History

Story Links

Buck Mayer … Lambeth Field … Earle “Greasy” Neale … Scott Stadium … “Bullet Bill” Dudley … John Papit … Joe Palumbo … Tom Scott … Art Guepe … UVa joins the Atlantic Coast Conference … Frank Quayle … George Welsh … 1984 Peach Bowl … Jim Dombrowski … 1987 All American Bowl … Shawn and Herman Moore … 1989 ACC Championship … 1990 Florida Citrus Bowl … No. 1 national ranking … 1991 USF&G Sugar Bowl … the McCue Center … Ray Roberts … Terry Kirby and Chris Slade … 1994 Independence Bowl … David A. Harrison III Field … 1995 ACC Championship … 1995 Peach Bowl … Tiki and Ronde Barber … the Carl Smith Center … Anthony Poindexter … Patrick Kerney … 1998 Peach Bowl … Thomas Jones … Noel LaMontagne … John St. Clair … Al Groh.

Those are just some of the memorable individuals, places and events that compose Virginia’s rich football heritage.
Virginia’s first team–a helmetless band of young men in tight shirts, laced-up pants and high-top cleats–opened its season on a gravel-strewn field, the historic contest witnessed by a sparse gathering of fans and no press coverage.
That 1888 squad of 11 men and one substitute played three games, winning two and losing one, on a five-acre tract behind what is now Madison Hall.
Over a century later, more than 90 padded and numbered Virginia players open a 12-game schedule this fall against Wisconsin in quest of the Cavaliers’ 13th bowl appearance in 17 years.
A study of the University’s past 113 years of football reveals constant ebb and flow, on the field and off. Behind the gridiron has raged a tug-of-war between academics and athletics, professionalism and amateurism, success and failure.
The first reference to football in University annals mentions a pick-up game on the Lawn by a junior math class in November of 1870. UVa students and Albemarle County Englishmen played rugby-style matches, but interest in football waned in the late ’70s.
In the 1880s, however, the University–the entire country–fell helmet over high-tops in love with football.
President Grover Cleveland spoke at finals in 1888 to the few hundred poverty-stricken students enrolled at the University. The next fall, the first intercollegiate football game was played at UVa, with the team dressed in new school colors–orange and blue–that replaced the original, Confederate-inspired red and gray.
The first squad, its coach forgotten by history, was run club-style by a “Foot Ball Association.” The ’88 team defeated Pantops Academy and Episcopal High School, and lost decisively to Johns Hopkins.
The Gay Nineties brought frock coats, broad-brimmed hats, expanded football schedules, and winning records to UVa, as well as the underpinnings of a formal athletic program. The General Athletic Association was formed to govern UVa sports in 1892, and Virginia joined its first league, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1894.
A significant step in the building of the football program ushered the 20th century onto the Grounds. Work began in 1901 on 21-acre Lambeth Field, propelling sports development at UVa. The trend was not welcome in all corners, however, according to University historian Philip Alexander Bruce, who wrote disparagingly of the arrival of “professional athletes in disguise” from all over the country. School President Edwin A. Alderman was significantly alarmed to appoint an investigating committee in 1904, and a strict athletic code was written in 1906.
A controversial alumni coaching system that replaced professional football coaches with University graduates was adopted in 1906-07. The setup brought 10 coaches and winning seasons to UVa between 1900 and 1915, with help from a quarterback named Robert K. “Bobby” Gooch and a Walter Camp All-America halfback named Eugene N. “Buck” Mayer.
A UVa player named Archer Christian was fatally injured in a 21-0 win at Georgetown in 1909, sparking a mild but futile outcry for the elimination of football.
Season tickets were $7.50 for students and $9.50 for alumni when 8,000-seat Lambeth Stadium opened in 1913, with a price tag of $35,000. The season began with three home shutout victories for Virginia, followed later in the season by a home game with Vanderbilt that was billed as “the football classic of the South.” Trainloads of alumni rolled into Charlottesville to watch Virginia crush the Commodores, 34-0, at Lambeth’s dedication.
For years hence, it was traditional to designate “a greatest home game” each season. In 1914, it was Georgia — a “Rally ‘Round the Rotunda” won by UVa, 28-0, in a drizzle, as Bobby Gooch “general-led his men with rare ability,” the Alumni News gushed.
Betting was heavy on Yale for a 1915 game that ranked as the biggest all-time win at that stage of Virginia’s history. No Southern team had ever defeated the Ivy League power until Virginia–led by quarterback Norborne Berkeley and Buck Mayer–won 10-0 in New Haven. Headlines in the Charlottesville Daily Progress read, “Yale Bowl a Soup Tureen–Virginia Eleven Serves Dish of Bulldog Stew!”
The Alumni News found deeper meaning in the Yale win, saying, “Hereafter, no one need say a word against the Alumni Coaching System, unless he wishes to stir up the hornets. It has brought results.”
The upset also sparked an early debate over how–and whether–collegiate football champions should be crowned.
Ironically, the University’s first-ever losing football season occurred the next year, including a 61-3 payback at Yale. “Played them too early in the season,” moaned a 1916 Alumni News.Questions about the role of athletics were cast aside in 1917, dwarfed by a larger battlefront now known as World War I. Athletics were curtailed in 1917 and 1918 “in an effort to adapt this University to the stern necessities of a people at war,” according to the Corks and Curls.
The war ended, enrollment began to rebuild, and football practice resumed in 1919 with only two lettermen. “All Trains Lead to Charlottesville!” proclaimed posters promoting the “Great Post War Gathering of Virginia Alumni” for the Nov. 15, 1919, home game with Vanderbilt. UVa lost, 10-6, and dropped the traditional Thanksgiving Day game with North Carolina to finish the “start-up” season at 2-5-2.
In December of 1919, debate resumed about alumni coaching–even though records of teams under the system had been superior to those of professional coaching days. An assembly of students voted the system out, and Dr. Rice Warren was hired as coach in 1920. Warren led the 1920 squad to a 5-2-2 record. UVa also joined the Southern Intercollegiate Conference in 1920, which would become the Southern Conference in 1923.
Monticello was for sale, plans for Memorial Gym were on the drawing board, and the University’s heavily GI enrollment stood at 2,000 in 1921. The athletic department was reorganized, and a nine-member committee was named to formulate a new blueprint of sports control.
Rice Warren’s tenure ended before the 1922 season, and new coach Thomas Campbell guided the team to a 4-4-1 record–not so mediocre considering the ’21 team had managed only three points in its final four games.
University teams became the Cavaliers around 1923, and the leader of the first “official Cavs” was Earle “Greasy” Neale. Although his 1923 record was 3-5-1, his teams enjoyed winning records from 1924-27 before falling to 2-6-1 in 1928. Student indifference ran high, participation ran low, and Neale resigned after the ’28 season.
Earl Abell took the football reins for two years in the midst of another athletic department reshuffle. The position of athletic director was created, and James G. Driver–a three-year letterman at UVa–was named A.D.
Lambeth Field was outgrown by the spring of 1930, as varsity and first-year teams in football, baseball, track, and lacrosse attempted to practice there. UVa historian Virginius Dabney related that spring football workouts “had to be discontinued because the javelin and discus throwers imperiled the other athletes.”
The University began negotiating to obtain land for a new sports site, and plans were finalized for Scott Stadium to open in October, 1931. Land for practice fields between Ivy Road and the C&O Railroad tracks also was acquired.
Support for UVa football had become spasmodic–even fraternity brothers were betting openly against the Cavaliers–around 1930, but in 1931, a dynamic new coach named Fred Dawson buoyed spirits. Losing seasons and a lack of athletic scholarships took a toll on Dawson’s enthusiasm, however, and he quit after ’33–succeeded by Gus Tebell.
Just as frustrated at the dearth of notable wins was University President Edwin Anderson Alderman, who impaneled a committee to study the situation. Virginia decided in 1936 to resign from the Southern Conference, which prohibited players from being paid, in order to be able to offer sports scholarships.
Clarifying the role of athletics in the late 1930s, longtime Athletic Director Capt. Norton Pritchett told alumni that “Virginia is not going in for `big league’ football and never will, so long as I can prevent it.”
Tebell bowed out after three losing seasons, succeeded in 1937 by Frank Murray. Although the Cavaliers went 2-7 during Murray’s first year, the team produced a state championship and near hysteria in the student body in 1938 with a 4-4-1 record.
The 1940s arrived in Charlottesville, soon to be etched in memory as a decade of war and the era of “Bullet Bill.”
William McGarvey Dudley, a 168-pounder from Bluefield, Va., is called the best ever to wear a Virginia uniform. Dudley, number 35, ran, passed, kicked, blocked, tackled and intercepted his way to All-America honors.
Under Murray, the 1940 team–running out of a T-formation–went 4-5, but improved to 8-1 in 1941, the only loss a 21-19 upset at Yale.
In his final game as a Cavalier, Dudley scored 22 points at North Carolina in a Thanksgiving classic broadcast nationally. After a 28-7 UVa win, his teammates carried him off the field. Dudley finished fifth in the 1941 Heisman Trophy balloting.
Bullet Bill joined the Army after the 1941-42 academic year, and his loss was felt immediately. Murray’s 1942 squad dropped to 2-6-1, having lost 29 players to graduation and “scholarshipping for Uncle Sam.”
Until the war ended in 1945, UVa football functioned with makeshift teams–guest stars from other schools who enrolled in the University’s military units and were thus eligible to play.
War had drained spirits and energy, and the first football pep rally in 1945 was a flop. In spite of a 7-2 season, Frank Murray left, succeeded in 1946 by Art Guepe, who would enjoy seven banner years at UVa.
In 1947, Virginia defeated Harvard, 47-0, with a team that featured John Papit, George Neff and Bob “Rock” Weir. The game was significant because UVa was facing its first-ever black player–Harvard’s Chester Pierce–and fans were admonished to receive him politely.
The gridiron success of the late ’40s continued into the early ’50s, as Guepe teams–with Papit, Joe Palumbo and Tom Scott winning All-America honors–lost only five games from 1950 through 1952.
A furor arose in 1951 over a study of UVa sports programs–the Gooch Report on Athletics–that recommended the football program and all athletic scholarships be discontinued. Ironically, the committee was headed by Professor Robert Gooch, the Virginia football star of the early 1900s.The report declared UVa has succumbed to “big-time athletics,” according to Dabney’s history. Its recommendations split the faculty, and outraged alumni.
“To give up football, which means so much to the student, teacher and alumnus alike, is unthinkable,” the Alumni News editorialized. In the midst of an 8-1 football season, the timing of the report was poor, at best, and few, if any, tangible changes resulted.
Adding fuel to the Gooch fire in 1951 was an announcement by University President Colgate Darden that the football team would not be allowed to accept a bowl bid under any conditions. Again, alumni were livid–never imagining it wouldn’t be an issue until 1984.
The Guepe years ended after the 1952 season, when the coach was wooed away by Vanderbilt. In successor Ned McDonald’s first year, the record plunged to 1-8.
Heated arguments ensued about whether Virginia should join the Atlantic Coast Conference. Athletic Director and former football coach Gus Tebell and President Darden differed sharply–Tebell in favor, Darden worried about the league’s academic standards–and the Board of Visitors backed Tebell. Virginia was admitted into the ACC on Dec. 4, 1953.
Coincidentally–or perhaps not, some groused–the first year in the ACC marked the beginning of the most dismal era in UVa football history. It would last through four coaches–McDonald, Ben Martin, Dick Voris, and, to some extent, Bill Elias–and nine agonizing years. Individual players such as running back Jim Bakhtiar, quarterback Gary Cuozzo and tackle Henry Jordan were among the rare bright spots.
To followers of Virginia football, it has become known as “the streak”–28 straight losses from the third game of 1958 until the opening game of 1961.
In November 1960, The Cavalier Daily, as College Topics came to be known in 1948, delivered a midseason blast at Voris, and the embattled coach resigned in December. His team had tied a national record set by Kansas State for consecutive losses (28)–even with future Baltimore Colts’ and Miami Dolphins’ head coach Don Shula on the sidelines as a UVa assistant in 1958.
There was talk of withdrawing from the ACC, but a savior arrived in 1961–a quiet, genial coach named Bill Elias with a reputation for turning losers into winners. He couldn’t have gotten off to a better start–he won a game!
There were 18,000 fans in Scott Stadium for opening day of the 1961 season to see Virginia take on William & Mary. The final was 21-6, Cavaliers, and the streak had ended–prompting one Bill Dudley to exclaim, “I’d be just as excited if we had beaten Sweet Briar.”
The euphoria was short-lived–UVa would lose to Duke, 42-0, the following Saturday–but the season record (4-6) approached respectability at last.
Elias left for the U.S. Naval Academy in 1965, succeeded by George Blackburn. The star of his 1966 squad was quarterback and future pro Bob Davis, who set school and ACC records for total offense and was named ACC Athlete of the Year.
Amid Vietnam War protests, drug crackdowns, and other distractions, the 1968 football squad posted the best record (7-3) since 1952. Halfback Frank Quayle was named ACC Player of the Year, and Blackburn was honored as the top ACC coach.
In 1970, Blackburn’s last year, UVa’s football program was integrated for the first time, with the signing of Harrison Davis, Stanley Land, Kent Merritt and John Rainey. Blackburn was replaced by Don Lawrence, who suffered through three consecutive losing seasons between 1971 and 1973. Lawrence was succeeded by a fiery favorite son named Ulmo Shannon “Sonny” Randle, UVa ’59.A spring, 1974, issue of the Alumni News proclaimed “Sonny Randle Comes Home,” accompanied by a picture of the smiling coach clutching a football and wearing his team’s off-the-field uniform–plaid pants and a navy blazer with a tiny “V” on the breast pocket.
The Alumni News story called Randle, a former St. Louis Cardinal receiver with a three-year record of 22-10 at East Carolina, “a fired-up coach who communicates competitiveness.”
“He comes across as tough, but fair,” said UVa quarterback Scott Gardner upon meeting his new coach.
In May of 1974, work began on a renovation of Scott Stadium, including the installation of AstroTurf. That fall, with future Cleveland Browns’ linebacker Dick Ambrose as his captain, Randle’s troops went 4-7.
After a disastrous 1-10 season in 1975–with disgruntled players quitting and alumni howling–Athletic Director Eugene Corrigan was forced to fire Randle. Enter Dick Bestwick in 1976, Randle’s antithesis in manner and style.
Bestwick proved to be popular with players, alumni and faculty–until five losing seasons out of six brought the wolves to the door. Bestwick was dismissed by Athletic Director Dick Schultz after the 1981 season–and to replace him, the University enlisted the help of the U.S. Navy.
With George Welsh, a Joe Paterno protege who gained national attention by winning at the U.S. Naval Academy, the UVa football pendulum had settled into a comfortable midpoint between the Pattonesque Randle and the affable Bestwick.
After a 2-9 start, Welsh’s Cavaliers improved to 6-5 in 1983 and capped an 8-2-2 season in 1984 with a 27-24 Peach Bowl win over Purdue. Representing UVa in its first-ever bowl appearance, the 1984 Cavaliers were ranked 17th by The Associated Press and 20th by United Press International in the final polls.
Following Virginia’s 6-5 season in 1985, offensive tackle Jim Dombrowski concluded his brilliant Cavalier career by becoming UVa’s first-ever unanimous All-America choice. He was later selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 1986 NFL draft.
After dropping to 3-8 in 1986, the 1987 Cavaliers fooled the experts by finishing 8-4 overall, second in the ACC (5-2), and defeating Brigham Young, 22-16, to win the All American Bowl in Birmingham, Ala.
More success followed in 1988–the 101st year of Virginia football–as the Cavaliers posted a 7-4 record and again finished second in the ACC with a 5-2 mark.
Playing one of the toughest schedules in Virginia football history, UVa opened the 1989 season against defending national champion Notre Dame in Kickoff Classic VII and finished with a New Year’s Day showdown against Illinois in the 1990 Florida Citrus Bowl. In the end, UVa won more games than any other Cavalier football team (10-3) and captured a share of its first-ever conference championship. Virginia finished the season with a national ranking of 15th by United Press International and 18th by The Associated Press. Defensive end/outside linebacker Ray Savage was named a 1989 Kodak All-American and offensive guard Roy Brown earned second-team All-America honors from AP.
Virginia made UVa football history again in 1990, as the Cavaliers spent nine weeks ranked in the nation’s top-10 (AP), including three weeks at number one. UVa was ranked 15th in the final polls by UPI and 23rd by AP.
The Cavaliers opened the season with seven consecutive victories, including a 20-7 win at Scott Stadium over then ninth-ranked (AP) Clemson. Virginia’s triumph over the Tigers was UVa’s first-ever in 30 tries, ending the nation’s longest series losing streak at the time. UVa finished the 1990 campaign with an 8-4 record and made its second consecutive New Year’s Day bowl appearance, squaring off against Tennessee in the 1991 USF&G Sugar Bowl.
The 1990 Cavaliers featured an explosive offensive attack that set conference season records for most points (442), most touchdowns (56), most extra points (51) and best scoring average (40.2). They also became the first team in ACC history to score over 50 points in a game four times in one season.
Quarterback Shawn Moore and wide receiver Herman Moore both earned first-team All-America honors in 1990 while finishing fourth and sixth, respectively, in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Shawn Moore led the nation in passing efficiency while Herman Moore broke two NCAA records and tied two others.
With the 1991 campaign signifying a decade of Cavalier football under George Welsh, UVa rolled to its fifth consecutive winning season and third straight bowl appearance.
Perhaps never was Welsh’s coaching genius more evident as Virginia rallied from a 1-2 start to finish the season with an 8-3-1 record and a berth in the 1991 Gator Bowl. Faced with the challenge of replacing 15 starters from his 1990 squad, Welsh delivered a virtuoso coaching performance which earned him national and ACC Coach of the Year honors.
Senior offensive tackle Ray Roberts and junior defensive end Chris Slade were both named first-team All-Americans while quarterback Matt Blundin was chosen the 1991 ACC Player of the Year. Blundin, who spent three years as a backup to Shawn Moore, did not throw an interception during the entire regular season and set four NCAA records in the process.
As a team, Virginia ranked fourth in the nation in 1991 in scoring defense and sixth in the nation in passing efficiency defense.
Off the field, excitement surrounded the opening of the McCue Center, Virginia’s new $8.5 million athletic support facility. The building, located next to University Hall, was named in honor of long-time UVa team physician Dr. Frank C. McCue III and houses offices and locker rooms as well as training, equipment and weight rooms. Dedication ceremonies for the much-needed facility were held September 14, 1991, the day of Virginia’s season home opener against Navy.Fan excitement over Cavalier football reached an all-time high in 1992 as Virginia sold out of football season tickets (24,422) for the first time in school history. The 1992 Cavaliers jumped out to a 5-0 start and climbed as high as 10th in the national polls before finishing with a 7-4 record.
In addition to wins and losses, the 1992 season showcased the talents of Slade and tailback Terry Kirby. Formerly high school All-Americans at Tabb High School in Tabb, Va., the two Cavalier seniors each left lasting impressions of their final seasons in orange and blue. Slade was named a first-team All-American for the second year in a row in 1992 and finished his collegiate career as the all-time sack leader in Virginia and ACC history. He was in on 40 career sacks, including 31 unassisted, at UVa. Kirby, who missed three games in 1992 with a fractured shoulder blade, established himself as UVa’s all-time leading rusher with 3,348 career yards. He broke the previous record of 3,238 yards, set by John Papit from 1947 to 1950.Virginia finished the 1993 season with a 7-5 overall record following a 31-13 loss to Boston College in the Carquest Bowl on New Year’s Day of 1994. The Cavaliers spent 10 straight weeks ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 in 1993, climbing as high as 15th in the nation.With its 35-0 win over Duke in the fourth game of the 1993 season, UVa became the 35th NCAA Division I-A program to record 500 all-time victories. The contest also marked the 1,000th game in the history of Virginia football.
Following a long tradition of outstanding offensive linemen to play at Virginia under Welsh, senior offensive guard Mark Dixon was named a 1993 consensus All-American.
Virginia, wearing new uniforms for the first time in 10 years and only the second time in head coach George Welsh’s tenure, enjoyed one of the finest seasons in UVa history in 1994.
Most noticeably, the team switched from white helmets with orange and blue stripes down the middle to dark blue helmets with a “V” over two crossed sabers on the sides. The rest of the uniform changed from predominantly orange and white to predominantly blue and white.
The new-look Cavaliers finished the 1994 campaign with a 9-3 record and defeated Texas Christian 20-10 in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. UVa gained its highest final season rankings (13th by USA Today/CNN, 15th by The Associated Press) since the AP began conducting its final poll after the outcome of bowl games in 1965. In addition, the 1994 Cavaliers became only the third team in UVa history to win nine or more games, joining the 1895 (9-2) and 1989 (10-3) squads.
A main reason for much of Virginia’s success in 1994 was its defense. The Cavaliers–bolstered by the play of freshman defensive back Ronde Barber and senior defensive end Mike Frederick–led the nation in rushing defense (allowing an average of 63.6 yards rushing per game) and interceptions (27). UVa’s 27 interceptions set an ACC and school record.
Barber, who finished second nationally in 1994 with eight interceptions, was named ACC Rookie of the Year and joined Frederick as a first-team All-ACC selection.
Representing a major athletic facility improvement, the artificial turf at Scott Stadium was removed and replaced with natural grass before the start of the 1995 season. Artificial turf was first installed at Scott Stadium in 1974. The new state-of-the-art Prescription Athletic Turf field was made possible by a donation from David A. Harrison III of Hopewell, Va., who pledged $5 million to support the UVa football program. David A. Harrison III Field was dedicated September 2, 1995, at Virginia’s season-opener against William & Mary.
The 1995 Cavaliers kicked off one of the most exciting seasons in Virginia football history against perennial Big Ten power Michigan in Ann Arbor in the sixth annual Pigskin Classic. Playing in front of the largest crowd (101,444) to ever watch the Cavaliers, UVa led the whole way until the Wolverines scored on a game-winning touchdown pass on the game’s final play to win 18-17. For Virginia, it marked the first of seven regular-season games to be decided in the final moments, including three which were decided on the last play. UVa managed to win its share of close games as the season unfolded, including a 33-28 upset victory over second-ranked and previously unbeaten Florida State. Playing on national television in the first-ever Thursday night game in Charlottesville, Virginia stopped the Seminoles at the goal line on the game’s final play to preserve the win. With the victory, the Cavaliers ended FSU’s four-year, 29-game winning streak against ACC teams since joining the conference in 1992. Florida State became the highest-ranked team to ever fall to the Cavaliers. Virginia and Florida State were later crowned co-ACC Champions after finishing the season with identical 7-1 conference records.
The Cavaliers saved perhaps their most memorable finish of all, however, for their clash with Georgia in the 1995 Peach Bowl. Virginia led the entire game until the Bulldogs tied the score 27-27 with 1:09 remaining. Seconds later, Demetrius “Pete” Allen returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards for the game-winning touchdown in front of over 20,000 Virginia fans at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.
Finishing with a 9-4 overall record, UVa posted its second-consecutive nine-win season and the fourth season of nine or more wins in school history. In addition, Virginia became the first school in ACC history to post nine consecutive winning seasons. The 1995 Cavaliers were ranked 16th in the final Associated Press media poll and 17th in the final USA Today/CNN coaches’ poll.Tailback Tiki Barber rushed for a school-record 1,397 yards in 1995, while punter Will Brice and safety Percy Ellsworth distinguished themselves as first-team All-Americans.
Virginia’s 1996 campaign was memorable for many reasons. As a team, the Cavaliers finished 7-5 overall (5-3 ACC) to clinch their 10th-consecutive season of at least seven wins. UVa also extended its ACC-record streak of consecutive 300-plus scoring seasons to eight in a row. Virginia made its eighth bowl appearance in 10 years, losing to Miami 31-21 in the Carquest Bowl at Pro Player Stadium in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
UVa soared as high as No. 11 in The Associated Press Top-25 poll during the regular season after a 37-13 win over then 13th-ranked Texas in front of a national television audience and a rain-soaked Homecoming crowd of 45,100 at Scott Stadium. Tiki Barber, a 1996 Heisman Trophy candidate, stated his case by rushing for 121 yards and three touchdowns against the Longhorns.
The Cavaliers’ most dramatic win of the season came against ACC rival North Carolina. The Tar Heels, who entered the game ranked sixth in the nation, built a 17-3 lead as the fourth quarter opened. The game turned, however, when freshman defensive back Antwan Harris intercepted a Carolina pass on third down and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Tim Sherman added a seven-yard scamper for a touchdown later in the quarter to knot the score at 17-17. Then, with just 39 seconds remaining, Cavalier place-kicker Rafael Garcia booted a 32-yard field goal to give Virginia the victory and seal one of the most thrilling fourth quarter rallies in school history.
Tiki Barber made plenty of history as well. He rushed for 1,360 yards and 14 touchdowns in 1996, becoming the first Cavalier to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He finished his career with a school-record 3,389 yards, eclipsing the previous record of 3,348 yards set by Terry Kirby from 1989-92. Barber broke the career rushing record in style, running for 162 yards in UVa’s final regular season game against Virginia Tech. He became the sixth Cavalier in school history to earn ACC Player of the Year honors and was named a third-team All-American by Football News. Barber also was chosen a first-team GTE Academic All-American for the second consecutive season.Tiki’s twin brother, Ronde, also put the finishing touches on his outstanding Cavalier career. He was named a first-team All-ACC selection at cornerback for the third consecutive year and was chosen a second-team All-American by Football News.
Together, “The Barbers of C’Ville” distinguished themselves as arguably the greatest twins in college football history.
Other Cavalier standouts in 1996 included linebacker Jamie Sharper and place-kicker Rafael Garcia. Sharper–a first-team All-ACC selection and a third-team All-American by Football News–finished his senior season as Virginia’s all-time leading tackler with 435 career tackles, including a school-record 295 solo stops.
A second-team All-American by the AP and The Sporting News, Garcia led the nation with 21 field goals in 1996 as a senior. His 58 career field goals set a school record while his 272 career points placed him second on UVa’s all-time scoring list.
Representing the largest single monetary gift in school history at that time, UVa alumnus and former Cavalier football player Carl W. Smith pledged $25 million to his alma mater in June of 1997. The University announced that the bulk of Smith’s gift–$23 million–would be used toward funding the expansion and enhancement of Scott Stadium, ultimately increasing its seating capacity to more than 60,000 by 2000.
The 1997 Cavaliers faced the formidable task of replacing 16 starters from the previous season. In addition, the UVa coaching staff featured four new assistants, including a new offensive coordinator.
Despite all of the transition, however, Virginia clinched its 11th consecutive season of at least seven wins with a 7-4 overall record. The Cavaliers–unranked throughout the season and overlooked by the bowls–showed steady improvement as the 1997 campaign unfolded, winning six of their last eight games.
Virginia’s strong finish paralleled the play of junior quarterback Aaron Brooks, who went from being the eighth-rated passer in the ACC after six games to the league’s top-rated passer at the end of the season. He threw for a school-record 390 yards in Virginia’s 34-20 home victory over Virginia Tech in the final game of the 1997 season.
A familiar constant during this season of change was Welsh. With UVa’s 13-10 win over Duke on October 18, he became the all-time leader in ACC career coaching victories with 67. Welsh tied the previous record of 66 ACC wins (held by former Clemson coach Frank Howard) one week earlier following UVa’s 21-7 win at Clemson. Virginia posted its second consecutive road victory over the Tigers after going 0-17-1 in its first 18 trips to Death Valley.
Defensive back Anthony Poindexter capped a brilliant junior season in 1997 by earning first-team All-America recognition.
Bolstered by 15 returning starters, including Brooks and Poindexter, Virginia finished the 1998 season with a 9-3 overall record and ranked 18th in both The Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN final polls. The 1998 Cavaliers became only the fifth team in school history (fourth under Welsh) to win at least nine games in a season. UVa also made its 10th bowl appearance–all under Welsh–falling to Georgia 35-33 in the 1998 Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Virginia ended the 1998 regular season with a 36-32 victory at Virginia Tech in the greatest comeback in school history. Down 29-7 at the half, the Cavaliers outscored the Hokies 29-3 in the final two quarters. UVa capped its historic rally with a game-winning 47-yard touchdown pass from Brooks to wide receiver Ahmad Hawkins with 2:01 left to play.
Poindexter and defensive end Patrick Kerney each garnered first-team All-America honors, but it was a bittersweet year for Poindexter. After opting to return for his final year of eligibility in 1998 instead of entering the NFL draft, he suffered a season-ending knee injury against N.C. State in the seventh game of the 1998 campaign. Poindexter was later honored in an emotional pregame ceremony before Virginia’s home finale against North Carolina.
Representing the first phase of the University’s three-year stadium renovation and expansion plan, several notable facility improvements took place before the start of the 1998 season. The north end hillside seating area was moved 30-feet closer to the playing field and a state-of-the-art videoboard, dubbed `Hoo Vision, was installed to replace UVa’s electronic scoreboard.The construction of the lower south bowl and new locker rooms was completed before the start of the 1999 season. On the field, Virginia closed out the millenium with a 7-5 record, extending its string of consecutive seven-win seasons to 13.
UVa accomplished that feat despite opening the season with back-to-back ACC road games for only the sixth time in school history and playing three of its first four games away from home. The Cavaliers went 3-1 during that stretch, including a dramatic 45-40 victory over 17th-ranked Brigham Young in Provo, Utah. Virginia’s seven-win season was still in jeopardy, however, until the waning seconds of its final regular season contest at Maryland. Quarterback Dan Ellis completed a 20-yard alley-oop touchdown pass to wide receiver Billy McMullen with 26 seconds left to play, clinching a dramatic 34-30 come-from-behind Cavalier victory.
Virginia ended its season with a 63-21 loss to Illinois in the 1999 Micronpc.com Bowl in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
The main storyline of the 1999 campaign was the remarkable play of tailback Thomas Jones, named UVa’s first consensus All-America offensive back since Dudley in 1941. After rushing for 1,303 yards as a junior in 1998, Jones rambled for an ACC-record 1,798 yards and 16 touchdowns his senior year. He also compiled a league-record 2,054 all-purpose yards as a senior. Hailing from Big Stone Gap, Va., Jones ranked third nationally in rushing (163.5 yards per game) and all-purpose yards (186.7 ypg) in 1999, while finishing his career as UVa’s all-time leading rusher with 3,998 yards.
Eight games into the season, Jones broke loose for a 71-yard run in the second quarter against top-ranked Florida State to surpass Tiki Barber’s previous school record of 3,389 career rushing yards (1993-96). One week later, he rushed for 213 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-38 upset victory over seventh-ranked Georgia Tech. With that performance, he broke Barber’s previous UVa season rushing record of 1,397 yards in 1995.
The Cavaliers also got an unexpected lift against Georgia Tech from backup senior quarterback David Rivers. Making his first collegiate start in place of an injured Ellis, Rivers passed for 228 yards and three touchdowns as UVa overcame a 17-0 first quarter deficit.
In Virginia’s final 1999 home game against Buffalo, Jones had 221 yards rushing and 110 yards receiving to break Dudley’s 58-year-old school record for most all-purpose yards in a game.
Joining Jones as UVa first-team All-Americans in 1999 were offensive guard/tackle Noel LaMontagne and center John St. Clair. Virginia’s three first-team All-Americans in 1999 represented the most in one season in school history.
A school-record crowd of 60,435 was on hand for Virginia’s 2000 season opener against Brigham Young in the dedication game of the Carl Smith Center, home of David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium.
The expanded stadium was completed at a cost of approximately $86 million. With the addition of new seats and new upper decks in the south end zone, the capacity was increased from 40,000 in 1998 to 61,500 in 2000. Undergoing a dramatic transformation, the stadium was renovated to include an expanded President’s Box on the east side, 44 luxury suites, an expanded press box and many other enhanced amenities. A pergola plaza was built above the hill on the north end and the upper level of new Bryant Hall–featuring the Virginia Football Hall of Fame–was also finished for opening day.
In honor of the historic occasion, the stadium was decoratively draped with orange and blue bunting, and fans were presented with a commemorative Dedication Game ticket as they entered the gates. Pregame festivities included fireworks, parachutists, special presentations and a “fly-over” of fighter jets by the United States Armed Forces.
Unfortunately, one of the few things that did not go according to script was the game itself. Riding a wave of emotion, the Cavaliers bolted to a 21-0 halftime lead before coming out flat in the second half and losing 38-35 in overtime.
UVa’s home attendance record was broken for the second time in four weeks when a crowd of 60,695 turned out to watch Virginia host 11th-ranked Clemson in its annual homecoming game. The upset-minded Cavaliers led 10-3 after one quarter, but eventually bowed out 31-10.
Plagued by inconsistency thoughout the 2000 campaign, Virginia failed to win seven games for the first time in 14 years. The Cavaliers managed to qualify for a postseason bowl with six wins, however, after defeating North Carolina State 24-17 in UVa’s final home game of the regular season. For Welsh, who had elevated Virginia’s football program to unprecedented stature and prominence during his 19 years as UVa’s head coach, the game would turn out to be his last in Charlottesville.
Citing concerns about his health as a primary reason for his decision, Welsh announced his retirement in a press conference on December 11, following the end of the 2000 regular season.”Without doubt, this has been the toughest decision of my coaching career,” said the college coaching legend. “I admit I changed my mind on this many times over the past two weeks, but by this past weekend, it was clear to me I should retire.”
He delivered his final coaching performance 13 days later in the Jeep O’ahu Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii, where the Cavaliers fell to Georgia 37-10.
Welsh stepped down at Virginia at the age of 67 after establishing himself as the winningest coach in UVa and ACC history. He compiled a 19-year record of 134-86-3 at Virginia, including a conference-record 80 ACC wins. Welsh led the Cavaliers to 12 bowl games, including UVa’s first bowl trip ever–to the 1984 Peach Bowl.
Concerns over the future of the Virginia football program soon changed to excitement and optimism when well-respected NFL and college coaching veteran Al Groh was named UVa’s new football boss on December 30, 2000. The former Cavalier football player (1963-65) returned to his alma mater after coaching four years with the NFL New York Jets, the last one as head coach. He spent a total of 12 seasons coaching in the NFL, mostly under Bill Parcells, and won a Super Bowl ring in 1991 as the linebackers coach with the New York Giants.
Groh was the head freshman football coach at UVa from 1970 to 1972 and defensive line coach for the latter two seasons. He also coached at Army, North Carolina, Air Force, Texas Tech, Wake Forest and South Carolina.
Groh, whose son Mike started at quarterback for Virginia in 1994 and 1995, was officially introduced as UVa’s new head football coach at a press conference on January 5, 2001.”Al Groh is a perfect fit for the University and for its football program,” said UVa President John T. Casteen III. “In addition to his undisputed success as a coach, he is well-known for emphasizing sportsmanship, academic success, and a strong work ethic. We welcome him and his family back to Charlottesville with great enthusiasm.”
UVa enters its 114th year of intercollegiate football in 2001 with an all-time record of 557 wins, 487 losses and 48 ties.