2002 Bucknell Bison football team

2002 Bucknell Bison football
Conference	Patriot League
Record	2–9 (0–7 Patriot)
Head coach	Dave Kotulski (1st season)
Captains	Gary Carruthers Adam Lord Todd Warmington
Home stadium	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  2001 2003  →

2002 Patriot League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 12 Fordham +^		6	–	1					10	–	3
No. 25 Colgate +		6	–	1					9	–	3
Lafayette		5	–	2					7	–	5
Lehigh		4	–	3					8	–	4
Towson		3	–	4					6	–	5
Georgetown		2	–	5					5	–	6
Holy Cross		2	–	5					4	–	8
Bucknell		0	–	7					2	–	9
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2002 Bucknell Bison football team was an American football team that represented Bucknell University during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Bucknell finished last in the Patriot League.

Dave Kotulski, who had been Bucknell's defensive coordinator since 1995, took over as acting head coach in 2002 after Tom Gadd, who had been diagnosed with cancer in early 2001, stepped away from the team for health reasons. ^[1]

In Kotulski's first and only year as head coach, the Bison compiled a 2–9 record. ^[2] Gary Carruthers, Adam Lord and Todd Warmington were the team captains. ^[3]

The Bison were outscored 251 to 163. Their winless (0–7) conference record placed last in the Patriot League standings. ^[4] On the last weekend of October, the Bison became the first team to lose a Patriot League game to Georgetown, which had joined the league the previous year; at season's end, Bucknell became the first team to equal Georgetown by finishing in eighth place.

Toward the end of the year, with Gadd hospitalized, university officials announced that Gadd would not return in 2003, and the Bison would search for a replacement head coach. ^[5] Gadd died in March 2003. ^[6]

Bucknell played its home games at Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium on the university campus in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	at Duquesne *	Rooney Field Pittsburgh, PA	L 14–35	4,805	[7]
September 14	at Saint Mary's *	Saint Mary's Stadium Moraga, CA	L 22–23 OT		[2]
September 21	Cornell *	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 14–3	6,922	[8]
September 28	Delaware State *	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 27–13	3,024	[9]
October 5	Colgate^	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	L 10–13 OT	9,202	[10]
October 19	at Towson	Towson University Stadium Towson, MD	L 14–20	5,064	[11]
October 26	at Georgetown	Harbin Field Washington, DC	L 31–32	1,011	[12]
November 2	at Holy Cross	Fitton Field Worcester, MA	L 21–38	2,879	[13]
November 9	Lafayette	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	L 3–19	6,202	[14]
November 16	at No. 23 Lehigh	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	L 0–24		[2]
November 23	No. 21 Fordham	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	L 7–34	2,012	[15]
*Non-conference game Homecoming ^ Parents Weekend Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Kotulski Named Bucknell's Acting Head Coach for 2002". The Daily Item . Sunbury, Pa. July 26, 2002. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Year-by-Year Results". 2019 Bucknell Football Media Guide. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University. p. 140. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
3. "Captains". 2019 Bucknell Football Media Guide. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University. p. 121. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
4. "Football All-Time Year-by-Year Results". Patriot League Football Record Book (PDF). Center Valley, Pa.: Patriot League. 2020. p. 8. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
5. Housenick, Tom (November 8, 2002). "University to Search for Head Coach; Gadd Not Returning". The Daily Item . Sunbury, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Former Bucknell Football Coach Tom Gadd Passes Away". Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University. March 1, 2003. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
7. Axelrod, Phil (September 8, 2002). "Underdog Duquesne Rides Herd on Bison, 35-14". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Pittsburgh, Pa. p. D-11 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Housenick, Tom (September 22, 2002). "Bison Get Defensive in Shutting Down Big Red". The Daily Item . Sunbury, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Housenick, Tom (September 29, 2002). "Bison's Special Play Dooms Hornets". The Daily Item . Sunbury, Pa. pp. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Housenick, Tom (October 6, 2002). "Bison Horrified by Ending Fit for Silver Screen". The Daily Item . Sunbury, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Baker, Kent (October 20, 2002). "Towson Stops Bucknell, Stays in Patriot Title Race". The Baltimore Sun . Baltimore, Md. p. 9D – via Newspapers.com.
12. Orton, Kathy (October 27, 2002). "Hoyas Win First in Patriot League". The Washington Post . Washington, D.C. p. D12 – via ProQuest.
13. Toland, Jennifer (November 3, 2002). "Allen's Return Boosts Crusaders". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. p. C19 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Housenick, Tom (November 10, 2002). "Bison Fail to Make Plays Again, Drop Fifth Game in a Row". The Daily Item . Sunbury, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Housenick, Tom (November 24, 2002). "Rams Win Patriot League Title". The Daily Item . Sunbury, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.