The Bridgewater State Bears football team represents Bridgewater State University in college football at the NCAA Division III level. The Bears are members of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), fielding its team in the MASCAC since 2013. The Bears play their home games at Swenson Field in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.[3]
| Bridgewater State Bears football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1894 |
| Athletic director | Marybeth Lamb |
| Head coach | Joe Verria 8th season, 45–32 (.584) |
| Stadium | Swenson Field (capacity: 1,600) |
| Field surface | FieldTurf |
| Location | Bridgewater, Massachusetts |
| NCAA division | Division III |
| Conference | MASCAC |
| Past conferences | NEFC |
| All-time record | 335–238–7 (.584) |
| Bowl record | 4–5 (.444) |
| Playoff appearances | 4 (1999, 2000, 2012, 2016) |
| Playoff record | 0–4 (.000) |
| Conference titles | 7 |
| Rivalries | Massachusetts Maritime (Cranberry Bowl)[1] |
| Colors | Crimson, white, and black[2] |
| Mascot | BRISTACO the Bear |
| Website | bsubears.com |
Their head coach is Joe Verria, who took over the position for the 2016 season.[4]
History
editKnown as Bridgewater Normal, the team played throughout the 1890s and 1920s before being disbanded in 1925.[5] In 1959, athletic director and basketball coach Ed Sweeney announced that football would return as a varsity sport after students voluntarily taxed themselves seven dollars per year to fund the restart of the team.[6]
The team began play in 1960 with a four game schedule.
Conference affiliations
edit- NAIA independent (1960–1964)
- New England Football Conference (1965–2012)[7]
- Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (2013–present)[8]
Championships
editConference championships
editBridgewater State claims 7 conference titles, the most recent of which came in 2023.
| Year | Conference | Overall Record | Conference Record | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | New England Football Conference | 9–1 | 6–0 | Peter Mazzaferro |
| 1992 | 9–1–1 | 8–0 | ||
| 1997† | 7–3 | 7–1 | ||
| 1999 | 10–1 | 6–0 | ||
| 2000 | 8–3 | 5–1 | ||
| 2016 | Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference | 8–3 | 8–0 | Joe Verria |
| 2023† | 7–3 | 7–1 |
† Co-champions
Division championships
editBridgewater State claims 7 division titles, the most recent of which came in 2008.
| Year | Division | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record | Opponent | CG result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | NEFC South | Peter Mazzaferro | 9–1 | 6–0 | Maine Maritime | W 14–10 |
| 1990 | 8–2 | 6–0 | Plymouth State | L 7–26 | ||
| 1991 | 8–2 | 6–0 | UMass Lowell | L 7–10 | ||
| 1998† | NEFC Red | 7–3 | 5–1 | N/A lost tiebreaker to Maine Maritime | ||
| 1999 | 10–1 | 6–0 | No championship game held | |||
| 2000† | NEFC Bogan | 8–3 | 5–1 | Salve Regina | W 27–24 | |
| 2008† | Chuck Denune | 7–3 | 6–1 | N/A lost tiebreaker to Maine Maritime | ||
† Co-champions
Postseason games
editNCAA Division III playoff games
editBridgewater State has appeared in the Division III playoffs four times, with an overall record of 0–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | First Round | Ursinus | L, 38–43 |
| 2000 | First Round | Hobart | L, 0–25 |
| 2012 | First Round | Widener | L, 14–44 |
| 2016 | First Round | Alfred | L, 27–33 |
Bowl games
editBridgewater State has participated in nine bowl games, and has a record of 4–5.
| Season | Coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Peter Mazzaferro | ECAC Bowl | Alfred | L 27–30 |
| 1992 | ECAC Bowl | RPI | L 25–28 | |
| 2005 | Chuck Denune | ECAC Bowl | Fitchburg State | W 34–17 |
| 2006 | ECAC Bowl | Coast Guard | W 41–22 | |
| 2007 | ECAC Bowl | Plymouth State | L 21–24 | |
| 2011 | ECAC Bowl | Alfred | L 10–41 | |
| 2015 | ECAC Bowl | Carnegie Mellon | L 13–48 | |
| 2018 | Joe Verria | New England Bowl | Salve Regina | W 34–19 |
| 2022 | New England Bowl | Catholic | W 34–24 |
List of head coaches
editKey
edit| General | Overall | Conference | Postseason[A 1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Order of coaches[A 2] | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties[A 3] | C% | Conference winning percentage | ||
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage[A 4] | ||||
Coaches
edit| No. | Name | Season(s) | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | DC | CC | NC | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ed Swenson[12][13] | 1960–1967 | 47 | 14 | 33 | 0 | 0.298 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2 | Peter Mazzaferro[14][15] | 1968–1986, 1988–2004 | 339 | 195 | 137 | 7 | 0.586 | 148 | 82 | 0 | 0.643 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | – |
| 3 | Jim Crowley | 1987 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0.444 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.600 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 4 | Chuck Denune[16][17] | 2005–2015 | 112 | 75 | 37 | 0 | 0.670 | 55 | 24 | 0 | 0.696 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 5 | Joe Verria[18] | 2016–present | 63 | 37 | 26 | 0 | 0.587 | 48 | 24 | 0 | 0.667 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | – |
Year-by-year results
edit| National champions | Conference champions | Division champions | Bowl game berth | Playoff berth |
| Season | Year | Head Coach |
Association | Division | Conference | Record | Postseason | Final ranking | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Conference | |||||||||||||
| Win | Loss | Tie | Finish | Win | Loss | Tie | ||||||||
| Bridgewater State Bears[19] | ||||||||||||||
| 1960 | 1960 | Ed Swenson | NAIA | — | NAIA Independent | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1961 | 1961 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1962 | 1962 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1963 | 1963 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1964 | 1964 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1965 | 1965 | NCAA | College Division | NEFC | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1966 | 1966 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1967 | 1967 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1968 | 1968 | Peter Mazzaferro | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1969 | 1969 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1970 | 1970 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1971 | 1971 | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1972 | 1972 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 5th | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1973 | 1973 | Division III | 5 | 5 | 0 | T–3rd | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1974 | 1974 | 6 | 4 | 0 | T–5th | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1975 | 1975 | 7 | 3 | 0 | T–4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1976 | 1976 | 6 | 3 | 0 | T–2nd | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1977 | 1977 | 6 | 3 | 0 | T–2nd | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | |||||
| 1978 | 1978 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 7th | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1979 | 1979 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 8th | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | — | ||||
| 1980 | 1980 | 5 | 3 | 1 | T–4th | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — | ||||
| 1981 | 1981 | 3 | 6 | 0 | T–7th | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1982 | 1982 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4th | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — | ||||
| 1983 | 1983 | 4 | 5 | 0 | T–5th | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1984 | 1984 | 2 | 7 | 0 | T–7th | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1985 | 1985 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1986 | 1986 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4th | 6 | 1 | 2 | — | — | ||||
| 1987 | 1987 | Jim Crowley | 4 | 5 | 0 | T–2nd (South) | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1988 | 1988 | Peter Mazzaferro | 5 | 4 | 0 | T–4th (South) | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1989 | 1989 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1st (South) | 6 | 0 | 0 | L ECAC North Bowl | — | ||||
| 1990 | 1990 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1st (South) | 6 | 0 | 0 | Division champions | — | ||||
| 1991 | 1991 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1st (South) | 6 | 0 | 0 | Division champions | — | ||||
| 1992 | 1992 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1st | 8 | 0 | 0 | L ECAC Northeast Bowl | — | ||||
| 1993 | 1993 | 5 | 5 | 0 | T–3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1994 | 1994 | 6 | 4 | 0 | T–3rd | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1995 | 1995 | 6 | 4 | 0 | T–2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1996 | 1996 | 5 | 5 | 0 | T–5th | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1997 | 1997 | 7 | 3 | 0 | T–1st | 7 | 1 | 0 | Conference Champions | — | ||||
| 1998 | 1998 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1st (Red) | 7 | 1 | 0 | Conference Champions | — | ||||
| 1999 | 1999 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1st (Red) | 6 | 0 | 0 | L NCAA Division III First Round | — | ||||
| 2000 | 2000 | 8 | 3 | 0 | T–1st (Bogan) | 5 | 1 | 0 | L NCAA Division III First Round | — | ||||
| 2001 | 2001 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3rd (Bogan) | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2002 | 2002 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 4th (Bogan) | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2003 | 2003 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3rd (Bogan) | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2004 | 2004 | 6 | 3 | 0 | T–2nd (Bogan) | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2005 | 2005 | Chuck Denune | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2nd (Bogan) | 5 | 1 | 0 | W ECAC Northeast Bowl | — | |||
| 2006 | 2006 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2nd (Bogan) | 6 | 1 | 0 | W ECAC North Atlantic Bowl | — | ||||
| 2007 | 2007 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2nd (Bogan) | 5 | 2 | 0 | L ECAC North Atlantic Bowl | — | ||||
| 2008 | 2008 | 7 | 3 | 0 | T–1st (Bogan) | 6 | 1 | 0 | Division champions | — | ||||
| 2009 | 2009 | 7 | 3 | 0 | T–2nd (Bogan) | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2010 | 2010 | 5 | 5 | 0 | T–5th (Bogan) | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2011 | 2011 | 7 | 3 | 0 | T–2nd (Bogan) | 5 | 2 | 0 | L ECAC Northeast Bowl | — | ||||
| 2012 | 2012 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2nd (Bogan) | 6 | 1 | 0 | L NCAA Division III First Round | — | ||||
| 2013 | 2013 | MASCAC | 6 | 4 | 0 | T–3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 2014 | 2014 | 4 | 6 | 0 | T–6th | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2015 | 2015 | 7 | 4 | 0 | T–2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | L ECAC Legacy Bowl | — | ||||
| 2016 | 2016 | Joe Verria | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1st | 8 | 0 | 0 | L NCAA Division III First Round | — | |||
| 2017 | 2017 | 2 | 8 | 0 | T–7th | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2018 | 2018 | 8 | 3 | 0 | T–2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | W New England Bowl | — | ||||
| 2019 | 2019 | 6 | 4 | 0 | T–2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| Season canceled due to Covid-19 | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2021 | Joe Verria | NCAA | Division III | MASCAC | 6 | 4 | 0 | T–2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — |
| 2022 | 2022 | 7 | 4 | 0 | T–2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | W New England Bowl | — | ||||
| 2023 | 2023 | — | — | |||||||||||
Notable former players
edit- Christopher Dijak – Professional wrestler[20]
- Joe Domingos – Former head coach for Massachusetts Maritime[21]
- Paul Melicharek – Former defensive lineman[22]
- Andrae Murphy – Current head coach for Dean, former defensive back and linebacker[23]
- Joe Verria – Current head coach for Bridgewater State, former defensive tackle[24]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played.[9]
- ^ A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
- ^ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since.[10]
- ^ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.[11]
References
edit- ^ Historic Cranberry Bowl Enters 41st Edition, November 14, 2019
- ^ "Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (1971-1972 through present)". Retrieved October 24, 2020.
- ^ Hanley, Jim. "BSU: THE CRANBERRY BOWL – My Backyard News". Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ Fenton, Jim. "Joe Verria chased NFL dream after playing at Bridgewater State". Enterprise News. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ "Bridgewater Normal 8, Boston Latin 4". The Boston Globe. October 7, 1894. p. 6. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ Rosa, Francis (December 24, 1959). "Bridgewater Tchrs. To Have Grid Team". The Boston Globe. p. 13. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ NEFC Timeline
- ^ Falcons Drop MASCAC Clash To Bears, October 1, 2022
- ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
- ^ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
- ^ "Obituary for Edward C SWENSON". The Boston Globe. January 3, 2002. p. 29. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ "Clipped From The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. January 20, 2002. p. 256. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ Fenton, Jim. "COLLEGES: Bridgewater State's Pete Mazzaferro had a Hall of Fame career". Enterprise News. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ "American Football Monthly - Attacking Defenses With The Veer". www.americanfootballmonthly.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ Staff Reporter. "Bridgewater State football coach charged with domestic assault". Wicked Local. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ "Bridgewater State football coach charged with domestic assault". www.boston.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ Fenton, Jim. "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: New role for Joe Verria at Bridgewater State". Enterprise News. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ "Football Year-by-Year Records Since 1960". bsubears.com. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ "Dijak finds success at Bridgewater State". Sentinel and Enterprise. November 3, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ MMA Inducts Class of 2008
- ^ Paul Melicharek Garners Pair of Postseason Football Honors, December 5, 2012
- ^ "Bridgewater St". Bridgewater St. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Joe Verria to Remain Bridgewater State Football Coach, November 10, 2016