Head Football Coach

Marty Favret

Head Coach Marty Favret is in his tenth season as leader of the Tigers. After taking over a program that won just four games in three years prior to his arrival in 2000, Favret has firmly restored the winning tradition at Hampden-Sydney, having amassed a 62-29 (.681) record over his first nine seasons. Winning football and high-octane offenses have become the norm for Favret-led squads as his teams have won eight or more games in five of the last six seasons, while Favret’s 2003 Tigers led the nation in scoring (47.2 points-per-game) and his 2005 team led the nation in total offense (525.2 yards-per-game).

Most recently, Favret led his squad to an 8-2 overall record and a 4-2 ODAC mark in 2008. Last season marked the sixth time Favret has recorded at least eight wins. With the final win of the season, Favret also became the third winningest coach in Tiger football history.

After serving as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Catholic University for six seasons, Favret was named Hampden-Sydney head coach on December 30, 1999. Favret has compiled an impressive 33-15 record in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and ranks second all-time in Tiger football history for winning percentage among coaches who have given at least five years of service. Favret has twice been named ODAC Coach of the Year, most recently in 2007, when he led the Tigers to an 8-3 overall record, a 5-1 conference mark and the school’s first ODAC Championship in 20 years. His first Coach of the Year honor came in 2003, when Favret guided Hampden-Sydney to a 9-1 overall record and second-place finish in the ODAC.

In his six seasons at Catholic, Favret was the architect of one of the most prolific offenses in NCAA Division III. Under his direction, Catholic finished in the top-30 in the country in scoring five times. His offenses set 75 school records, including the school’s top-three single season scoring records. Over the course of his last three seasons at CUA, he helped guide the Cardinals to a 29-1 regular season record and three NCAA Playoff appearances. In 1999, its first year as an ODAC football member, Catholic claimed the conference title while its Favret-led offense topped the league in both total offense and scoring.

Before joining the Catholic staff, Favret served for four years as the head junior varsity football coach at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. He became the Purple Eagles’ varsity offensive coordinator in 1991, helping the team earn a No. 6 ranking in 1993.

Favret was a three-year starter at shooting guard for the Catholic basketball team from 1981-84, serving as team captain during his junior and senior seasons. He set a Catholic school record as a sophomore when he connected on 18 consecutive shots. Prior to graduating from Gonzaga High School, Favret played basketball for two years and baseball for one.

Favret was born in Washington, D.C. and graduated from the Catholic University of America in 1984 with a degree in history. He and his wife, Cynthia, live in Hampden-Sydney with their daughters, Rebecca (19) and Amanda (17).

2008 (8-2): The Tigers started off the season with a bang winning the first seven games and receiving a #18 national ranking by d3football.com. In the eighth week of the season, however, Hampden-Sydney fell to Catholic to fall to 7-1 and 4-1 in conference. The Tigers then recorded their eighth win of the season against Huntingdon before falling in the final game of the season to Randolph-Macon to finish the year 8-1 and 4-1 in ODAC play. Hampden-Sydney led the ODAC in total offense with 470.5 yards-per-game with Corey Sedlar leading the conference in passing yards with 360.1 ypg. The defense was also second in the ODAC in rushing defense allowing just 106.9 ypg. Ten Tigers were named All-ODAC with senior running back Josh Simpson, freshman offensive lineman Ben Rogers, and junior linebacker Josh Miller earning First Team honors. Junior quarterback Corey Sedlar, junior wide receiver Adam Gillette, senior lineman Sam Rosten, sophomore safety Bill Doody, and senior place kicker T.C. Stevens earned Second Team honors while senior wide receiver Travis Wertz and junior linebacker Andrew Sellers earned Honorable Mention accolades. Josh Simpson was also named the Offensive Back of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Virginia for his 1,453 total yards and 19 touchdowns. Simpson ended his career holding five Hampden-Sydney and ODAC rushing and scoring records including most points scored in a game (42), season (164), and career (432).

2007 (8-3): ODAC Coach of the Year Favret guided his Tigers to the school’s fifth ODAC Championship and first conference title since 1987. Hampden-Sydney secured the championship and automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs with a 31-13 road victory over Randolph-Macon in the final day of the regular season. The Tigers were paced by the record-breaking efforts of senior wide receiver Drew Smith and junior tailback Josh Simpson who, along with sophomore signal caller Corey Sedlar, spearheaded an offense that ranks as the third best all-time in Tigers’ history with 5,121 total yards and 394 points scored. Smith garnered ODAC Offensive Player of the Year accolades, was named to the American Football Coaches Association first team All-America squad, was crowned the Division II/III/NAIA Dudley Award winner and was a finalist for the Gigliardi Trophy. His stellar season placed him first in the all-time H-SC record books for receiving yards in a season (1,616), catches in a season (110; also an ODAC record), catches in a game (15), career yards (4,244), career receiving touchdowns (37) and most consecutive games with at least one reception (41). Simpson also broke countless school and ODAC records. His 164 points in 2007 and 318 career points are both H-SC and ODAC records. Simpson’s six rushing touchdowns and seven total touchdowns, as well as his 42 points in the Tigers’ win over Guilford put him first all-time for both H-SC and the ODAC. His 21 rushing scores in 2007 were also good enough for tops in school and conference history. Hampden-Sydney placed ten players on the All-ODAC squads, including two senior linebackers from a much improved Tigers’ defense; second-teamer Kyle Booker and honorable mention selection Mark Henson.

2006 (4-6): The 2006 season presented many difficult tasks for the Hampden-Sydney football team, including the mission of replacing the most prolific passer in Tigers’ history. H-SC was led by an experienced and talented group of offensive lineman, including three seniors with over 20 starts in their careers. The Tigers finished in a tie for second in the ODAC standings, posting a 4-2 mark. Four Tigers, all offensive contributors, earned first team All-ODAC honors, including running back Charlie Omick, tight end Dane Williams and offensive linemen Ben Niemaseck and Paul Williams. Junior wide receiver Drew Smith was named to the All-ODAC second team.

2005 (8-2): For the third consecutive year, a Favret coached player earned ODAC Offensive Player of the Year accolades as senior quarterback J.D. Ricca followed Conrad Singh (2003) and C.W. Clemmons (2004) en route to the award. Ricca helped Favret’s Tigers to another record-breaking season as the squad led the NCAA in total offense, averaging 525.2 yards-per-game, while its 45.0 points-per-game was the nation’s second best average. Ricca reached record-setting heights, throwing for an ODAC and H-SC record 3,731 yards to accompany his 42 touchdowns. The Tigers scored seven or more touchdowns in seven games and tagged 50+ points on Randolph-Macon (50), Sewanee (52), Gettysburg (56) and Dickinson (66).

2004 (8-2): In 2004, Favret and his Tigers were left with the difficult challenge of improving upon the 9-1 record it posted in 2003. The challenge was made even harder with the loss of All-American quarterback J.D. Ricca midway through the season. Nevertheless, Favret rallied his troops to an 8-2 finish and 5-1 mark in the ODAC, as the team posted its fourth straight second-place finish in conference play. During the course of the season, the Tiger football team achieved unprecedented heights in the national rankings, climbing as high as 11th in the American Football Coaches Association Top-25 Poll and 13th in the D3football.com national rankings. Meanwhile, Favret’s offense continued to out-class the field, once again leading the ODAC in total offense (457.8 yards-per-game), while their 39.0 points-per-contest ranked second among ODAC teams. Leading the way for Hampden-Sydney was senior running back C.W. Clemmons, who became the all-time leading rusher in H-SC history with 3,771 yards, while his 282 career points established a new team and ODAC standard. Under Favret’s tutelage, Clemmons garnered the "Bullet" Bill Dudley College Division Award as the top Division II/III football player in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Clemmons’ efforts gave Favret and the Tiger program their second straight ODAC Offensive Player of the Year and ODAC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards. Overall, 15 players earned All-ODAC honors while Clemmons also earned all-south and academic all-district accolades.

2003 (9-1): Favret’s Tigers completed a historic season in 2003 as the team finished 9-1 overall and 5-1 in the ODAC, earning Favret his first ODAC Coach of the Year honor. The Tigers’ high-powered offense set an ODAC record and led the nation with a 47.2 points-per-game scoring average, while the squad’s 521.4 yards-per-game ranked second nationally. Hampden-Sydney finished the season ranked No. 22 in both the American Football Coaches Association and D3football.com polls, marking the first time in program history that a Hampden-Sydney team was nationlly ranked at season’s end. The Favret-led passing offense ranked fifth in the nation, averaging 331.5 yards-per-game, while Tigers’ senior receiver Conrad Singh led the country in both receptions-per-game (9.8) and receiving yards-per-game (141.9). Singh set team and ODAC records with 98 catches for 1,419 yards on the year and finished his career ranked third all-time in NCAA Division III history with 287 receptions. At year’s end, the Tigers placed 13 players on the All-ODAC squad, while Singh, senior center Lee Bailey and junior running back C.W. Clemmons each garnered All-American accolades.

2002 (8-2): The 2002 season was a banner year for Favret’s Tigers as the team completed its most successful season in nearly 20 years. The 8-2 finish signified a rebirth of the winning tradition, giving Hampden-Sydney its first winning season since 1993. The Tigers averaged an impressive 32.7 points-per-game, while the high-octane offense averaged nearly 400 yards-per-contest. 13 players earned All-ODAC recognition, including six first team honorees. Defensive back Chris Scott earned All-America accolades for the second time in his career.

2001 (5-5): In 2001, the Favret-led Tigers finished 5-5 overall while tying for second place in the ODAC standings with a 3-3 conference mark. Hampden-Sydney gained nearly 360 yards of offense per game to go along with the second-highest scoring average in the ODAC at 29.6 points-per-game.

2000 (4-6): In Favret’s first season at Hampden-Sydney, he guided the Tigers to a 4-6 overall record. During his inaugural campaign as leader of the Tigers, Favret reinvented the Hampden-Sydney offense into one of the most prolific in the ODAC. Favret initiated a 17-point upgrade in scoring, leading a team that averaged just under ten points-per-game in 1999 to a 27.0 average in 2000. Hampden-Sydney ranked fourth in the conference in total offense, averaging nearly 360 yards-per-contest, while its 252.0 yards-per-game passing was tops in the league. Overall, the Tigers shattered almost 20 individual and team records in the 2000 season.