The Saint Augustine's College football team will play in the Pioneer Bowl, which will be held Dec. 4 at 17,000-seat A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ga., at 1 p.m.
This is the first bowl game and postseason contest in recent memory for the Falcons, who were 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the CIAA during the regular season. The eight victories tied a school record for the Falcons, who finished second in the CIAA Southern Division and ninth in the NCAA Super Regional One poll at the end of the regular season. The Falcons will face nationally ranked Fort Valley State University which finished second in the SIAC with an 8-2 overall record. The Wildcats, also making their first Pioneer Bowl appearance, are ranked No. 22 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' Poll.
“This is the first time ever that Saint Augustine's College has been invited to attend the Pioneer Bowl,” President Dr. Dianne Boardley Suber said. “What an awesome opportunity for our student athletes and the College. This Bowl appearance will allow Saint Augustine's College to be showcased on yet another major stage. “
The Pioneer Bowl is the only NCAA sanctioned bowl game involving HBCU athletic conferences and is one of only three sanctioned bowl games in Division II. The contest pits a team from the CIAA and against a team from the SIAC.
Fans and alumni are encouraged to support the Falcons in this historic event. Tickets for the Pioneer Bowl are $20, and they will go on sale Friday, November 19, 2010 at 11 a.m. in the cashier's office. Details on fan bus packages will be announced.
The bowl bid is another recent achievement for the Falcons' athletic program. During the 2009-2010 season, the Falcons won seven CIAA championships and seven CIAA team highest grade point average awards. The Falcons led the CIAA in both categories.
In May 2010, the Falcons took home the NCAA Division II title in men's outdoor track and field in Charlotte, N.C. They also claimed the C.H. Williams All-Sports Trophy for the season's best men's athletic program in the CIAA. This season, the women's volleyball team concluded its best season in several years by winning the Southern Division title and finishing as CIAA tournament runner-ups.
“When you start the season off, you start it off expecting a championship or playing in the postseason. What coach Costa has done is build a program here not only academically but athletically,” said director of athletics George Williams, who led the Falcons to the men's national track crown. “These great players deserve the award of playing in a bowl game. As long as I have been at Saint Augustine's College, I think this is the first time we have played in a bowl game. This is a treat for Coach Costa, the coaching staff and the student-athletes. I am hoping that our alumni and friends will follow us to this outstanding journey.”
The football team recently wrapped up its best regular season in five years. In addition to tying a modern single season school record for wins, the Falcons were nationally ranked for three weeks. They entered the final week of the regular season tied for 19th nationally. Included among their eight wins were victories over regionally ranked Catawba and Winston-Salem State, which returned to the CIAA after a four-year attempted move to Division I. The Falcons handed the Rams, nationally ranked at the time, their first loss.
The Falcons will be led by dynamic tailback Walter Sanders (Sr./Baltimore, Md.), who was named CIAA offensive back of the year and was selected a candidate for the Harlon Hill award which is given the best player in NCAA Division II. Sanders, who led the conference with 1,377 yards and 15 touchdowns in the regular season, was one of seven players chosen for the All-CIAA team. The Falcons also put six freshmen on the league's all-rookie squad.
The bowl game is icing on the cake for Head Coach Michael Costa, who anticipates a great atmosphere and competitive game against Fort Valley State. The SIAC has won the last four bowl games and leads the series 9-2, but Costa and his Falcons are looking to reverse the trend.
“This is a great day for Saint Augustine's College to have the opportunity to play another team from a historically black college in a bowl game,” said Costa, the 2003 and 2005 CIAA football coach of the year. “This highlights the year that we had. This is great for the young men who put the time and effort into the season. This is a first for Saint Augustine's College and we should have a good following. The SIAC representative (Fort Valley State University) is going to be a tough team. That conference has winners. I expect a good game, a physical game.”
