Saturday, September 5
Elon, N.C.
7:00 p.m.
Davidson College Athletics
at
Elon
Davidson Opens 2009 Campaign at Elon Saturday Night
9/3/2009 10:36:25 AM | Football
Davidson Wildcats (0-0) vs. No . 11 Elon Phoenix (0-0)
Sept. 5, 2009 - Elon, N.C.
Rhodes Stadium (11,250) - 7 p.m. - Natural Grass
Sept. 5, 2009 - Elon, N.C.
Rhodes Stadium (11,250) - 7 p.m. - Natural Grass
Today's Game
• Davidson opens the 2009 campaign by traveling up the road to take on Southern Conference member Elon, ranked 11th in The Sports Network Preseason Poll.
• It's the first time the teams have met on the gridiron since 1954 and the first time Davidson has ever played at Elon.
• The Wildcats return 41 lettermen and a total of 11 starters from the 2008 squad, which posted a 4-7 record.
• The 'Cats are 3-6 in their last nine road games, dating back to the 2007 season.
• Davidson plays football in the Pioneer Football League, but a majority of Wildcat teams compete in the Southern Conference.
• The 'Cats have not played a SoCon opponent in football since traveling to then SoCon member VMI in 2002. The Keydets posted a 41-16 victory. VMI and Davidson played in 2003, 2005 and 2006, but the Keydets made the move to the Big South in 2003.
• Elon returns 36 lettermen and a total of 18 starters from the 2008 team, which posted an 8-4 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the SoCon.
• All four of the Phoenix losses were to ranked opponents, and two came on the road. Elon was ranked 17th in the final Sports Network Poll.
Season Openers
• Davidson has a winning record in 110 season openers with a mark of 54-51-5 (.514).
• The first season-opening victory came on Oct. 7, 1900, when the 'Cats defeated Guilford, 16-0. That victory began a five-game winning streak on opening day.
• The longest opening-day winning streak for the Wildcats was 10 straight (1922-31). Davidson shut out Elon in each of the first five season openers during that streak, plus beat the Fightin' Christians (now Phoenix) in eight of those 10 games. All in all, the 'Cats outscored their opponent in those 10 opening-day games, 221-8.
• Coach Monk Younger owns the best opening-day record of any Wildcat coach, going 9-0 from 1923-31.
• The longest losing streak in Davidson season openers was eight from 1981-88.
• In 1946, Davidson recorded its biggest victory on opening day, defeating Erskine 74-0. That game is also the fourth-largest margin of victory in Davidson history.
• VMI has the distinction of handing Davidson its worst defeat on opening day — 55-0 in 1975.
• Here is a breakdown of Wildcat season openers by each decade:
1897-99: 0-3
1900-09: 7-1-2
1910-19: 5-4-1
1920-29: 8-2
1930-39: 6-4
1940-49: 4-2-2 (none in '44 or '45)
1950-59: 5-5
1960-69: 7-3
1970-79: 3-7
1980-89: 2-8
1990-99: 4-6
2000-08: 3-6
Series Record
• The Wildcats lead the all-time series, which began in 1921, 16-1 but none of those games have been in the last half century.
• Davidson won the first 16 meetings before suffering a 14-6 setback to Elon Nov. 20, 1954.
• The 'Cats have never played at Elon.
• With the schools in such close proximity, there are plenty of ties among the two rosters.
• Elon wide receiver Lance Camp played with Davidson defensive back Harvey Kee at Burns High School. Both are juniors and expected to start today.
• Elon defensive back Cameron McGlenn played with Davidson linebacker Tyler Lemons, and the pair won a state title at South Point High School in 2003.
Stroll Down Memory Lane
• To put things in perspective, below are some items of historical significance that took place in 1954, the last time Elon and Davidson met on the gridiron.
• In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas the Supreme Court rules unanimously that racial segregation violates the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
• Senator Joseph McCarthy accelerates his anti-Communist witch hunt with the nationally-televised Army-McCarthy Hearings and is formally censured by Congress.
• Elvis Presley records “That's All Right Mama” and several other singles.
• Baseball legend Hank Aaron begins his career by joining the Milwaukee Braves.
• William Golding, who will proceed to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, publishes his tale of the dark side of human nature, The Lord of the Flies.
• In the Academy Awards, On The Waterfront wins Best Picture, Best Director for Elia Kazan and Best Actor for Marlon Brando.
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