2013 Northwestern captains named on Friday

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Kicking off Northwestern's annual "Meet The Team Night" event Friday at Ryan Field, head coach Pat Fitzgerald introduced the members of the 2013 squad who will serve as team captains for the upcoming season. Selected through a team vote on Thursday, Northwestern's 2013 captains are quarterback Kain Colter, wide receiver Rashad Lawrence, linebacker Damien Proby, defensive end Tyler Scott and center Brandon Vitabile.

Colter earned the distinction for a second straight season, while Vitabile is the lone junior amid four other seniors in the group. It marks the first time in program history that Northwestern will have five season-long captains.

"One of our program's great traditions is having our players vote for their team captains at the conclusion of spring ball, summer workouts and nearly a month of training camp," Fitzgerald said. "They have identified five great young men, all of whom are members of our Leadership Council and who have been instrumental in preparing our team, to this point, for the season. Now these five captains have the honor of officially being in that leadership position as we attempt to reach our goals this year."

Next week, Northwestern looks to pick up where it left off at the end of a 10-3 season in 2012 when it travels to California for the 2013 season-opener. Kickoff time is set for 9:30 p.m. CT (ESPN2). The Wildcats then make their debut at Ryan Field at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7 vs. Syracuse.