Football Southern Conference

Furman Announces 2003 Football Schedule

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- A Sept. 6 clash with Clemson and Sept. 20 home game
against Richmond highlight Furman's 11-game 2003 football schedule, which
was released today by director of athletics Dr. Gary Clark.

Furman opens the 2003 campaign on August 30 at Paladin Stadium against
new Southern Conference member Elon before taking on Clemson on Sept. 6 in
the 54th meeting between the two schools, who first met in 1896.

The Paladins then return home for a pair of games, including a Sept. 20
contest versus Richmond that will mark the Spiders' first appearance in
Greenville since 1976, and a Sept. 27 game against Gardner-Webb.

Furman will also host Appalachian State (Oct. 11), East Tennessee State
(Oct. 25), and Wofford (Nov. 15) in Paladin Stadium, where it has won 16
of
its last 17 league contests since 1998. In all the Paladins' slate
includes
six home games and five away contests.

The Furman-Appalachian State game will highlight Family Weekend, and
Homecoming features the Paladins' clash against East Tennessee State.

Kickoff times for Furman's home September games versus Elon, Richmond,
and Gardner-Webb are 7:00 p.m. Other game times will be announced later
according to Clark.

Furman, whose 2002 schedule was rated as the toughest among Southern
Conference schools and 13th nationally according to I-AA.org's gridiron
rating index, posted an 8-4 record last year under first year head coach
Bobby Lamb.

The Paladins earned their fourth straight playoff bid in 2002 on the
way
to a No. 9 ranking in the Sports Network NCAA I-AA final poll.