1990 - 2000 A Decade of Progress

Changes to the men’s basketball program at the University of Delaware in the last decade have been by all accounts remarkable.

The team opened the decade playing in the dimly lit Delaware Field House on a rubber floor in front of few fans, as a member of the flagging East Coast Conference.

It closed the 1990s as a power in the America East Conference, playing in the bright Bob Carpenter Sports/ Convocation Center on a wooden floor initially used in an NCAA championship game and before sellout crowds of more than 5,000 cheering fans.

For the first time in UD hoop history, there is a waiting list for season tickets as the team sets its sights on a championship in its new conference, the Colonial Athletic Association.

The atmosphere at The Bob is cheery and family-oriented and features UD’s award-winning cheerleaders, dance team and mascots YoUDee and Baby Blue. There is a spirit band and a special section for high-spirited students, including the Blue Hen Fever section, not to mention some terrific action on the floor.

Under coaches Mike Brey, who left UD to take the head coaching position at Notre Dame, and Steve Steinwedel, the Blue Hens won four conference titles—two in the North Atlantic and two in the America East—and secured four NCAA tournament berths and one NIT appearance. The Hens, who won 191 games during the course of the decade, are now in the capable hands of David Henderson, like Brey a protégé of Duke University head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Henderson steered the Hens to the America East title game in his rookie season.

Meanwhile, women’s basketball coach Tina Martin directed her team to a 26-5 record that was highlighted by a conference title and Delaware’s first trip to the NCAA women’s

Carpenter Sports Building

tournament. Delaware lost in the opening round to North Carolina State in a game played in Raleigh, N.C., but not before the Hens generated huge excitement on campus.

As men’s basketball ascended, other University athletics programs extended long traditions of excellence, and two new varsity sports—women’s soccer in 1990 and women’s rowing in 1998—were added.

UD now fields 23 varsity teams, which Director of Athletics Edgar N. Johnson says is “well ahead of the NCAA Division I average.”

During competition in the 1990s, those teams accumulated an overall record of 2,273 wins, 1,587 losses and 27 ties. That is a winning percentage of .588.

UD teams won 27 conference regular season championships and 39 conference tournament championships and qualified for NCAA postseason tournament play 17 times.

During the decade, two Blue Hens were named national players of the year in their respective sports—Kevin Mench in baseball in 1998 and John Grant in men's lacrosse in 1999—and 81 were named to All-America teams. In addition, men's lacrosse coach Bob Shillinglaw was named national coach of the year in 1999.

The University, which stresses excellence in the classroom as well as on the playing field, took great pride in the fact that 34 Blue Hens were named conference scholar-athletes of the year in the last dacade.

Another eight have been honored as CoSIDA Academic All-Americans—Matt Smith, football, 1994; Travis Adams, track and field, 1994 and 1995; Brian Fleury, baseball, 1991; Krysta Pidstawski, softball, 1998; Dave Geesaman, track and field, 1998 and 1999; Mike Pegues, men’s basketball, 2000; Brian McGillen, swimming, 2000; and Sarah Edwards, women’s lacrosse, 2000.

As the decade progressed, UD athletes were provided upgraded facilities to enable them to reach their full potential. The two most notable additions to the David Nelson Athletic Complex were the Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center, which houses men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball, and Rullo Stadium, a state-of-the-art artificial turf facility that seats about 2,000.

Delaware Stadium has seen numerous improvements, including improved drainage and new natural turf, new bleachers, an animated scoreboard and recently installed lights for night football games. For true Blue Hen shoppers, there are enclosed bookstore venues near both the east and west grandstands.

“The support by University administration for advancements in athletics at the University of Delaware during the decade of the ’90s has been phenomenal,” says Senior Associate Athletic Director Mary Ann Hitchens. “This is reflected most visibly in the renovations, improvements and additions to indoor and outdoor facilities, with the construction of the Bob Carpenter Center and Fred P. Rullo Stadium heading a lengthy list.”

Hitchens says gains in women’s athletics have been particularly striking, with the addition of two new varsity sports and increased participation. At the start of the decade, women accounted for just 35 percent of the total number of varsity athletes at UD. Today, that number has risen to 47 percent.

Hitchens says the decade saw significant budgetary increases to fund recruitment, travel, improvement of faclities and scholarship support.

“We are extremely fortunate that President Roselle has demonstrated a full institutional commitment to gender equity by both word and action that is worthy of serving as a national standard,” Hitchens says. The same can be said of Johnson's commitment to gender equity, she says.

“The support of the administration has played a vital role in the progress that has been made. Such commitments are the necessary ingredients for success in this area and have resulted in tremendous gains,” she says.

For both women and men, the decade was one of remarkable stability in the coaching ranks, although it closed with the retirement of two well-respected veterans—volleyball coach Barbara Viera and baseball coach Bob Hannah.

Viera guided UD to a 222-177 record in the 1990s and won America East tournament titles in 1992 and 1994. She was a

Bob Hannah Diamond

UD coach for 28 years before deciding to step down. In her honor, the volleyball gym at the Carpenter Sports Building, which has undergone massive renovations, has been renamed Barbara Viera Court. Shannon Elliott has taken over the coaching duties.

Hannah’s teams went a combined 391-145, winning conference championships in 1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. The refurbished Delaware Diamond has been renamed Bob Hannah Stadium in honor of the coach who spent 35 years leading Blue Hen baseball. Former assistant coach Jim Sherman is the new baseball coach.

The football program remains in the steady hands of head coach Tubby Raymond, who compiled a record of 88-33-1 during the 1990s. In the last decade, his Hens won three Yankee Conference championships and went to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs six times, reaching the semifinals in 1992 and again in 1997.

Joining Raymond, Hannah and Viera in coaching throughout the decade were:

Scott Grzenda, women’s soccer. Led UD’s first team in 1990 and compiled a record of 97-76-9 during the decade.
Jim Fischer, men’s cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field. America East indoor champions 1992-93 and 1998-99 and outdoor champions in 1993, 1994 and 2000.
Sue McGrath-Powell, women’s cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field. America East cross country champions 1995, and East Coast Conference champions 1990 and 1991. Also, ECC indoor champions 1990-91 and outdoor champions 1991.
John Hayman, men’s and women’s swimming. America East men’s champions 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000. Women’s champions 1995-96 and 1996-97.
B.J. Ferguson, softball. America East tournament semifinalists 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2000.
Bob Shillinglaw, men’s lacrosse. NCAA quarterfinals and ranked sixth by USILA in 1999. America East champions in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1999.
Amanda Kukla, women’s rowing. Second in Dad Vail Regatta in 1999-2000.

The remaining UD programs had just a single coaching change during the decade. Those are:

Field hockey, led by MaryBeth Holder (1990-92) and Carol Miller. NCAA top 20 and America East semifinalist each of the last four years.
Men’s soccer, Loren Kline (1990-92) and Marc Samonisky. Reached America East semifinals in 1996.
Women’s basketball, Joyce Perry (1990-96) and Tina Martin. East Coast Conference champions in 1990 and America East semifinalists in 1999-2000 with a record of 21-8.
Women’s lacrosse, MaryBeth Holder (1991-93) and Denise Wescott. America East champions in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Ranked in the final IWLCA ranking top 15 since 1994.
Tennis, Roy Rylander (1990-93) and Laura Travis. America East champions in 1996-97.
Women’s tennis, B.J. Ferguson (1990-92) and Laura Travis. America East runners-up each season since 1993-94.
Men’s golf, Scotty Duncan (1990) and Jim Kent (1991-2001). America East champions in 1997-98.