< PreviousSTEAMFITTERS LOCAL UNION 420 WE DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME! Since 1903, we have been providing Southeastern Pennsylvania with the safest, most qualified Steamfitters, Welders and HVAC Technicians. PETROCHEMICAL PHARMACEUTICAL NUCLEAR / ENERGY GAS PIPELINES HEALTH CARE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL HVAC SERVICE & INSTALLATION COMMERCIAL HVACR INSTRUMENT CALIBRATION 4500 MEMBERS • OVER 115 YEARS OF CRAFTMANSHIP Find more information at www.LU420.com | 267.350.4200 www.unitedbyexcellence.orgVILLANOVA STADIUM 2021 VILLANOVA FOOTBALL WWW.VILLANOVA.CO n 41 V illanova Stadium, home to Wildcat football, field hockey, lacrosse, and track and field teams, has a long and suc- cessful tradition. The Wildcats begin their 92nd season of conducting intercollegiate athletic events inside the distinguished on-campus stadium in 2019. Officially dedicated on October 8, 1927, the Wildcats wasted no time establishing a winning tradition inside their new stadi- um, winning the opening football contest against Lebanon Valley 32-7. The ‘Cats went on to extend their home win streak to 14 games before finally suffering its first football defeat in Villanova Stadium in 1930. Because this historic site includes two memorials to former Wildcats, alumni and fans often forget that the official name of this complex is Villanova Stadium, as it was originally dedicated back in 1927. The first memorial came soon after Villanova Stadium opened. On October 2, 1928, Leo J. Goodreau, a sophomore on the football team, died as a result of injuries received during football practice. On May 7, 1930, his classmates dedicated the playing field to his memory, with a plaque located at the main entrance to the stadium. On September 27, 1980, the track encircling Goodreau Field was dedicated to long- time Villanova track & field coach James “Jumbo” Elliott. Therefore, the ‘Cats play football and lacrosse on Goodreau Field, while the track team runs on the Elliott Track, all within Villanova Stadium. The stadium was originally completed at a cost of $500,000 in 1927. Able to seat approximately 5,500 spectators, the stadium was recognized as one of the fin- est on-campus collegiate stadiums in the country. In 1930, the stadium had its first addition as concrete stands on the north side were added, increasing the Villanova Stadium seating capacity to 12,000. While the Wildcats continued to expand on their success inside Villanova Stadium, the sta- dium itself remained relatively un changed until 1958 when the seating capacity was again increased. Extending the seating in both the north and south seating areas, Villanova Stadium capacity was increased to 13,400. A re-configuring of seats, and replacement of the entire seating with new aluminum bleachers in the summer of 1990 reduced the seating capacity of Villanova Stadium to its current 12,000. In 1980, Villanova undertook a $1.3 mil- lion renovation of the playing surfaces inside the stadium. The old grass playing field and the ‘Cats’ legendary cinder track were torn up and removed and replaced by an AstroTurf playing field and an eight- lane, Rubaturf 400-meter track. Completed in August 1980, Villanova’s new track was officially dedicated the Jumbo Elliott Track on September 27, 1980 in honor of the Wildcat’s legendary track and field coach. Twenty-two former track Olympians from Villanova and a score of other Wildcat track and field greats gathered for the official track dedication during halftime of the sold out Villanova – Boston College homecom- ing football game, a contest the Wildcats won with an impressive 20-9 showing. In November of 1980, six 100-foot light towers, three on the north and three on the south sides of Villanova Stadium, were installed giving Villanova’s historic stadium the capability of evening and night time use. Prior to 1980, there had been one night football game in Villanova Stadium, a 20-20 tie with the Parris Island Marines on October 31, 1952. It wasn’t until November 19, 1987, in front of a national ESPN cable television audience, Villanova faced NCAA I-AA No. 1 ranked Holy Cross in the stadi- um’s first-ever intercollegiate night football game. New to Villanova Stadium in the fall of 1992 was a fresh Astroturf-8 playing field, and Rekortan-S track. Installed in the sum- mer of 1992, the $1.25 million project began after Villanova’s commencement exercises were concluded in the Stadium on Sunday, May 10. The next day, work began on the refurbishment of the playing field and track. The original Astroturf and Rubaturf surfac- es, installed during the summer of 1980, were torn up, and the new surfaces installed over the course of three months. Each year, Villanova Stadium plays host to a wide assortment of athletic contests ranging from CYO and club levels to high school and international events. Hosting all- star athletic events as well as high school championships, the Jumbo Elliott Track annually hosts some of the East’s top col- legiate track and field meets, including 25 of the last 39 Big East Conference outdoor track and field championships. In November, 1991, the Stadium hosted the NCAA Field Hockey National Championship, won by Old Dominion University. In the fall of 1998, Villanova Stadium was the site of the Big East Field Hockey Championship. In May of 2013, Villanova Stadium hosted the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse national cham- pionships. In the fall of 1999, the Stadium under- went yet another face-lift with the Stadium Renovation Project. Included in this proj- ect was a state of the art press box that included a first class facility for both print and radio media to use, in addition to housing an 80-person meeting room for all Villanova Athletic Department personnel to use. Yet, most of all, Villanova Stadium is known for Wildcat Football. Since mak- ing their debut in Villanova Stadium back in 1927, the Wildcats have compiled an impressive 242-104-5 overall won-loss-tie record on their home field, for a .687 winning percentage. Since the revival of Wildcat Football in 1985, Villanova is 132- 57-0 at Villanova Stadium, and 76-45 in home conference contests. There was a new look to Villanova Stadium in 2002, as the former AstroTurf playing field was replaced during the spring of 2002 with a synthetic grass surface known as AstroPlay. The Jumbo Elliott Track underwent a remodeling effort in the summer of 2007. Installed was a BSS 1000, 13 mm dual durometer, full pour polyurethane track system. The new track surface will provide the Wildcat Track & Field Program with a first class running venue. In the summer of 2018, Villanova Stadium underwent another renovation when AstroTurf with rubber infill was installed. This surface includes a root zone 3D3 blend with a brock shock pad as the sublayer. The AstroTurf will provide the stadium with a first class playing surface for all Wildcat teams to use for both practice and game competition. Villanova will play its 94th season at Villanova Stadium in 2021PART-TIME OPTIONS FOR FULL-TIME ENGINEERS gradengineering.villanova.edu I ONLINE AND ON CAMPUS ADVANCE TO THE TOP OF YOUR GAME with a graduate degree from Villanova’s College of Engineering Biochemical Engineering I Chemical Engineering I Civil Engineering Computer Engineering I Cybersecurity I Electrical Engineering I Mechanical Engineering Sustainable Engineering I Water Resources & Environmental EngineeringCOLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION 2021 VILLANOVA FOOTBALL WWW.VILLANOVA.CO n 43 CAA Football has established itself as one of the nation’s premier FCS power conferences for more than a decade due to its on-field success, nation- al exposure and the achievements of its student-athletes in the classroom, in the community and at the next level. CAA Football made history in 2018 by becoming the first conference to ever have six teams (Delaware, Elon, James Madison, Maine, Stony Brook and Towson) receive berths in the NCAA Division I Football Championship. Eleven of the CAA’s 12 teams have made the playoffs since 2015. The league has had multiple teams in the playoffs for the past 29 years, at least three squads in the field for the past 14 seasons and at least one team in the semifinals for seven straight years. A CAA team has com- peted in the FCS national championship game in nine of the past 15 seasons. CAA Football continued its success against non-conference opponents in 2019, finishing a nation’s-best 30-9 (.769) against FCS foes. The league has knocked off two FBS opponents in three of the last four years. CAA Football teams have recorded 38 wins over FBS opponents in its history. A strong presence in the national rank- ings was another constant in 2019 as CAA Football had three teams – James Madison, Villanova and UAlbany - in the final Top 25 polls and three other teams that received votes. Eight CAA teams were ranked in the national polls at some point during the sea- son and all 12 received votes. A total of 20 CAA Football players were named to one or more All-America teams in 2019, while nine players and two coach- es were selected as finalists for nation- al Player/Coach of the Year awards from STATS. CAA Football continues to provide a path to the next level, with two players selected in the 2019 NFL Draft. Rhode Island wide receiver Isaiah Coulter was picked in the fifth round by the Houston Texans, Elon offensive and JMU quar- terback Ben DiNucci went to the Dallas Cowboys in round seven. The conference has had multiple players picked in each NFL Draft since 2006. CAA Football enters the second year of its broadcast agreement with partner FloSports, which will televise at least 50 games across their digital platform. In addi- tion, several teams will have contests tele- vised on regional sports networks. The CAA’s national appeal was showcased in 2017 when ESPN’s iconic College Gameday show aired live from James Madison on Oct. 14 prior to the Dukes’ conference showdown with Villanova. It was College Gameday’s second trip to Harrisonburg in a three-year period. CAA Football’s emphasis on its play- ers’ off-the-field achievements was evident again in 2019. Villanova’s Chucky Smith was the recipient of the Chuck Boone Leadership Award, which honors the player who best embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship in his academic and athletic pursuits. Elon’s Matt Foster was selected as CAA Football’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was among 439 student-athletes who made the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. Showing a desire to unite behind a com- mon cause, all 12 CAA Football schools part- nered with the Be the Match Foundation in 2019. Former Villanova coach Andy Talley has been a driving force nationally for the program, which raises awareness of the need for bone marrow donors. CAA Football has enjoyed a tremendous record in the postseason, earning 111 total playoff berths and placing at least three teams in the field every year since 2006. The league’s 112 all-time wins in the NCAA playoffs are second-most of any FCS con- ference, and the conference has further established its presence at the national level by placing 15 teams in the national semifinals over the past 14 seasons. James Madison took home the national championship in 2016 with a 28-14 vic- tory over Youngstown State. It was the third title in a decade and sixth overall for CAA Football. Villanova captured the 2009 national championship and Richmond claimed its first FCS crown in 2008. In 2004, JMU won the national championship, becoming the first team since the field expanded to 16 teams in 1986 to reach the final after winning three road playoff games. Delaware rolled past Colgate, 40-0, to cap- ture the first title-game shutout in 2003. Former league member Massachusetts earned a national championship in 1998. CAA Football boasts a total of 30 indi- vidual national award winners in league his- tory. Villanova quarterback John Robertson (2014), Old Dominion quarterback Taylor Heinicke (2012), New Hampshire quar- terback Ricky Santos (2006), William & Mary quarterback Lang Campbell (2004), Villanova running back Brian Westbrook (2001), Nova wide receiver Brian Finneran (1997), UNH running back Jerry Azumah (1998) and Towson running back Dave Meggett (1998) all earned the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in FCS under the league banner. UNH line- backer Matt Evans (2011), James Madison defensive lineman Arthur Moats (2009), and JMU linebacker Derrick Lloyd (2001) each received the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in FCS, while JMU defensive lineman Andrew Ankrah was chosen as the FCS ADA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. Robertson (2012) and Towson’s Terrance West (2011) are past recipients of the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in FCS. New Hampshire’s Sean McDonnell (2005 and 2014), Towson’s Rob Ambrose (2011), JMU’s Mickey Matthews (1999 and 2008), Villanova’s Andy Talley (1997) and Boston University’s Dan Allen (1993) are past Eddie Robinson Award win- ners from the league as the top coach in FCS. Maine’s Joe Harasymiak (2018), JMU’s Mike Houston (2016), McDonnell (2014), Matthews (2004), Talley (1997 and 2009), Delaware’s K.C. Keeler (2010), Richmond’s Mike London (2008), and Massachusetts’ Mark Whipple (1998) have all garnered the AFCA National Coach of the Year honor. Stony Brook’s Chris Infantino received the STATS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award in 2018. While CAA Football officially began March 1, 2007, its roots date back more than 70 years. On December 3, 1946, the Code of the Yankee Conference went into effect. Established as an all-sports con- ference for the New England land grant colleges, the six charter members included Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Upon the formation of Division I-AA foot- ball in 1978, the league disbanded all sports except for football. Delaware and Richmond were admitted to the confer- ence in 1986, Villanova was added in 1988 and James Madison, Northeastern and William and Mary joined the league in 1993. The Atlantic 10 assumed operational control of the conference from 1997-2006, with Hofstra becoming part of the league in 2001 and Towson joining the group in 2004. With the conference under the CAA Football banner, UAlbany and Stony Brook were welcomed in 2013, followed by Elon in 2014.WALTER PAYTON AWARD WINNERS 2021 VILLANOVA FOOTBALL 46 n WWW.VILLANOVA.COM A t the 11th Annual Division I-AA National Football Awards Banquet held on Dec. 1, 1997, at the Official All-Star Cafe in New York City, Villanova University senior wide receiver Brian Finneran (Mission Viejo, Calif.) won the Walter Payton Award given to the top player in I-AA. Finneran had a storybook career on the Main Line from 1994- 97, and was one of the nation’ finest players throughout his four years. During his storied career, he caught 265 passes for 3,872 yards and 34 touchdowns. Finneran currently holds 14 Villanova school records including the career marks for receptions, yards and touchdowns. Arriving on the Main Line in 1994 from Mission Viejo, Calif., along with his twin brother and fellow Wildcat football standout Brad, Brian Finneran was on a mission. He immediately began to turn heads as a freshman in 1994, catching 56 passes for 805 yards and seven scores. Finneran set Wildcat class records for most catches and yards receiving in a season by a freshman. For his performance, he was named to the All-Yankee Conference second team. Missing the first two games of his sophomore season due to a separated shoulder. Finneran returned slowly but still caught 32 passes for 471 yards on the year. Finneran’s real breakout season came in 1996, when as a junior, he posted 81 receptions for 1,207 yards and eight touchdowns. The honors came from everywhere, as he received first team All- Atlantic 10, All-ECAC, and All-American honors. His top campaign would come one year later, as a senior, when he took both himself and the Wildcats to the status of one of the nation’s best. With a perfect 11-0 regular season, Villanova was No. 1 in the country and posted the first-ever undefeated, untied full regular season in school history. Despite losing a 37-34 heartbreaker to Youngstown State in the second round of the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs, the season was a memorable one for Finneran and the `Cats. Finneran finished the year with 96 catch- es for 1,389 yards and 19 touchdowns. He capped off his career by earning the Walter Payton Award, given to the nation’s top Division I-AA player. Finneran played 12 years in the NFL, including 10 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons from 2000-10. V illanova University senior running back Brian Westbrook closed out his illustrious collegiate career in fine fashion on December 20, 2001, when he was awarded the Walter Payton Award given annually to the National Player of the Year in NCAA I-AA football. Westbrook received the award at a banquet held in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The other two finalists for the award included Rocky Butler of Hofstra University and Adrian Peterson of Georgia Southern. Westbrook received 31 first-place votes and 320 points from the panel of 103 I-AA sports information directors and selected media. Following Westbrook in the voting were Hofstra’s Rocky Butler, who earned 22 first place votes and 267 total points, and Georgia Southern’s Adrian Peterson, who finished in the top three of the voting for the fourth consecutive year. Westbrook became the second player from Villanova to win the award. In 1997, former Wildcat and current Atlanta Falcon wide receiver Brian Finneran garnered the award. In 11 games in 2001, Westbrook led all of NCAA I-AA in both All-purpose yards with 2,823 and scoring with 176 points (29 TDs). The 5-9, 205 pound Westbrook rushed 249 times for 1,603 yards and 22 scores, caught 59 passes for 658 yards and six touch- downs, returned 17 kickoffs for 440 yards and a score, in addition to returning 12 punts for 90 yards during the 2001 campaign. In Villanova’s season finale at William & Mary on Nov. 24, Westbrook set the NCAA All-Divisions career all-purpose yards record with 9,512 yards in 44 regular season games. As a junior in 2000, Westbrook finished third in the Walter Payton Award voting behind Louis Ivory of Furman University who won the award and Peterson who finished second. The most decorated player in school history, Westbrook finished his Wildcat career with 41 school records, 19 Atlantic 10 Conference marks and five NCAA records. Westbrook became the first player in the history of Villanova football to earn first team All-American honors in three different seasons, when he earned first team All- American acclaim from both The Sports Network and the AFCA in 2001. As a sophomore in 1998, Westbrook became the only player in the history of college football at any level to rush for 1,000 yards and receive for 1,000 yards in the same season. Westbrook played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2002-09, and with the San Francisco 49ers during the 2010 season. Brian Finneran was the first Wildcat to win the Walter Payton Award in 1997. Brian Finneran Brian Westbrook became Villanova’s second Walter Payton Award winner when he won the honor in 2001. Brian Westbrook 1997 WALTER PAYTON AWARD WINNER2001 WALTER PAYTON AWARD WINNERTO LEARN MORE ABOUT SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES VISIT GOARMY.COM/ROTCWALTER PAYTON AWARD WINNERS 2021 VILLANOVA FOOTBALL WWW.VILLANOVA.CO n 49 J unior quarterback John Robertson became the third Villanova Wildcat to win the Walter Payton Award as the top player in FCS Football when he was presented with the prestigious award at the FCS Awards Banquet on Dec. 15, 2014, during a banquet at the Sheraton Society Hill in Philadelphia. Robertson earned 467 points and 66 first place votes in voting by a nationwide panel of sports information directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries from the division. Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams finished second in the balloting (383 points, 29 first-place votes), while Idaho State signal caller Justin Arias was third with 220 points and 22 first-place votes. Robertson becomes the third Villanova player to win the Payton Award, with all three winners playing different positions. Wide receiver Brian Finneran won the award in 1997 and running back Brian Westbrook earned the honor in 2001. Villanova is now the only school to have three Walter Payton Award winners. Robertson finished the 2014 season by completing 197-of-301 passes (65.4%) with 35 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also had 227 carries for a team-high 1,078 yards and 11 scores. Robertson joins Westbrook (1997-2001) as the only two Villanova players to have three 1,000 yard rushing seasons. In seven of his 13 games this year, Robertson threw at least three touchdown passes. In the NCAA statistics, Robertson ranked in the top two in five different categories. He led all FCS players in passing efficiency (181.3), points responsible for (280) and points responsible for per game, (21.5) and he ranked second in passing touchdowns (35) and passing yards per attempt (9.46). Robertson finished his Villanova career with a 27-11 record as the starting quarterback by completing 561-of-875 (64.1%) for 7,290 yards to go with 65 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He ended his Main Line career as the school’s record holder for career total offense with 10,933 yards. He also ranks second in program history in career rushing yards with 3,643 and he is fourth in passing yards with 7,290. Robertson owns three of the top nine single season best rushing totals, including his 1,405 yards in 2013 which ranks as the second best rushing effort in the history of Villanova Football. John Robertson 2014 WALTER PAYTON AWARD WINNER John Robertson gave Villanova its third Walter Payton Award winner at a third different position in 2014. Next >