Player News - Brown Receives More Preseason Honors

Senior tight end Tim Brown received another honor as he was recognized as a preseason All-American by HERO Sports. Unlike many All-American teams, HERO selects only eleven players on offense, so Brown is the only player honored at his position.

Last season, Brown led the Golden Rams in all receiving categories with 53 catches for 1,059 yards and 17 scores. His receiving yards and touchdowns were tops in the country among tight ends. Brown was named first team All-PSAC East, first team Super Region One by Daktronics, first team Super Region One by Beyond Sports Network, first team Super Region One by Don Hansen Football Gazette, second team All-American by Daktronics and Beyond Sports Network, and first team All-American by Don Hansen Football Gazette.

HERO Sports - HERO Sports 2015 D2 Football Preseason All-America Team

Team News - Golden Rams #23 in AFCA Preseason Poll

After reaching the NCAA playoffs for the second consecutive season, West Chester is ranked #23 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II preseason poll. West Chester opens the 2015 season on September 3 when they host #10 Lenoir-Rhyne.

American Football Coaches Association - Division II Coaches’ Poll – August 17, 2015

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Ranked 23rd In AFCA Preseason Poll

Alumni News - Shabazz Sees Action with Buccaneers

Former Golden Ram cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz got his first taste of NFL game action when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Minnesota Vikings 26-16 in the Bucs' first preseason game of the year. In the second half, Hajj was a gunner on the punt and kickoff teams. He also logged two solo tackles from his left cornerback position which he played late in the third quarter and almost the entire fourth quarter.

ESPN - Vikings 26 - Buccaneers 16

Player News - QB Derr Situation Still Unresolved

Andrew Derr

Golden Ram quarterback Andrew Derr's status on the team this season remains in question after his guilty plea stemming from an incident in town in March. According to the preseason depth chart released prior to this week's court appearance earlier this week, Derr was still listed as the starter. On that depth chart, redshirt sophomore Pat Moriarty was listed as the backup. In the mix is Kutztown transfer Alec Werner, also a redshirt sophomore, who played very well in the Spring Game.

Daily Local - Derr, WCU await fate from court

Daily Local - WCU QB spends night in county prison

Throwback Thursday - 1935

After preseason practices with teams ranging from Ursinus College to the Philadelphia Eagles, Dr. W. Glenn Killinger posted a 7-3 record in just his second season as head coach at West Chester. The season opened with a trip to New Brunswick, NJ and a 19-7 victory over Rutgers in the only game ever played between the two schools. The following week was a 9-6 win over Elon which finished 7-3 that season. Another notable win was an 18-0 shutout over visiting Lock Haven which was undefeated at the time of their meeting. West Chester's three losses came at Penn Military (now Widener), LaSalle, and Western State (now Western Michigan).

Captain George "Monk" McGinness was instrumental in the win over Rutgers, but his season was cut short due to an injury in the third game of the season at Penn Military. John Taronis became West Chester's first All-American as named by the Associated Press. McGinness and Taronis are both members of the Killinger Football Hall of Fame, as is Millard Robinson who was labeled as "one of West Chester's greatest backs".

John Taronis
Millard Robinson

Team News - 2015 Roster Changes

Other than departing seniors, the 2015 roster does not pose a lot of changes. The most notable departures all come from the defensive side of the ball and there are no real surprises as none appeared on the roster for the spring game. Among them is defensive back Dante Devine who played in all 11 regular season games last year, registering 15 total tackles. Devine played in nine games, including two starts, in both 2011 and 2012, but was not on the roster in 2013. Also departed is defensive lineman Shaquil Ryder who registered 60 total tackles, including 6.0 sacks, and an interception in his two seasons with the Golden Rams. No longer on the roster are defensive backs Pat McCabe, John McGilligan and Lehigh transfer Russhon Phillips.

Besides the slew of incoming freshman, there are a handful of incoming transfers. Running back/wide receiver Eerin Young (Rhode Island), linebacker Justice Smith (Delaware) and kicker Ben Solis (Stony Brook) entered West Chester prior to last semester and played in the spring game. Although defensive tackle Dominic Toney (Indiana of PA) appeared on the 2014 roster, he did not see action at West Chester and apparently not at Indiana either. Also transferring from the PSAC West is offensive lineman Shareef Clinton (California of PA). Clinton played in 20 games as a reserve in his two seasons with the Vulcans and did not redshirt while there. Finally, wide receiver Tyler Karpinski (Temple) has made his arrival in West Chester. At Manheim Township, Karpinski was an All-State kick and punt returner and was named the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section One Wide Receiver of the Year and Defensive Back of the Year. As a true freshman at Temple in 2013, he hauled in four receptions for 22 yards, making his first collegiate reception at Notre Dame. He did not play for the Owls last season.

Expect Solis to be the Golden Rams' place kicker in 2015 and Toney appears on the preseason depth chart as a backup defensive tackle. With West Chester's offense, Young and Karpinski should have plenty of opportunities to get touches. It's not clear if Clinton will redshirt in 2015, but at 6'7", it seems he's best suited for right tackle.

Although not a transfer, defensive lineman Kavon Johnson is back after a year not being on the roster. In three games as a redshirt freshman in 2013, Johnson registered a tackle for loss and two QB hurries. And finally, new to the Golden Rams is tight end Matt Sharp. It's not clear how much football he played in Great Britain, but at 6'6" 255 lbs, he sounds like tight end material.

Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	School
Shareef Clinton	OL	6-7	310	Imhotep Charter/California (PA)
Tyler Karpinski	WR	5-11	175	Manheim Township/Temple
Justice Smith	LB	6-0	220	Upper Merion/Delaware
Ben Solis	PK	5-9	220	Council Rock South/Stoney Brook
Dominic Toney	DL	6-3	280	West Catholic/Indiana (PA)
Eerin Young	RB/WR	5-9	185	Imhotep Charter/Rhode Island

Team News - Golden Rams Picked To Finish Second

The West Chester University Golden Rams were picked to finish second in the division by the conference coaches at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference annual Football Media Day.

Predicted order :

Eastern Division
1. Bloomsburg
2. West Chester
3T. East Stroudsburg
3T. Shippensburg
5. Kutztown
T6. Lock Haven
T6. Millersville
8. Cheyney

The Golden Rams were represented by head coach Bill Zwaan, senior running back Eddie Elliott and senior captain and defensive back Brandon Pepper.

Brandon Pepper, Head Coach Bill Zwaan, Eddie Elliott (Photo PSAC)

Head Coach Bill Zwaan talks to Neil Geoghegan of the Daily Local News

PSAC Site - Bloomsburg and Gannon Picked First in PSAC Coaches' Preseason Poll

Daily Local News - West Chester picked 2nd in PSAC East preseason poll

West Chester Athletic Site - West Chester Selected Second in the East Division of the PSAC

PSAC Video - Football Media Day 2015 East

Alumni News - Weber, Senser to ChesCo Sports Hall of Fame

Former Golden Ram football players Chuck Weber and Joe Senser have been named to the 2015 Inductee Class of the Chester County Sports Hall of Fame. The 2015 Annual Induction Banquet will be held on Saturday, November 14th at the Downingtown Country Club.

As a nose guard in 1952, Weber became the first West Chester player named All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. He went on to play primarily linebacker for seven seasons (1955 - 1961) in the NFL, including the 1955 NFL Champion Cleveland Browns and the 1960 NFL Champion Philadelphia Eagles. He later coached in the NFL and AFL for the Boston Patriots, San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, St. Louis Cardinals and Baltimore Colts.

As the game of football and the Golden Ram offense has opened up over the years, Senser's place on the career reception list has slowly slipped. He was West Chester's top receiver for each of the four years that he played for the Golden Rams from 1975 to 1978, finishing his career with 155 receptions for 2,186 yards and 14 touchdowns. Senser was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1979 and went on to play in 49 games over four seasons, recording 165 receptions for 1,822 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also played in the 1981 Pro Bowl.

Both are already members of the Killinger Hall of Fame.

Daily Local News - Bell, Gold Polley head new CCSHOF class

Chuck Weber
Joe Senser

Event News - PSAC Football Media Day

The PSAC will hold its annual Football Media Day on Monday, August 10. The schools from the East Division will be hosted by Kutztown University while the West Division schools will gather at Slippery Rock University. Along with head coach Bill Zwaan, the Golden Rams will be represented by senior captains running back Brandon Monk and defensive back Brandon Pepper.

PSAC Site - 2015 PSAC Football Media Day

Throwback Thursday - 1945

Looking back, 1945 was a sobering season, although at the time, it was much celebrated. There was no football played in 1943 and 1944 due to World War II, so a football season was a return to normalcy. Consider that LaSalle stopped playing football after 1941 due to the war and the program didn't resume until 1997. For West Chester, the 1945 season didn't start until mid-October and consisted of only four games. A 12-0 shutout win at Haverford was followed by a 6-6 tie against Delaware. It's the last game ever played between the two schools in West Chester, although Delaware does not formally recognize the 1945 season. The final two games were a 6-0 win over Drexel and a 12-7 win over Swarthmore.

A view of campus in 1946. The Old Library on the left, Philips Memorial in the lower Right, Ruby Jones above that, and Wayne Field, home of West Chester football, in the upper left corner.