Springfield Pride football | |
---|---|
First season | 1890; 135 years ago |
Athletic director | Craig Poisson |
Head coach | Mike Cerasuolo 9th season, 66–24 (.733) |
Stadium | Stagg Field (capacity: 3,867) |
Year built | 1971 |
Field surface | FieldTurf |
Location | Springfield, Massachusetts |
NCAA division | Division III |
Conference | NEWMAC |
Past conferences | Freedom Football Conference (1995–2003) Empire 8 (2004–2011) Liberty League (2012–2016) |
Bowl record | 6–0 (1.000) |
Playoff appearances | 10 |
Playoff record | 6–10 |
Conference titles | 8 |
Colors | Maroon and white [1] |
The Springfield Pride football program represents Springfield College in college football at the NCAA Division III level. The Pride have competed as members of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) since 2017, when the conference began sponsoring football. Springfield plays its home games at the Stagg Field in Springfield, Massachusetts. Stagg Field opened in 1971 as Benedum Field was renamed in 2007 in honor of Amos Alonzo Stagg, who initiated Springfield's football program in 1890 and was the team's first coach. Mike Cerasuolo has served as the team's head coach since 2016. Mike DeLong was the program's head coach from 1984 to 2015, compiling a record of 189–133–2. His 189 wins are the most of any head coach in program history.
Springfield's football program was a member of the Freedom Football Conference (FFC) from 1995 to 2003, the Empire 8 from 2004 to 2011, and the Liberty League from 2012 to 2016. The team has won eight conferences, five in the FFC, in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2003, and one in the Empire 8, in 2006, under Delong. The Pride have won two NEWMAC championships, in 2017 and 2021, under Cerasuolo. Springfield has appeared in the NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs ten times, in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Springfield adopted the "Pride" nickname in 1996. [2] The school's teams have previously been known as the Red and White, Gymnasts, Maroons, and Chiefs.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | First Round | Buffalo State | L, 35–38 |
2000 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Montclair State Brockport Widener | W, 31–29 W, 13–6 L, 27–61 |
2002 | First Round | Brockport | L, 0–16 |
2003 | Second Round | RPI | L, 34–40 |
2006 | First Round Second Round | Curry St. John Fisher | W, 42–14 L, 21–27 |
2017 | First Round | Husson | L, 21–23 |
2021 | First Round | Cortland | L, 21–26 |
2022 | First Round Second Round | Endicott Ithaca | W, 17–14 L, 20–31 |
2023 | First Round | Ithaca | L, 7–21 |
2024 | Second Round Third Round Quarterfinals | UMass Dartmouth Cortland North Central (IL) | W, 54–27 W, 40–28 L, 3–27 |
Amos Alonzo Stagg was an American athlete and college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football. He served as the head football coach at the International YMCA Training School (1890–1891), the University of Chicago (1892–1932), and the College of the Pacific (1933–1946), compiling a career college football record of 314–199–35 (.605). His undefeated Chicago Maroons teams of 1905 and 1913 were recognized as national champions. He was also the head basketball coach for one season at Chicago (1920–1921), and the Maroons' head baseball coach for twenty seasons.
The NCAA Division III football championship is an American college football tournament played annually to determine a champion at the NCAA Division III level. It was first held in 1973, as a single-elimination playoff with eight teams. Over the past 50 seasons, the number of participants has grown to 40 In 2024, 28 playoff bids went to conference champions via automatic qualification, leaving 12 places for at-large selections.
Springfield College is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. The institution's mission, called the Humanics philosophy, calls for educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others It is also notable for its historical significance as the birthplace of basketball, which was invented on campus in 1891 by Canadian-American instructor and graduate student James Naismith.
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The Chicago Maroons football team represents the University of Chicago in college football. The Maroons, which play in NCAA Division III, have been a football-only member of the Midwest Conference since 2017. The University of Chicago was a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and the Maroons were coached by Amos Alonzo Stagg for 41 seasons. In 1935, halfback Jay Berwanger became the first recipient of the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, later known as the Heisman Trophy. In the late 1930s, university president Robert Maynard Hutchins decided that big-time college football and the university's commitment to academics were not compatible. The university abolished its football program in 1939 and withdrew from the Big Ten in 1946. Football returned to the University of Chicago in 1963 in the form of a club team, which was upgraded to varsity status in 1969. The Maroons began competing in Division III in 1973.
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The United States Coast Guard Academy's intercollegiate sports teams are called the Bears. They compete in NCAA Division III as members of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference. Through the 2016 season, the Bears played football in the New England Football Conference, but after that season moved their football program into the NEWMAC, which started sponsoring the sport in 2017.
The MIT Engineers football program represents the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the American football intercollegiate sport. The team plays in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conferences (NEWMAC) and competes in Division III of the NCAA. Home games are played at Henry G. Steinbrenner '27 Stadium, located on the Institute's campus. The current coach is Brian Bubna.
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The 1998 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 1998, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 1998 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their fourth, and third consecutive, Division III championship by defeating the Rowan Profs, 44−24.
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