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NORTHEASTNORTHEAST CONFERENCECONFERENCE FootballFootball ‘05‘05‘05 Steven Bergeski Central Conn. St. Jason Forrest Will Boone Brian Boland Robert Morris Albany Monmouth Joey Henley Sacred Heart J.J. Cox Luke Palko WarrenMarkMiles Jepson BarnettAustin St. Francis (PA) Wagner Stony Brook WagnerMonmouth AlbanyAlbany •• CentralCentral ConnecticutConnecticut StateState •• MonmouthMonmouth •• RobertRobert MorrisMorris SacredSacred HeartHeart •• St.St. FrancisFrancis (PA)(PA) •• StonyStony BrookBrook •• WagnerWagner • www.northeastconference.org • 2005 NEC Football 8-13 Albany 32-37 Sacred Heart The Great Danes should rely more on defense than offense. Pioneers should be solid again, particularly on offense. 14-19 Central Connecticut State 38-43 St. Francis (PA) The Blue Devils seek back-to-back NEC titles. The Red Flash need to win the close ones to jump in the standings. 20-25 Monmouth 44-49 Stony Brook The Hawks seek three consecutive crowns with a younger unit. The Seawolves will need to be consistent to mount a charge. 26-31 Robert Morris 50-55 Wagner The Colonials should make a resurgence in their new home. The Seahawks’ passing game will be the key to success. Rupert Rickards Table Of Contents Robert Morris 2 About The NEC/NEC Sports 3 NEC Members/Contact Info 4-5 NEC Presidents/Office Staff 6-7 2005 Football Preview 8-55 Team-By-Team Reports 56-68 NEC Seasons In Review 69-72 NEC Football Record Book 73 Driving Directions Northeast Conference 200 Cottontail Lane Vantage Court North Somerset, NJ 08873 (732) 469-0440 Fax: (732) 469-0744 Credits Editor, Design and Layout: Bob Balut, Ron Ratner Editorial Assistance: Andrew Alia Photos: Dave Saffran, Greg Vedder, Bob Ewell, Steve Slade, George Kien, J. Gregory Raymond, Jason Cohn, J.D. Cavrich, Paul Bereswill, Bob O’Rourke and Steve Smith Special Thanks: All the NEC SIDs NEC On Television FOX SPORTS PITTSBURGH Butler at Robert Morris • Sept. 17 • 12:00 pm St. Francis (PA) at Robert Morris • Oct. 1 • 1:00 pm FOX SPORTS NEW YORK Albany at Cent. Conn. St. • Sept. 24 • 1:00 pm NEC Webstore NEC gear can be purchased securely online at www.necstore.org. www.northeastconference.org Visit the official league website for standings, stats, notes, releases and the latest in the world of NEC football. Northeast Conference Football When the Northeast Conference was first established as the ECAC-Metro Conference back in 1981, the league’s founders had one simple goal in mind: to create a competitive Division I men’s basketball conference for unaffiliated schools on NEC Football the Eastern seaboard. A single-sport entity at its inception, even the league’s most ardent supporters during its formative years could not have envisioned a transformation into a burgeoning 11-member, 21-sport conference. Now, 25 years later, the NEC begins a yearlong celebration of its Silver Anniversary by proudly looking back at its heritage, while at the same time writing the next chapter in the league’s evolution. About The NEC The NEC and its member institutions remain committed to enhancing the experience of its student-athletes, while strength- ening its competitive position both regionally and nationally. With that in mind, the league’s traditional focus on athletic achievement, academic integrity and development, community outreach and sportsmanship has never been stronger. 2005-06 NEC Championship Dates To that end, the NEC launched Sportsmanship Counts! in 2004-05, an initiative designed to reinforce and promote the ideals and fundamentals of good sportsmanship. Championship Date Site (Host) The remarkable success story of the conference began to unfold in 1985, when the league began sponsoring additional Field Hockey Oct. 28 & 29 High Seed sports. Three years later, a change of name was in order and the Northeast Conference as we know it today was born. M/W Cross Country Oct. 29 St. Francis (PA) With membership and sport sponsorship continuing to grow over the next decade and beyond, the NEC now has access Women’s Soccer Nov. 4 & 6 High Seed to NCAA automatic bids in 12 sports (baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, women’s Men’s Soccer Nov. 11 & 13 High Seed lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and women’s volleyball). Volleyball Nov. 19 & 20 High Seed Though the NEC has featured various incarnations since its inception, charter members Fairleigh Dickinson, Long M/W Indoor Track Feb. 11 & 12 P.G. County Sports Complex (Landover, MD) Island, Robert Morris, St. Francis (NY), St. Francis (PA) and Wagner remain part of the current 11-school alignment. M/W Swimming Feb. 17 & 19 P.G. County Sports Complex (Landover, MD) They are joined by Monmouth (admitted in 1985), Mount St. Mary’s (1989), Central Connecticut State (1997), Quinnipiac Men’s Basketball Mar. 2, 5 & 8 High Seeds (1998) and Sacred Heart (1999). NEC expansion, which culminated in 1999 with the addition of Sacred Heart, has given Women’s Basketball Mar. 4, 7 & 11 High Seeds the league a five-state geographic footprint with access to such major media markets as New York City, Baltimore, M/W Tennis Apr. 21 & 22 Mercer County Tennis Center (tentative) Pittsburgh and Hartford. Women’s Golf Apr. 29 & 30 Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course With the addition of four sports over the last seven years, NEC member institutions now compete in 21 championship Women’s Lacrosse Apr. 28 & 30 High Seed sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and Men’s Golf May 6 & 7 Disney’s Palm Golf Course women’s golf, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, M/W Outdoor Track May 6 & 7 Mount St. Mary’s men’s and women’s soccer, softball, women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball. Softball May 12 & 13 High Seed Baseball May 19-21 FirstEnergy Park (Lakewood, NJ) Iamarino has also succeeded in widening the NEC’s exposure on a national basis through a number of initiatives. The league’s official website - one of the most comprehensive in the nation - was relaunched in 2004 with additional content and features, as well as a state-of-the-art design. To supplement one of the premier regional basketball television pack- ages in the country, the conference also began televising football games in 2003. Over the last three years, the NEC has NEC Commissioner’s Cup televised nearly 100 events, as the league’s coverage area expanded to 20 million homes. Along with flagship station MSG Network, other regional television outlets included Fox Sports-New York, Fox Sports-Pittsburgh, Fox Sports-New 2004-05 Commissioner’s Cup NEC Commissioner’s Cup England and Comcast SportsNet. In 2005, ESPN broadcast the men’s championship game for the 18th straight year while Overall Standings Past Champions MSG televised the women’s title contest for the eighth season in a row. 1. Monmouth 199.11 2004-05 Monmouth 2003-04 Monmouth During the 2004-05 campaign, the NEC played on a national stage through the awarding of NCAA bids to the conference 2. St. Francis (PA) 186.53 3. Quinnipiac 177.70 2002-03 UMBC in 12 team sports. In the league’s highest profile event of the year, the Fairleigh Dickinson men’s basketball team played 2001-02 UMBC 4. Long Island 174.41 2000-01 UMBC top-seed and eventual national runner-up Illinois to a first-half standstill, gaining instant recognition before a nationwide 5. Sacred Heart 167.50 audience. Monmouth won the Sports Network Cup in football, emblematic of the top mid-major program in the nation, 1999-00 UMBC 6. Robert Morris 166.82 1998-99 UMBC as five conference programs finished in the final top-10 poll. Men’s soccer has been the league’s most competitive sport 7. Central Connecticut State 141.65 1997-98 Monmouth on a regional and national basis in recent years, including Fairleigh Dickinson winning four NCAA Tournament matches 8. Mount St. Mary’s 140.54 1996-97 Mount St. Mary’s over the past four years. Last season, NEC programs scored men’s soccer victories over teams from the ACC, Big East 9. Wagner 126.69 1995-96 Mount St. Mary's and Atlantic 10, while Long Island tied a Michigan team that was ranked third in the nation at the time. Individually, St. 10. Fairleigh Dickinson 106.32 1994-95 Mount St. Mary's 1993-94 Fairleigh Dickinson Francis (PA) distance runner A.J. Suravicz claimed All-America honors in the indoor mile after finishing in ninth place 11. St. Francis (NY) 80.95 1992-93 Fairleigh Dickinson at the NCAA Championships in March, while teammate Ryan Sheehan became a two-time All-American after placing 11th 1991-92 Fairleigh Dickinson in the 10,000 meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June. Along with Sheehan, the NCAA Outdoor Track The Commissioner's Cup is awarded annually 1990-91 Monmouth & Field Championships produced two more All-Americans as Long Island’s Bryan Steele took sixth place in the 400 to the school that fares best in the 1989-90 Fairleigh Dickinson 1988-89 Fairleigh Dickinson meter hurdles and Monmouth’s Bobby Smith claimed fifth place in the javelin. In football, Robert Morris linebacker league's championship sports. 1987-88 Fairleigh Dickinson James Noel and Albany offensive lineman Geir Gudmundsen were tabbed to the AFCA I-AA All-America team. Albany 1986-87 Long Island defensive back Kurt Campbell became the second NEC player drafted since the league began sponsoring football in 1996 when he was chosen by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round.