Villanova Univeristy Athletics

A starting defensive back for the Wildcats during his collegiate career, Dave Bauer graduated from Villanova in 1978 with a degree in business administration and went on to have a successful professional career which was tragically cut short when he was among the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Bauer lost his life just two months before he was to be inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame on November 20 of that year.
 
A versatile player during his Villanova career, Bauer played from 1974-77 and was a starter on defense in addition to handling punting duties his junior and senior seasons. His first taste of college football came on kick returns as a freshman in 1974 when he returned three kickoffs for 56 yards. As a sophomore in 1975, he tied for the team lead with four interceptions during the first year of Dick Bedesem’s head coaching tenure.
 
Bauer’s junior year in 1976 was the first season in which tackling statistics were kept in the Wildcats record book. He was credited with 138 total stops in the 1976 and 1977 campaigns to go along with 11 pass breakups and three fumble recoveries. Bauer also finished his career with 10 interceptions, with three each in 1976 and 1977 after the four picks he recorded as a sophomore.
 
As the Villanova punter for his final two collegiate seasons, Bauer averaged 34.2 yards per punt on 105 attempts. He kicked a career-long 57-yard punt during the 1976 season and averaged 35.7 yards per punt that season, helping the Wildcats improve from a 4-7 record his sophomore year to a 6-4-1 mark in his junior season. Among the notable games of the 1976 campaign were a 22-3 home win over Boston College, a 23-10 road win at Marshall and a 24-7 triumph over Temple at Veterans Stadium.
 
Bauer was a prep star for Red Bank Catholic High School prior to coming to Villanova. He earned Prep All-America honors as a scholastic player in addition to being named a third team all-state and first team all-county selection.
 
Outside of football, Bauer was a founding member and the president of the Villanova Financial Club during his college days. In his professional career he worked for Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse before being named the head of global sales for eSpeed, a division of Cantor Fitzgerald specializing in providing infrastructure for the fixed-income market.
 
On September 11, 2001, Bauer was tragically killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York. He had remained a strong supporter of Villanova and its athletic programs in his postgraduate years. On November 20, 2001 when he was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame, Bauer was remembered as a Hall of Famer in every sense of the word and as a friend and teammate whose friendship, kindness and generosity will forever live on.