Alumni News - Scott Tabbed as Tiger-Cats' Starter

Sam Scott

Former Golden Ram defender Sam Scott is set to begin his third season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League when they open their 2015 slate tonight at the Calgary Stampeders. The game, a rematch of last year's 102nd Grey Cup won by the Stampeders by a score of 20-16, will be shown on ESPN2 at 9:00 pm. Scott is expected to start at right defensive end for the Ticats. In four games last season, he registered seven tackles, a sack and two fumble recoveries.

Scott was a first team All-PSAC East linebacker in both 2008 and 2009. In 48 games at West Chester, he amassed 150 solo tackles, 92 assisted tackles, for 242 total tackles, 37.0 tackles for loss, an interception, three forced fumbles and two blocked kicks. His 37.0 tackles for loss currently ranks third on the Golden Ram career list.

Throwback Thursday - 2005

Wow, it's already been ten years. Pictured is the 2005 Golden Ram football team which was led by captains #1 Brandon Simmons and #91 Jared Souders. West Chester finished 8-4 and qualified for the playoffs for the second consecutive season. All four losses came away from Farrell Stadium, in four different states, and to very good opponents - North Dakota, Bloomsburg and C.W. Post, each of which was ranked #4 in the nation at the time West Chester played them, and Division I-AA Delaware. The Golden Rams edged East Stroudsburg, which was ranked #6 at the time, by a score of 18-17. The Warriors went on to finish 11-3 and advanced to the national semi-finals.

One of the most memorable games was the season opener. On a Friday evening in August against Clarion, redshirt freshman Michael Washington made seven catches for 242 yards and five touchdowns in his first collegiate game. His receiving yards in that game are the third most in West Chester history behind Kevin Ingram's 401 yards against Clarion in 1998 and George Reid's 247 yards against New Haven in 1990. His five touchdown catches in a game remains the school record.

West Chester's final regular season game was a thriller as well. The Golden Rams took a 24-9 lead into the fourth quarter at Shippensburg, but the Raiders scored a touchdown with five minutes left to move within one possession. West Chester responded exactly as they wanted to - running the ball and picking up first downs to consume the clock. Until a fumble was lost at the Shippensburg 30 with just under two minutes remaining. The Raiders swiftly moved down the field, using a couple of completions to Brent Grimes, now a cornerback with the Miami Dolphins, to earn a first down at the West Chester 25. But then the defensive pressure stepped up to another level. A quarterback hurry by Randy Reinert and a sack by Jimmy Lewis was followed by an incomplete pass setting up fourth and 16. On that play, Dave Montgomery and Dan Faubel joined forces on a sack and West Chester clinched the fifth seed in the playoffs.

Unfortunately, West Chester wasn't able to replicate their ability to hold on to a late lead in the first round of the playoffs at C.W. Post. Despite being outplayed in the contest, the Golden Rams were clinging to a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter and looked to have advanced to the second round when Anthony Belasco pinned a punt on the Pioneers' four with 80 seconds left to play. But C.W. Post navigated the 96 yards, capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass with three seconds left, ending the Golden Rams season.

Player News - Preseason Honors for Host of Rams

Four members of the Golden Ram football team have been named preseason All-American by USA Football Network. Representing West Chester are senior co-captain Brandon Monk who was named to the first team at running back and senior co-captain Tim Brown who was named to the first team at tight end. Senior co-captain Andrew Cohen was recognized on the first team on the defensive line while senior Eddie Elliott was named to the second team at running back.

USA Football Network - 26th Annual USA College Football D-II Pre-Season All-Americans

West Chester Athletic Site - Four Golden Rams Gridders Dot USA College Football DII Preseason All-America List

Team News - 2015 WCU Football Schedule

Game times for all away games now available, so everyone can make their travel plans.

Day	Date	Opponent	Time	Notes
Thursday	September 3	vs Lenoir-Rhyne	6:00 pm
Saturday	September 12	at Mercyhurst	12:00 pm
Saturday	September 19	vs Seton Hill	1:00 pm	Family Weekend
Saturday	September 26	at Millersville	1:00 pm
Saturday	October 3	at Lock Haven	12:00 pm
Saturday	October 10	vs Kutztown	1:00 pm
Saturday	October 17	at Shippensburg	1:00 pm	Ship's Homecoming
Saturday	October 24	vs Bloomsburg	2:00 pm	Homecoming
Saturday	October 31	at Cheyney	1:00 pm
Saturday	November 7	vs East Stroudsburg	1:00 pm
Saturday	November 14	vs Indiana	12:00 pm	Senior Day

Alumni News - Shabazz Interviewed by Bragg

Former Golden Ram cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz was recently interviewed by another former West Chester defensive back Courtland Bragg on the obstacles that he had to overcome, including osteomyelitis as a child, to develop into a premier college cornerback and pro prospect.

Player News - Shane Griffin to Play for the Golden Rams

Suburban One Sports is reporting that Shane Griffin (Abington) will play football at West Chester. The 6-4, 235lb defensive tackle is best known as a long snapping specialist. The Ghosts advanced to the District One playoffs the past two seasons.

Griffin and family with Abington Coach Sorber (Photo Suburban One Sports)

GametimePA.com - Abington's Griffin & Boone to Play Collegiate Football

2014 Highlight Video

Player News - Brown among NFL Draft Prospects

Rising senior tight end Tim Brown is among NFL Draft Diamonds' 2016 Small School Prospects. The list is comprised of players from the Football Championship Subdivision, Division II and Division III players. Among the nine tight ends identified, four come from FCS, two from Division II and three from Division III.

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.

The other Division II tight end on the NFL Draft Diamonds' list is Cole Spurgeon of Colorado School of Mines. Interestingly, he's not listed on the Ore Diggers' roster as a tight end, but as a wide receiver. Last season, Spurgeon caught 66 passes for 939 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was named first-team All-RMAC, first team Super Region Four by Daktronics, first team Super Region Four by Beyond Sports Network, first team Super Region Four by Don Hansen Football Gazette, first team All-American by Daktronics and Beyond Sports Network, and second team All-American by Don Hansen Football Gazette. The AFCA All-American team included a third running back in lieu of a tight end.

Similarly to West Chester, Mines finished the 2014 regular season 10-1 and earned the fourth seed in their region in the NCAA Division II playoffs. However, Mines lost in the first round to Ohio Dominican while the Golden Rams, behind Brown's monster performance of seven catches for 164 yards and three touchdowns, advanced to the second round. Last month, Spurgeon was named preseason All-American by Sporting News.

Here's a look at the West Chester records that Brown currently holds:

• Receiving Yards in a Playoff Game: 216 - Brown broke Brandon Simmons' 2004 record of 180 yards with his 216 yard effort last season at Concord.
  


• Receptions in a Playoff Game: 9 - Brown made nine catches in the second round playoff game at Concord last year, breaking the mark of eight catches that was shared by Brian Penecale at Ferris St in 1994 and Scott Asman at Portland St in 1989.
  


• Playoff Receptions in a Career: 26- Brown shares this record with Mike Washington who, like Brown, played in six playoff games from 2002-2005.
  

Brown's 2014 season is among the top ten in West Chester history in receiving yards and touchdown receptions. He is also among the top ten in career touchdown receptions. In the playoffs, Brown is just one touchdown and 11 yards shy of owning those career records as well.

Editor's Note - NFL Draft Diamonds' list has grown since this article was first published.

NFL Draft Diamonds - NFL Draft Diamonds 2016 Small School Prospect Rankings

Team News - Lindy's Ranks West Chester

The Golden Rams have received another top 20 preseason ranking, this time from Lindy’s Sports which places West Chester at #16. Lindy's has many of the same teams on their list as Sporting News, but the order is quite different. Lindy's shows West Chester 2014 playoff opponents Concord at #7 and Slippery Rock at #25 while 2015 opponents Bloomsburg and Lenoir-Rhyne are #4 and #14 respectively.

Prior to last season, Lindy's slotted West Chester #8.

Alumni News - Shabazz Waived by Colts

Former Golden Ram cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz has reportedly been waived by the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts needed to make room on their 90-man roster to sign undrafted free agent Camaron Beard and Hajj was how they accomplished that task.

Stampede Blue - Colts Sign Defensive Lineman Camaron Beard, Waive Cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz

Team News - Girardi, Killinger Nominated to HOF

West Chester alumnus Frank Girardi and legendary Golden Ram head coach Dr. W. Glenn Killinger appear on the 2016 ballot of the College Football Hall of Fame as divisional (non-FBS) coaches.

After graduating from West Chester in 1961, Girardi went on to coach at Jersey Shore High School from 1961-1968. In 1969, he started coaching at Lycoming College where he became head coach three years later. In 36 years as head coach at Lycoming, Girardi compiled a record of 257-97-4 and racked up 13 Middle Atlantic Conference titles and qualified for the NCAA Division III playoffs 11 times, reaching the championship game in 1990 and 1997. At the time that he retired in 2007, he was the fifth winningest college football coach. Girardi has been inducted into the Killinger Hall of Fame, Lycoming Athletics Hall of Fame, West Branch Valley Hall of Fame, and the Pennsylvania State Sports Hall of Fame.

Dr. Killinger is already a member of the College Football Hall of Fame as a player at Penn State where he was a three sport star, winning nine varsity letters. As a halfback/quarterback, he led the Nittany Lions to undefeated seasons in 1920 and 1921, serving as captain his senior year and named a consensus All-American. He also captained the basketball team his senior year and won 30 games as a pitcher for the baseball team. He is West Chester's all-time winningest head coach with a record of 147-41-12 (.765) over 23 seasons from 1934-1959. Killinger served in the United States Navy from 1942-1945. During his tenure at the helm of the Golden Rams, he never suffered a losing season and led the team to three bowl victories: Burley Bowl in 1947 and 1948 and the Pretzel Bowl in 1951. West Chester also participated in the Cigar Bowl in 1947. In addition to West Chester, Killinger was the head football coach at Dickinson (1922), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1927-1931), and Moravian (1933), compiling a career record of 176-72-16. He served as an assistant coach at Penn State from 1923-1926. He also served as the head coach of West Chester's men's basketball team from 1935-1940 and 1945-1946 and the baseball team from 1967-1970.

The 2016 Class will be announced on January 8, 2016, three days prior to the College Football Playoff National Championship game, in Scottsdale, AZ.

2016 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot Released

Centre Daily Times - Nittany Lion duo on Hall of Fame ballot