Hampton Pirates 2004 football schedule features
six home games
April 1, 2004
Hampton, Va. - Hampton University Director of Athletics Malcolm
Avery along with Head Football Coach Joe Taylor has released
the Pirates’ 2004 football schedule. After playing
just four games at home a year ago, the Pirates will do battle
on the field of Armstrong Stadium six times this season.
“I love the fact that we have six home games this season,” added
Taylor who will be entering his 13th season at the helm of the Pirate program. “The
preservation that comes along with less traveling will play a very important
part in our success later on in the season.”
The Pirates will open the season on September 4 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando,
Fla., where they’ll take on Jackson State in the inaugural Eddie Robinson
Classic. The game is the first of three classics in which Hampton University
will participate, the others being the New York Urban League Classic (Sept.
25) at Giants Stadium against Morgan State, and the Battle of the Bay Classic
at home versus local rival Norfolk State on October 16.
“Playing in these classics has always been and will continue to be one
of our best recruiting tools and it also presents our alumni with another chance
to get together outside of the Tidewater area,” said Taylor.
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play begins on September 11 when rival Howard
University comes to town. The last time the Bison visited Armstrong Stadium
in 2002 it resulted in a record crowd of 19,021.
A 1972 graduate of Western Illinois, Coach Taylor will host his alma mater
on September 18. Last season the Leathernecks finished the season at 9-4, ranking
sixth in the final poll released by The Sports Network.
Hampton’s second non-conference opponent will be Gardner-Webb of the
Big South Conference on October 9.
Homecoming festivities have been set for November 6 when Bethune-Cookman will
try to put an end to Hampton’s three-game homecoming winning streak.
The defending MEAC champion Aggies of North Carolina A&T close out the
conference schedule on November 13 and the Pirates wrap up the regular season
at Savannah State.
“Overall I think this is a more competitive schedule than we’ve
played in years past,” assessed Taylor, the winningest coach of all-time
at Hampton University with 99 victories. “We completed our schedule with
all I-AA opponents for the first time in five years and that should make for
a challenging year.”
