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Princeton University Athletics
Football Announces Upcoming Series With Hampton, The Citadel
February 08, 2005 | Football
Feb. 8, 2005
PRINCETON - The Princeton University football team, which played its first game on the West Coast in 2004, has added two more non-traditional opponents to its upcoming schedules. Director of Athletics Gary Walters announced Tuesday, Feb. 8, that the Tigers will play a home-and-home series with both the Citadel and Hampton in the near future.
The first of these games will be played on Oct. 6, 2007, when the Hampton Pirates will travel to Princeton Stadium for a contest against the Tigers. Princeton will make the trip down to Hampton, Va., in 2011 on a date to be determined later.
Hampton, a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, reached the 2004 NCAA tournament on the strength of a 10-1 overall record and a 6-1 record in the MEAC. The Pirates lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament when they fell 42-35 to No. 3 William & Mary.
"It gives me great pleasure to announce that we have reached an agreement to play Hampton in football," Walters said. "This will be the first time that Princeton has ever met a member of the MEAC on the gridiron." Only one other Ivy League team has ever faced a member of the MEAC in football. Yale defeated Morgan State 41-0 in 1984 at the Yale Bowl.
Prior to making the trip south to Hampton, the Tigers will make an even further trip to Charleston, S.C., to play the Citadel.
"We are absolutely delighted we've been able to reach an agreement to play each other in football," Walters said. "As everyone knows, the Citadel is a great academic and military institution with a storied history. Our competition represents a great opportunity for alumni in the southeastern part of the U.S. to see Princeton up close and personal."
Princeton will travel to the Citadel in 2008, and will welcome the Bulldogs to Princeton Stadium for a contest in 2009.
"We are excited about playing football against one of the premier academic institutions in America," Citadel Director of Athletics Les Robinson said. "Princeton and its athletic programs epitomize what the NCAA is all about, competition with the highest academic standards. The ability to play such a great school in a home and away series gives our alumni in the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast a wonderful opportunity to come out and support our football program."
Princeton is one of several non-traditional opponents for the Citadel in upcoming years. Beginning in 2005, the Bulldogs will face such national powerhouses as Florida State (2005), Ole Miss (2005), Texas A&M (2006) and North Carolina State (2007).
Both Hampton and the Citadel will replace Lafayette on the future schedules. The Tigers replaced the Lehigh game in 2004 with a road contest at San Diego. A pair of back-to-back defensive touchdowns by defensive lineman James Williams and cornerback Jay McCareins highlighted a 24-17 victory over the University of San Diego Toreros in Princeton's first game ever in California.
The University of San Diego will return the game in 2005, as head coach Jim Harbaugh will bring the Toreros to Princeton Stadium for the Tigers' home opener on 24. The game time has not been determined.
Princeton went 5-5 in 2004 and will return 17 starters, including eight 2004 All-Ivy selections. The spring session for Princeton will begin Monday, April 4, and will conclude with the Spring Game on Saturday, April 23, at 3 p.m.