Hampton, Va. – Head Coach Joe Taylor and the defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion Hampton University football team will begin their 2006 campaign next Tuesday, Aug. 8 when players report for preseason practice. Predicted by conference coaches and media to capture their third consecutive MEAC championship, the Pirates return 47 lettermen and 15 starters to a squad that posted a perfect 11-0 regular season a year ago to advance to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs.
Leading the way for Hampton in 2006 is the two-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Year Justin Durant who finished third in the voting for the Buchanan Award last season after registering 124 total tackles and 15 tackles for loss. Durant is one of seven returning starters who played a part in the Pirates ranking second in the country in scoring defense in 2005 at 14 points per game.
Offensively, running back Alonzo Coleman returns with hopes of becoming just the eighth Division I player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in four straight seasons. He amassed 1,326 yards and 19 touchdowns a year ago and needs just 242 yards to become Hampton’s all-time leading rusher and 546 yards to break the MEAC career rushing record. However, despite having a reliable Coleman in the backfield the Pirates are expected to play more of a wide open game under new offensive coordinator Chris Beatty.
Hampton’s first week of practice will include physicals and a battery of preseason test, and conclude with Meet The Pirates Media Day and Youth Football Clinic on Saturday, Aug. 12. Monday, Aug. 14 will mark the first official practice for the Pirates who will conduct two-a-day sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the duration of camp.
The Pirates open the season against defending Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) champion Grambling State on Sept. 2 at Legion Field in Birmingham in the Ford MEAC-SWAC Challenge.
Hampton Preseason Camp Information Aug. 8 Team Reports
Aug. 12 Meet The Pirates
Aug. 14 Practice Officially Begins
Aug. 15 Two-A-Day Drills Begin (5:45 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.)
Aug. 19 First Scrimmage
Aug. 26 Simulated Grambling State Scrimmage
