Westfield State Owls football

Westfield State Owls football
First season	1982;43 years ago (1982)
Athletic director	Richard Lenfest
Head coach	Lou Conte 2nd season, 4–6 (.400)
Stadium	Alumni Field (capacity: 4,000)
Year built	1974
Field surface	FieldTurf
Location	Westfield, Massachusetts
NCAA division	Division III
Conference	MASCAC
Past conferences	NEFC
All-time record	178–224–1 (.443)
Bowl record	0–1 (.000)
Playoff appearances	1 (2001)
Playoff record	0–1 (.000)
Conference titles	1
Division titles	3
Colors	Blue, white, and gold [1]
Mascot	Owl
Website	westfieldstateowls.com

The Westfield State Owls football team represents Westfield State University in college football at the NCAA Division III level. The Owls are members of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, fielding its team in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference since 2013. The Owls play their home games at Alumni Field in Westfield, Massachusetts. ^[2]

Their head coach is Lou Conte, who took over the position for the 2024 season.

Conference affiliations

• New England Football Conference (1982–2012) ^[3]
• Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (2013–present) ^[4]

Championships

Conference championships

Westfield State claims 1 conference title, which came in 2001.

Year	Conference	Overall Record	Conference Record	Coach
2001	New England Football Conference	10–1	6–0	Steve Marino

† Co-champions

Division championships

Westfield State claims 3 division titles, the most recent of which came in 2003.

Year	Division	Coach	Overall Record	Conference Record	Opponent	CG result
2001	NEFC Bogan	Steve Marino	10–1	6–0	Nichols	W 12–0
2002			8–3	6–0	UMass Dartmouth	L 0–16
2003			7–3	6–0	Curry	L 0–36

† Co-champions

Postseason games

NCAA Division III playoff games

Westfield State has appeared in the Division III playoffs one time, with an overall record of 0–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2001	First Round	Western Connecticut	L, 7–8

Bowl games

Westfield State has participated in one bowl game, and has a record of 0–1.

Season	Coach	Bowl	Opponent	Result
2002	Steve Marino	ECAC Bowl	Cortland	L 7–30

List of head coaches

Key

Key to symbols in coaches list

General		Overall		Conference		Postseason [A 1]
No.	Order of coaches [A 2]	GC	Games coached	CW	Conference wins	PW	Postseason wins
DC	Division championships	OW	Overall wins	CL	Conference losses	PL	Postseason losses
CC	Conference championships	OL	Overall losses	CT	Conference ties	PT	Postseason ties
NC	National championships	OT	Overall ties [A 3]	C%	Conference winning percentage
†	Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame	O%	Overall winning percentage [A 4]

Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, postseason records, championships and selected awards

No.	Name	Season(s)	GC	OW	OL	OT	O%	CW	CL	CT	C%	PW	PL	PT	DC	CC	NC	Awards
1	Roger LeClerc [8]	1982	9	2	7	0	0.222	2	7	0	0.222	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Howard Murphy [9]	1983–1985	28	11	17	0	0.393	11	17	0	0.393	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Jake Murdock [10]	1986–1989	37	19	18	0	0.514	15	11	0	0.577	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Steve Marino [11]	1990–2013	235	119	115	1	0.509	90	75	0	0.545	0	1	0	3	1	0	0
5	Pete Kowalski [12] [13]	2014–2023	82	22	60	0	0.268	18	46	0	0.250	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Year-by-year results

National champions

Conference champions

Bowl game berth

Playoff berth

^[14]

Season	Year	Head Coach	Association	Division	Conference	Record							Postseason	Final ranking
						Overall			Conference
						Win	Loss	Tie	Finish	Win	Loss	Tie
Westfield State Owls
1982	1982	Roger LeClerc	NCAA	Division III	NEFC	2	7	0	T–8th	2	7	0	—	—
1983	1983	Howard Murphy				2	7	0	9th	2	7	0	—	—
1984	1984					4	5	0	5th	4	5	0	—	—
1985	1985					4	5	0	T–6th	4	5	0	—	—
1986	1986	Jack Murdock				5	4	0	5th	5	4	0	—	—
1987	1987					6	3	0	T–2nd (South)	3	2	0	—	—
1988	1988					5	4	0	T–2nd (South)	4	2	0	—	—
1989	1989					3	7	0	T–2nd (South)	3	3	0	—	—
1990	1990	Steve Marino				3	7	0	T–4th (South)	2	4	0	—	—
1991	1991					4	6	0	4th (South)	3	3	0	—	—
1992	1992					6	3	0	T–3rd	5	3	0	—	—
1993	1993					7	2	1	2nd	6	2	0	—	—
1994	1994					5	5	0	5th	4	4	0	—	—
1995	1995					3	6	0	T–5th	3	5	0	—	—
1996	1996					4	6	0	T–5th	4	4	0	—	—
1997	1997					4	6	0	T–4th	4	4	0	—	—
1998	1998					5	5	0	T–5th (Red)	2	4	0	—	—
1999	1999					4	6	0	4th (Red)	3	3	0	—	—
2000	2000					3	6	0	T–5th (Bogan)	2	4	0	—	—
2001	2001					10	1	0	1st (Bogan)	6	0	0	L NCAA Division III First Round	—
2002	2002					8	3	0	1st (Bogan)	6	0	0	—	—
2003	2003					7	3	0	1st (Bogan)	6	0	0	—	—
2004	2004					5	4	0	T–2nd (Bogan)	4	2	0	—	—
2005	2005					4	5	0	5th (Bogan)	2	4	0	—	—
2006	2006					1	8	0	T–7th (Bogan)	1	6	0	—	—
2007	2007					5	4	0	T–3rd (Bogan)	4	3	0	—	—
2008	2008					6	4	0	T–3rd (Bogan)	4	3	0	—	—
2009	2009					7	3	0	T–2nd (Bogan)	5	2	0	—	—
2010	2010					5	5	0	T–3rd (Bogan)	4	3	0	—	—
2011	2011					5	5	0	4th (Bogan)	4	3	0	—	—
2012	2012					3	7	0	6th (Bogan)	2	5	0	—	—
2013	2013				MASCAC	5	5	0	5th	4	4	0	—	—
2014	2014	Pete Kowalski				5	5	0	T–4th	4	4	0	—	—
2015	2015					2	8	0	T–8th	1	7	0	—	—
2016	2016					2	8	0	9th	1	7	0	—	—
2017	2017					3	7	0	6th	3	5	0	—	—
2018	2018					5	5	0	T–5th	4	4	0	—	—
2019	2019					2	8	0	7th	2	6	0	—	—
Season canceled due to COVID-19 [15]
2021	2021	Pete Kowalski	NCAA	Division III	MASCAC	1	9	0	8th	1	7	0	—	—
2022	2022					2	8	0	7th	2	6	0	—	—
2023	2023												—	—

Notes

1. Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played. ^[5]
2. A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
3. Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since. ^[6]
4. When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss. ^[7]

References

1. "Westfield State Graphic Identity Manual" (PDF). Retrieved December 7, 2018.
2. "Alumni Field".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
3. NEFC Timeline
4. "FB: Panthers ground Fitchburg State". Plymouth State University. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
5. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
6. Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
7. Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
8. "Former WSU Head Coach, NFL Standout Roger Leclerc Passes". January 27, 2021.
9. "Westfield State Coaching Records". November 20, 2010. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
10. "Jack Murdock Obituary (1930 - 2007) - Akron, OH - Akron Beacon Journal". Legacy.com. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
11. "Westfield State University". Westfield State University. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
12. "Pete Kowalski Named Football Head Coach". May 16, 2014.
13. "All-Time Leading Scorers and Coaching History".
14. "Role Model Takes Helm of Football Team" . Retrieved April 8, 2023.
15. "MASCAC cancels, but Plymouth State football exploring other options". unionleader.com. Retrieved April 1, 2023.

External links

• Official website