The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Its current 11 full members are located in four Northeastern states: Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Maryland. It was announced on October 23, 2023 that Sacred Heart University and Merrimack College will join the conference beginning in the 2024-25 season.
The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports; football competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Participating schools are located principally in the Northeastern United States, from which the conference derives its name.
Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Roman Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1963 by Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholic university in the United States to be staffed by the laity.
Kezar Stadium is an outdoor athletics stadium in San Francisco, California, located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. It is the former home of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and of the San Francisco Dragons of Major League Lacrosse. It serves as the home of San Francisco City FC of USL League Two.
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, commonly known as SHC or SH, is a Catholic school located in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Founded in 1852, Sacred Heart Cathedral is the oldest Catholic secondary school and was the first co-ed Catholic high school in San Francisco.
Mark Richard Grieb is a former Arena football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League (AFL). Grieb currently serves as the head coach of the Sacred Heart Prep Gators football team in Atherton, California. He was a 13-year veteran of the AFL, having played quarterback for the Anaheim Piranhas (1997) and San Jose SaberCats. Grieb also played in NFL Europe for the Scottish Claymores (1998) and in the XFL with the Las Vegas Outlaws (2001). Grieb is the second quarterback in AFL history to throw for over 47,000 yards, over 900 touchdowns, over 3,800 completions, and over 10,000 pass attempts. He officially retired on November 8, 2012. He played college football at University of California, Davis. Grieb passed for 48,080 yards between the Arena League, XFL and NFL Europe.
Jason sIenna is a former Australian rules football player with a Ukrainian background in the Australian Football League. He wore the number 40 for the Adelaide Football Club, and was known as a dangerous forward with a strong mark for his size. He was also widely regarded as one of the most accurate kicks for goal in the competition. He was known by a number of nicknames, including "the Porpoise", Needles and Porps.
Campus Field is a 3,334-seat multi-purpose stadium in Fairfield, Connecticut. It is home to the Sacred Heart University Pioneers football, lacrosse, and track and field teams. The facility opened in 1993.
Kane Graham Cornes is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Nicholas Albert Giaquinto is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Redskins, where head coach Joe Gibbs nicknamed him "The Trashman" for his ability to fill many roles on the team. During the 1983 season, Giaquinto played as the first H-Back in NFL history. He played in the 1982 and 1983 Super Bowls with the Redskins and retired after the 1983 season, ending his four-year NFL career. He played college football at the University of Connecticut and the University of Bridgeport. He holds the single-game rushing record at UConn of 277 yards, set in a 1976 game against Holy Cross. He attended Stratford High School in Stratford, Connecticut where he was an All-State and National High School All American selection in football.
The Sacred Heart Pioneers are the 32 sports teams representing Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut in intercollegiate athletics. The Pioneers compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Northeast Conference, Atlantic Hockey, Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association, and New England Women's Hockey Alliance.
Patrick "Pirren" McCarthy is an Australian rules footballer formerly in the Australian Football League.
The 2010 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by seventh year head coach Paul Gorham and played their home games at Campus Field. They were a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC), and they finished the season 4–7, 2–6 in NEC play.
The 2013 Duquesne Dukes football team represented Duquesne University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by ninth year head coach Jerry Schmitt and played their home games at Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field. They were a member of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 7–4, 4–2 in NEC play to share the conference title with Sacred Heart. Due to their loss to Sacred Heart, they did not receive the conference's automatic playoff bid and did not receive an at-large bid.
The 2013 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by head coach Mark Nofri in his first official year as head coach after serving as the interim head coach in 2012. They played their home games at Campus Field and were a member of the Northeast Conference. The Pioneers finished the season 10–3, 4–2 in NEC play to share the NEC championship with Duquesne. Due to their win over Dequesne, they earned the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, their first ever playoff appearance, where they were defeated in the first round by Fordham.
The 2014 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) during the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Dave Brock, the Fightin' Blue Hens compiled an overall record of 6–6 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing in a four-way tie for fifth in the CAA. The team played home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.
The 2014 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Mark Nofri. They played their home games at Campus Field. They were a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC). They finished the season 9–3 overall and 5–1 in NEC play to share the conference championship with Wagner. They received the NEC's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Fordham.
The 2018 Duquesne Dukes football team represented Duquesne University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by 14th-year head coach Jerry Schmitt and played their home games at Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field. They played as a member of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 9–4, 5–1 in NEC play to be NEC co-champions with Sacred Heart. Due to their head-to-head win over Sacred Heart, they received the NEC's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Towson in the first round before losing in the second round to South Dakota State.
The 2020 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by eighth-year head coach Mark Nofri and played their home games at Campus Field.
The 2021 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Pioneers, led by ninth-year head coach Mark Nofri, played their home games at Campus Field.
