TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics will enshrine one of the most successful football teams in school history into the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame along with its longtime radio voice, Director of Athletics Mike Bohn announced Monday.
The 2009 University of Cincinnati football team, which finished with a perfect 12-0 regular season, won the BIG EAST Conference Championship and played in the 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl, will be inducted alongside the Voice of the Bearcats, Dan Hoard.
"We are thrilled to enhance the 10th Anniversary of the 2009 football season by inducting the team as a whole into the Hall of Fame," Bohn said. "Adding the incomparable and iconic voice of Dan Hoard to this year's class adds an inspirational dynamic in our salute to excellence. The achievements of the 2009 Bearcats, one of the greatest UC teams ever, are second-to-none in our football history and we look forward to unveiling additional exciting ways to commemorate their historic season.
"Dan Hoard is simply one of the best broadcast professionals in the nation. We are blessed to have him as our respected voice of the Bearcats. He's a phenomenal representative of the University with an unparalleled work ethic."
"I am honored, humbled, and quite honestly overwhelmed," Hoard said. "Having a front row seat to watch Kenyon (Martin), Melvin (Levett), SK (Sean Kilpatrick), Gary (Clark), Jarron (Cumberland), Gino (Guidugli), Tony (Pike), Mardy (Gilyard), Connor (Barwin), Travis (Kelce) and so many other great players has been more than enough of a reward. Being the Voice of the Bearcats has been a joy and a privilege for 19 years. I look forward to many more to come."
While the 2009 team will be celebrated throughout the upcoming football season, the weekend of October 18-19, 2019 will feature the annual Legion of Excellence dinner on Friday and an in-game recognition during the football game against Tulsa on Saturday, Oct. 19 in Nippert Stadium. The team will be welcomed back to Cincinnati and former Head Coach Brian Kelly will attend the Saturday recognition.
To forever commemorate the 2009 undefeated regular season, UC is creating a dual bobblehead of the game-winning Tony Pike to Armon Binns 29-yard touchdown which capped a 45-44 come-from-behind win at Pitt on Dec. 5, 2009.
The dual bobblehead features Pike delivering the pass and Binns in his iconic touchdown-celebration pose raising the football with an outstretched arm. The memento also includes an audio component which will play the radio and TV calls of the TD pass from the Voice of the Bearcats, Dan Hoard, and ESPN's Sean McDonough.
All 2019 UC football season-ticket holders will receive the dual bobblehead, one per ticket purchased. The only way to guarantee receiving one of the limited-edition items is to purchase 2019 season tickets which go on sale on Monday, May 13. The season-ticket book, also exclusive to season-ticket holders, features a dual 2009-2019 season-ticket design showcasing Bearcats stars of past and present.
Students who purchase a season-ticket package for $70, which includes a limited edition Under Armour rUCkus t-shirt and gameday food vouchers, can add the bobblehead to their order for $10. Students who have already purchased season tickets can call the athletics ticket office to update their order.
Anyone who has yet to renew their tickets for this season and new season ticket holders should contact the athletics ticket office at 1-877-CATS-TIX or online at GoBEARCATS.com/tickets. UC opens the 2019 campaign in primetime on ESPN against UCLA on Thursday, Aug. 29 in Nippert Stadium.
More information on the Legion of Excellence will be released as it is finalized.
2019 INDUCTEES
2009 FOOTBALL TEAM
The 2009 University of Cincinnati football team, which finished with a perfect 12-0 regular season, won the BIG EAST Conference Championship and played in the 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl, will be inducted alongside the Voice of the Bearcats, Dan Hoard.
"We are thrilled to enhance the 10th Anniversary of the 2009 football season by inducting the team as a whole into the Hall of Fame," Bohn said. "Adding the incomparable and iconic voice of Dan Hoard to this year's class adds an inspirational dynamic in our salute to excellence. The achievements of the 2009 Bearcats, one of the greatest UC teams ever, are second-to-none in our football history and we look forward to unveiling additional exciting ways to commemorate their historic season.
"Dan Hoard is simply one of the best broadcast professionals in the nation. We are blessed to have him as our respected voice of the Bearcats. He's a phenomenal representative of the University with an unparalleled work ethic."
"I am honored, humbled, and quite honestly overwhelmed," Hoard said. "Having a front row seat to watch Kenyon (Martin), Melvin (Levett), SK (Sean Kilpatrick), Gary (Clark), Jarron (Cumberland), Gino (Guidugli), Tony (Pike), Mardy (Gilyard), Connor (Barwin), Travis (Kelce) and so many other great players has been more than enough of a reward. Being the Voice of the Bearcats has been a joy and a privilege for 19 years. I look forward to many more to come."
While the 2009 team will be celebrated throughout the upcoming football season, the weekend of October 18-19, 2019 will feature the annual Legion of Excellence dinner on Friday and an in-game recognition during the football game against Tulsa on Saturday, Oct. 19 in Nippert Stadium. The team will be welcomed back to Cincinnati and former Head Coach Brian Kelly will attend the Saturday recognition.
To forever commemorate the 2009 undefeated regular season, UC is creating a dual bobblehead of the game-winning Tony Pike to Armon Binns 29-yard touchdown which capped a 45-44 come-from-behind win at Pitt on Dec. 5, 2009.
The dual bobblehead features Pike delivering the pass and Binns in his iconic touchdown-celebration pose raising the football with an outstretched arm. The memento also includes an audio component which will play the radio and TV calls of the TD pass from the Voice of the Bearcats, Dan Hoard, and ESPN's Sean McDonough.
All 2019 UC football season-ticket holders will receive the dual bobblehead, one per ticket purchased. The only way to guarantee receiving one of the limited-edition items is to purchase 2019 season tickets which go on sale on Monday, May 13. The season-ticket book, also exclusive to season-ticket holders, features a dual 2009-2019 season-ticket design showcasing Bearcats stars of past and present.
Students who purchase a season-ticket package for $70, which includes a limited edition Under Armour rUCkus t-shirt and gameday food vouchers, can add the bobblehead to their order for $10. Students who have already purchased season tickets can call the athletics ticket office to update their order.
Anyone who has yet to renew their tickets for this season and new season ticket holders should contact the athletics ticket office at 1-877-CATS-TIX or online at GoBEARCATS.com/tickets. UC opens the 2019 campaign in primetime on ESPN against UCLA on Thursday, Aug. 29 in Nippert Stadium.
More information on the Legion of Excellence will be released as it is finalized.
2019 INDUCTEES
2009 FOOTBALL TEAM
- The 2009 Bearcats (12-1, 7-0 BIG EAST), ranked No. 3 in the final Bowl Championship Series standings, finished the first undefeated season in the modern era and won their second-straight BIG EAST Championship.
- Under the direction of BIG EAST Coach of the Year Brian Kelly, UC featured BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year Mardy Gilyard, also an American Football Coaches Association All-American at wide receiver, and 11 all-conference selections.
- Kelly is scheduled to return to campus for the UC-Tulsa game on Saturday, Oct. 19 to be a part of the team recognition.
- Gilyard (WR & KR), (C), (QB), and (S) were first-team honorees. (WR), (OT), (OG), (OG), (TE), and (DL) earned second-team honors.
- UC set numerous school records in 2009, including 10 which are still standing: wins (12), road wins (6), consecutive regular-season wins (18), points (502), touchdowns (66), TD passes (39), kickoff return yards (1,540), fewest fumbles (11), fewest fumbles lost (2), fewest turnovers (10).
- UC finished the regular season leading the NCAA FBS in passing efficiency (166.19) despite using four different quarterbacks throughout the course of the season.
- The Bearcats ranked second nationally in kickoff returns (29.2), third in tackles for a loss (8.4), sixth in passing offense (320.3), scoring offense (39.8), and total offense (464.3), while sitting tied for eighth in sacks (2.9), and 10th in sacks allowed (0.9).
- Fans saw the emergence of future stars in QB Zach Collaros (.750 completion pct., 1,434 yds, 10 TDs), S Drew Frey (64 tackles, 2 INT), RB Isaiah Pead (806 yds, 9 TDs), LB JK Schaffer (100 tackles, 3 INT), DE Walter Stewart (8.5 TFLs, 4.5 sck), DT Derek Wolfe (5.0 sck., 8.0 TFL), WR DJ Woods (640 yds, 4 TDs)
- The 2009 team also featured a foundation of freshmen and redshirt freshmen who would go on to become standout players at UC, including LB Maalik Bomar, OT Austen Bujnoch, CB Camerron Cheatham, DE Dan Giordano, OT Sean Hooey, QB Brendon Kay, TE Travis Kelce, P Patrick O'Donnell, C Dan Sprague and DT Jordan Stepp.
- The roster featured 29 players who went on to play professionally in the NFL, CFL or arena football. Barnett, Collaros, Gilyard, WR Vidal Hazelton, Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce, O'Donnell, LS Mike Windt and Wolfe are currently on active rosters.
- Hoard enters his 20th season as the Voice of the Bearcats in 2019, handling the play-by-play duties for the football and men's basketball teams and hosting weekly radio and television programs.
- One of UC's greatest ambassadors, Hoard's voice and approachable manner have made him a legend among Bearcats fans, coaches, student-athletes and staff over the years.
- Also the radio announcer for the Cincinnati Bengals and a fill-in host for the Cincinnati Reds on FOX Sports Ohio, Hoard first served as UC's over-the-air voice in 1996, handling the play-by-play on local TV telecasts from 1996-2000. He took over the radio play-by-play duties in 2000.
- He joins his football broadcast partner, Jim Kelly Jr., and former basketball broadcast partner, Chuck Machock, as hall of fame inductee.
- The Syracuse University graduate was named the National Sports Media Ohio Sportscaster of the Year in 2015 and 2017 and was inducted into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.