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UNH OFFICIALLY in NORTHEAST 10;
FOOTBALL ARRIVES IN 2008
(Continued from UNH Today home page.)
UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN WILL JOIN THE NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE IN FALL 2008; CHARGER FOOTBALL PROGRAM WILL BEGIN PLAY IN 2009
(11-09-07)
WEST HAVEN, Conn. -- The University of New Haven made two major announcements concerning the future of its athletics program on Friday afternoon. UNH has been accepted as a member of the Northeast-10 Conference for all sports, effective in the fall of 2008. Additionally, UNH announced that football has been re-instated as a varsity sport and will begin competing as a member of the NE-10 in 2009.
Earlier this fall, Northeast-10 Conference presidents voted to accept UNH as a member in all sports for 2009. The recent departure of Bryant University to the Division I Northeast Conference has accelerated the timetable for UNH to join the NE-10. UNH has notified the East Coast Conference of its intention to depart the conference following the 2006-07 academic year.
The Chargers will compete as a member of the Northeast-10 Conference in all sports, except men's volleyball, beginning in the fall of 2008. The University of New Haven currently fields 17 varsity athletic teams and football will become the 18th when it begins play in 2009.
“I’m very pleased,” said University of New Haven President Steven H. Kaplan. “I’m thrilled that we will be able to begin competition as soon as this fall, particularly because the Northeast-10 provides a terrific fit for our athletic programs. It allows us to revive our football legacy and compete athletically with some of the strongest college teams in Division II today. We here at the University of New Haven are unquestionably ambitious, and this fits well into our continued quest for excellence in all we do.”
“This is a banner day for University of New Haven athletics,” said UNH Director of Athletics Deborah Chin. “We have been seeking a conference that would be the right fit for our university, athletically and academically, and we have been seeking a conference that would allow us to bring football back. Entry into the prestigious Northeast-10 Conference allows us to accomplish all of those goals simultaneously. We’re extremely excited to be bringing football back to the UNH community. The university administration and the staff in the Department of Athletics have put a tremendous amount of work into this process and everyone should be commended for their efforts in making this happen.”
The Northeast-10 is one of the most academically prestigious and athletically-successful conferences in Division II. The conference boasts the nation’s top student-athlete graduation rate, and its teams are admitted to NCAA postseason play at a high rate. NE-10 student-athletes have won three individual national championships and conference members have captured nine team national titles, including at least one national championship in each of the last five years.
The move to the NE-10 should result in increased NCAA Championship opportunities for UNH student-athletes. In 2005-06 alone, the NE-10 sent 67 entries to NCAA Championship tournaments. Included in that total are two team and two individual national championships, one national runner-up team, two other NCAA semifinalist teams and a total of seven NCAA quarterfinalists.
Throughout its history, UNH has fielded some of the most competitive and successful teams in the Northeast. When the 2007 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships field is announced on Monday, it will mark the 120th time that UNH has been admitted to NCAA or NAIA postseason play.
Baseball leads the way with 31 postseason qualifications, including 17 College World Series berths (15 NCAA, 2 NAIA). This season will mark the 24th postseason appearance for the UNH women's volleyball program, including ten times that the Chargers advanced to the Elite Eight and 17 Sweet Sixteen appearances.
The return of the Charger Football program is of great interest and excitement to University of New Haven students, alumni, fans and friends of athletics. UNH Football has a storied tradition of gridiron success, including four NCAA Division II playoff qualifications in the 1990's. The program posts an all-time record of 172-135-5 in 31 seasons, including a 142-87-1 (.620) mark after moving to the Division II level in 1982.
When the Charger Football team advanced to the NCAA Championship game in 1997, UNH was at that time the smallest school in NCAA history to play for a national title. UNH also advanced to the NCAA semifinals in 1992 and the quarterfinals in 1993 and 1995.
In addition to team success, many individuals in UNH Football history have earned national and regional accolades. UNH had 126 All-New England award winners in 19 seasons between 1983 and 2001, and 63 All-ECAC picks during the same time period.
Perhaps the program's most famous alum is running back Roger Graham, who won Division II's most prestigious award - the Harlon Hill Trophy - after leading the NCAA in scoring and ranking second in rushing in 1993. UNH has had a player finish in the top four in the Harlon Hill voting on five occasions.
UNH coaches have gone on to find great success in the professional and college ranks as well. Tony Sparano, who led UNH to the 1997 national championship game and is the program's all-time winningest coach, is currently the Associate Head Coach for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. Chris Palmer (coach, 1986-87) has been an NFL head coach and is currently quarterbacks coach for the New York Giants. After leaving UNH, Mark Whipple (coach, 1988-93) piloted UMass to a Division I-AA national championship in 1998 and was later quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A number of other former coaches and student-athletes have gone on to jobs in college football as well.
With the football program slated for return in 2009, it is anticipated that UNH will start the hiring process immediately and hopes to have a coaching staff in place by the end of the calendar year.
UNH has recently made a number of facility improvements to better position itself for future growth, and will continue to raise capital for upgrades planned for the near future. Earlier this fall, the university opened the newly-resurfaced Kayo Field, which was outfitted with synthetic turf at a cost of over $1 million. The David A. Beckerman Student Recreation Center, a multi-million dollar student life-enhancement project, is near completion and slated for opening in December. There are also upgrades planned for Charger Gymnasium, the softball field and Frank Vieira Field on North Campus.
UNH is joining the second-largest conference in all of Division II. In addition to UNH, members of the Northeast-10 Conference for 2008-09 will include American International College, Assumption College, Bentley College, Franklin Pierce University, Le Moyne College, The University of Massachusetts Lowell, Merrimack College, Pace University, Saint Anselm College, Saint Michael’s College, The College of Saint Rose, Southern Connecticut State University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Stonehill College.
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