The Springfield Pride football program represents
Springfield College
Springfield College is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. The institution's mission, called the Humanism, Humanics philosophy, calls for educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service ...
in
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
at the
NCAA Division III
NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...
level. The Pride have competed as members of the
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states of Connecticut, Ma ...
(NEWMAC) since 2017, when the conference began sponsoring football. Springfield plays its home games at the
Stagg Field
Amos Alonzo Stagg Field is the name of two successive football fields for the University of Chicago. Beyond sports, the first Stagg Field (1893–1957), named for famed coach, Alonzo Stagg, is remembered for its role in a landmark scientific ac ...
in
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...
. Stagg Field opened in 1971 as Benedum Field was renamed in 2007 in honor of
Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg (August 16, 1862 – March 17, 1965) 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 (now called Springfie ...
, 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
The Empire 8 (E8) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. The E8 sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's ...
from 2004 to 2011, and the
Liberty League
The Liberty League is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. Member schools are all located in the state of New York.
History
It was founded in 1995 as the ...
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.
The school's teams have previously been known as the Red and White, Gymnasts, Maroons, and Chiefs.
Playoff appearances
NCAA Division III
References
External links
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American football teams established in 1890
1890 establishments in Massachusetts
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