March 29, 2005

The University of Dayton football team will begin spring practice Tuesday, March 29 at 7:00 p.m. when the Flyers get out under the lights at Welcome Stadium. Pioneer Football League regulations allow for teams to hold 12 practices during the "off-season."

UD will practice on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for three weeks to round out its spring schedule. Practices will be held at Welcome Stadium and the Jerry Von Mohr Practice Field.

The Flyers finished 7-3 overall, and 2-2 in the Pioneer Football league's North Division in 2004. UD had its 28th straight winning season, extending the Flyers' school record. That ties Dayton with Florida State with the longest such streak among Division I football-playing schools. UD was ranked sixth in the nation in the final Sports Network NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major poll, and fifth in the Football Gazette ranking.

The Flyers' three losses were to two of the five teams ranked ahead of them (#2 Drake and #3 San Diego) and to Ivy League powerhouse Yale. All three losses went down to the final minute, and in two of them, the clock ran out with UD having the ball in the red zone.

Dayton returns six starters on offense and three on defense. Four of five starters on the offensive line are back, including offensive tackle Ryan Winner, who was named First Team All- PFL. Another First Team All-PFL pick, linebacker Jon Hoppe, heads the defensive returnees.