Middletown, Conn. -- September 21, 2011 -- The Springfield College football team has been ranked #1 in the first New England College Football Coaches Division III poll, released earlier in the week. The Pride received 14 of the 20 first-place votes. Springfield College, now 2-0 under Head Coach Mike DeLong, received 192 points in finishing first in the poll. Endicott, now 3-0, is currently ranked second in the voting with 175 points. Williams, still yet to play, is ranked third with 161 points. Endicott and Williams received three first place votes apiece.
The remainder of the top 10 included Maine Maritime (2-0) (98 points), Trinity (0-0) and Worcester State (3-0) tied for fifth with 93 points, Amherst (0-0) (58 points), Bridgewater State (2-0) (56 points), Mass. Maritime (2-0) (48 points), and Curry (2-1) (46 points). Others receiving points included Salve Regina (26), Western New England (24), and Plymouth State (14).
Springfield is also ranked 30th in the nation in the D3Football poll, the highest-ranked Division III team in New England in that poll.
SC will play at 16th-ranked Alfred University (2-0) this Saturday. Alfred is the defending Empire 8 champion.
Michael C. “Mike” DeLong ’74 enters his 31st season as a head football coach in the fall of 2012. He enters his 29th year at Springfield College alone. For the past 28 years, he has been the head coach at Springfield, his alma mater. Mike had also been the head coach at Maine Maritime in Castine, Maine in 1979 and 1980. Read more.
