Holy Cross Hosts UMass as 2008 Football Season Opens With Homecoming

The Holy Cross football team opens its 2008 gridiron season at Homecoming this Saturday, Sept. 6, when the Crusaders meet the University of Massachusetts.

Kickoff is 1 p.m. at Fitton Field.

Holy Cross posted overall records of 7-4 and 4-2 marks in the Patriot League during both the 2006 and 2007 seasons, and will take on a tough opponent in the Minutemen in the season opener. With a 10-3 record, UMass was the 2007 Colonial Athletic Association co-champion and advanced to last year’s NCAA quarterfinals.

Under the leadership of Tom Gilmore, now in his fifth season as the head coach, Holy Cross has gone 23-16 over the past 39 games, and enters 2008 looking to contend for the Patriot League title, after finishing just one game out of first place in each of the last two seasons.

Holy Cross co-captains this year are seniors Daryl Brown and Dominic Randolph.

Quarterback Randolph was recently selected as a preseason third team All-American by College Sporting News. He previously was named preseason Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, and was also honored as a preseason second team All-American by both the Sports Network and Consensus Draft Services. Randolph currently ranks fourth all-time at Holy Cross in touchdown passes and passing yards, while standing fifth in total offense, completions and pass attempts.

Taking place after the game will be the presentation of the John B. Turco ’52 Memorial Trophy, awarded for the 42nd consecutive year to the Homecoming game’s outstanding player.

Holy Cross-UMass contests have an important place in the Crusaders’ archives: The very first home football game ever played at Holy Cross was a 6-0 defeat of Massachusetts Agricultural College (as UMass was initially known) on Sept. 26, 1903. Two years later, Fitton Field was dedicated, and again it was a meeting with the Aggies that christened the new field. The Crusaders won that game, 17-0.

Related Information:

• Homecoming 2008/Alumni Events • Holy Cross Athletics