General Information Team Information Location .......................................................... Richmond, Va. Founded ..........................................................................1865 2017 Overall Record ............................................... 6-4 Enrollment ....................................................................1,700 2017 CIAA Record/Finish ........... 5-2/3rd in CIAA North President ................................................... Dr. Hakim J. Lucas Final National Standings ........................................ N/A Faculty Representative ............................ Dr. Patricia Murray Offensive Formation ............................................ Pro-I Athletic Director .................................................... Joe Taylor Defensive Formation .............................................. 4-3 Nickname ................................................................ Panthers Offensive Starters Returning ..................................... 6 Colors ......................... Maroon (PMS 188) & Steel (PMS 420) Defensive Starters Returning ..................................... 4 National Affiliation ......................................... NCAA Divison II Conference ...................................................................... CIAA Football Office Phone ......................... (804) 342-1488 Website .......................................................... vuusports.com Football Office Fax .............................. (804) 342-1485 Stadium ................................................. Hovey Field (10,000) Surface ............................................................. Natural Grass 2018 Schedule Football History First Year of Football .......................................................1899 Date Opponent Location Time (ET) All-Time Record .................................................... 568-381-48 SEPT. 1 SETON HILL HOVEY FIELD 1:00 P.M. All-Time CIAA Record ........................................... 445-285-33 CIAA Titles .... 10 (‘17, ‘21, ‘23, ‘73, ‘79, ‘81, ‘82, ‘83, ‘86, ‘01) SEPT. 8 CARSON-NEWMAN HOVEY FIELD 1:00 P.M. All-Time Bowl/Post-Season Record ................................ 6-12 Sept. 15 at Johnson C. Smith Charlotte, NC 4:00 p.m. Coaching Staff Sept. 22 at Winston-Salem State Winston-Salem, NC 6:00 P.M. Head Coach Dr. Alvin Parker SEPT. 29 LIVINGSTONE HOVEY FIELD 1:00 p.m. Alma Mater Virginia Union (1998) Record at VUU 0-0 (First Season) OCT. 6 LINCOLN (PA) HOVEY FIELD 1:00 p.m. Overall Record Same Oct. 13 at Chowan Murfreesboro, NC 1:00 P.M. OCT. 20 BOWIE STATE HOVEY FIELD 1:00 p.m. Assistant Coaches Oct. 27 at Elizabeth City State Elizabeth City, NC 1:00 p.m. Marcus Hilliard Asst. Head Coach/Co-Def. Coordinator/D-Line Edward Pointer Assoc. Head Coach/Co-Def. Coordinator/LB NOV. 3 VIRGINIA STATE HOVEY FIELD 1:00 p.m. Mike Morita Run Game Coordinator/O-Line Nov. 10 at CIAA Championship Salem, VA TBA Nigel Rios Secondary/Strength & Conditioning Coordinator Troy Shaffer Special Teams/Safeties Monterio Hand Wide Receivers Diego Ryland Running Backs 2017 Schedule/Results Joe Ellison Team Chaplain Sam Davis Equipment Manager Date Opponent Location Time (ET) Bernard Rucker Special Assistant Tanner Howell, ATC Athletic Trainer Sept. 2 at Long Island-Post Brookville, NY (L) 42-13 Dr. Thomas P. Loughran Director of Sports Medicine Felicia Jackson Business Manager SEPT. 9 NEWBERRY HOVEY FIELD (W) 31-23 SEPT. 16 WINSTON-SALEM STATE HOVEY FIELD (L) 21-20 Athletic Media Relations SEPT. 23 FAYETTEVILLE STATE HOVEY FIELD (W) 47-40 Sports Information Director ....................................Jim Junot Sept. 30 at Saint Augustine’s Raleigh, NC (W) 28-7 SID Office Phone ........................................... (804) 342-1493 Oct. 7 at Lincoln (PA) Lincoln, PA (W) 45-23 SID Cell Phone ................................................ (804) 307-4886 SID E-mail .....................................................jjunot@vuu.edu OCT. 14 CHOWAN HOVEY FIELD (W) 35-10 SID Fax ........................................................... (804) 342-1485 Oct. 21 at Bowie State Bowie, MD (L) 40-22 OCT. 28 ELIZABETH CITY STATE HOVEY FIELD (W) 37-21 Nov. 4 at Virginia State Petersburg, VA (L) 40-39 Joseph “Joe” Taylor was appointed Virginia Union University’s ninth athletic director in December of 2013. He is excited about the opportunity afforded him to lead the revitalization efforts of the VUU Athletic Department. “Hopefully the experience that I have been blessed with the past 40 years has prepared me for this great opportunity,” Taylor said. When parents entrust their sons and daughters to our steward- ship, we are both honored and cognizant of the awesome re- sponsibility that comes with it. The opportunity to impact these young lives in a positive way on a daily basis will not be taken frivolously. From a structural standpoint, the success of a stu- dent-athlete is the result of four areas: Compliance, Academic Support, Strength/Conditioning and Medical Trainers. All four are in place at a very high level. How much success that is derived from those four areas will de- pend on four areas that must be applied from the student- athlete. Non-negotiable– we must have their best Discipline, best Attitude, best Sacrifice and best Habits. When the structure and the expectations meet, it creates ACT/ Accountability, Consistency and Team work. That’s the winning formula. Taylor brings a wealth of experience, having served as head coach of Virginia Union University, Hampton University and Florida A&M University. In his inaugural coaching cam- paign in 2008, he led the Rattlers to a record-setting- 9 3 finish– one of the best one-year turnarounds in the country (from 3-8 in 2007) – in the process tying Hall of Fame legend A.S. Gaither’s school record for the most wins by a first- year head coach set in 1945. During his tenure at Hampton, Taylor guided the Pirates to a scintillating 136-49-1 record, highlighted by four Black College Championships (1994, 1997, 2005, 2006), nine conference titles (CIAA: 1986, 1992, 1993, 1994; MEAC: 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2006), a Heritage Bowl Championship (1999), plus 11 trips to the NCAA playoffs (Division II: 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994; FCS/I-AA: 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2006). He finished his career at 233-96-4, ranking him third (3rd) in career victories and fourth (4th) in career winning per- centage among active coaches in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly I-AA), and third (3rd) in HBCU history behind Eddie Robinson and John Merritt. He is married to his wife of 40 years, Ms. Beverly Taylor. They are the proud parents of two sons, Aaron Joseph and Dennis Anthony. Alvin Parker, PhD, was introduced as the 27th Head Coach in the history of the Virginia Union University Football Program on December 18, 2017. A native of Washington, DC, and alumnus of Virginia Union, Dr. Parker comes “home” to Lombardy Street after nearly two decades of suc- cess as an assistant coach. “There aren’t enough words to express what it means to be here, at a place I love, the one that embraced me as a young man and helped guide me into adulthood,” states Dr. Parker. “This is my dream job and I am excited to build on the legacy of this storied program.” Dr. Parker brings the philosophy of an aggressive tempo offense, and is also known widely for being a committed recruiter. He served as offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Virginia Union for five successful seasons (1999-2003) which saw the Panthers win 38 games and advance to the three CIAA title games in four years (2000, 2001, 2003). During his first run as a coach at his alma mater, Parker called signals alongside his collegiate coach and mentor Willard Bailey a CIAA Hall of Famer and the conferences all-time winningest coach. “I was always told that what Union makes, the world takes. We will embrace our position as the front porch of the University,” says Parker. Over his previous stint on the Union staff, the Panthers won three CIAA Eastern Division crowns, captured the (2001) CIAA title and played in the 2001 Pioneer Bowl. Dr. Parker coached André Braxton, the CIAA’s all-time leading rusher and single season touchdown record holder, who would go on to be named the recipient of the (2000) Alonzo "Jake" Gaither Award as the top HBCU player in the nation, Braxton was an All-CIAA honoree all four years at VUU and named Player of the Year in 2000 “Dr. Parker won CIAA championships here at VUU as a player and later as an assistant coach under Willard Bailey,” said Virginia Union Athletic Director Joe Taylor. “He also won CIAA championships as the Associate Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator at Elizabeth City State University. While experiencing success on the field, he has earned his undergraduate, Master’s and Ph.D. An accomplishment that few football coaches in America have obtained.” Before his successes as a coach and an academician, Parker was a standout student-athlete during his playing days at VUU. He earned offensive MVP honors in 1996 and 1998, still ranks in the top ten amongst the Panther greats in single season touchdowns scored and is the Gold Bowl record for the longest TD — a 79-yard reception. His dedication and success as one of the nation’s top assistants has not gone unnoticed as he was named a finalist for the AFCA National Assistant Coach of the Year Award from 2013- 2016. Dr. Parker is very familiar with the landscape of the CIAA as he enjoyed successful stints at Saint Augustine’s University and at