The University of Delaware football team won its first NCAA Division I-AA national championship by defeating Colgate University 40-0 on a frosty Friday evening, Dec. 19, before more than 5,000 loud and proud Fightin' Blue Hen fans who made the pilgrimage to Max Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The stunningly lopsided victory capped off a remarkable season for second-year head coach K.C. Keeler and the Hens, who went 15-1 to set a UD record for the most wins in a season.

Keeler was a linebacker on the last Blue Hens national championship team, the 1979 unit that won the NCAA Division II title under Harold R. "Tubby" Raymond, and as a result, the victory has special meaning. Keeler said there is no greater thrill for an alumnus than to bring a national championship trophy back to his alma mater.

The 2003 title was the sixth national championship in UD history. In addition to the NCAA championship, UD shared the Atlantic 10 Football Conference title, was awarded the Lambert Cup as the premier Division I-AA team in the East and was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Team of the Year.

Three Hens--senior quarterback Andy Hall, senior offensive lineman Jason Nerys and senior defensive end Shawn Johnson--were named to the Associated Press All-America team. Hall was the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in Division I-AA, and Johnson was the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in the division.

In addition, running back Germaine Bennett broke the UD single season rushing mark, piling up 1,625 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns, and co-captains Nerys and Adams provided stellar leadership throughout the thrilling title run.

The regular season was one of the wildest in UD history, with several miraculous come-from-behind victories before record-setting crowds. The Hens averaged more than 21,100 fans per game at Delaware Stadium, and student ticket sales doubled over the 2002 season, with the south end zone consistently rocking in support of the team.

After four relatively easy early season wins, the Hens barely squeezed by the University of New Hampshire 22-21 in a road game Oct. 11 in Durham. New Hampshire jumped out to a quick 21-3 first quarter lead but the resilient Hens got tough, and with 1:58 to play Germaine Bennett scored the go-ahead touchdown on a two-yard run. However, it was only after the Wildcats narrowly missed a 34-yard field goal attempt with just nine seconds remaining that the Hens could celebrate.

Two weeks later, on Oct. 25, UD faced one of its most difficult tests, a game against the Division I-A U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis on homecoming weekend. Navy fielded a solid team this season, finishing the season 8-5 with an appearance in the Houston Bowl, and pounced on the Hens for an early 14-0 lead. But, a fake punt turned the game around, and UD stunned the Midshipmen 21-17 before a crowd of 34,982, including thousands of Blue Hen fans who made the trip.

The heart-stopping action continued Nov. 1 at Delaware Stadium as the University of Maine had the Hens down 21-0 deep into the third quarter. Again, UD bounced back, this time scoring 21 points in the last 15 minutes and 12 seconds, including an electrifying 80-yard punt return for a touchdown by Sidney Haugabrook. The game went into overtime, and UD won after defensive tackle Chris Mooney blocked a Maine field goal try and UD kicker Brad Shushman then cleared the uprights for a 24-21 win.  

After a road loss at Northeastern University, UD returned home Nov. 15 for another wild game, this one a 51-45 triple overtime victory over the University of Massachusetts, which was ranked No. 3 in Division I-AA and was battling the Hens for the conference title and the Atlantic 10's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.

The regular season closed with a bruising 20-17 victory at Villanova University. UD won when Hall, playing with a left shoulder that had been partially separated earlier in the game, ran an option play to score the game-winning touchdown with just 1:25 left to play.

UD did not have much time to recuperate, with the NCAA playoffs opening Nov. 29 against Gateway Conference co-champion Southern Illinois University at Delaware Stadium, but instead of limping into the postseason, the Hens turned their level of play up several notches. The Hens blitzed Southern Illinois, taking advantage of six turnovers and scoring 27 first-quarter points on the way to a 48-7 victory.

In the quarterfinals, a game that was played just hours after the end of a blinding blizzard before 11,881 hardy Delaware Stadium fans, the Hens faced the other Gateway co-champion, Northern Iowa University. The UD defense dominated, allowing just 164 total yards in a 37-7 win.

The semifinals brought a squad from Wofford College to Delaware Stadium. Wofford, running a wingbone offense that employs elements of the Delaware Wing-T, hoped to atone for a snub in the 2002 playoffs, when the Terriers were left at home despite a strong record.

It was not to be, however, as UD used a pounding running attack to dishearten Wofford's defense and secure a 24-9 victory. Bennett rushed for a career-high 189 yards and three touchdowns. The outstanding UD defense was led by Johnson, who had nine tackles, including three and one-half for losses. He also had a sack.

The game ended with UD fans celebrating by taking down the goal posts in the north end zone.

The victory over Wofford put UD in the NCAA championship game against Colgate, a team that entered the game undefeated at 15-0 and that featured Walter Payton Award-winning running back Jamaal Branch.

Again, however, UD rose to the challenge. The defense dominated, holding Colgate to just 157 total yards, and the offense moved with ease. Hall threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 36 yards. Bennett ran for 60 yards and two touchdowns, and Antawn Jenkins for 53 yards and two touchdowns.

As seemingly the entire state tuned in to cheer on the Hens that evening, sports bars were full, and retail stores were largely empty.

After the victory, the University Bookstore and retail outlets on Main Street in Newark sold thousands of hats, T-shirts and sweatshirts proclaiming the Hens as national champions.

In fact, the University Bookstore's online site outsold every other regional institution that had a team appear in a bowl game, including NCAA Division I-A Bowl Championship Series winner Louisiana State University, according to a representative of Barnes & Noble, which manages the bookstore.

It was an opportune time to win the national title through the playoff system, as the Division I-A season ended in a mess of a split championship between LSU and the University of Southern California. The Hens reaped the benefit as the media, including popular sports columnist Michael Wilbon of The Washington Post, promoted a playoff and in the process noted UD's accomplishments.

In January, Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, who attended the championship game, and state legislators hosted the Fightin' Blue Hens during special functions in Dover. The General Assembly passed, and Gov. Minner signed, a resolution honoring the team, which was most appropriate given the state slogan: "Delaware. It's Good Being First."