Coronavirus: Dayton Flyers, Southeast Missouri cancel season-opening football game

DAYTON — The season-opening football game between Southeast Missouri and the Dayton Flyers has been cancelled for the 2020 season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a UD athletics spokesperson.

>>Coronavirus: UD releases final plans for students to return to campus this fall

The decision was made jointly by both schools to cancel the game, which was scheduled for Sept. 3 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The 2020 game was the first of a home-and-home contract between the schools. Both teams will work to reschedule the game at SEMO during a season in the future.

“I feel badly for the players of both teams. I know our guys are very disappointed,” Neil Sullivan, UD Vice President and Director of Athletics said in a media release Monday morning.

“The health and safety for our campus and our student-athletes has to be the priority. With the challenges related to COVID-19, we simply would not have time for our football team to be physically prepared with the proper exercise and heat acclimatization needed prior to our first game,” Sullivan said.

The Flyers currently have 10 games remaining on their schedule for the 2020 season, eight games in Pioneer Football League conference play and two non-conference games against Georgetown and Robert Morris.

Currently the Georgetown game is scheduled to be played in Washington D.C. Sept. 12 and the Robert Morris game is scheduled to be the Flyers’ home opener Sept. 19.

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