Fairfield Stags

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The Fairfield Stags are the athletic programs representing Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Most of the programs are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and classified as Division I (non-football) in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The men's and women's golf programs are both ranked among the best in the nation for academics, according to Golf Digest.^[2]

Traditions

History of the Stag

With the dawn of the first athletic team (cross country) in the fall of 1947, it became apparent that a nickname would be needed. For the 1947–48 season, Fairfield University adopted the "Men In Red" as its nickname.

The following year, the university introduced men's basketball as its next team and its first varsity sport. With the start of varsity sports, the school put it to the students for input in naming of a school mascot. Two recommendations were made to the board of trustees for an official decision and vote. As the late Fr. Charles F. Duffy S.J. recounted: "As a member of the Board of Trustees, I remember voting at a board meeting late in 1948 on the naming for our athletic teams. We voted for Stags over Chanticleers!"

What made the decision for the Board a bit easier and logical was the fact that the school was part of the Diocese of Hartford and the word Hartford means stags (hart) and stream (ford). According to Webster's New World Dictionary the word "hart" means "A male of the European red deer; stag." As for the world "ford" Webster describes it as "A shallow place in a stream, river, etc."

As a result, Fairfield University's seal itself was designed featuring a deer leaping over a tumbling brook to represent both the school's connection with the Dioceses as well with its close ties with nature.

Fairfield is situated on a rolling, immensely wooded 200-acre (0.81 km²) campus overlooking Long Island Sound. The name fits well as a nickname because the Stag is a good jumper and it spirited and agile, as Fairfield would like all of its student-athletes to be.

Sports sponsored

Baseball

The Fairfield Stags men's baseball team competes in the

The Fairfield Stags men's basketball team competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I. The Stags play their home games in the 3,500-seat Leo D. Mahoney Arena on campus.^[6] Opened in November 2022, the arena replaces Alumni Hall, which was the home of the Stags from 1959 to 2022.

Fairfield competed in the

The Fairfield Stags women's basketball team competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I. The Stags play their home games in the 3,500 seat Leo D. Mahoney Arena on campus.

Under former coach Diane Nolan, who reached her milestone 500th win in 2006, the Stags competed in the

Cross country

The Fairfield Stags cross country team is the oldest athletics program at the university, dating back to 1947. The Rev. Victor Leeber, S.J. founded the team and is the namesake of the annual Father Leeber Invitational hosted by the university and held on the campus grounds. Members of the Fairfield University Hall of Fame include: John Barry '62, Joseph von Ehr '74, Joseph Miko '51, Michael Collins '77, and Ian MacNeill '97. The Stags participate in the MAAC conference like the majority of the other Fairfield programs. For three straight years (07–09) the men have been recognized as part of the NCAA Academic Performance Program. The program has seen a resurgence since the hiring of John Sagnelli, formerly a coach at the University of New Haven, in 2007. Last year the men's team placed 5th in the MAAC up two spots from 7th in 2008 and 9th in 2007.

Field hockey

The Fairfield Stags field hockey team, as of the 2019 season, have competed in the

The now defunct Fairfield Stags football team once competed in the

In total, seven Fairfield players earned All-American honors, and one player received Academic All-American honors. During the 2000 season, senior Steve Dogmanits (Fairfield's all-time leader in interceptions with 21) set a school-standard of 11. This was enough to lead all of Division I-AA, just missing the national record (12) set in 1987 by Dean Cain of Princeton University and "Lois & Clark" fame. Fairfield has the second highest winning percentage (.611) among all major defunct football teams.^[7]

The 1979 Fairfield Stags football team led by All-America and Hall of Fame quarterback Craig Leach '81 played in the National Collegiate Football Association's National Championship game where the Stags fell 60–40 to the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The 1980 team started the season ranked #1 in the pre-season NCFA Polls.

Men's lacrosse

The Fairfield Stags men's lacrosse team competes in the

The Fairfield Stags men's soccer team competes in the

The Fairfield Stags softball team competes in the

Tennis

The Fairfield Stags women's tennis team competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) of NCAA Division I. The Stags play their home matches at the Walsh Athletic Center Tennis Courts on the campus of Fairfield University. The Stags have earned three berths to the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship and have won nine MAAC Championships in program history. The Stags faced the University of Washington during the 2004 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship, the University of Southern California during the 2009 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship and eventual National Champion Stanford University during the 2010 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship. The Stags are currently coached by 2008 MAAC Coach of the Year Ed Paige.

Volleyball

The Fairfield Stags women's volleyball team competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I. The Stags play their home matches at Alumni Hall on the campus of Fairfield University. The team was nationally ranked in 1998 (24th) and 1999 (32nd) and competed in five straight NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournaments between 1997 and 2001. The team has also won the MAAC Regular Season Title nine times (1996–2000 and 2004–2007) and the MAAC Championship Tournament five times (1997–2001). Individually, Renee O’Neill earned Academic All-American honors in 1989 and Joanne Saunders earned Regional All-American honors in 2000. The Stags are currently coached by Todd Kress.

Co-ed Club Teams

Sailing

Fairfield University's sailing team completes in the

The Fairfield Stags co-ed ski-snowboard team competes in the Atlantic Highlands Conference under the USCSA. The Stags race throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region and have qualified for the National Championship on numerous occasions.

Men's Club Teams

Hockey

Hockey began as a club sport with a schedule of scrimmages in 1966–67. In its first full schedule of games in 1968–69, the team finished with an 18–8–0 record and joined the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Hockey League (MIHL). The team posted a 27–0 regular season record during the 1973–74 season and captured the MIHL championship.

The hockey program was elevated to varsity status for the 1974–75 season under Dr. John McCarthy and posted an 18–8–1 mark that year. The Stags were a founding member of the MAAC Hockey League in 1998, and the team's best record in the MAAC came in 2000–2001 with a 10–14–2 mark. They posted a 275–414–28 record in varsity play, heading into the 2002–03 season. The team was disbanded by the university due to financial reasons after the 2002–03 season.^[9]

Hockey as a club sport returned to the university during the 2003–04 season. The 2004–2005 squad finished the regular season with a 12–2–1–1 regular season record and fell just a game short of the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference (MCHC) championship. The 2003–2004 squad finished their season in second place and made it all the way to the league championship. The 2005–2006 Stags posted a 20–4–0–0 record and reached the league semifinals for the third straight season. The 2007–2008 club finished with an overall record of 20–9, qualifying for a trip to Rochester, Minnesota to compete in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) National Championships. The Stags finished their championship run with a 6–3 victory over Old Dominion, compiling a 1–3 record at the national event.^[10] And the 2009–2010 season began with the team competing in the newly formed Empire Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 2012–2013 season brought many ups and downs for the stags. Returning to regional play for the first time in a few years, the stags fell short in their opening bid vs Penn State Alvernia finishing 10th overall in the region. Led by injury prone and scoring machine Kevin Gavin and anchored by defensemen Brendan O'Malley the Stags were able to finish 2nd overall in conference play heading into the 2013–2014 season with high hopes.

The home ice of Fairfield hockey is the Wonderland on Ice in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Stags currently are coached by head coach Marshall Richards and assistant coach Corey McGee.

Rugby

The Fairfield University Men's Rugby Football Club or FURFC is a men's

Spirit Team

The Spirit Team consists of the cheerleading squad, dance team, and mascot. These groups perform at all men's and women's home basketball games, as well as some other athletic contests and University events.

Stags in the Stands

Stags in the Stands, founded by Marco Ambrosio '07 in 2005, was a new organization that looked to bring back the intense Stag spirit of the Red Sea, the athletic fan base formed in the 1970s, when students clad in red poured into Alumni Hall and created one of the region's best home court advantages. Later run by Andrew McMahon and Frank Aquino, the Stags in the Stands student group elevated the fan base as the Stags drew 4 of their top 10 largest crowds in 2010–2011. Unfortunately student support at the Total Mortgage Arena has dropped dramatically in recent years, and the average official attendance has fallen to a record-low 1862 in 2013–14.

Notable All-Americans

Basketball

• Joe DeSantis '79 – All-American Honorable Mention

Lacrosse

• Spencer Steele '00 – Pre-season All-American Honorable Mention
• C.J. Kemp '03
  – Two-Time All-American Honorable Mention
• Peter Vlahakis '03 – Pre-season All-American Honorable Mention
• Greg Downing '07 – Three Time All-American Honorable Mention

Soccer

• Justin Thompson '02
  – NSCAA/adidas Regional All-America
• Bryan Harkin '02 – NSCAA/adidas Regional All-America
• Tomislav Skara '08 – NSCAA/adidas Regional All-America
• Brett Maron '08 – NSCAA/adidas Regional All-America

Rugby

• Brad Troup '03 – (USA Rugby Collegiate All-American, HM, 2003)
• Will Brazier '05 – (USA Rugby Collegiate All-American, HM, 2005)

Alumni Athletics Hall of Fame

For a list of inductees (by year), see footnote^[11] The Alumni Association Athletic

• Total Mortgage Arena (capacity: 10,000)
• Alumni Baseball Diamond (1,000)
• Leo D. Mahoney Arena (capacity: 3,500)^[12]
• Alumni Softball Field
• Alumni Stadium (capacity: 4,000)
• Lessing Field
• Tennis Courts
• University Field
• Aquatics Center

The Thomas J. Walsh Athletic Center is 51,000-square-foot (4,700 m²) structure catering to the academic and athletic needs of Fairfield student-athletes with a high-tech academic study center, practice gymnasium, state-of-the-art locker rooms for all athletic teams and a 4,700-square-foot (440 m²) weight training center.

References

External links

• Official website