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99 for 99 takes a look at the 99 biggest moments in UB Football history during this season, the 99th season of UB Football. These moments are not in any order, however the top 10 moments have been saved for last.
October 29, 1988 - Buffalo 7, Alfred 27 - Buffalo Plays 600th Game In School History
The seventh century of UB Football games began with a loss against Alfred in 1988. The 100 games were all coached by Bill Dando who compiled a 52 and 48 record over that 100 game span. The 52% winning percentage was a throwback to earlier times when UB enjoyed consisten success before the football program shut down.
Under Dando, the Bulls went 8-2 in 1983 and 9-2 in 1986. Between 1980 and 1986, the Bulls went 43-29. Coming into the 1987, Bill Dando was another 9 win season away from becoming the winningeset coach in UB history. However the good times of 1986 came to an abrupt end; Coach Dando and the Bulls would only win 5 games in the following two years.
October 28, 1989 - Bill Dando's Final Win Makes Him Winningest Coach in UB History.
Bill Dando entered his final year 3 wins shy of Dick Offenhamer's School record 58 wins as coach. Buffalo started the season 0-2 before getting their first win, over Buff State. Dando won his 57th game two weeks later over Hofstra. Two more losses came, giving Dando and the 2-5 Bulls only 3 more chances to make history. On October 21, the Bulls won at Brockport to tie Dando with Offenhamer, with 58 wins. The following week, the Bulls returned home and made Dando UB's winningest coach in style.
The two teams combined for a UB record 115 rushing attempts, however UB behind Ray Hobson and Alan Bell came out on top. UB racked up 509 yards of offense and scored 45 points, the most by a UB team since the final game in 1983. The game also marked the first two-game winning streak for the Bulls since the 9-2 season in 1986. It was also the most lopsided game since a 52-13 win over Brockport in 1982.
It was the final home game and a fitting end to the Dando era. The Dando era officially closed two weeks later as the Bulls fell in Pennsylvania to Slippery Rock, 24-19. The Dando era, brought UB football back to life albeit as a Division III program. The progress Dando made allowed men like Steven Sample and Greiner push UB to compete at the games highest level again. Finally after 27 years, 1 month and 6 days as UB's winningest coach, Dick Offenhamer was replaced by Bill Dando. Dando has held the title of winningest coach for over 23 years and with the inverse relationship between success and tenure, it is likely that no coach will ever win 60 games at UB and surpass Dando's win mark.