Thursday, May 19, 2005

DAVIDSON, N.C. � Mike Toop, Davidson�s head football coach for the past four years, has resigned to take the head coaching job at his alma mater, the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Long Island, N.Y. The resignation is effective immediately.

Toop led the Wildcats to a 17-22 record in his four seasons. This past year Davidson went 2-7 overall with victories over Butler and Morehead State, and 1-2 in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League. His best season came in 2002 when Davidson went 7-4 and finished second in the PFL South with a record of 2-1.

Under Toop, Davidson featured the past three PFL South Division Defensive Players of the Year, plus this year�s PFL South Offensive Player of the Year in John Leverett, who set the school career rushing (3,165 yards) and scoring (240 points) records. Twenty-one Wildcats have earned All-PFL status, and 11 have been named to The Football Gazette�s I-AA Mid-Major All-America teams. Place kicker Chris Costello �04 also became the first Wildcat ever to be selected to the AFCA I-AA Coaches� All-America squad in 2003.

Three of Toop�s players earned Academic All-District status a total of five times, and he had 22 players named to the Academic All-PFL teams as well. Linebacker Brendan Dete was a two-time Division I-AA Athletic Directors� Academic All-Star.

The search for a new head coach will begin immediately.