Richmond Runs Past Montana To Claim FCS Title Mike London gave Richmond the perfect ending to his first season in charge. Josh Vaughan ran for 162 yards, Lawrence Sidbury had four sacks and the Spiders dominated Montana 24-7 for the school's first-ever NCAA title.
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Notes - AP Photos - ESPN highlights
Ward Leads Late-Game Comeback Over Northern Iowa, 21-20 Eric Ward threw a 13-yard TD pass to Joe Stewart with 14 seconds left to give No. 7 Richmond a 21-20 come-from-behind victory over No. 4 Northern Iowa, sending the Spiders to the FCS National Championship Game.
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Spiders Stun Appalachian State, 33-13, In NCAA Playoffs No. 7 Richmond forced seven turnovers, including five interceptions of All-American QB Armanti Edwards and shocked No. 2 Appalachian State, 33-13, in the FCS Quarterfinals at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
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Richmond Rolls Over EKU, 38-10, In NCAA First Round Eric Ward threw for 245 yards and three TDs as No. 7 Richmond scored 31 unanswered points to defeat No. 21 Eastern Kentucky, 38-10, in an FCS Playoff First Round game at UR Stadium.
Recap - Box Score -
Notes - Photos - Highlights
Championship Celebration Events
Sat. Jan. 17 (7 p.m.) The football team recognized at halftime of mens basketball game vs. St. Bonaventure
Wed. Jan. 21 The football team will be recognized at the Heilman Dining Center in a special event designed primarily for the campus community
(students, faculty and staff).
Sun., Feb. 22 (2-5 p.m.) An opportunity for the Spider Faithful to celebrate the national title with Coach London, the team, university officials, and watch the championship season highlight video at the Robins Center.
Date & Location TBA An opportunity for invited guests to celebrate the national title with Coach London, the team, university officials,
and watch the championship season highlight video.
Sat. Apr. 4 (Time TBA) The Spring Game moves to UR Stadium while construction of the on-campus stadium progresses. Admission is free.
Opportunity for all fans to meet the Spiders and see the team in action!
Richmond's Championship Facts
The victory marked Richmond's first-ever NCAA National Championship in any sport. (The 1982 women's tennis team captured the AIAW Division-II title, which previously stood as the school's only national title).
Mike London is the first African-American to lead his team to the FCS National Championship game in 30 years - when Florida A&M head coach Rudy Hubbard won the inaugural FCS (then I-AA) title in 1979.
London is just the third rookie head coach to lead his team to the National Championship game - the previous two have won the title as well: Georgia Southern's Tim Stowers in 1990 and Marshall's Bob Pruett in 1996.
Richmond is just the third private school to earn an FCS National Championship game berth. Furman won the title in 1988 (lost in 2001) and Colgate fell to Delaware in 2003.
Richmond's appearance in the title game marked the second-consecutive year that the third-place team from the CAA South Division played in Chattanooga. Delaware fell to Appalachian State in 2007.
In the last six years, the only teams to win the FCS National Championship have come from the CAA South Division (Richmond in 2008, Delaware in 2003, James Madison in 2004) and Appalachian State.
Richmond was unseeded entering the playoffs and defeated the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds on its way to the title.
The Spiders defeated four-consecutive conference champions en route to the title.
The attendance of 17,823 marked the highest-attended FCS Championship game (not involving App. State) since 1999 and the fifth-highest in the 12 years that Chattanooga has hosted the game.
The Spiders ended the season with a school-record 13-wins (13-3), breaking the previous school record of 11 wins set in 2007 (11-3).
Richmond ended the season on a nine-game winning streak -- its longest winning streak since 1998. (The school record in 10-straight wins from 1972-73).
