Virginia Cavaliers Football: History, Coach, Rivals, and so on

The Virginia Cavaliers football team, representing the University of Virginia (UVA), competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) within the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The team was established in 1888. Since then, UVA's football program has left a lasting impact on the sport, influencing modern game ethics and safety regulations. Home games are played at Scott Stadium, located on the UVA campus in Charlottesville.

Name of Team	Virginia Cavaliers
First season	1888
Athletic director	Carla Williams
Head coach	Tony Elliott
Stadium	Scott Stadium
Location	Charlottesville, Virginia
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Division	Division I FBS
Field surface	Grass
Conference titles	5 (1908, 1914, 1915, 1989, 1995)
Division titles	1 (2019)
Fight song	Not available
Mascot	Cavalier (CavMan)
Rivals	Virginia Tech (rivalry), North Carolina (rivalry), Florida State (rivalry), Maryland (rivalry)
Consensus All-Americans	11

Virginia Cavaliers Football Introduction

UVA football team was formed in 1886 when two graduate students, Charles Willcox and Richard Reid Rogers, introduced the sport to the University of Virginia (UVA). With a strong influence from Princeton and Yale, they established football in the South, where it was previously absent. UVA quickly emerged as a powerhouse, they had 28 consecutive winning seasons from its inception in 1888. Notable achievements include being the first Southern program to defeat Yale, which was a formidable opponent in 1915.

Throughout its history, UVA football has been affiliated with various conferences, including the Southern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), where it currently competes. The team has engaged in long-standing rivalries with North Carolina and Virginia Tech. Despite early disputes over conference championships, UVA's football legacy is marked by its role in shaping college football in the South.

Virginia Cavaliers Football History

The University of Virginia's football history traces back to 1886 when graduate students Charles Willcox and Richard Reid Rogers introduced the sport to the South. In the beginning, students engaged in informal games, but by 1887, they organized a football team. Their first official game was against Pantops Academy, which resulted in a historic win for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Virginia football saw notable moments during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including its first inter-college game against Johns Hopkins in 1888 and the establishment of the South's Oldest Rivalry with North Carolina in 1892. The program claimed several Southern championships during this period, highlighted by a 116–0 game against Princeton in 1890.

The early 1900s period saw changes in coaching and successes. Players like Bradley Walker and Eugene N. "Buck" Mayer contributed to winning seasons. The team's rivalry with VPI (now Virginia Tech) intensified, with memorable matchups in the early 1900s.

In 1912, Virginia joined the South Atlantic Intercollege Athletic Association (SAIAA) and saw the opening of Lambeth Stadium in 1913. The following years witnessed significant victories, including a landmark win against Yale in 1915.

The program faced challenges during World War I, leading to disruptions in play, but resumed activities in 1919 with notable games against Vanderbilt and North Carolina. Coaching changes and conference affiliations characterized the 1920s, with Virginia joining the Southern Conference in 1921.

Virginia Cavaliers Football Coach

The Virginia Cavaliers football team has had 41 coaches throughout its history. Head coach Antonio "Tony" Elliott currently guides the team. He took on the role as the 41st head coach on December 10, 2021, replacing Bronco Mendenhall.

Upon taking the position, Elliott made significant coaching staff changes, bringing in John Rudzinski from the United States Air Force Academy as the defensive coordinator and Desmond Kitchings from the Atlanta Falcons as the offensive coordinator. Rudzinski's previous defense ranks in the top 5 nationally for scoring defense in 2020 and total defense in 2021, while Kitchings brings experience as a co-offensive coordinator at NC State and Vanderbilt, as well as a running backs coach in the NFL.

Here is a full list of head coaches and the duration they served as head coach:

Coach	Tenure
Tony Elliott	2022–present
Bronco Mendenhall	2016–2021
Mike London	2010–2015
Al Groh	2001–2009
George Welsh	1982–2000
Dick Bestwick	1976–1981
Sonny Randle	1974–1975
Don Lawrence	1971–1973
George Blackburn	1965–1970
Bill Elias	1961–1964
Dick Voris	1958–1960
Ben Martin	1956–1957
Ned McDonald	1953–1955
Art Guepe	1946–1952
Frank Murray	1937–1945
Gus Tebell	1934–1936
Fred Dawson	1931–1933
Earl Abell	1929–1930
Greasy Neale	1923–1928
Thomas J. Campbell	1922
Harris Coleman	1919
No Varsity Schedule	1917–1918
Peyton Evans	1916
Harry Varner	1915
Joseph M. Wood	1914
W. Rice Warren	1913, 1920–1921
John S. Elliott	1912
Kemper Yancey	1911
Charles B. Crawford	1910
John Neff	1909
Merritt Cooke Jr.	1908
Hammond Johnson	1907
William C. "King" Cole	1905–1906
George Sanford	1904
Gresham Poe	1903
John de Saulles	1902
Westley Abbott	1901
Archie Hoxton	1899–1900
Joseph Massie	1898
Martin V. Bergen	1896–1897
Harry Arista Mackey	1895
Johnny Poe	1893–1894
William C. Spicer	1892
Unknown	1888–1891

Virginia Cavaliers Football Stadium: Scott Stadium

Scott Stadium, officially known as The Carl Smith Center, is the home of David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium. It is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, on the grounds of the University of Virginia. The Virginia Cavaliers football team plays at Scott Stadium, which was built in 1931 and is the oldest active FBS football stadium in Virginia.

Apart from football games, Scott Stadium also hosts various other events. Some notable concerts have taken place here. It was the venue of the Virginia High School League's Group AAA Division 5 and 6 football state championship games. The stadium has also hosted significant lacrosse events, including the Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship in 1977 and 1982 and the ACC Women's Lacrosse Tournament in 2008. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,500 and has a grass surface.

Virginia Cavaliers Football Rivals

Virginia Cavaliers' football program has many teams that compete with it. Some of the notable rivalries are:

Virginia Tech

The rivalry between Virginia and Virginia Tech dates back to 1895. They have been playing each other annually since 1970. The Commonwealth Cup has been given to the winner since 1996. Virginia won the Cup in 2019, breaking a 15-game losing streak. The win also secured their spot in the 2019 Orange Bowl, their first New Year's Six bowl. Virginia Tech leads the series with a 60–38–5 score.

North Carolina

The South's Oldest rivalry, dating back to 1895, is with North Carolina. They've played yearly since 1919, making it the longest series in the ACC. The rivalry's name comes from their dominance in the South between 1895 and 1910. According to Virginia records, North Carolina leads the series 63–59–4, but Virginia has had the upper hand since 1983, with a record of 24–14–1.

Virginia Cavaliers Football Record and stats

Virginia Cavaliers have won five conference titles and one division championship.

Conference championships

Year	Conference	Coach	Overall Record	Conference Record
1914†	SAIAA	Joseph M. Wood	8–1	3–0
1915†	SAIAA	Harry Varner	8–1	2–0
1989†	Atlantic Coast Conference	George Welsh	10–3	6–1
1995†	Atlantic Coast Conference	George Welsh	9–4	7–1

Division championships

Year	Division Championship	Coach	Opponent	Result
2019	ACC Coastal	Bronco Mendenhall	Clemson	L 17–62

Virginia Cavaliers Football Roster

The Virginia Cavaliers football roster includes a variety of players from diverse backgrounds.

On the offensive side, the players include:

NO	PLAYER	POS
19	Grady Brosterhous	QB
10	Anthony Colandrea	QB
11	Tony Muskett	QB
13	Jared Rayman	QB
22	Devin Sherwood	QB
0	Cody Brown	RB
20	Xavier Brown	RB
34	Kevin Chadwick Jr.	RB
9	Amaad Foston	RB
34	Jack Griese	RB
25	Donte Hawthorne	RB
7	Mike Hollins	RB
2	Perris Jones	RB
5	Kobe Pace	RB
28	Noah Vaughn	RB
27	KJ Bratton	WR
80	TyLyric Coleman	WR
3	Delaney Crawford	WR
26	Ethan Davies	WR
8	Malachi Fields	WR
18	Jaden Gibson	WR
1	Suderian Harrison	WR
87	Titus Ivy	WR
86	Claiborne Richards	WR
21	Landon Spell	WR
84	Dillon Tennyson	WR
83	Dakota Twitty	WR
4	Malik Washington	WR
17	JR Wilson	WR
82	Eli Wood	WR
93	Henry Duke	TE
88	Karson Gay	TE
81	TeKai Kirby	TE
85	Grant Misch	TE
89	Joshua Rawlings	TE
94	Hayden Rollison	TE
44	Sackett Wood Jr.	TE
53	Dawson Alters	C
51	Ty Furnish	C
55	Brian Stevens	C
74	Noah DeMeritt	G
58	Noah Hartsoe	G
69	Luke Johnson	G
78	Jestus Johnson III	G
77	Noah Josey	G
63	Joey Kagel	G
70	Grant Lanham	G
72	Snoop Leota-Amaama	G
71	Ugonna Nnanna	G
61	Dane Steele	G
64	Cole Surber	G
79	Jessie Knight	OL
52	McKale Boley	T
50	Jimmy Christ	T
75	Houston Curry	T
57	Andy Lutes	T
60	Charlie Patterson	T
54	Blake Steen	T
68	Jack Witmer	T

On the defensive side, notable players include:

NO	PLAYER	POS
1	Paul Akere	DE
15	Chico Bennett Jr.	DE
38	Mekhi Buchanan	DE
82	Kam Butler	DE
14	Miles Greene	DE
54	Joseph Holland III	DE
93	Jonathan Horton	DE
99	DJ Jones	DE
52	Nate Morris	DE
44	Brayden Sheffer	DE
10	Ben Smiley III	DE
47	Gabe Sneed	DE
56	Caleb Stoltz	DE
88	Lorenz Terry	DE
19	Olasunkonmi Agunloye	DT
95	Nana Appouh	DT
89	Sam Bond	DT
55	Anthony Britton	DT
96	Bryce Carter	DT
90	Jahmeer Carter	DT
18	Michael Diatta	DT
94	Aaron Faumui	DT
91	Jason Hammond	DT
59	Jack Hardy	DT
25	Terrell Jones	DT
98	Bryce Purnell	DT
92	Andrew Williams	DT
33	Josh Ahern	LB
2	Stevie Bracey	LB
28	Sam Brady	LB
42	Kendall Cross	LB
7	James Jackson	LB
40	Rob Keys	LB
43	Logan Kotter	LB
3	Langston Long	LB
49	Josh McCarron	LB
16	Trey McDonald	LB
5	Kam Robinson	LB
53	Justin Stewart	LB
27	Trent Baker-Booker	CB
31	Micah Gaffney	CB
22	Elijah Gaines	CB
8	Malcolm Greene	CB
4	Dave Herard	CB
23	Tayvonn Kyle	CB
11	William Simpkins III	CB
6	Dre Walker	CB
13	Sam Westfall	CB
9	Coen King	DB
30	Addie Burrow	S
46	Devin Clark	S
0	Antonio Clary	S
32	Landon Danley	S
39	Robbie Engelberg	S
26	Caleb Hardy	S
37	John Hurley	S
21	Donovan Johnson Sr.	S
29	Davis Lane Jr.	S
17	Aidan Ryan	S
20	Jonas Sanker	S
36	Carlo Thompson	S

Virginia Cavaliers Football Schedule

The Virginian Cavaliers football 2024 regular season matchups are as follows:

Date	Opponent
Sat, Aug 31	Richmond
Sat, Sep 7	Wake Forest
Sat, Sep 14	Maryland
Sat, Sep 21	Coastal Carolina
Sat, Oct 5	Boston College
Sat, Oct 12	Louisville
Sat, Oct 19	Clemson
Sat, Oct 26	North Carolina
Sat, Nov 9	Pittsburgh
Sat, Nov 16	Notre Dame
Sat, Nov 23	SMU
Sat, Nov 30	Virginia Tech

FAQ's On Virginia Cavaliers Football

A. The team was established in 1888.

A. The Virginia Cavaliers play their home games at Scott Stadium, located on the UVA campus in Charlottesville.

A. The team has won five conference titles, with the most recent ones in 1989 and 1995.

A. Tony Elliott is the current head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers football team.

A. The main rivals of the Virginia Cavaliers include Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Florida State, and Maryland.

Virginia Cavaliers Football