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.
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.
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.
The Sacred Heart Pioneers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Sacred Heart University located in Fairfield, Connecticut. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Northeast Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1993. The 2001 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team compiled a perfect 11–0 record and won the school's first conference championship.
Gary M. Reho is an American former college football coach. He was the first head coach in Sacred Heart University history. Reho served from 1991 through 1996 and compiled an overall record of 19–38. During his tenure, Reho oversaw the Pioneers transition from NCAA Division III, in 1991 and 1992, to NCAA Division II in 1993. While the first four years of Pioneers football were independent of any athletics conference, during the final two year of Reho's tenure the team competed in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference.
Jim Fleming is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at the University of Rhode Island (URI), a position he assumed in December 2013. Fleming served in the same capacity at Sacred Heart University (SHU) from 2000 to 2001 where he compiled a record of 21 wins and one loss. Prior to his appointment at URI, he was the defensive coordinator at the University of Central Florida (UCF) from 2012 to 2013.
The Sacred Heart Pioneers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Sacred Heart University. The Pioneers are a member of Atlantic Hockey. They play at the Martire Family Arena in Fairfield, Connecticut. From 1993-2016, the Pioneers home arena was the Milford Ice Pavilion in Milford, Connecticut.
The 2011 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Pioneers were led by eighth year head coach Paul Gorham and played their home games at Campus Field. They are a member of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 5–6, 3–5 in NEC play to finish in a tie for sixth place.
The Sacred Heart Pioneers baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. The team is a member of the Northeast Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. Sacred Heart's first baseball team was fielded in 1966. The Pioneers are coached by Pat Egan, who lead his first season as head coach in 2023.
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 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 2009 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Paul Gorham, the Pioneers compiled an overall record of 2–8 with a mark of 2–6 in conference play, tying for seventh place in the NEC. Sacred Heart played home games at Campus Field in Fairfield, Connecticut.
The 2019 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by seventh-year head coach Mark Nofri and played their home games at Campus Field.
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.
The 2022 Sacred Heart Pioneers football team represented Sacred Heart University as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Pioneers, led by ninth-year head coach Mark Nofri, played their home games at Campus Field.
The 2022–23 Sacred Heart Pioneers men's ice hockey season was the 30th season of play for the program, the 25th at the Division I level, and the 20th in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Pioneers represented Sacred Heart University and were coached by C. J. Marottolo, in his 14th season.
Julius Chestnut is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Sacred Heart.
The 2022–23 Sacred Heart Pioneers men's basketball team represented Sacred Heart University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Pioneers, led by tenth-year head coach Anthony Latina, played their home games at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Connecticut as members of the Northeast Conference.
