2021 FURMAN PALADINS FOOTBALL / Furman vs. Western2017 FURMAN Carolina PALADINS FOOTBALL Furman (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) JUST CLARIFYING FURMAN QUICK FACTS It’s “Pala-dins”, NOT “Pah-ladins”, “Pah-ladians”, or “Purple” Paladins, just as South Carolina HERO Sports (8th); Athlon (15) Location: .....Greenville, South Carolina isn’t called the “Garnet” Gamecocks or Clemson the “Orange” Tigers. Founded: .......................................1826 Enrollment: ...................................2,700 vs. WHAT’S A PALADIN? Colors: ..... Purple (PMS 268) and White A “Paladin” is a knight on a horse, a paragon of chivalry; a heroic champion; a strong supporter Stadium: ............Paladin (16,000, 1981) or defender of a cause; and any of the 12 peers of French emperor Charlemagne’s court. Conference: ..................Southern (FCS) Western Carolina (0-3, 0-0 SoCon) While history reveals knights were not always mounted men-at-arms, the modern image of a Surface: ....................“PowerBlade Bolt” NR knight, mounted an in full armor, has undoubtedly influenced the concept of Furman’s mascot. First Year Of Football: ..................1889 President: ................Dr. Elizabeth Davis Date, Time: Feb. 20, 2021, 2:00 ET WE’VE BEEN PLAYING THIS SPORT A LONG TIME Director of Athletics: ... Jason Donnelly Site: Greenville, South Carolina 2021 marks the 115th season of football at Furman, which has played 1,138 games (616- Stadium: Paladin Stadium 484-38) in its history (began in 1889). Furman’s 616 victories are tops among all current DID YOU KNOW? Video Stream/TV: ESPN+, Mark Childress Southern Conference schools. Among Furman’s most notable graduates (play-by-play), Bryant Lambert (analyst), are Charles Townes, Nobel Prize-win- ning inventor of the laser; John Watson, Erin Summers (sideline) SETTING THE SCENE the “father of behavioral psychology”; Radio: Van Wagner/Furman Sports Furman kicks off its 2021 spring season this Saturday when it plays host Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Network (ESPN Upstate: 97.7 FM/1330 to Southern Conference foe Western Carolina in a 2:00 p.m. contest at Paladin Stadium. The game will mark Furman’s first football contest in Pops; Alexander Stubb, former prime AM in Greenville; 97.1 FM/950 AM in minister of Finland; Richard Riley, for- 448 days — the longest drought between games since World War II, when the school’s Spartanburg); Radio.com; Tune-In; mer governor of South Carolina and FurmanPaladins.com: Dan Scott (pbp), football program was shuttered for three seasons (1943-45). The Paladins’ last took the U.S. Department of Education Secretary; David Cobb (analyst); Marcus McMorris field on Nov. 30, 2019, versus Austin Peay in FCS first round playoff action. The preseason Mike McConnell, former Director of the (sideline); Tom Van Hoy (spotter/pre-game pick to win the SoCon in a poll of league media and second place choice by SoCon head National Security Agency and Direc- & halftime host) coaches, Furman was recently ranked No. 8 in HERO Sports’ FCS Preseason Poll and tor of National Intelligence; Betsy King Audio LiveStream: Radio.com; Tune-In. No. 15 by Athlon Sports. Unlike Furman, which opted out of any fall competition, Western and Beth Daniel, Ladies Professional com; FurmanPaladins.com Carolina went 0-3 in the fall versus challenging competition, which included Liberty (58-14 Golf Association Hall-of-Famers; Clint Furman Head Coach: Clay Hendrix loss), Eastern Kentucky (49-17 loss), and North Carolina (49-9 loss). Dempsey, member of the 2006, ‘10, & (Furman ‘86), the consensus 2017 SoCon ‘14 (captain) U.S. World Cup Teams and Coach of the Year who directed Furman MAKING HISTORY WITH FEBRUARY FOOTBALL MLS Seattle Sounders; Brad Faxon, to the 2018 SoCon championship, is in Furman has never played a football game in February, spanning 115 seasons of competition nine-time winner on the PGA & Cham- his fourth season as the Paladins’ head and 1,138 games. The last time Furman played a football game this early in a calendar pions Tours; Sam Wyche, former head coach (22-14, .611). He was introduced year was 1890, when the school’s squad, coached by H.C. Granger, swept Wofford in its coach of the NFL Cincinnati Bengals; as Furman’s new mentor on Dec. 19, only two contests that year — a 12-0 win on Jan. 24 in Spartanburg and a 28-2 triumph Frank Selvy, the only 100-point scorer in 2016, following 10 seasons at the Air Force on Mar. 21 in Greenville. NCAA Division I basketball history; and Academy, where he coached the Falcons’ Bear Rinehart, lead singer/songwriter of offensive line. Prior to going to Air Force, FIRST SEASON OPENER VERSUS SOCON SINCE 2003 the popular band NeedToBreathe. the Commerce, Ga., native served as Fur- Saturday’s Furman-Western Carolina game will mark the first season opener at home against man’s offensive line coach for 19 seasons a Southern Conference opponent since 2003, when the Paladins knocked off Elon, 24-7. RANKINGS & RECOGNITION (1988-06), during which time the Paladins The Paladins opened the 2012 and 2017 seasons at Samford and Wofford, respectively. Among America’s Best Colleges, U.S. won an FCS national championship (1988) News and World Report ranks Furman and six SoCon titles. Following a stellar A QUICK GLANCE BACK AT 2019 University the No. 1 college in South Car- Paladin playing career (1982-85), he Furman posted an 8-5 overall record and 6-2 Southern Conference mark in 2019, finishing olina and 46th on its list of national liberal began his coaching career at N.C. State, second in the league with a 6-2 record and earning an at-large berth to the FCS playoffs, arts and sciences colleges. Forbes rec- ognizes Furman 21st on its list of “Top 25 spending two seasons (1986-87) there where they dropped a 42-6 road verdict to OVC champion Austin Peay in first round action. before returning to Furman in 1988. Colleges In The South” and 112th nation- Head coach Clay Hendrix’s Paladins were ranked No. 19 in the final AFCA FCS Coaches ally among 650 colleges and universities. Hendrix vs. Western Carolina: 3-0 Poll and No. 21 in the STATS FCS Poll. Western Carolina Head Coach: Mark Furman consistently appears among the nation’s elite for campus beauty, includ- Speir (Clemson ‘90) is in his ninth season LAST MEETING ing a recent No. 9 ranking on the Times as Western Carolina’s head coach (32-63, Oct. 26, 2019 (Cullowhee, N.C.) — Devin Wynn rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Fur- Higher Education list of “Ten Most Beau- .337). Prior to taking over the reins of man’s defense blanked Western Carolina over the final three quarters to help the Paladins tiful Universities in the U.S.” WCU’s program, he served as an assis- beat the Catamounts, 28-7, at soggy E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Grayson Atkins connected tant at Appalachian State (2003-11), Elon on two first half field goal attempts, including a school record-tying 55-yard effort, to help FURMAN SPORTS INFORMATION (2000-02), Presbyterian (1997-99), and the Paladins take a 13-7 lead at intermission. Furman’s defense forced three-and-outs on Address ............. 3300 Poinsett Highway Western Carolina (1991-96). the Catamounts’ first two possessions of the second half, andThomas Gordon scored on Greenville, S.C. 29613 Speir vs. Furman: 2-6 a 36-yard touchdown pass in a third quarter to help the Paladins take command. Furman Football SID .........................Hunter Reid ran for 296 yards in the contest, getting a 16-carry, game high 87-yard performance from Email [email protected] SERIES HISTORY Cell ................................ (864) 567-1663 Overall: FUR leads 33-12-2 Greenville: FUR leads 17-6-1 2021 FURMAN RESULTS/SCHEDULE (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) Date Opponent Series Streak Broadcast Time Result FURMAN FOOTBALL SOCIAL MEDIA Cullowhee: FUR leads 16-61 Website .................FurmanPaladins.com F. 20 WESTERN CAROLINA*....33-12-2 ... W4 ............ESPN+ .....2:00 Streak: FUR Won 4 Twitter .........................@PaladinFootball F. 27 @ VMI* ...................................28-9 ... W5 ..............................1:30 Last Meeting: Oct. 26, 2019, in Cullowhee Instagram ...................... PaladinFootball M. 6 SAMFORD* .......................... 11-11 ... W1 ............ESPN+ .....1:00 (Furman 28, Western Carolina 7) Facebook .........Furman Paladin Football M. 13 @ East Tennessee State* ......26-8 ... W1 ..............................1:00 Other: Furman has won 12 of last 14 M. 20 CHATTANOOGA* .................30-19 ... W3 ............ESPN+ .....1:00 meetings and is 19-3 in its last 22 clashes A. 3 @ Mercer* ...........................10-6-2 ... W3 ..............................3:30 versus Western Carolina. Furman’s 44-38 A. 10 @ The Citadel* ..................60-36-3 .....L1 ..................................... win over WCU in Greenville in 2018 marked A. 17 WOFFORD* ......................54-33-7 .....L1 ............ESPN+ .....1:00 the highest combined score in the series. *SoCon Game All Times Eastern FurmanPaladins.com 1 @PaladinFootball 2021 FURMAN PALADINS FOOTBALL / Furman vs. Western Carolina FURMAN FOOTBALL STAFF Wynn, whose two-yard touchdown run on the second play of the second quarter put the Head Coach ...........................................................................Clay Hendrix (Furman ‘86) Paladins up, 10-7. Devin Abrams ran for 62 yards, including a 52-yard burst that set up Record At Furman (Year), Overall Record (Year) ............22-14 (3rd Year), Same Atkins’ 55-yard first quarter field goal, which matched the school standard recorded byJon Wide Receivers/Special Teams Coordinator