Canisius University is a private Jesuit university in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's and certificate programs.
Raymond Peter "Smoke" Laval is an American college baseball coach who was the head coach of the University of North Florida Ospreys. He is a former head coach of the Louisiana State University Tigers and the University of Louisiana at Monroe Indians baseball teams. He has led his teams to two College World Series, five conference championships, and seven NCAA Division I Baseball Championship appearances, and has received a number of coaching awards.
The Canisius University Golden Griffins are composed of 16 teams representing Canisius University in intercollegiate athletics. These teams include men's and women's basketball, cross country, track, lacrosse, soccer, and swimming and diving. Men's sports include baseball, ice hockey, and golf. Women's sports include volleyball, soccer, and softball. The Golden Griffins compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) for most sports, excluding men's ice hockey which competes in Atlantic Hockey.
The Dayton Flyers baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, United States. The team is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The team plays its home games at Woerner Field in Dayton, Ohio. The Flyers are coached by Scott Loiseau.
The Canisius Golden Griffins men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Canisius University. The Golden Griffins are members of Atlantic Hockey America, formed shortly after the 2023–24 season by the merger of their former hockey league, the Atlantic Hockey Association, with College Hockey America. They play at the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York across the street from KeyBank Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. Canisius has won an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament twice, after winning the Atlantic Hockey title in the conference playoffs in both 2013 and 2023, but lost in the first round to the top-ranked team each time.
The Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team, or the Griffs, represent Canisius University in Buffalo, New York, United States. Canisius is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and play their home games at Koessler Center. Canisius has appeared in the NCAA tournament four times, most recently in 1996. In 1955 and 1956, the Golden Griffins appeared in the NCAA tournament Elite Eight.
The Canisius Golden Griffins football program were the intercollegiate American football team for Canisius College located in Buffalo, New York. The team competed in the NCAA Division I-AA and were members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1918. Canisius participated in football from 1918 to 1949, and again from 1975 to 2002, compiling an all-time record of 241–251–26. At the conclusion of the 2002 season, the Canisius football program was discontinued, along with seven other school athletic programs, as part of an effort to overhaul and streamline the school's athletic department.
The 2011 NCAA Division I baseball season play of college baseball in the United States, organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began on February 18, 2011. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2011 NCAA Division I baseball tournament and 2011 College World Series. The College World Series consisted of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA tournament. Although it was held in its annual location of Omaha, Nebraska, it was played at the newly constructed TD Ameritrade Park for the first time. It concluded on June 29, 2011, with the final game of the best of three championship series. South Carolina defeated Florida two games to none to claim their second championship.
The Iona Gaels baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Iona University in New Rochelle, New York, United States. The team is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The team plays its home games at City Park in New Rochelle, New York.
The Niagara Purple Eagles baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Niagara University in Lewiston, New York, United States. The team is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The team plays its home games at John P. Bobo Field in Lewiston, New York. The Purple Eagles are coached by Matt Spatafora.
The Rev. James M. Demske Sports Complex is a baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and softball venue in Buffalo, New York, United States. It is home to the Canisius Golden Griffins baseball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, and softball teams of the NCAA Division I Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Built in 1989, the venue has a capacity of 1,200 spectators. The building is named for Rev. James Demske, who served as the President of Canisius College from 1966 until 1993. It is located behind the Koessler Athletic Center on Canisius' campus. To save space and money in the college's urban setting, the 14-acre (5.7 ha) facility is home to six Canisius athletic programs.
The 2002 Canisius Golden Griffins football team represented Canisius College as a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Ed Argast, the Golden Griffins compiled an overall record of 2–9 with a mark of 2–6 in conference play, tying for seventh place in the MAAC. The team's offense scored 113 points while the defense allowed 329 points. The Canisius football program was discontinued at the conclusion of the 2002 season.
The Canisius Golden Griffins softball team represents Canisius University in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Golden Griffins are currently led by head coach Kim Griffin. The team plays its home games at the Demske Sports Complex located on the college's campus.
Mike McRae is a Canadian college baseball coach who was the head baseball coach at the College of William & Mary. He was formerly an assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth University and head coach of the Canisius Golden Griffins. McRae was Canisius's head coach from the start of the 2005 season to the end of the 2017 season. Under McRae in 2013, Canisius advanced to its first NCAA tournament. Before becoming the head coach at Canisius, he was the head coach at Niagara from 2002–2004, and an assistant at several NCAA Division I programs from 1996–2001.
The Battle of the Bridge is the name of the all-sports rivalry between the Canisius Golden Griffins and the Niagara Purple Eagles. Both schools are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The two teams compete every school year in 14 sports; men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's ice hockey, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, and women's volleyball. The overall winner of the annual series receives the Canal Cup trophy. The two long-time Western New York rivals created the trophy in 2007 to enhance the historic rivalry between the two schools. The name of the series is a reference to the Grand Island Bridge, which each team crosses when traveling along I-190 to the other's campus. The name of the trophy is a reference to the Erie Canal, which separates Erie County, where Canisius is located, and Niagara County, where Niagara is located.
The 2016 NCAA Division I baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2016. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2016 NCAA Division I baseball tournament and 2016 College World Series. The College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA tournament and held annually in Omaha, Nebraska, at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, ended on June 30, 2016, with Coastal Carolina claiming its first NCAA title in a team sport.
The 2007 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference baseball tournament took place from May 24 through 26, 2007. The top four regular season finishers of the league's teams met in the double-elimination tournament held at Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, New York. Le Moyne won their fourth tournament championship and earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.
The 2019–20 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team represented Canisius College in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Griffins, led by fourth-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon, played their home games at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season 12–20, 7–13 in MAAC play to finish in tenth place. They lost in the first round of the MAAC tournament to Iona.
The 2020–21 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team represented Canisius College in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Griffins, led by fifth-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon, played their home games at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). They finished the season 7–6, 7–5 in MAAC play, to finish in a tie for fifth place. As the No. 6 seed in the MAAC tournament, they lost in the first round to No. 11 seed Rider 76–78.
The 2022–23 Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team represented Canisius College in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Griffins, led by seventh-year head coach Reggie Witherspoon, played their home games at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
2024 Canisius Golden Griffins baseball team 
