The University of Delaware football team has demonstrated that it can be counted consistently among the NCAA Division I-AA elite, winning the 2003 national title and reaching the championship tournament quarterfinals in 2004.

In 2004, Head Coach K.C. Keeler’s Fightin’ Blue Hens finished 9-4 overall and 7-1 in the highly competitive Atlantic 10 Football Conference, winning a share of the conference championship for the second season in a row.

The Hens shared the title with the College of William and Mary, which knocked UD out of the NCAA playoffs with a 44-38 win in double overtime, and James Madison University, which went on to win the national championship.

UD’s strong showing was impressive, particularly given that it had lost four key graduating seniors from the 2003 title team, including All-American quarterback Andy Hall and veteran defensive leader Mike Adams, to the National Football League. The Hens also had lost senior running back Germaine Bennett, who had set the all-time record for rushing yards in a season during the championship campaign.

Hall’s place was taken by junior Sonny Riccio, a strong-armed quarterback who transferred from the University of Missouri. Although the Hens lacked experience at running back beyond co-captain Sean Bleiler, Riccio had at his disposal a fleet of talented and experienced wide receivers, including juniors Justin Long and David Boler.

On defense, the Hens returned co-captain Sidney Haugabrook, a defensive back well known for his kick return abilities, defensive linemen Chris Mooney and Tom Parks and popular middle linebacker Mondoe Davis, who got a shout from the frenzied UD fans after every tackle throughout the season.

The 2004 season got off to a disappointing start, with the defending champions falling 24-21 to the University of New Hampshire before a packed house under the lights at Delaware Stadium. After trailing much of the game, the Hens managed to take the lead early in the fourth quarter only to see New Hampshire storm back for the win.

UD continued to struggle in home victories over Towson University and West Chester University, an NCAA Division II team coached by former Hen quarterback Bill Zwaan. The Hens defeated Towson 21-17 and West Chester 24-6.

In the season’s fourth game, UD took to the road and put together an impressive win over the University of Massachusetts, which then was considered one of the top teams in the Atlantic 10. Riccio threw for 115 yards and two touchdowns, and the running game found legs with Bleiler carrying 22 times for 110 yards and freshman Lonnie Starks 12 times for 61 yards.

UD returned to Delaware Stadium for a homecoming game against the University of Maine, which was coming off a tremendous 9-7 upset of Division I Mississippi State University in the powerful Southeastern Conference. The Hens won a 43-38 shootout before another sellout crowd, the fourth of the season, as Riccio threw for 415 yards, Boler caught nine passes and Starks ran for 76 yards. However, the win was costly as the workhorse Bleiler was lost for the season with a knee injury.

The Hens went back on the road to defeat Hofstra University 20-19 and then returned home for a thrilling 31-28 victory over nationally ranked William and Mary, which featured senior quarterback Lang Campbell, the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year. UD fell behind by two touchdowns twice in the first half and trailed again early in the fourth quarter, but ultimately rallied to win. Riccio threw for 302 yards, Long caught 11 passes for 108 yards, Boler caught seven passes for 155 yards and halfback Niquan Lee had 18 carries for 78 yards.

The six-game winning streak came to an end the following week at the U.S. Naval Academy, where Navy ran to a 34-20 victory. The Hens then suffered a hard-fought 20-13 loss at James Madison, a game that saw the emergence of a Hen dominant running back in freshman Omar Cuff, who carried 34 times for 163 yards.

With those consecutive losses, the Hens had to win their last two regular season games over the University of Richmond and Villanova University to lock up a share of the conference title and an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament, and that they did.

UD won 23-14 at Richmond and returned home to another sellout crowd for a 41-35 victory over archrival Villanova. Cuff ran for 116 yards against Richmond and 77 yards and four touchdowns, matching a school record, against Villanova.

On a cold Thanksgiving weekend, UD opened defense of its NCAA Division I-AA championship with a first-round playoff game against Lafayette College. The Hens jumped to an early lead, but Lafayette proved a tough opponent and lost 28-14 only after UD defensive back Garon Bible jumped on a fumble and ran it back 87 yards for a touchdown. Riccio threw for 148 yards and ran for 74, and Cuff had 109 yards on 23 carries.

UD’s title defense run came to an end in the playoff quarterfinals in Williamsburg, Va., as Campbell led William and Mary to a 44-38 victory in double overtime. The Hens appeared to have the game won but the Tribe rallied from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter. In the loss, Riccio threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns, Boler caught 10 passes for 153 yards and Cuff set the school’s freshman rushing record with 170 yards on 27 carries.

Haugabrook was the most decorated of the 2004 Hens, being named first team Walter Camp Foundation All-American and first team American Football Coaches Association All-American. In addition, he was named second team Sports Network All-American and second team Associated Press All-American and was a first team All-Atlantic 10 selection at three positions—defensive back, punt returner and kick returner.

Haugabrook participated in the 80th annual East West Shrine Game in San Francisco, intercepting one pass and returning a punt.

Junior defensive lineman Tom Park was named second team Associated Press All-American and joined senior defensive lineman Chris Mooney as a third team Sports Network All-American.

Senior defensive end Ben Cross was named first team College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-American.

UD’s fans had a record-setting season with more than 10,500 season tickets sold and every regular season home game a sellout. The Hens concluded the season averaging 21,055 fans per home game.