The Western Connecticut Wolves football (often stylized as WestConn) team represents Western Connecticut State University in college football at the NCAA Division III level. The Wolves are members of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), fielding its team in the MASCAC since 2013. The Wolves play their home games at the WAC in Danbury, Connecticut.[3] The team was previously known as the Western Connecticut Colonials and Western Connecticut Indians.
| Western Connecticut Wolves football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 1969 |
| Athletic director | Lori Mazza |
| Head coach | Joe Loth 12th season, 71–44 (.617) |
| Stadium | The WAC (capacity: 4,500) |
| Year built | 1995 |
| Field surface | FieldTurf |
| Location | Danbury, Connecticut |
| NCAA division | Division III |
| Conference | MASCAC |
| Past conferences | NAIA Independent NEFC Division III Independent FFC NJAC |
| All-time record | 230–282–4 (.450) |
| Bowl record | 2–2 (.500) |
| Playoff appearances | 4 |
| Playoff record | 1–4 |
| Conference titles | 4 |
| Rivalries | Framingham State[1] |
| Colors | Deep blue and Starbust orange[2] |
| Mascot | Wolves |
| Website | westconnathletics.com |
Their head coach is Joe Loth, who took over the position for the 2012 season.[4]
History
editWestern Connecticut State College, now known as Western Connecticut State University, established its college football team in 1969, initially named the Western Connecticut Indians. The team's first head coach was Jim Krayeske, who guided them to a 2–2–1 record during their debut season in the Freedom Football League.[5] In recognition of his contributions, Krayeske was inducted into the WestConn Hall of Fame in 2013.[6] The team held their inaugural home game on October 25, 1969, at Osborne Street Field, where they faced New Haven.[7]
Conference affiliations
edit- NAIA Independent (1970–1976)
- New England Football Conference (1979–1985)
- Division III Independent (1986–1991)
- Freedom Football Conference (1992–2003)[8]
- New Jersey Athletic Conference (2004–2012)[9]
- Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (2013–present)[10]
Championships
editConference championships
editWestern Connecticut claims 4 conference titles, the most recent of which came in 2023.
| Year | Conference | Overall Record | Conference Record | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985† | New England Football Conference | 10–2 | 8–1 | Paul Pasqualoni |
| 1999 | Freedom Football Conference | 10–1 | 6–0 | John Cervino |
| 2001† | 8–2 | 5–1 | Bob Surace | |
| 2023† | Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference | 10–2 | 8–1 | Joe Loth |
† Co-champions
Postseason games
editNCAA Division III playoff games
editWestern Connecticut has appeared in the Division III playoffs four times, with an overall record of 1–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | First Round | Montclair State | L, 0–28 |
| 1999 | Second Round | Montclair State | L, 24–32 |
| 2001 | First Round Second Round |
Westfield State Rowan |
W, 8–7 L, 14–43 |
| 2023 | First Round | Johns Hopkins | L, 20–62 |
Bowl games
editWestern Connecticut has participated in nine bowl games, and has a record of 2–2.
| Season | Coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Bob Surace | ECAC Bowl | Nichols | W 63–10 |
| 2013 | Joe Loth | ECAC Bowl | Salve Regina | W 48–35 |
| 2014 | ECAC Bowl | St. John Fisher | L 14–28 | |
| 2019 | New England Bowl | WPI | L 6–35 |
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 | Jim Krayeske[5] | 1969 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.500 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2 | Nick Cutulle[14] | 1970–1971 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.125 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – |
| 3 | Dave Rice[15] | 1972–1974 | 26 | 9 | 17 | 0 | 0.346 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4 | Bill Sferro[16] | 1975–1976 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0.375 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 5 | Carl Paight[17] | 1977–1979 | 26 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 0.115 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.111 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6 | Steve Golden | 1980–1981 | 18 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 0.083 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 0.088 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 7 | Paul Pasqualoni[18] | 1982–1986 | 51 | 34 | 17 | 0 | 0.667 | 24 | 12 | 0 | 0.667 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | – | – |
| 8 | Chris Rippon[19] | 1987–1989 | 30 | 6 | 23 | 1 | 0.217 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 9 | Ken Brasington[20] | 1990–1991 | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 0.200 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10 | John Cervino[21] | 1992–1999 | 81 | 39 | 41 | 1 | 0.488 | 22 | 26 | 0 | 0.458 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 11 | Bob Surace[22] | 2000–2001 | 21 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0.857 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0.833 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | – | – |
| 12 | John Burrell[23] | 2002–2011 | 100 | 37 | 63 | 0 | 0.370 | 20 | 54 | 0 | 0.270 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 13 | Joe Loth[24] | 2012–present | 101 | 61 | 40 | 0 | 0.604 | 48 | 32 | 0 | 0.600 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
Year-by-year results
edit| National champions | Conference 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 | ||||||||
| Western Connecticut Indians | ||||||||||||||
| 1969 | 1969 | Jim Krayeske | — | — | FFL | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Western Connecticut Colonials | ||||||||||||||
| 1970 | 1970 | Nick Cutulle | NAIA | Division I | Independent | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1971 | 1971 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1972 | 1972 | Dave Rice | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1973 | 1973 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1974 | 1974 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1975 | 1975 | Bill Sferro | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1976 | 1976 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1977 | 1977 | Carl Paight | NCAA | Division III | — | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1978 | 1978 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1979 | 1979 | NEFC | 1 | 8 | 0 | 10th | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1980 | 1980 | Steve Golden | 0 | 8 | 1 | 10th | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1981 | 1981 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 9th | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1982 | 1982 | Paul Pasqualoni | 2 | 7 | 0 | T–8th | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1983 | 1983 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4th | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1984 | 1984 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1985 | 1985 | 10 | 2 | 0 | T–1st | 8 | 1 | 0 | L NCAA Division III First Round | — | ||||
| 1986 | 1986 | Independent | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1987 | 1987 | Chris Rippon | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1989 | 1989 | 2 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1990 | 1990 | Ken Brasington | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1991 | 1991 | 1 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1992 | 1992 | John Cervino | FFC | 2 | 8 | 0 | T–6th | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1993 | 1993 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 7th | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1994 | 1994 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 7th | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1995 | 1995 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1996 | 1996 | 6 | 4 | 0 | T–4th | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1997 | 1997 | 4 | 6 | 0 | T–6th | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1998 | 1998 | 5 | 5 | 0 | T–4th | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1999 | 1999 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1st | 6 | 0 | 0 | L NCAA Division III Second Round | 14[26] | ||||
| 2000 | 2000 | Bob Surace | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | 5 | 1 | 0 | W ECAC Northeast Bowl | 20[27] | |||
| 2001 | 2001 | 8 | 2 | 0 | T–1st | 5 | 1 | 0 | L NCAA Division III Second Round | — | ||||
| 2002 | 2002 | John Burrell | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3rd | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 2003 | 2003 | 6 | 4 | 0 | T–3rd | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2004 | 2004 | NJAC | 5 | 5 | 0 | T–4th | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 2005 | 2005 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4th | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2006 | 2006 | 5 | 5 | 0 | T–5th | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2007 | 2007 | 4 | 6 | 0 | T–6th | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2008 | 2008 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 8th | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2009 | 2009 | 2 | 8 | 0 | T–8th | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2010 | 2010 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10th | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2011 | 2011 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10th | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2012 | 2012 | Joe Loth | 1 | 8 | 0 | T–8th | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 2013 | 2013 | MASCAC | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | W ECAC Northeast Bowl[28] | — | |||
| 2014 | 2014 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | L ECAC Northeast Bowl[29] | — | ||||
| 2015 | 2015 | 5 | 5 | 0 | T–4th | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2016 | 2016 | 5 | 5 | 0 | T–3rd | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2017 | 2017 | 7 | 3 | 0 | T–3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2018 | 2018 | 8 | 2 | 0 | T–2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2019 | 2019 | 8 | 3 | 0 | T–2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | L New England Bowl[30] | — | ||||
| Season canceled due to Covid-19 | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2021 | Joe Loth | NCAA | Division III | MASCAC | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5th | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — |
| Western Connecticut Wolves | ||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2022 | Joe Loth | NCAA | Division III | MASCAC | 7 | 3 | 0 | T–2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — |
| 2023 | 2023 | |||||||||||||
Notes
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.[11]
- ^ 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.[12]
- ^ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.[13]
References
edit- ^ Lowenadler, Eric (October 26, 2022). "Wolves Triumph In Rivalry Game". echowcsu.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "University Color Palette". Retrieved August 24, 2023.
- ^ "Western Connecticut Athletic Facilities". Western Connecticut State University. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Dispatch, Mark Znidar, The Columbus. "College football: Loth leaves Otterbein for Western Connecticut State". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "1969- The Start of the Team – Celebrating 50 years of WCSU Football". www.wcsu.edu. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "Jim Krayeske – Celebrating 50 years of WCSU Football". www.wcsu.edu. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "First Scrimmage – Celebrating 50 years of WCSU Football". www.wcsu.edu. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ CT), News-Times, The (Danbury (September 3, 2004). "WestConn football capsule". NewsTimes. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "About the NJAC". njacsports.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "NEFC splits, will get two AQs". February 9, 2012.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ 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.
- ^ "Nicholas Cutulle Obituary (2005) - Albany, NY - Albany Times Union". Legacy.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Shook, Scott. "Distinguished Football Career Led Dave Rice to a Life of Volunteerism on Marco Island". Coastal Breeze News. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Yumpu.com. "2012 football media guide.indd - Western Connecticut State University". yumpu.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "Carl Paight, 85, Former Norwalk High School Coach". Norwalk Daily Voice. September 19, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "Paul Pasqualoni, the former head football coach at Western Con". AP NEWS. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "Chris Rippon - Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties & Specialists Coach - Hobart Football Coaches". Hobart and William Smith College Athletics. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ By (September 13, 1991). "QB RYAN CATCHES ON AS STARTER AT WESTERN". Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ By (January 28, 2000). "WESTERN FOOTBALL COACH CERVINO RESIGNS". Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "Surace '90 gets the call as football coach". Princeton Alumni Weekly. January 21, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "WESTERN CONNECTICUT FOOTBALL: Burrell out as head coach". NewsTimes. January 29, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Doyle, Paul (September 3, 2021). "WestConn football coach Joe Loth not sure what to expect as his team opens season". NewsTimes. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "GAME_BY_GAME_ALL_TIME_RESULTS_THROUGH_2022.pdf" (PDF). Western Connecticut State University. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "Latest news". USA Today. June 10, 2000. Archived from the original on June 10, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "- Mount Union No. 1 in Final AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll of 2000". February 1, 2001. Archived from the original on February 1, 2001. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Staff reports (November 19, 2013). "Western Connecticut football to play in ECAC bowl game". NewsTimes. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "WCSU ROUNDUP: Colonials earn ECAC bowl berth". NewsTimes. November 18, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ Toland, Jennifer. "College football: WPI set to host Western Connecticut in New England Bowl Series". The Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved April 10, 2023.