala./Paul Bryant HS Daphne, Ala./Daphne HS Hazel Green, Ala./Hazel Green HS Mobile, Ala./Blount HS Huntsville, Ala./Huntsville HS Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay HS Miramar, Fla./Miramar HS Jacksonville, Fla./Robert E. Lee HS Birmingham, Ala./Ramsay HS Huntsville, Ala./Lee HS New Market, Ala./Buckhorn HS New Market, Ala./Buckhorn HS Sylacauga, Ala./Childersburg HS Eufala, Ala./Eufala HS Mobile, Ala./Theodore HS Cordova, Ala./Cordova HS Loganville, Ga./Grayson HS Atlanta, Ga./Mays HS Montgomery, Ala./Alabama Christian Academy Orlando, Fla./West Oaks Academy Pasco, Wa./Chiawana HS

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samfordsports.com

SAMFORD DEPTH CHART OFFENSE QB 2 CHRIS OLADOKUN

7 Liam Welch XWR 19 JAI’RUS CREAMER

8 Yassar El-Amin HWR 4 MONTRELL WASHINGTON

3 A.J. Toney YWR 1 CHRIS SHELLING

14 Torrence Pollard ZWR 16 ROBERT ADAMS

84 Kendall Watson F 6 DEMARCUS WARE

34 Antwione Sims TE 28 PETE DORSTEN

93 Champ Stewart LT 57 NICK NIXON

65 Austin Guyse LG 77 NATE LEE

70 J.D. Beall C 75 BRENDAN LOFTUS

52 Beau Myers RG 50 MIKE WILLIAMS

79 Matthew Pittarelli RT 72 GAVIN ORR

76 George Grimwade

(6-2, 195, Jr.) (6-2, 194, Jr.) (6-4, 230, Jr.) (5-10, 175, Sr.) (5-10, 170, Jr.) (5-7, 177, Fr.) (5-8, 173, Sr.) (5-8, 170, So.) (6-2, 190, Sr.) (5-11, 177, So.) (5-9, 190, So.) (5-11, 208, So.) (6-4, 228, Jr.) (6-4, 230, So.) (6-6, 282, Sr.) (6-4, 242, Fr.) (6-4, 336, Sr.) (6-2, 316, So.) (6-7, 340, Sr.) (6-4, 269, Fr.) (6-7, 310, Jr.) (6-0, 205, Jr.) (6-4, 275, So.) (6-8, 313, Sr.)

DEFENSE STUD 43 JALEN NASH

95 Brett Granger DT 81 JUSTIN FOSTER

99 Jamal Ellis NG 98 ARMOND LLOYD

44 Tay Berry

(6-2, 239, Sr.) (6-4, 240, Jr.) (6-4, 286, Sr.) (6-2, 262, Fr.) (6-3, 302, Jr.) (6-2, 273, So.)

SAMFORD COACHING STAFF Head Coach: Chris Hatcher Alma Mater, Year: Valdosta State, ‘94 Record at School: 27-21 (5th year) Career Record: 148-78 (20th year)

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DE

SLB

MLB

WLB

FCB

SS

FS

BCB

94 NELSON JORDAN 91 Joshua Long 22 NATHAN EAST 39 Trimarcus Cheeks 33 JOHN STATON 48 Jaleel Laguins 11 AARON ATKINSON 26 Tre’Shun Floyd 18 CHRISTIAN MATTHEW 25 Kyle Ross 5 NICK BARTON 31 Lamar Anderson 15 TY HERRING 10 Koi Freeman 2 COUTRELL PLAIR 21 Joshua Carter

SPECIAL TEAMS SN 56 LEWIS FREEMAN

60 Tyler Russell H 10 COOPER CROSS

18 Ty Hatcher PK 17 MITCELL FINERAN

59 Grant Urenovitch P 42 BRADLEY PORCELLATO

59 Grant Urenovitch KR 8 YASSAR EL-AMIN

or 9 MOISE SATINE PR 85 MONTRELL WASHINGTON - or - 21 CHANDLER SMITH PR 6 KELVIN MCKNIGHT

(6-2, 253, So.) (6-2, 235, Jr.) (6-2, 221, So.) (6-2, 207, Fr.) (6-1, 215, Jr.) (6-2, 238, Jr.) 6-0, 214, Sr.) (5-11, 215, Jr.) (6-4, 200, Sr.) (6-0, 179, Fr.) (5-10, 196, Sr.) (5-9, 187, Jr.) (6-2, 203, Jr.) (6-2, 190, Jr.) (6-0, 178, Jr.) (6-1, 190, Jr.) (6-0, 232, Sr.) (6-1, 210, Sr.) (6-4, 185, Jr.) (5-8, 156, Fr.) (5-10, 183, So.) (6-2, 151, Sr.) (5-11, 165, So.) (6-2, 151, Sr.) (5-10, 175, Sr.) (5-9, 178, Jr.) (5-10, 170, Jr.) (5-10, 186, Fr.) (5-8, 186, Sr.)

Assistant Coaches Bill D’Ottavio, Assoc. Head Coach/Def. Coordinator Russ Callaway, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Shawn Bostick, Offensive Line Kynjee Cotton, Defensive Line Darius Eubanks, Safeties Jamael Lett, Secondary Ross Newton, Linebackers Michael Nysewander, Running Backs Derrick Sherman, Wide Receivers Ricky Turner, Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends Ben Ashford, Director of Strength and Conditioning

2019 FOOTBALL

ALABAMA A&M DEPTH CHART OFFENSE LT

LG

C

RG

RT

X-Receiver

Y-Receiver

Z-Receiver

H-Back

FB

RB

QB

75 SHONYE REAMS 77 Tyreik Griffin 76 JOSHUA WILLIAMS 4 Phillip Haynes 71 TEVORIS BUTLER 63 Joshua Anderson 61 DEXTER FUQUA 65 Taylor Sanders 79 ROBERT SAMUEL 62 Jonathan Williams 85 ABDUL-FATAI IBRAHIM 6 Odieu Hilare 2 BRIAN JENKINS JR. 80 Cameron Young 8 ZABRIAN MOORE 21 Justin Mitchell 89 KENDRIC JOHNSON 87 Anthony Howard 49 TYRESE SLAUGHTER 39 Joseph Burke 1 JORDAN BENTLEY 23 Gary Quarles 4 AQEEL GLASS 3 Tyrone Bell

DEFENSE Bandit 90 DREYVIONE CARTER

9 Marquise Price Nose 97 SELMAR RUSSELL

94 DeAngelo Woods Tackle 54 MAURESE SMITH

92 Breon Austin

(6-5, 275, Sr.) (6-6, 290, So.) (6-3, 285, Sr.) (6-5, 303, Gr.) (6-2, 300, Sr.) (6-2, 280, Fr.) (6-2, 285, Jr.) (6-1, 250, Fr.) (6-2, 275, Sr.) (6-2, 270, Fr.) (6-1, 190, Fr.) (6-0, 160, Fr.) (5-8, 160, So.) (5-9, 175, Fr.) (6-3, 185, Jr.) (6-3, 210, So.) (6-3, 235, So.) (6-3, 230, Jr.) (6-0, 270, Sr.) (5-10, 210, Jr.) (6-1, 195, Sr.) (5-6, 165, So.) (6-5, 215, Jr.) (6-3, 205, Jr.)

Fox 57 MARCUS CUSHINE

34 Mason Elliis Mike 36 QUANTRAVIS KELLY

41 Richard Calloway Will 20 ARMONI HOLLOWAY

52 Amir Berry Strong 30 ADRIAN PORTLOCK

31 Jonathan Struggs Weak 45 DENZEL DAVIS

29 Trenton McGhee CB 18 MIKE MILLS

28 Joshua M. Williams CB 16 TUWILE WILSON

10 Amari Holloway FS 40 DESMOND FLETCHER

5 A.J. Harris

(6-2, 220, So.) (6-4, 240, Sr.) (6-1, 215, Sr.) (5-11, 210, So.) (6-2, 190, Jr.) (5-11, 215, Fr.) (5-11, 190, Jr.) (5-9, 180, RS-Fr.) (5-10, 190, Jr.) (6-0, 205, Jr.) (5-10, 170, Sr.) (6-0, 160, Jr.) (5-10, 170, Jr.) (6-2, 175, RS-Jr.) (6-1, 190, Sr.) (6-0, 185, So.)

SPECIAL TEAMS PK 19 SPENCER COREY P 99 ELIJAH PEREZ LS 56 ABRAM JONES H 43 ALAN RIOS RS 2 BRIAN JENKINS JR or

23 GARY QUARLES

(6-2, 165, Jr.) (5-10, 180, Fr.) (5-11, 225, So.) (5-8, 150, Jr.) (5-8, 160, So.) (5-6, 165, So.)

(6-4, 245, So.) (6-6, 250, Gr.) (5-10, 260, Jr.) (6-2, 320, So.) (6-0, 313, So.) (6-3, 305, So.)

Assistant Coaches Duane Taylor, Asst. Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Granville Eastman, Defensive Coordinator Charles Huff, Defensive Line/Special Teams Coordinator Jason Mai, Quarterbacks/Director of Football Operations Chris Shelling, Safeties/Outside Linebackers Kenyatta McCoy, Cornerbacks ALABAMA A&M COACHING STAFF Bobby Turner, Tight Ends Head Coach: Connell Maynor Alma Mater, Year: North Carolina A&T, 1992 Markus Lawrence, Offensive Line Fred T. Farrier, Running Backs/Recruiting Record at School/Years: 6-5/1 year Coordinator Overall Record/Years: 71-36/9 years Richard Wilson, Kickers

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SIGNIFICANT WINS IN SAMFORD’S MODERN FOOTBALL HISTORY

By Joey Mullins Samford Athletic Communications

Cortland Finnegan went on to be named the OVC’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2003.

This season marks the 35th year since Samford reinstated its football program in 1984. In each game program this season we will look at some of the most significant wins and greatest performances since the school’s football program was revived.

The first win we will talk about happened on Sept. 27, 2003, at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs defeated Southeast Missouri on that night by a score of 41-31. This win did not come against a highly ranked team and it was not for a championship, but it is still a significant win because it marked the first NCAA Division I conference win in program history.

Prior to 2003 Samford’s Division I conference had been the Atlantic Sun Conference (formerly the Trans American Athletic Conference), which did not sponsor football as a conference sport. Consequently, Samford had played as an independent, in Division III from 1984 to 1987 and in Division I-FCS (formerly I-AA) from 1988 through 2002.

In summer 2003, Samford joined the Ohio Valley Conference, marking the first time all 17 Bulldog 36

athletic teams had competed in the same Division I conference.

In the OVC coaches’ preseason poll, Samford was picked to finish last in the conference standings.

The Bulldogs would go on to surprise everyone with the results of the 2003 season.

Samford opened the season with a nonconference game at Chattanooga on a Thursday night. The Bulldogs started their season off strong with a surprising 31-23 win over the Mocs. The team then hosted West Alabama for another Thursday night contest, earning a 44-28 win to move to 2-0 on the young season. The final nonconference tune up came at Division I-FBS (then I-A) San Diego State. The Bulldogs were tied with the Aztecs, 17-17, midway through the third quarter before falling by a score of 37-17.

Next up for the Bulldogs was their Ohio Valley Conference debut against Southeast Missouri.

Samford jumped on top quickly with two firstquarter touchdowns. The first coming on an 11-yard pass from Ray Nelson to Adrian Horstead, and the

2019 FOOTBALL second on a four-yard run by Nelson. A SEMO touchdown late in the quarter cut the Samford lead to 14-7 at the end of the first 15 minutes of the contest.

Early in the second quarter, Nelson connected with Ossie Buchanan for a 34-yard touchdown to make the score 21-7. Southeast Missouri added a field goal midway through the quarter, but Nelson scored on a one-yard run with 3:33 left in the second quarter and Samford led, 28-10 heading into the locker room at halftime.

In the third quarter, Nelson hit Efrem Hill for a 40-yard score to make the score 35-10. A pair of SEMO touchdowns cut the lead to 35-24 early in the fourth quarter. Samford’s Ty Neil booted two field goals to push the lead to 41-24, and a late SEMO touchdown made the final score 41-31.

For the game, Nelson, who would go on to earn first-team All-OVC honors, passed for 246 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 58 yards and two more scores. Hill, who was named the OVC’s Offensive Player of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year at the conclusion of the season, caught five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.

The Samford defense was led by Quinton Griffin with 14 tackles. OVC Defensive Player of the Year and future NFL All-Pro defensive back Cortland

Finnegan tallied nine tackles on the night. On special teams, Neal was good on both of his field goal attempts, and he averaged 44.8 yards on four punts.

The win improved Samford’s record to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in OVC play. The Bulldogs went on to claim additional OVC wins over Murray State, UT Martin, Tennessee Tech and Eastern Illinois to finish the season with a mark of 7-4 overall and 5-3 in OVC play. Samford finished third in the league standings, and only narrow losses to Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee State and Jacksonville State prevented the team from winning the league title.

Following the season, Samford swept the OVC’s postseason awards. In addition to Finnegan being named Defensive Player of the Year and Hill being named Offensive Player of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year, head coach Bill Gray was named the league’s Coach of the Year.

Nelson would leave school following the 2004 season as the program’s all-time leader in career passing yards, a record that stood until Devlin Hodges’ record-breaking career. Hill also left school as the all-time leader in career receiving yards, and he still ranks third on that list.

Following the 2005 season, Finnegan was taken in the seventh round of the 2006 National Football League (NFL) Draft by the Tennessee Titans.

Finnegan went on to have a 10-year NFL career which saw him play with the Titans, St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers. He was named First Team All-Pro and played in the Pro Bowl in 2008.

He even helped lead the Panthers to a spot in Super Bowl 50.

The 2003 Samford football team was the first in program history to compete in an NCAA Division I-FCS conference. After being picked to finish last in the league preseason poll, the win over Southeast Missouri sent a message to the rest of the league that Samford would not be a pushover for the rest of the conference that season.

At the end of the 2003 season, Efrem Hill was named the OVC’s Offensive Player of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year.

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For God. For Learning. Forever.

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in the nation for

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#

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student engagement —The Wall Street Journal

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Students from 47 states and 28 countries #

private university in the U.S. for value and affordability —Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

13:1

student-to-faculty ratio 40

3

1

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best Christian university

in Alabama —The Wall Street Journal

—College Consensus

96

%

of undergraduate alumni are working or in further study within six months of graduation

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Seibert Stadium Seibert Stadium has been home to the Samford football team since 1958, one year after the campus was moved from East Lake to its present site. Over the years, the stadium has seen some memorable football, including the Bobby Bowden era (1959–62), a one-loss season in 1971 and the Terry Bowden era, which ended with a 14-game Bulldog winning streak in the stadium.

The stadium is named for the late F. Page Seibert, a Daytona Beach, Florida, businessman who donated money for the completion of the stadium in 1961 with the addition of stands on the west side. Originally, the ­stadium had the current gatehouse and s­ eating on the east side.

The first game was played Friday, Sept. 26, 1958, with Samford losing to Sewanee, 21-0. Bobby Bowden brought Samford (then known as Howard College) its first win at Seibert on Oct. 3, 1959, as the Bulldogs defeated the Tennessee Tech “B” team, 34-0. The first win against varsity competition came two weeks later when the Bulldogs defeated Millsaps, 26-0.

Seibert Stadium has undergone numerous improvements during the past several years. Prior to the 2019 season, a state-of-the-art video board was added to the north end zone of the stadium. Before the 2009 season, the Cooney Family Field House was opened in the south end zone. The field house was renamed the Sullivan-Cooney Family Field House

42

during the 2014 season.

The facility includes locker rooms, training rooms, meeting rooms and coaches offices for Samford’s football program. A second-level terrace overlooks Seibert Stadium. A third level provides for future university expansion.

In fall 2005, the original grass surface was replaced with an LSR Blade Synthetic Surface. The turf was replaced with a similar surface prior to the 2014 season.

The four-level Bashinsky Press Tower was completed before the 1989 season. This Georgiancolonial structure contains complete facilities for print and electronic media on the third level, reserved seating for 51 guests on the second level and a concession stand and restroom facilities on the ground floor. A partially covered film deck is located atop the facility, and an elevator serves all levels.

At the same time, more than 200 theatre-type reserved seats were added in front of the press tower, bringing the seating capacity to 6,700. Aluminum seating replaced the original wooden seats. A scoreboard featuring an electronic matrix message board was added before the 1994 season. The improvements have made Samford’s football facility one of the finest in the nation at the Division I-FCS level.

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Seibert Stadium Facts

BUILT: Gatehouse and East Stands, 1958; West Side Stands, 1961; Bashinsky Press Tower, 1989; Electronic Message Board, 1994; Video Board, 2005; SullivanCooney Family Field House, 2009.

LONGEST RUN FROM SCRIMMAGE: 81-yard run, Chris Evans, vs. Austin Peay, 2007

MOST YARDS RUSHING: 249, Surkano Edwards, vs. West Georgia, 1992

FIRST GAME: Friday, Sept. 26, 1958 (Sewanee defeated Samford, 21-0)

LONGEST PASS COMPLETION: 92-yard touchdown, Andy Summerlin to Chris Cephus vs. Chattanooga, 2013

MOST CARRIES: 35, Derek Staley, vs. Tennessee Tech, 1995

LONGEST SAMFORD PASS COMPLETION: 92-yard touchdown, Andy Summerlin to Chris Cephus vs. Chattanooga, 2013

MOST TOUCHDOWNS RUSHING: 4, Michael Eubank, vs. VMI, 2014; 4, Steve Hayden, vs. Morgan State, 1995; 4, Brady Jones, vs. Austin Peay, 1990; 4, Brady Jones, vs. East Tennessee State, 1989

FIRST WIN: Oct. 3, 1959 (Samford defeated Tennessee Tech “B” team, 34-0) FIRST VARSITY WIN: Oct. 16, 1959 (Samford defeated Millsaps, 26-0) SAMFORD OVERALL RECORD AT SEIBERT (243 GAMES): 162-77-4 (.675) SAMFORD DAY RECORD AT SEIBERT (171 GAMES): 107-60-4 (.637) SAMFORD NIGHT RECORD AT SEIBERT (72 GAMES): 55-17-0 (.764) MOST COMMON OPPONENTS AT SEIBERT: Chattanooga 15, Jacksonville State 11, UT Martin 10, Mississippi College 9, Tennessee Tech 9 MOST SAMFORD POINTS: 72 vs. Maryville (10), 1987 LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: 70 points (Samford 77, Mars Hill 7), 2016 MOST OPPONENT’S POINTS: 82, by Salem (Samford 9), 1984

44

LONGEST PUNT: 73 yards, Ray Collins, vs. Southwestern, 1961 LONGEST FIELD GOAL: 52 yards, Ray Early of Furman, 2010 LONGEST SAMFORD FIELD GOAL: 4 8 yards, Mark Prevost, vs. Jacksonville State, 2007 LONGEST PUNT RETURN: 90-yard touchdown, Mick Edmonson of Jacksonville State, 1989 LONGEST SAMFORD PUNT RETURN: 76 yards, Anthony Jordan, vs. Alcorn State, 1994 LONGEST KICKOFF RETURN: 100-yard touchdown, Karel Hamilon vs.

Chattanooga, 2015; 100-yard touchdown, Fabian Truss vs. Western Carolina, 2013 LONGEST INTERCEPTION RETURN: 100-yard touchdown, Ricky Fields, vs.

Concord, 1990

MOST PASS ATTEMPTS: 60, Ray Nelson, vs. Jacksonville State, 2003 MOST COMPLETIONS: 39, Devlin Hodges, vs. Mercer, 2016; 39, Devlin Hodges, vs. Mars Hill, 2016 MOST YARDS PASSING: 495, Andy Summerlin, vs. Georgia Southern, 2013 MOST TOUCHDOWN PASSES: 6, Jimbo Fisher, vs. Ferrum, 1987; 6, Jimbo Fisher, vs. Maryville, 1987 MOST RECEPTIONS: 16, Efrem Hill, vs. Jacksonville State, 2003 MOST TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS: 3, Efrem Hill, vs. Eastern Kentucky, 2004; 3, Efrem Hill, vs. West Alabama, 2004; 3, Efrem Hill, vs. West Alabama, 2003; 3, Kelvin McKnight, vs. Western Carolina, 2018

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Academic Enhancement Program The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has strongly enforced academic reform this decade as it pertains to student-athletes’ continuing eligibility and ultimate college graduation. Because of the tightening of new legislation, academic support services throughout the country have been highlighted to spearhead the additional success that is needed for student-athletes to earn a degree.

The academic success for Samford University student-athletes begins with the Academic Enhancement Program [AEP]. The AEP was developed in the early 1990s and is based on individual instruction with student-athletes who are integrated within a caring environment that is conducive to academic success.

The AEP system is designed to provide Samford’s student-athletes with the necessary guidance, personal attention and academic skills– enhancement activities to help them have the most positive educational and personal experience possible. Student-athletes are integrated within a foundation of the university’s general education core curriculum that emphasizes basic skills for academic achievement.

Tutors and academic mentors assist athletes in writing courses, foreign languages, math, science and business, to name a few. With tutorial sessions incorporating improved study techniques, the AEP puts student-athletes in position to succeed and become independent learners.

The AEP environment includes a computer lab/classroom, private tutor rooms and quiet study space.

In conjunction with the Career Development Center, the Writing Center, the Academic Success Center and all student support services, the AEP is a bridge from freshman orientation to graduation and professional life.

The AEP strives to meet the needs, concerns and overall welfare of all student-athletes. Each May, the academic enhancement office honors studentathletes who have achieved a 3.0 GPA or better over the last two full terms.

LIFE SKILLS PROGRAM The Department of Athletics offers a variety of support programs for student-athletes, including 48

some NCAA Student Affairs programming. This student development program exists to enhance the quality of the student-athlete experience within the university setting. There are five focus areas that address student-athlete development.

Commitment to Academic Excellence: To support the academic progress of student-athletes toward intellectual development and graduation Commitment to Athletic Excellence: To build philosophical foundations for the development of athletics programs that are broad-based, equitable and dedicated to the well-being of student-athletes Commitment to Personal Development: To support the development of a well-balanced lifestyle for student-athletes, encouraging emotional well-being, personal growth and decision-making skills Commitment to Career Development: To encourage student-athletes to develop and pursue career and life goals Commitment to Service: To engage studentathletes in service to their campus and surrounding community Throughout the year, student-athletes attend the programs in the five commitment areas that are most relevant and helpful to them at their current stage of development. This is done through workshops and seminars, campus partnerships and other programming throughout the year. Topics include financial management, time management, media relations, spiritual development, choosing a major and a career, résumé writing, and sportsmanship. Speakers include faculty members, coaches, administrators, business leaders and former student-athletes.

All AEP programming is designed to enhance and support the academic and athletic endeavors of student-athletes. Student-athletes gain preparation for success in life, develop enhanced interpersonal skills, build positive self-esteem, develop leadership skills and make meaningful contributions to their communities.

2019 FOOTBALL

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On May 23, 2003, Samford junior cornerback Charles Williams died in a car accident. In only two seasons on the team, Williams emerged as a starter in the secondary in 2002. In addition to his success on the field, Williams also maintained one of the highest grade point averages on the team. For the 2003 and 2004 seasons (what would have been Williams’ junior and senior seasons) no one wore jersey No. 5, the number that Williams wore. Every year since then, a senior has been selected to wear the No. 5, the Charles Williams Memorial Jersey.

CHARLES

WILLIAMS MEMORIAL

Ossie Buchannon 2005

T.C. Myers 2006

Jay McCurty 2007

Rodney Shepherd 2008

Jon Weber 2009

Bryce Smith 2010

Sean Thompson 2011

Ryan Dudchock 2012

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107

Academic All-Conference members for the fall and spring terms combined

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Graduation Success Rate Tied for first with Wofford

3.1

average studentathlete cumulative GPA

138

athletes earned Commissioner’s Medal with a 3.8 GPA or higher

athletes on fall 2018 Dean’s List

athletes on the spring 2019 Dean’s List

athletes with 4.0 GPA

112

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211

athletes on the 2018-19 Southern Conference Honor Roll

%

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Andrew Westmoreland President

Andrew Westmoreland became Samford University’s 18th president on June 1, 2006. As Samford’s president, Westmoreland has led the university to embrace a vision to enrich and expand its service to students, and further inspire their desire to meet the needs of the world. To advance this vision, the university is committed to a challenging strategic plan with four priorities: emphasize student success, enhance our community, extend our reach, and ensure financial strength. Forever Samford is a six-year, $300 million capital campaign that was launched in fall 2016. It is the largest undertaking of its kind in Samford University’s 178-year history. Funding from the campaign will help to ensure that Samford continues to prepare and send dedicated, thoughtful and ethical people out into the world.

Prior to assuming the Samford presidency, Westmoreland was president of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Before his selection as Ouachita’s president in 1998, he had served on the administrative staff for more than 19 years in various capacities.

Westmoreland holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science and a doctorate in higher education administration. A 54

native of Arkansas, he is married to Dr. Jeanna Westmoreland. They have one daughter, Riley, who is a graduate of Samford and of Vanderbilt University.

His career in higher education spans 40 years, including two college presidencies. In addition to his duties as Samford president, Westmoreland teaches courses in political science as his schedule allows. He serves as a member of many boards for charities and other entities, and he is an author and speaker. He is the past chair of the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which oversees accreditation for more than 800 colleges and universities from Virginia to Texas. He also served as president of the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities. Currently, he serves as the executive director of Samford’s Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership.

The Westmorelands enjoy entertaining and annually host more than 9,000 students, employees, alumni, donors and other friends of the university in the president’s home, in addition to the thousands whom they greet and host at on-campus events.

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Director of Athletics Martin Newton Martin Newton was introduced as Samford’s director of athletics on March 9, 2011.

In his time at the helm of the athletics department, Newton has made a major impact.

On July 1, 2019, Newton began a four-year appointment to the NCAA Division I Council and the Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee. The Division I Council is a high-level group responsible for the day-to-day decision-making for Division I. The Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee ensures that appropriate oversight of men’s basketball is maintained, and makes recommendations related to regular-season and postseason men’s basketball.

In the spring of 2017, a goal of Newton’s since being hired was realized when the inaugural class of the Samford Athletics Hall of Fame was inducted.

The first-class facility is housed on the third floor of the Pete Hanna Center, and includes inductee plaques and displays, along with a display of important moments in Samford Athletics history and another honoring all of the school’s conference and NCAA champions.

On the fields and courts, Samford’s teams have won 35 Southern Conference overall and divisional titles since Newton took over as director of athletics.

The Bulldogs have won league or division titles in women’s tennis (2), soccer (8), softball (2), volleyball (6), men’s outdoor track and field (2), women’s outdoor track and field (3), women’s indoor track and field (4), men’s tennis (3), baseball (3), football (1), and women’s basketball (1).

In the most recent Southern Conference AllSports standings, Samford finished second in the Germann Cup (top women’s program) standings and fourth in the Commissioner’s Cup (top men’s program) standings. In 2014-15, Samford won the Germann Cup and finished just a tenth of a point away from winning the Commissioner’s Cup. Academically, the school’s student-athletes have also posted outstanding results in the classroom, 56

with a total of 1,353 Samford student-athletes being named to the SoCon Honor Roll over the last eight years. Samford’s student-athletes posted an impressive 97 percent in the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) report, released last November.

Also in Newton’s tenure, the athletics department has seen a significant increase in corporate sponsorship and annual giving revenue.

Since Newton’s arrival in 2011 both sources of revenue have more than doubled.

Additionally, a new softball stadium and baseball/softball indoor hitting facility was completed in the spring of 2013. The athletics department also redesigned its website, and Samford reached a deal with ESPN to have nearly all of its home events broadcast on either ESPN+ or ESPN3.

Newton has also negotiated a school-wide footwear and apparel deal with Nike, which went into effect in the summer of 2013. Also, the athletics department led the way in consolidating a universitywide lincensing agreement with the Licensing Resource Group.

Newton has been recognized nationally for his work. He was named to the NCAA Leadership Cabinet for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

Newton graduated with a business degree from Samford in 1983. He was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and was All-Conference honorable mention in 1980.

Following graduation, he worked in sports marketing for Converse for 13 years, followed by 13 years in a similar capacity at Nike. Newton was hired at Kentucky in 2009, where he managed an $11 million budget, along with fundraising, compliance, scheduling, marketing and academic support for the men’s basketball program.

Newton is a member of the board for the Birmingham Bowl, and he is a member of the Birmingham Quarterback Club, Birmingham Tip-Off Club and Birmingham Kiwanis Club. He is also an active member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

Newton and his wife, Cindy, have three grown children, Katie, Madison and Charles. They also have two grandsons, Charlie and Sawyer.

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Ask Before You Act Compliance with NCAA rules is of utmost importance to Samford University. As a member of the NCAA, Samford is responsible for the actions of its coaches, student-athletes, employees, alumni, donors, boosters and friends. As such, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with these important items concerning NCAA rules and always remember to ASK BEFORE YOU ACT: 205-726-4244 | compliance@samford.edu Twitter: @Samford_Rules FIVE IMPORTANT RULES 1. Only coaches and athletics department staff members are permitted to be involved in the recruiting process.

Alumni, friends and “other representatives of athletic interest” who are not employed by the university are not permitted to contact a prospect (or members of the prospect’s family) by letter, telephone or in person (on or off campus) for the purpose of soliciting participation in the athletics program. Samford faculty members are permitted to have contact with prospects on campus only.

2. A prospect remains a prospect even after he or she signs a Letter of Intent or financial aid agreement to attend the university. The prospect does not lose prospect status until the start of classes at Samford or the beginning of official team practice prior to the start of classes.

3. The prohibition of contact with a prospect is intended to relate to unavoidable incidental contacts with a prospect by representatives of a member institution’s athletics interest. It is understood that such a contact is not prearranged by the athletics representative or an athletics department staff member; is not made for the purpose of recruitment of the prospect; and involves only normal civility. For example, if you meet a high school student or junior college student-athlete, you can talk with him or her about anything except Samford athletics. If you are attending a public function and find yourself talking to the parents of a prospect, you can talk about anything that doesn’t relate to the athletics department.

4. If a student-athlete accepts any benefits or special consideration based on his or her status as an athlete or because of athletic skill, the student-athlete will lose all eligibility for intercollegiate athletic participation.

Do not do anything for prospective or enrolled studentathletes without specific authorization from the Samford Athletics Compliance Office.

5. Representatives of athletics interest (boosters) are reminded that NCAA rules regarding enrolled studentathletes remain in effect throughout the entire year, including summer breaks. When student-athletes complete their final season of eligibility, they must abide

by NCAA rules until the end of that academic year and/ or until they are no longer receiving athletics financial aid

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FAQ Who is a “prospective student-athlete?”

A “prospective student-athlete,” also known as a recruit or prospect, is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade, seventh for men’s basketball and softball. In addition, any younger student who receives any benefits from the institution not available to prospective students generally would be considered a prospective student-athlete.

Who is a “representative of athletic interest” or booster?

A representative or booster is an individual or business that is or has ever done any of the following: • been a contributor to the Samford Bulldog Club or has purchased tickets to a Samford athletics event • been an employee of Samford University or is the spouse of an employee • has ever made a donation of any kind to the Samford athletics department • helped to arrange or to provide employment for enrolled student-athletes or for prospects who have signed a National Letter of Intent • assisted or have been requested (by the athletics department) to assist in the recruitment of students to participate in any of Samford’s athletics programs • assisted in providing any benefit to Samford enrolled student-athletes or their families • been involved in promoting Samford athletics programs

ONCE YOU BECOME A BOOSTER, YOU NEVER LOSE THE IDENTITY OF A BOOSTER.

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Samford University Samford University is a premier nationally ranked Christian university. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. It enrolls 5,619 students from 44 states and 30 countries.

Samford is the top-ranked university in Alabama in national rankings by The Wall Street Journal.

Additionally, The Wall Street Journal ranks Samford 3rd in the nation for student engagement.

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranks Samford 34th among private universities in the U.S. for value and affordability.

Samford offers undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts and a distinct blend of graduate and professional schools through 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. The student-to-faculty ratio is 13:1.

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Among Samford’s 52,838 alumni are more than 60 members of the U.S. Congress, eight state governors, two U.S. Supreme Court justices, one Secretary of State, four Rhodes Scholars, multiple Emmy and Grammy award-winning artists, two national championship football coaches, and recipients of the Pulitzer and Nobel Peace prizes.

The university fields 17 varsity sports—eight men’s and nine women’s—that participate at the NCAA Division I level in the Southern Conference.

Samford’s athletic teams earned a 97% Graduation Success Rate (GSR) by the NCAA. Samford is ranked first in Alabama and 17th in the nation among all colleges and universities in the NCAA Division 1 level.

2019 FOOTBALL

2019 Samford Distinctions • Samford is ranked 34th nationally among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

• Samford is the top-ranked university in Alabama in national rankings by The Wall Street Journal.

• Samford is ranked 3rd in the nation for student engagement by The Wall Street Journal. Student engagement examines factors such as engagement with campus, recommendation of students, interaction with teachers and students, and the number of accredited programs.

• 96% of undergraduate alumni are working or in further study within six months of graduation.

• Samford is recognized as a best value–top college by Educate to Career for the employability of graduates.

• Samford is ranked 3rd nationally for best Christian colleges and universities by College Consensus.

• Samford’s athletic teams earned a 97% Graduation Success Rate (GSR) by the NCAA. Samford is ranked first in Alabama and 17th in the nation for GSR among all colleges and universities in the NCAA Division 1 level.

• Samford is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 12 universities granting merit-based financial aid.

• Over the past two academic years, a total of $8.9 million in external funding was authorized to Samford faculty from federal, state, private industry, foundations and nonprofit funding sources in support of research and scholarly activities.

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SAMFORD ATHLETICS HA Name Walter Barnes Lauren Blankenship Bobby Bowden Wally Burnham Cortland Finnegan Charlie Owens 1998-99 MBB Team Billy Bancroft Craig Beard Jimbo Fisher Michael Marseco Alyssa Whitehead

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Induction Year 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018

Sport Men’s Basketball Track and Field/Cross Country Football Football Football Tennis Men’s Basketball Football Men’s Basketball Football Baseball Soccer

2019 FOOTBALL

ALL OF FAME INDUCTEES 1971 Football Team Cameron Bean John Brady Gary Fleming Jimmy Harrison Emily London

2019 Inductees 2019 Football 2019 Track and Field/Cross Country 2019 Men’s Basketball 2019 Football 2019 Men’s Basketball 2019 Women’s Basketball

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Southern Conference The Southern Conference The Southern Conference, which is in its 99th season of intercollegiate competition in 2019-20, is a national leader in emphasizing the development of the student-athlete 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 goal in basketball (1980), the Southern Conference has been a pioneer.

Te 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 student-athletes 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 22 varsity sports and championships that produce participants for NCAA Division I Championships. The league added rifle, becoming just the second Division I conference to sponsor the sport, in 2016-17, and added women’s lacrosse for the 2017-18 campaign.

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.

Leadership Jim Schaus began his tenure as the ninth commissioner in league history on July 1, 2019. Schaus came to the SoCon after an 11-year run as the director of athletics at Ohio University, where he led the Bobcats to unprecedented levels of success in athletics and academics.

Schaus, who boasts more than 30 years of experience in athletics administration, has a familial connection to the Southern Conference, as his father, former Los Angeles Lakers coach Fred Schaus, was the men’s basketball coach at West Virginia from 1954-60, earning SoCon Coach of the Year honors 72

four times in that six-year span and still ranking in the top 20 in career wins by a league coach.

Schaus replaced former commissioner John Iamarino, who concluded his 13-year tenure at the Southern Conference in the summer of 2019. Throughout his tenure, Iamarino promoted the Southern Conference through an ambitious agenda that improved championships, upgraded compliance-related matters, launched the conference’s Hall of Fame, created the SoCon Academic Exchange and increased the marketing and brand awareness of the conference and its member institutions. He also guided the league through membership changes that ensured the Southern Conference’s future viability and stability with the additions of ETSU, Mercer and VMI. Iamarino spearheaded the effort to create the SoCon Digital Network, which launched in the fall of 2014, and the league-wide plan to have all 10 member institutions capable of producing broadcast-quality content by 2017.

Iamarino also orchestrated the addition of three sports in a four-year span, starting with men’s lacrosse in 2014-15.

Rifle was added in 2016-17, and women’s lacrosse became the SoCon’s 22nd varsity sport in 2017-18. The addition of those three sports attracted a combined 11 associate members, while a 12th, Belmont, was added for men’s soccer beginning in 2018.

The Southern Conference named its first commissioner in December 1950. Duke’s Wallace Wade made the transition from Blue Devil football coach to athletics administration as the first person at the helm of the conference.

Lloyd Jordan replaced Wade as the commissioner in 1960 and served a 14-year term until Ken Germann became the league head in 1974. Germann was the commissioner for 13 years and orchestrated the league’s expansion to include women’s athletics. In 1987, he was succeeded by Dave Hart, who oversaw the transfer of the league office from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Asheville, North Carolina.

Wright Waters succeeded Hart upon his retirement in 1991.

Under Waters’ leadership, the Southern Conference expanded to 12 members, added three women’s sports and posted record revenue from the basketball tournament. Waters was followed by Alfred B. White in 1998. White, a veteran member of the NCAA office, introduced the current conference logo and elevated the

2019 FOOTBALL conference’s commitment to marketing and development of corporate partners.

Danny Morrison, who would go on to be president of the Carolina Panthers, headed the conference from 2001-05 and orchestrated the league’s move from Asheville to Spartanburg.

Under Morrison’s leadership, the conference increased its marketing and promotional efforts.

Football The Southern Conference has also excelled as the premier Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conference. Former Southern Conference member Appalachian State won the three consecutive FCS titles from 2005-07, becoming the first team to do so. The league boasts more than 250 players who have garnered All-America recognition and numerous national player or coach of the year awards. The conference had at least one team in the top 10 of the final FCS poll for 28 consecutive years (1985-2012), with at least two teams finishing in the final poll in every season from 1982-2013. Wofford, which was finished in the top 20 in each of the last three seasons, was joined in the final polls in 2018 by ETSU, which earned its first FCS playoff berth since 1996. The Citadel, Chattanooga, Samford and Wofford each finished in the top 25 in 2016, giving the league four in the final poll for the first time since 2007.

The conference has placed multiple representatives in the FCS Playoffs in 30 of 35 seasons, with 16 championship game appearances and eight national titles. The Southern Conference has had at least one team reach the semifinals in 12 of the last 20 years and in 18 of the last 27 seasons.

In 2007, Appalachian State became the first FCS team to defeat a nationally ranked Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team, when the Mountaineers defeated No. 5 Michigan, 34-32, on Sept. 1 before a sellout crowd at Michigan Stadium. Georgia Southern, in its final game as a member of the Southern Conference, downed the SEC’s Florida in Gainesville. The league picked up two wins over FBS teams in 2015, with Furman downing UCF and The Citadel stunning South Carolina.

Prior to the conference’s reclassification in 1981, Southern Conference football teams appeared in a total of 36 bowl games, posting a record of 16-18-2. From 1925-30, league schools won five football national championships in a six-year span. There are nearly 60 former Southern Conference players and coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. One of the most recognizable of these names is former North Carolina running back Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice, who helped guide North Carolina to three bowl appearances. He was a first-team All-America selection and the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 1948 and 1949. In 1949, Justice earned first-team all-conference honors for the fourth consecutive season, becoming the first player in league history to achieve that feat. He was a member of the league’s inaugural Hall of Fame Class in 2009.

Another of the league’s football products that made it to the College Football Hall of Fame is Sam Huff of West Virginia. Huff was a three-year starter on both the offensive

and defensive lines for the Mountaineers. In 1955, Huff earned first-team All-America honors on the field and was a first-team Academic All-American for his work in the classroom. He played 12 seasons in the National Football League for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. Also a member of the conference’s first Hall of Fame class, he was a five-time All-Pro linebacker and is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2014. The winningest coach in Appalachian State and Southern Conference history, Moore compiled a 215-87 record in his 24 seasons at Appalachian State (1989-2012), including 10 SoCon championships, 18 postseason appearances and an unprecedented three straight NCAA Division I FCS/I-AA national titles (2005-07).

In 1999, Georgia Southern’s Adrian Peterson captured the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the Football Championship Subdivision’s most outstanding offensive player.

Peterson, a four-time All-American who finished his career as the NCAA Division I leader in rushing yards with 6,559, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2017.

The league saw a pair of former players enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018, as former Chattanooga standout Terrell Owens and Marshall star Randy Moss, who enjoyed a record-breaking freshman year in the SoCon, earned the nod.

Furman’s Louis Ivory earned the Walter Payton Award in 2000, Georgia Southern’s Jayson Foster was presented with the 2007 trophy and most recently, Appalachian State’s record-setting quarterback Armanti Edwards became the first two-time winner in Payton Award history after claiming the honors in 2008 and 2009.

Record-breaking quarterback Devlin Hodges of Samford became the Southern Conference’s most recent Walter Payton Award winner in 2018, when the senior was also named the FCS ADA Offensive Player of the Year. The consensus All-American, who led the FCS in passing yards and completion percentage that season, wrapped up his career with FCS records for passing yardage (14,584), pass attempts and completions.

Appalachian State’s Dexter Coakley was a three-time all-conference selection and consensus All-American in 1994, ’95 and ’96 before going on to stardom with the Dallas Cowboys. Coakley won a pair of Buck Buchanan Awards, given to Football Championship Subdivision’s top defensive player each year. Western Carolina’s David Patten and Appalachian State’s Matt Stevens were both members of the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl champion team in 2002 and Patten also earned Super Bowl rings with the Patriots in 2004 and ’05.

Appalachian State’s Daniel Kilgore appeared in Super Bowl XLVII for the San Francisco 49ers in 2013. Western Carolina’s Keion Crossen and Chattanooga’s Keionta Davis were teammates for the Super-Bowl winning Patriots in 2018.

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BULLDOG Kasey Bodine Jeanie Box Charles and Julie Boyd Lowell and Redonda Broom David Clark Jerry and Jimmie Colvin Terry and Julie Dunagan Margie and Danny Fallen Anna Foyt Tom and Allison Fuller Larry and Lere’ Harper Cody Jackson Wayne and Donna Kendrick L & R Properties, Inc. Linda Langston Katelyn and Cameron Page Eric Skipwith Gaines and Vivi Smith Alan Stevens Corey and Laurie Woods

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For more information, contact Maggie Rountree at 205-726-4307 or bulldogclub@samford.edu.

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2019 FOOTBALL Malcolm and Betty Miller Rick and MaryAnn Moon Vic and Janis Nichol Stephen and Kathy Peeples Jeff and Stephanie Prior Joshua and Sheri Ransome Regions Bank Alan and Karen Register Josh and Andrea Rhodes Doug and Renita Rigney Al and Stella Ringer Scott and Abbie Rogers Gil and Leigh Simmons Jim and Patsy Smithey Monte and Paula Stewart Brett and Kristie Taylor Bob and Pat Terry Doug and Leah Thomas Mickey Tumlin Howard Walthall and Rosemary Fisk Rusty and Kim Yerkes ALL-CONFERENCE Jason and Shawn Adams Jim and Cindy Anderson Steve and Janet Ball Richard and Janne Bazemore Tim and Cindy Bembry Jeff and Lisa Bramer Larry Burgess-Moore and Catherine Sheridan-Moore Patricia and Jim Burks Mike and Leslie Canfield Chris and Leslie Corts Stephen and Krista Dillard Rebecca and Bill Dorsten Kevin and Alicia Eads Jason and Lori Edgemon Kent and Margaret Ellington Howard and Kathy Finch Daryl and Kristine Fineran Chad and Stacy Foreman Jim and Sherri Foyt

Bob and Grace Freeman Nichole Hatcher Rod and Paula Hovater Gene and Susanne Howard Jill and Bryan Hughes Jerry and Harriette Hyche Hardy and Suzanne Jackson Gaius and Elaine Johnson Chad and April Luth Lyn Marcum Stephanie and Tate Morris Michael and Michelle Musto Eddie and Betty Oliver David and Dixie Owens Tim and Barbara Pippins Philip and Shellyn Poole Jim Rice Al and Stella Ringer Jean and Darin Roberson Donald and Caroline Rochford Thomas and Christine Rohling Brad and Amy Simpson Mike and Leisa Smith Don and Zina Smith John and Maggie Staton Taylor and Allison Strickland Pat and Jean Sullivan Darrin and Liz Tarleton Lida Hoskins VanOrman John and Vicki Wilcox Doug and Anita Wilson

JUNIOR VARSITY Jonathan and Haley Bunio Dunn Building Company Charlie and Susan Eddy Scott and Beth Guffin Michael and Terry Morgan Josh and Amanda Fields Doug and Beth Kovash Maggie Rountree

VARSITY Eric and Cassandra Adams Anonymous Todd Fredella Bob and Gail Greene Mike and Anna Kathryn Hardin Todd Skaggs David and Ashley Spurling Mike and Tricia Vice Cynthia Walker Watts

Members of 110% Club (Bulldog Club Members who have increased their gift by 10% or more) * Bulldog Club Development Board

BULLDOG Kasey Bodine Jeanie Box Charles and Julie Boyd Lowell and Redonda Broom David Clark Jerry and Jimmie Colvin Terry and Julie Dunagan Margie and Danny Fallen Anna Foyt Tom and Allison Fuller Larry and Lere’ Harper Cody Jackson Wayne and Donna Kendrick L & R Properties, Inc. Linda Langston Katelyn and Cameron Page Eric Skipwith Gaines and Vivi Smith Alan Stevens Corey and Laurie Woods

Join the Bulldog Club!

For more information, contact Maggie Rountree at 205-726-4307 or bulldogclub@samford.edu.

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JOIN US BEFORE OR AFTER THE GAME FOR

LEGENDARY FUN & LEGENDARY FOOD!

FOR LOCATIONS + MORE INFORMATION VISIT

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2019 FOOTBALL

Bulldogs in the NFL Entering the 2019 NFL preseason, Samford had eight players in NFL rosters, the most at any time in school history.

AUSTIN BARNARD Austin Barnard signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He spent the 2018 season on the injured reserve list.

JAMES BRADBERRY James Bradberry was drafted in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. Bradberry is entering his fourth season with the Panthers.

AHMAD GOODEN Defensive lineman Ahmad Gooden signed as an undrafted free agent with the Denver Broncos following the 2019 draft.

DEVLIN HODGES Quarterback Devlin Hodges signed as an undrafted free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers after performing at the team’s rookie minicamp in 2019.

KELVIN MCKNIGHT Wide receiver Kelvin McKnight signed as an undrafted free agent with the Denver Broncos following the 2019 draft.

MICHAEL PIERCE Michael Pierce has had success as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens. He enters his fourth season with the Ravens in 2019.

JAQUISKI TARTT Jaquiski Tartt became the highest NFL Draft pick in Samford history when he was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2015 Draft. Tartt enters his fifth season with the 49ers.

NICK WILLIAMS Nick Williams was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Williams also played with the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, and is currently a member of the Chicago Bears.

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People around you are hurting every day. Poverty, natural disasters, human trafficking, refugees, children in crisis—the needs are enormous.

What can just one church—just one Christian—do?

When the issues are close to home, you want to do something, and Send Relief is here to help.

Send Relief provides simple, practical ways to respond to the specific needs in your community.

Text SENDRELIEF to 888111 for more information

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2019 FOOTBALL

Athletics Facilities The Samford University athletics program has risen to regional and national recognition through its commitment to athletic and academic excellence. Samford student-athletes have achieved much on the playing fields and in the classroom.

Paralleling the competitive success of the program, Samford’s athletics facilities also continue to develop.

The newest addition to Samford’s athletics facilities is the new state-of-the-art video board in Seibert Stadium installed by the first home game of the 2019 season. Also, the Samford Softball Field opened in spring 2013. The new J. T. Haywood Field House, which houses an indoor hitting facility, as well as locker rooms and meeting rooms for both baseball and softball, was officially opened in fall 2013.

The new Samford Soccer and Track Stadium opened in spring 2011. The 1,200-seat facility opened by hosting the 2011 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The facility includes locker rooms, a ticket office, a high-tech press box, a nine-lane track and a regulation soccer field.

The Sullivan-Cooney Family Field House for football opened in August 2009. It includes coaches’ offices, meeting rooms, a locker room, weight room, training room, equipment room and players’ lounge. The facility was renamed the Sullivan-Cooney Family Field House in the fall of 2014 to honor former Head Coach Pat Sullivan and his family.

The convocation/arena/fitness complex, Pete Hanna Center, was completed in fall 2007.

The center provides outstanding playing facilities for volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball in a 5,000-seat center, a fitness/wellness complex for the entire student body, and state-of-the-art training facilities for Samford’s varsity sports. Also included in the facility are offices, meeting space and support facilities for coaches and athletics administration. The facility

is adjacent to Bashinsky Field House and can be expanded up to 6,000 seats for commencement and other major nonathletics events.

The Pat M. Courington Tennis Pavilion was completed in 2006 with three indoor courts, a support facility for locker rooms, offices and restrooms. Samford’s Tennis Center also includes the Darwin C. Hardison Courts, featuring six outdoor NCAA courts.

All-weather field turf was installed at Seibert Stadium in the summer of 2005.

Facilities in Seibert Hall have been renovated to accommodate academic programs and student recreation activities.

Joe Lee Griffin Field, home of the Samford Bulldogs baseball team, was remodeled in 2000 to include offices, locker rooms and other support services in a facility that complements the Georgian-Colonial architecture found throughout the Samford campus. The Carl E. Miller Press Box was added in 2009.

Bulldog Spirit Plaza, dedicated during 2005 Homecoming weekend, is the focal point of the area connecting Seibert Stadium, Joe Lee Griffin Field, Bashinsky Field House and Pete Hanna Center. Organized by the Class of 2003, the landscaped plaza includes a bas relief of the Bulldog mascot and more than 100 bricks honoring Samford alumni, students, parents, employees, former athletes and friends of the university as a celebration of Samford’s more than 125 years of intercollegiate athletics competition.

The athletics department is building its capital campaign efforts to raise funds to further assure Samford athletes of the finest playing facilities possible.

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SAMFORD ATHLETICS THANKS THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING SUPPORT Corporate Champions

Elite Sponsors

Supporting Sponsors Moe’s Southwest Grill Eastern Tree Service Aloft Mountain High Outfitters Enterprise Leasing Ashley Mac’s Newk’s Event Rentals Unlimited Baumhowers Nothing but Noodles Express Oil Change/Tire Engineers Bio Life Plasma Papa Johns First Watch Birmingham Marriot Piggly Wiggly Flemings Blue Cross Blue Shield ProHealth Hoover Chiropractic Frank Ippolito State Farm Bojangles’ Samford Bookstore Grille 29 Brock School of Business Steel City Pops Hampton Inn Mtn. Brook Champion Cleaners Subway Hinkle Roofing Children’s of Alabama Taco Mama Hyatt/Wynfrey Cocina Superior Truitt Insurance Inverness Eye Care Complete Feet Waste Management Jason’s Deli Courtyard by Marriott-Colonnade Weber Mortgages Jimmy John’s Courtyard by Marriott-Homewood MedJet Dawson Memorial Miss Dots Drury Inn For information on how you can become a sponsor of Samford Athletics, call Leon Ryan at 205-726-4717 80

Hard Work and Trust

That’s what winning teams are built on.

Hard work means getting a little better each day.

Trust means knowing someone has your back.

For over 80 years, our members have trusted us to improve their financial futures.

We’re proud to serve Birmingham and support Samford University.

GO BULLDOGS!

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ice cold victory

Official Fan Refreshment of SAMFORD BULLDOGS FOOTBALL