5 Best Delaware Blue Hens Football Players, Ranked

The Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens are entering the FBS ahead of the 2025 season. Before that, they were a great FCS squad, winning the title in 2003 and as runner-up a few times, including most recently in 2010. 

Now, as mentioned, football betting on the Fightin’ Blue Hens’ college football odds is available at the BetMGM online sportsbook in the FBS. 

See the program’s top five players of all time below. 

5 Best Delaware Blue Hens Football Players, Ranked

Delaware Blue Hens All-Time Greatest Football Players

1. Andy Hall

After beginning his career at Georgia Tech, Hall played at Delaware in 2003 and led them to a Division I-AA national title. He was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Offensive Player of the Year, the Tri-State Player of the Year, and the University of Delaware Male Athlete of the Year, and also finished third for the Walter Payton Award, which is given to the most outstanding offensive player in Division I-AA football. Hall was also a first-team All-American. 

In 2003, Hall completed 62% of his passes for 2,764 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also ran for 710 yards and eight touchdowns. Those 25 passing touchdowns were the second most in a single Delaware season. 

During the 2003 season, Delaware went 15-1 and won the national title 40-0, and Hall suffered a separated shoulder during much of that run. 

2. Rich Gannon

There have been a lot of great Delaware quarterbacks, and Gannon led the way. He played for the Delaware freshman squad in 1983, but from 1984 to 1986, he made significant contributions to the main squad. 

He threw for 5,927 yards, ran for 1,509 rushing yards, and had 26 rushing touchdowns. 

His passing yards were previously a school record. He set 21 school records, including passing yards, pass attempts, pass completions, total offence, and more. 

He was also named the Yankee Conference Offensive Player of the Year and an honourable mention All-American. 

3. Matt Nagy

You may know Nagy for his NFL coaching stints as offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs or as the Chicago Bears head coach from 2018 to 2021, but in the late 1990s and at the turn of the century, he was the signal-caller for Delaware. 

Over his career at Delaware, he threw for 8,214 yards, the most in program history. 

He also finished with 502 pass completions (third in program history), 895 pass attempts (second), and 58 passing touchdowns (first). 

He was a third-team All-American and first-team All-Atlantic 10.

In 2000, Nagy went 12-2 and went to the FCS semifinal round. 

4. Joe Flacco

Flacco transferred to Delaware after starting his college career at Pittsburgh. He was with Delaware from 2005 to 2007 before going No. 18 overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. 

Flacco was the ECAC Player of the Year, first-team All-CAA, the CAA co-Offensive Player of the Year, and third-team All-American. 

He finished his career with 595 pass completions (first), 938 pass attempts (first), 7,046 passing yards (second), and 41 passing touchdowns (sixth). 

5. Mike Adams

Adams was on the 2003 national championship squad, and in that title game, he had 10 tackles, including eight solo ones. He helped lead the Fightin’ Blue Hens to a shutout win against Colgate and the Walter Payton Award winner, running back Jamaal Branch. 

Adams finished his career with 11 interceptions and 213 tackles.