Stony Brook Seawolves football
Encyclopedia
The Stony Brook Seawolves football team is a collegiate football team that competes in NCAA Division I FCS and in the Big South Conference
. Stony Brook University first fielded a team in 1984 and rose to Division II in 1994. In 1999 the Seawolves rose to Division I non-scholarship as part of the Northeast Conference
until the 2006 season in which scholarships were first granted. After a year as an Independent school in 2007 Stony Brook joined the Big South and fully transitioned into a 63 scholarship program (max). In 2010 the program extended its contract with the BSC until the 2015 season. 2002 represented their best performing season in Division I football with an 8-2 record. The Seawolves have earned four conference championship in 2005, 2009, 2010 and in 2011 had their biggest season in program history achieving an undefeated conference season, an outright conference championship and their first ever FCS playoff bid.
until 2006. The first three seasons under NEC play the Seawolves played under .500 winning percentage. In the 2002 season the Seawolve poster their best winning season so far with an 8-2 overall record, an a 5-2 against the NEC. In the 2005 season the seawolves were Conference co-champions with a 6-4, 5-2 record. The 2006 Stony Brook Seawolves season became the first in program history to feature scholarships. Together with Chuck Priore the Program initiated a transition to a full-scholarship FCS school awarding the equivalent of 27 scholarships to 38 player for the 2006 season. This same year the efforts to promote Stony Brook Seawolves football intensified and for the first time the Seawolves were to be fully broadcasted over WUSB-FM and through the online stream at WUSB.FM. Chuck Priore initiated a Sunday night talk on WUSB-FM and also wrote letters weekly released in the GoSeawolves.org website. The 2006 season was also a much tougher schedule than previous year with Hofstra, preseason #2 New Hampshire, and UMass all scheduled to play. As a result, the four initial games of the season were lost but the Seawolves came back to win four straight in Conference play and later on finished the season 5-6, 5-2 in the Northeast.
Due to the NEC's maximum of 30 scholarships rule Stony Brook decided to play in 2007 as an independent team building up their scholarship level to the maximum of 63 and playing a balanced schedule with Richmond, Youngstown State, and Hofstra among the tougher ones and Bryant and CCSU in the other end. The 2007 season ended with 6-5 record and the announcement of Stony Brook joining the Big South Conference as a full-fledged FCS program, fully completing the transition into a scholarship based program.
in 2008 after spending the 2007 season as a Division I independent team. The 2008 season opened in winning fashion with a 42-26 victory against Colgate but the Seawolves struggled losing the next four out-of-conference match up against Elon, Maine, Brown, and Hofstra. The Seawolves then dropped their first Big South match up against Liberty with a 33-0 result. The Seawolves went on to win four of their last five games to finish their inaugural season with a 5-6 record, 3-2 in the Big South.
The 2009 season showed strong signs of improvement a stronger schedule with games against Hofstra, UMass
and North Dakota in which they lost but winning five games out of six in their conference and capping the season with 36-33 win against the Liberty Flames to share the Conference title. In 2010
the Seawolves came out stronger than ever partly due to the addition of five incoming transfer from Hofstra who folded their program. Continuing to increase the strength-of-schedule, the Seawolves played their first ever game against an FBS school, South Florida
, in which they led for the whole first quarter but eventually lost 59-14. The Seawolves went on to win their second consecutive Big South Championship, this time shared with Coastal Carolina (earned the FCS Bid) and Liberty.
The 2011
season featured the addition of top recruit Fernando Diaz who transferred from the University of Pittsburgh together with top conference players Miguel Maysonet and Brock Jackolski. The program increased the strengh of schedule adding games against Buffalo
and UTEP
and six games at home with a season ending match-up against conference rivals Liberty
at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium
. The Seawolves were ranked top 15 among FCS teams in the preseason by the "Phil Steele's College Football Review" ahead of their conference rivals, Liberty, which was placed in the 31st position. This is the highest ranking spot ever achieved by the program.
. Travelled to Buffalo
for their second consecutive defeat and opened home with a one point loss against Brown
. However, the Seawolves turned things around and began what would be their longest winning streak in the history of the program. Stony Brook went on to beat Lafayette
and every conference rival in the Big South scoring 40 or more points in each game and record 76 points against Gardner-Webb
. The end of the season came to an end in big fashion as the Seawolves battled for a historic win for the program against their top rival Liberty
in what was deemed the Big South Championship Game. Stony Brook came out on top beating Liberty 41-31 to earn the Big South automatic bid for the NCAA Division I Football Championship. The Seawolves had a record eight win straight and were the first team in the Big South with a undefeated record. They capped their season with a third consecutive conference championship and ended the season ranked in the Sports Network
poll, a first for the program. The Seawolves were matched against Albany
, SUNY rivals, for a NCAA first round match up at home in front of a record-setting 8,286 crowd that witnessed a comeback 31-28 victory after trailing by 18 points. The Seawolves advanced to the second round to face the top seeded Sam Houston State
at Texas.
with an end of the season record of 6-4, 5-2 in the Northeast. In the 2009 season the Seawolves again were conference Champions, this time, as members of the Big South Conference
with a record of 6-5, 5-0 in the Big South. The Seawolves felt short of a trip to the FCS Championship as they lost their season finale against the Liberty Flames
54-28 and allowed more than 40 points, successfully eliminating them from contention but remaining Co-Champions of the Big South for the second year straight . They ended the 2010 season with a 6-5, 5-1 record. In 2011 the Seawolves claimed their first outright Big South Championship with a 41-31 victory over #16 Liberty in the de facto Big South Championship Game. This is their third consecutive Big South Championship, this time advancing for the firs time to the 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship as an automatic qualifier.
° – Signifies Co-Champions
. It was named after the New York state senator who was instrumental in getting the funding for the stadium. The stadium is also shared with the school soccer and lacrosse teams.
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. The conference's football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision...
. Stony Brook University first fielded a team in 1984 and rose to Division II in 1994. In 1999 the Seawolves rose to Division I non-scholarship as part of the Northeast Conference
Northeast Conference
The Northeast Conference is a college athletic conference whose schools are members of the NCAA. The NCAA designates the Northeast Conference to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for Division I Men's Football and to Division I Sports for all other sports.Founded in 1981 as the ECAC-Metro...
until the 2006 season in which scholarships were first granted. After a year as an Independent school in 2007 Stony Brook joined the Big South and fully transitioned into a 63 scholarship program (max). In 2010 the program extended its contract with the BSC until the 2015 season. 2002 represented their best performing season in Division I football with an 8-2 record. The Seawolves have earned four conference championship in 2005, 2009, 2010 and in 2011 had their biggest season in program history achieving an undefeated conference season, an outright conference championship and their first ever FCS playoff bid.
History
The Stony Brook Seawolves first fielded football in the 1984 season. It transitioned into Division I in 1999 after leaving the Easter Football Conference. It Joined the Northeast Conference that same year. Since entering the NEC, Stony Brook successfully raised the scholarship count to 65, the most allowed by the NCAA. The Seawolves all-time record is 133-137. In 2001-2, the 8,300 seat LaValle Stadium was constructed to host Seawolves football.Northeast Conference and FCS Independent
Stony Brook entered Division I football in 1999 participating in the Northeast ConferenceNortheast Conference
The Northeast Conference is a college athletic conference whose schools are members of the NCAA. The NCAA designates the Northeast Conference to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for Division I Men's Football and to Division I Sports for all other sports.Founded in 1981 as the ECAC-Metro...
until 2006. The first three seasons under NEC play the Seawolves played under .500 winning percentage. In the 2002 season the Seawolve poster their best winning season so far with an 8-2 overall record, an a 5-2 against the NEC. In the 2005 season the seawolves were Conference co-champions with a 6-4, 5-2 record. The 2006 Stony Brook Seawolves season became the first in program history to feature scholarships. Together with Chuck Priore the Program initiated a transition to a full-scholarship FCS school awarding the equivalent of 27 scholarships to 38 player for the 2006 season. This same year the efforts to promote Stony Brook Seawolves football intensified and for the first time the Seawolves were to be fully broadcasted over WUSB-FM and through the online stream at WUSB.FM. Chuck Priore initiated a Sunday night talk on WUSB-FM and also wrote letters weekly released in the GoSeawolves.org website. The 2006 season was also a much tougher schedule than previous year with Hofstra, preseason #2 New Hampshire, and UMass all scheduled to play. As a result, the four initial games of the season were lost but the Seawolves came back to win four straight in Conference play and later on finished the season 5-6, 5-2 in the Northeast.
Due to the NEC's maximum of 30 scholarships rule Stony Brook decided to play in 2007 as an independent team building up their scholarship level to the maximum of 63 and playing a balanced schedule with Richmond, Youngstown State, and Hofstra among the tougher ones and Bryant and CCSU in the other end. The 2007 season ended with 6-5 record and the announcement of Stony Brook joining the Big South Conference as a full-fledged FCS program, fully completing the transition into a scholarship based program.
Stony Brook Joins the Big South
Stony Brook joined the Big SouthBig South Conference
The Big South Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. The conference's football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision...
in 2008 after spending the 2007 season as a Division I independent team. The 2008 season opened in winning fashion with a 42-26 victory against Colgate but the Seawolves struggled losing the next four out-of-conference match up against Elon, Maine, Brown, and Hofstra. The Seawolves then dropped their first Big South match up against Liberty with a 33-0 result. The Seawolves went on to win four of their last five games to finish their inaugural season with a 5-6 record, 3-2 in the Big South.
The 2009 season showed strong signs of improvement a stronger schedule with games against Hofstra, UMass
UMass Minutemen football
The UMass Minutemen football team is a collegiate football team that has finished its last season in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision and the Colonial Athletic Association in 2011. UMass began play in 1879 and have since appeared in three National Championship games, winning the title in...
and North Dakota in which they lost but winning five games out of six in their conference and capping the season with 36-33 win against the Liberty Flames to share the Conference title. In 2010
2010 Stony Brook Seawolves football team
The 2010 Stony Brook Seawolves football team represented Stony Brook University in the 2010 college football season as an associate member of the Big South Conference. The team was coached by Chuck Priore and played their home games in...
the Seawolves came out stronger than ever partly due to the addition of five incoming transfer from Hofstra who folded their program. Continuing to increase the strength-of-schedule, the Seawolves played their first ever game against an FBS school, South Florida
2010 South Florida Bulls football team
The 2010 South Florida Bulls football team represented the University of South Florida in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The USF Bulls played their home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. The 2010 college football season was only the 14th season overall for the Bulls, and...
, in which they led for the whole first quarter but eventually lost 59-14. The Seawolves went on to win their second consecutive Big South Championship, this time shared with Coastal Carolina (earned the FCS Bid) and Liberty.
The 2011
2011 Stony Brook Seawolves football team
The 2011 Stony Brook Seawolves football team will represent Stony Brook University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Big South Conference. The team is coached by Chuck Priore and play its home games at Kenneth P...
season featured the addition of top recruit Fernando Diaz who transferred from the University of Pittsburgh together with top conference players Miguel Maysonet and Brock Jackolski. The program increased the strengh of schedule adding games against Buffalo
2011 Buffalo Bulls football team
The 2011 Buffalo Bulls football team represents the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulls are led by second year head coach Jeff Quinn and play their home games at the University at Buffalo Stadium...
and UTEP
2011 UTEP Miners football team
The 2011 UTEP Miners football team represents the University of Texas at El Paso in the college football season of 2011–2012. The team's head football coach is Mike Price, who is coaching in his 8th season. The Miners play their home games at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas and are members...
and six games at home with a season ending match-up against conference rivals Liberty
2011 Liberty Flames football team
The 2011 Liberty Flames football team represented Liberty University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Flames were led by sixth year head coach Danny Rocco and played their home games at Williams Stadium. They are a member of the Big South Conference. They finished the season...
at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium
Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium
The Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium is the main stadium for the State University of New York at Stony Brook in Stony Brook, New York, USA. Construction began in 2000 at a cost of approximately $22 million. With a capacity of 8,132 people, it is the largest outdoor facility in Suffolk County. The stadium...
. The Seawolves were ranked top 15 among FCS teams in the preseason by the "Phil Steele's College Football Review" ahead of their conference rivals, Liberty, which was placed in the 31st position. This is the highest ranking spot ever achieved by the program.
2011: Big South Champions and NCAA
The Seawolves began their 2011 campaign with a heartbreaking overtime loss at UTEP2011 UTEP Miners football team
The 2011 UTEP Miners football team represents the University of Texas at El Paso in the college football season of 2011–2012. The team's head football coach is Mike Price, who is coaching in his 8th season. The Miners play their home games at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas and are members...
. Travelled to Buffalo
2011 Buffalo Bulls football team
The 2011 Buffalo Bulls football team represents the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulls are led by second year head coach Jeff Quinn and play their home games at the University at Buffalo Stadium...
for their second consecutive defeat and opened home with a one point loss against Brown
2011 Brown Bears football team
The 2011 Brown Bears football team represented Brown University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by 14th year head coach Phil Estes and played their home games at Brown Stadium. They are a member of the Ivy League. They finished the season 7–3, 4–3 in Ivy League...
. However, the Seawolves turned things around and began what would be their longest winning streak in the history of the program. Stony Brook went on to beat Lafayette
2011 Lafayette Leopards football team
The 2011 Lafayette Leopards football team represented Lafayette College in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Leopards were led by 12th year head coach Frank Tavani and played their home games at Fisher Field...
and every conference rival in the Big South scoring 40 or more points in each game and record 76 points against Gardner-Webb
2011 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team
The 2011 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team represented Gardner–Webb University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Runnin' Bulldogs were led by first year head coach Ron Dickerson, Jr. and played their home games at Ernest W. Spangler Stadium. They are a member of the Big...
. The end of the season came to an end in big fashion as the Seawolves battled for a historic win for the program against their top rival Liberty
Liberty Flames football
The Liberty Flames is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FCS, in the Big South Conference.-History:Liberty's football program is headed by Danny Rocco , who had coached for the New York Jets and Virginia Cavaliers under Al Groh...
in what was deemed the Big South Championship Game. Stony Brook came out on top beating Liberty 41-31 to earn the Big South automatic bid for the NCAA Division I Football Championship. The Seawolves had a record eight win straight and were the first team in the Big South with a undefeated record. They capped their season with a third consecutive conference championship and ended the season ranked in the Sports Network
The Sports Network (wire service)
Based in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, The Sports Network is a wire service providing sports information in real time. Their Web site claims that they are "the largest privately owned international sports information service in North America and possibly the world"...
poll, a first for the program. The Seawolves were matched against Albany
2011 Albany Great Danes football team
The 2011 Albany Great Danes football team represented the University at Albany, SUNY in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Great Danes were led by 39th year head coach Bob Ford and played their home games at University Field. They are a member of the Northeast Conference. They...
, SUNY rivals, for a NCAA first round match up at home in front of a record-setting 8,286 crowd that witnessed a comeback 31-28 victory after trailing by 18 points. The Seawolves advanced to the second round to face the top seeded Sam Houston State
2011 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team
The 2011 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represents Sam Houston State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats will be led by second year head coach Willie Fritz and will play their home games at Bowers Stadium. They are a member of the Southland...
at Texas.
Conference Championships
The Seawolves won their first Division-I Conference championship in the 2005 Season while playing in the Northeast ConferenceNortheast Conference
The Northeast Conference is a college athletic conference whose schools are members of the NCAA. The NCAA designates the Northeast Conference to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision for Division I Men's Football and to Division I Sports for all other sports.Founded in 1981 as the ECAC-Metro...
with an end of the season record of 6-4, 5-2 in the Northeast. In the 2009 season the Seawolves again were conference Champions, this time, as members of the Big South Conference
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. The conference's football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision...
with a record of 6-5, 5-0 in the Big South. The Seawolves felt short of a trip to the FCS Championship as they lost their season finale against the Liberty Flames
Liberty Flames
The Liberty University Flames are the athletics teams of Liberty University. The Liberty Flames are a member of the NCAA Division I level in 18 sports...
54-28 and allowed more than 40 points, successfully eliminating them from contention but remaining Co-Champions of the Big South for the second year straight . They ended the 2010 season with a 6-5, 5-1 record. In 2011 the Seawolves claimed their first outright Big South Championship with a 41-31 victory over #16 Liberty in the de facto Big South Championship Game. This is their third consecutive Big South Championship, this time advancing for the firs time to the 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship as an automatic qualifier.
| Championship | Postseason Game & Location | Opponents & Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | NEC Co-Champions.No Postseason participation | |
| 2009 | Big South Co-Champions.No Postseason participation | |
| 2010 | Big South Co-Champions.No Postseason participation | |
| 2011 | NCAA D-I Football Championship 1st Rd. (Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium The Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium is the main stadium for the State University of New York at Stony Brook in Stony Brook, New York, USA. Construction began in 2000 at a cost of approximately $22 million. With a capacity of 8,132 people, it is the largest outdoor facility in Suffolk County. The stadium... - Stony Brook, NY) |
Win vs. Albany Great Danes Albany Great Danes The Albany Great Danes are the intercollegiate athletic programs of the University at Albany, SUNY. The University's intercollegiate athletics date back to the late 1890s, but its development was hampered for several decades by inadequate facilities, uncertain financial support, and the relatively... (31-28) |
| NCAA D-I Football Championship 2nd Rd. (Bowers Stadium Bowers Stadium Elliott T. Bowers Stadium is a 14,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Huntsville, Texas, in the United States. The stadium has been home to the Sam Houston State University Bearkats football since 1986. Previously, the team played their homes games at Pritchett Field, which currently plays host to... - Huntsville, TX) |
vs. Sam Houston St. Sam Houston State Bearkats The Bearkats represent Sam Houston State University in intercollegiate athletics.Sam Houston State's colors are orange and white and their mascot is the Bearkats. Sam Houston State sports teams participate in NCAA Division I in the Southland Conference. SHSU's primary rival is Stephen F... |
|
° – Signifies Co-Champions
Season-by-Season results
Year by Year standings of the Seawolves since their insertion to the Northeast Conference since 1984| Year | Overall Record | Conference | Conference Record | Head Coach | Championship | Attendance (Average) |
| 1984 | 4-5 | Independent | - | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1985 | 6-4 | Independent | - | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1986 | 5-4 | Independent | - | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1987 | 4-5 | Independent | - | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1988 | 5-4 | Liberty Football | 4-2 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1989 | 3-7 | Liberty Football | 1-4 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1990 | 1-8 | Liberty Football | 1-4 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1991 | 6-4 | Liberty Football | 2-3 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1992 | 5-5 | Freedom Football | 2-3 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1993 | 6-3 | Freedom Football | 3-2 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1994 | 7-4 | Freedom Football | 4-2 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1995 | 7-3 | Freedom Football | 3-2 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1996 | 6-4 | Independent | Sam Kornhauser | |||
| 1997 | 4-6 | Eastern Football | 4-4 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1998 | 3-7 | Eastern Football | 3-5 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 1999 | 5-5 | Northeast | 4-3 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 2000 | 2-8 | Northeast | 1-7 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 2001 | 3-6 | Northeast | 3-5 | Sam Kornhauser | ||
| 2002 | 8-2 | Northeast | 5-2 | Sam Kornhauser | 27,378 (5,475) | |
| 2003 | 6-4 | Northeast | 4-3 | Sam Kornhauser | 23,066 (4,613) | |
| 2004 | 3-7 | Northeast | 2-5 | Sam Kornhauser | 16,884 (3,377) | |
| 2005 | 6-4 | Northeast | 5-2 | Sam Kornhauser | Northeast Co-Champions | 21,263 (3,544) |
| 2006 | 5-6 | Northeast | 3-2 | Chuck Priore | 17,343 (4,336) | |
| 2007 | 6-5 | Independent | 0-0 | Chuck Priore | 23,007 (4,601) | |
| 2008 | 5-6 | Big South | 3-2 | Chuck Priore | 19,531 (3,255) | |
| 2009 | 6-5 | Big South | 5-1 | Chuck Priore | Big South Co-Champions | 18,578 (4,644) |
| 2010 2010 Stony Brook Seawolves football team The 2010 Stony Brook Seawolves football team represented Stony Brook University in the 2010 college football season as an associate member of the Big South Conference. The team was coached by Chuck Priore and played their home games in... |
6-5 | Big South | 5-1 | Chuck Priore | Big South Co-Champions | 24,541 (4,908) |
| 2011 2011 Stony Brook Seawolves football team The 2011 Stony Brook Seawolves football team will represent Stony Brook University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Big South Conference. The team is coached by Chuck Priore and play its home games at Kenneth P... |
9-3 | Big South | 6-0 | Chuck Priore | Big South Champions | 39,049 (5,578) |
| Total | 141-140 | N/A | 70-66 | N/A | 4 Conference Championships |
Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium
Built in 2002, the LaValle Stadium is the on-campus home of the Stony Brook Seawolves football team. LaValle Stadium has a seating capacity of 8,300. It was constructed with a cost of approximately $22 million and it is the largest outdoor facility in Suffolk CountySuffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
. It was named after the New York state senator who was instrumental in getting the funding for the stadium. The stadium is also shared with the school soccer and lacrosse teams.