All-UR Stadium team part of Spiders’ commemoration

Who was the University of Richmond's top running back: Barty Smith? Barry Redden? Tim Hightower?

How about at quarterback: Buster O'Brien? Bob Bleier? Eric Ward, who is heading into his senior season?

Best coach: Frank Jones? Jim Reid? Dave Clawson? Mike London?

Fans will get a chance to select their preferred Spider at each position and favorite coach in the school's upcoming campaign to commemorate the final season of UR Stadium. The Spiders in 2010 will begin playing home games on campus, at First Market Stadium. Richmond has played home games since 1929 off-campus at UR Stadium, formerly City Stadium.

Spiders who competed at that venue are eligible for the on-line vote UR will conduct at http://www.RichmondSpiders.com, starting later this summer and closing in early October.

The top vote-getters -- a coach, 22 position players, a kicker and a punter -- will be recognized as the All-UR Stadium Team at halftime of the Nov. 21 game vs. William and Mary, the final regular-season home game in UR Stadium history.

Owned by the city and leased to the university, UR Stadium is projected to be used for Richmond Kickers professional soccer, high school football competition, and other events following 2009. A name change, back to City Stadium, may be coming.

UR Stadium, with a capacity of 21,319, will not generally be recalled as a comfortable, fan-friendly venue that provided a huge home-field advantage for the Spiders. But, according to Jana Ross, UR's assistant director of athletics/marketing and fan development, "anytime you've been someplace for so long, people have memories tied to it."

UR, winner of the 2008 Football Championship Subdivision title, will attempt to resurrect some of those memories with its Final Season campaign, which also will include:

• Two decades of Spiders' football will be recognized at each of Richmond's first four home games: 1929-1949 when UR faces Hofstra on Sept. 19; 1950-69 at the VMI game Sept. 26; 1970-89 at the Massachusetts game Oct. 24; 1990-2009 at the Villanova game Nov. 7.

• UR will set up an area in the stadium for memorabilia from each of those eras at the game at which those teams are recognized. Music from those eras will be played.

• All Spiders' football alumni who played at UR Stadium will be invited to attend the William and Mary game and will be recognized at halftime.

The First Market Stadium project is expected to cost about $25 million. City Stadium became UR Stadium in 1983, when the school assumed upkeep costs and began making improvements. The Spiders began playing football in 1881.

Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233