SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – November 16, 2006 – Junior quarterback Chris Sharpe and Head Football Coach Mike DeLong of Springfield College have earned major honors from the Empire 8 Conference for their outstanding work during the past football season.
Sharpe has been named the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, while DeLong has been named the Empire 8 Coach of the Year. It was the first such honor for either.
Sharpe has put up fantastic numbers this season. He has set numerous national, New England, and school records. He is currently ranked #1 in the nation in Division III in rushing (163.0 yards per game), scoring (17.6 ppg), and touchdowns (29).
DeLong has now won a total of 145 games in his lifetime as a head coach. He is the winningest active head coach in New England Division III. His overall record is currently 145-101-2, good for a .588 winning percentage. Now in his 23rd year at SC, his current record at Springfield College is 133-95-2, good for a .582 winning percentage.
This is the fourth time that DeLong has earned Conference Coach of the Year honors. He also did so when Springfield was part of the Freedom Football Conference in 2000, 2001, and 2003.
In addition, a number of other members of the Pride were named to the 2006 Empire 8 All-Conference Teams. Here is the complete rundown:
Offensive Player of the Year -- Junior QB Chris Sharpe (Derry, N.H.) (unanimous)
Coach of the Year -- Mike DeLong (unanimous)
Springfield College’s Sportsman of the Year –
Junior HB Derron Walker (White Plains, N.Y.)
First Team Offense
Chris Sharpe -- QB -- Jr. -- Derry, N.H.
Adam Feit -- OG -- Sr. -- Chicopee, Mass.
Mike Mestieri -- C -- Sr. -- Fairfield, Maine
First Team Defense
Andrew Madigan -- ILB -- Sr. -- New Britain, Conn.
First Team Special Teams
Mike Mahoney -- P -- Jr. -- Mashpee, Mass.
Second Team Offense
Andrew Jackson -- FB -- So. -- Pennsville, N.J.
Second Team Defense
Mike Nicol -- DE -- Sr. -- Hopkinton, Mass.
Kevin Fessette -- SS -- Sr. -- Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Joe Harasymiak -- CB -- Jr. -- Waldwick, N.J.
Honorable Mention Offense
Nate Germain -- OL -- Sr. -- Swanzey, N.H.
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.
