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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gary Holden, Sports Info. Director
(540) 365-4306

November 13, 2005


Ferrum Headed to Wesley for First Round of NCAA Playoffs
Panthers Travel to Dover Nov. 19

FERRUM, Va. – Ferrum College learned this afternoon that it would travel to Dover, Delaware, November 19 for the first round of the 2005 NCAA Division III Football Championships.  The Panthers' opening-round opponent will be Wesley College. 

          2005 NCAA Division III Football Playoffs

Ferrum (9-1) is led by Head Coach Dave Davis, now in his 12th season at the helm of the Panther program.  Davis owns a 66-52 career coaching mark.  This is Ferrum's fifth trip overall to the Div. III football playoffs.  The Panthers made four consecutive appearances from 1987-1990, advancing to the national semifinals in 1998 and 1989.  This is Davis' first NCAA playoff berth as a head coach.

Wesley (9-1) is led by Head Coach Mike Drass, who is in his 13th season as the Wolverines' head coach and owns a 94-37-1 career coaching mark.  Drass led Wesley to its first-ever NCAA Division III playoff berth in 2000.

          Ferrum's NCAA Div. III Football Playoff History

Wesley and Ferrum are no strangers on the gridiron.  The two teams helped form the Atlantic Central Football Conference, a football-only league, in the fall of 1998.  Ferrum remained in that league until the fall of 2001, when it was forced to discontinue play in the league in order to begin competition in the USA South Athletic Conference (then the Dixie Conference), a league in which Ferrum has held full membership since the fall of 1985.

Wesley is Ferrum's 2nd-longest football rival.  The two teams have played each 37 times dating back to the first-ever meeting between the two in 1956.  Wesley won the inaugural game 7-6, Ferrum owns a 23-14 series lead.

The last meeting between the two schools was the opening game of the 2004 season, in which Wesley won 28-27 in Dover.  Trailing 28-21 with just over three minutes remaining in regulation, Ferrum scored on a 2-yard run by Robert Mack.  Just when it looked like the game was headed for overtime, the Wolverines blocked the PAT and held on for the one-point win.  The previous year, Ferrum opened the 2003 season with a 24-6 win at home over Wesley.

Game time for Saturday's NCAA-opener is set for 12 p.m.  Ferrum will offer a live web broadcast of the game, with a pre-game show beginning at 12:45 p.m.
 

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