The Valparaiso Beacons is the name of the athletic teams from Valparaiso University – often referred to as Valpo – in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. The Beacons compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level and are members of the Missouri Valley Conference in all sports except football, bowling, and men's swimming.
The Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball team represents Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. The basketball team competes in the Missouri Valley Conference, having joined that league in 2017 after 10 seasons in the Horizon League. The Beacons play in the Athletics-Recreation Center, which has a nominal capacity of 5,432. The record capacity 5,444 was reached on March 23, 2016, in the NIT Quarterfinal. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2015.
Stacy Adams is a former American football coach. He served the head football coach at Valparaiso University from 2005 to 2009, compiling a record of 15–40. He was the first black head football coach and the second documented black head coach at Valparaiso.
Mike Gravier is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Hug High School in Reno, Nevada, a position he had held since 2019. Gravier served as the head football coach at Malone College—now known as Malone University—in Canton, Ohio, from 1995 to 1998 and at Bluefield College in Bluefield, Virginia, in 2012. He was also the interim head football coach at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, for the final game of the 2013 season.
Dale Carlson is an American football coach and former college player. He served as the head football coach at Lakeland College—now known as Lakeland University—in Plymouth, Wisconsin, from 1987 to 1989, Taylor University from 1990 to 1993, Tri-State University—now known as Trine University—from 1995 to 2002, Ohio Dominican University from 2003 to 2009, and Valparaiso University from 2010 to 2013, and Lindenwood University – Belleville from 2015 to 2016. In 2021, Carlson was the wide receivers coach for the Linemen of the Spring League.
Mike Avery is an American athletic director, soccer coach, and former player who played as a midfielder or forward. He is the head coach and sporting director of USL League Two club Fort Wayne FC.
The 2011 Valparaiso Crusaders football team represented Valparaiso University as a member of the Pioneer Football League (PFL) during the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Dale Carlson, the Crusaders compiled an overall record of 1–10 with a mark of 1–7 in conference play, placing last out of ten teams in the PFL. Valparaiso played home games at Brown Field in Valparaiso, Indiana.
The 2012 Valparaiso Crusaders football team represented Valparaiso University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Dale Carlson and played their home games at Brown Field. They are a member of the Pioneer Football League. They finished the season 1–10, 1–7 in PFL play to finish in ninth place.
The 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The season began on August 29, 2013, and concluded with the 2014 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on January 4, 2014, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State won its third consecutive title, defeating Towson, 35–7.
Dave Cecchini is an American football coach. He was announced as the 27th head coach for Bucknell University in February 2019. Previously, in 2014, he was hired as head football coach at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. Before coming to Valparaiso, Cecchini worked as an assistant coach at Harvard University, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, and Lehigh University. Cecchini graduated from Lehigh in 1995.
Loren Edward Ellis was an American football and basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at Valparaiso University from 1941 to 1947 and at Stetson University during the 1950–51 season, compiling a career college basketball record of 101–71. His best squad was his 1944–45 team, they finished with a 21–3 record and a 10-game winning streak. They were inducted into the Valparaiso Hall of Fame in 2004. His best player was Robert Dille, a consensus All-American following the 1943–44 season.
The 2014 Valparaiso Crusaders football team represented Valparaiso University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Dave Cecchini and played their home games at Brown Field. They were a member of the Pioneer Football League. They finished the season 4–8, 2–6 in PFL play to finish in a tie for 9th place.
The 2015 Valparaiso Crusaders football team represented Valparaiso University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Dave Cecchini and played their home games at Brown Field. They were a member of the Pioneer Football League. They finished the season 1–9, 1–7 in PFL play to finish in a three way tie for eighth place.
The 2015–16 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team represented Valparaiso University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Crusaders, led by fifth year head coach Bryce Drew, played their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center and were members of the Horizon League. They finished the season 30–7, 16–2 in Horizon League play to win the regular season championship. They lost in the semifinals of the Horizon League tournament to Green Bay. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament. As one of the last four teams left out of the NCAA tournament, they received a #1 seed in the NIT where they defeated Texas Southern, Florida State, Saint Mary's, and BYU to advance to the championship game where they lost to George Washington.
The 2016 Valparaiso Crusaders football team represented Valparaiso University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Dave Cecchini and played their home games at Brown Field. They were members of the Pioneer Football League. They finished the season 4–7, 3–5 in PFL play to finish in a two-way tie for seventh place.
The 2017 Valparaiso Crusaders football team represented Valparaiso University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Dave Cecchini and played their home games at Brown Field. They competed in the Pioneer Football League. They finished the season 6–5, 5–3 in PFL play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. The Crusaders had a winning season for the first time since 2003 and had five league wins for the first time since 1961.
The 2018 Valparaiso Crusaders football team represented Valparaiso University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Dave Cecchini and played their home games at Brown Field. They competed in the Pioneer Football League. They finished the season 2–9, 2–6 in PFL play to finish in a three-way tie for seventh place.
Conner Cappelletti is an association football coach and former player. Previously the head coach at Lane United, Lane Community College, and North Alabama SC, he is an assistant coach for USL League One club Richmond Kickers. Born in the United States, he represented Guam at international level, playing as a defender.
Landon Fox is an American football coach who is the head coach at Valparaiso University. Fox previously spent 11 seasons as an assistant at Dayton, serving in the role of defensive coordinator. Fox was named the head coach at Valparaiso on March 5, 2019, after previous head coach Dave Cecchini departed for Bucknell.
