More than 3,000 UD football fans, students, alumni, players and coaches huddled together in the Bob Carpenter Center on a frigid February night for a joyous celebration of the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA national champion Fightin' Blue Hens.  

Mike Corey, master of ceremonies for the Feb. 10 campus celebration and the voice of the Blue Hens on The River 94.7, introduced the Blue Hen defensive and offensive players and coaches, and the crowd gave standing ovations to several starting players as they were individually introduced.

"Are you ready for some football?" UD President David P. Roselle asked the crowd.

"This is truly a great night in the history of the University of Delaware, almost as great as that cold, snowy night of Dec. 19 when the Hens dominated Colgate University 40-0 to win the national championship," Roselle said.

"2003 was special because of the team's performance on the field and also because of the enthusiastic support by you, the fans," Roselle said.

"We drew nearly 190,000 fans to Delaware Stadium this year, more than any other team in Division I-AA. And, we averaged more than 21,000 fans per game during the regular season, becoming the only school in the division to average more than 20,000 fans each of the last five seasons.

"It was a particularly great year for student support," Roselle said, "with student attendance doubling and the south end zone easily becoming the loudest section of the stadium."

Roselle then introduced U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., a member of UD's Class of 1965, who told the crowd he came to UD in 1961 as "a half-baked halfback." While he didn't play on a championship team at UD, Biden said it was thrilling to watch the Hens throughout the 2003 season, particularly the national championship game in Chattanooga.

"This is a classy football team that we can be proud of, on and off the field," Biden said. He went on to invite the team to a reception with members of the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C.

Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner told the players and fans that they "put the First State on the map."

Newark Mayor Hal Godwin took the stage to read a proclamation naming Newark "Title Town" in honor of the national championship won by UD's Fightin' Blue Hens and the state football championship won by the Newark High School Yellowjackets.

"Newark is a town of champions!" Godwin said.

When trophies won this season were brought on stage, senior defensive back Mike Adams reminded the audience that this was a defense that only allowed an average of 15 points per regular season contest and that held its opponents in four playoff games to a minuscule 23 total points, including a 40-0 shutout in the national championship game against Colgate in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Dec. 19.

As video clips chronicled the defensive heroics that set the stage for many come-from-behind-victories, the audience cheered and rose to its feet, showing the same spirit and support they displayed at home and away throughout the 2003 season. For senior offensive lineman Jason Nerys, the most exciting moment of the championship season came when the goalpost came down during the final moments of the 24-9 win over Wofford College on Dec. 13, sending the Blue Hens into the national championship contest.

"What a year! To win a national championship is really unbelievable!" Nerys said.

While applauding the efforts of the Blue Hen defensive unit, senior quarterback Andy Hall noted that the offense also played a large part in UD's first-ever NCAA I-AA national championship.

"Don't forget who put those 143 points up on the board during the playoffs," Hall said. "I also have to thank the fans, because without them, it's nothing. The two years I have been at Delaware have been the best of my life. I would like to thank you all for this."

After the players and Blue Hen coaching staff were recognized, it was Head Coach K.C. Keeler's turn to savor the championship season as he shared his memories with the audience.

"Can we throw a party or not?" Keeler asked the crowd. After thanking all those who made the national championship celebration possible, Keeler reviewed the second half of the season, beginning with the come-from-behind 21-17 victory over a resurgent Navy squad at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis on Oct. 25.

"I think it all started with the Navy game," Keeler said. "We were down 14-0, but we didn't panic. When we scored just before the end of the half, we went into the locker room knowing that the game was ours."

Keeler said the fans were with the team every step of the way on the journey that began against The Citadel and ended with the national championship victory in Chattanooga.

"There were 12,500 people at the Villanova game, and 8,000 of them were ours," Keeler said. "When we came on the field in Tennessee, it felt like a home game because all our fans were there."

Keeler closed a memorable evening by thanking the UD administration "that believes that football is important," the students and the fans, the players and his coaching staff who made the 2003 season one of the most memorable in a storied football history at UD.

In addition, Roselle recognized members of UD's Spirit Squad--Marching Band, cheerleaders, dance team and YoUDee mascot team--for their important contributions to UD's winning ways throughout the season.

After the celebration, fans had an opportunity to get autographs from Keeler and several of the players in the Bob Carpenter Club. The autograph session went on for two hours.

--Jerry Rhodes, AS '04, and Larry Elveru