Alfred State President Dr. Skip Sullivan and Athletic Director Dr. Kelly Higgins are excited to announce that the college has been accepted and will become a member of the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC). For the first time in school history, the blue and gold will begin play as a four-year NCAA school and member of the ECFC beginning in the 2017 season.
Dr. Sullivan looks forward to the partnership saying, "This new era in NCAA Division III is greatly enhanced by Alfred State's invitation to participate in the ECFC. We are excited for our team, our coaches, and our college as we compete against the schools in this conference."
Higgins echoes Sullivan's excitement for the move into the ECFC. "This is an exciting time for Alfred State," he said. "We have taken the steps necessary in a very short time to show our colleagues that we belong on the same NCAA playing field with them. I want to thank the ECFC for their due diligence in this process. They have been great to work with and we look forward to a long relationship with the other member institutions."
He added, "This will be the first-ever four-year NCAA conference membership for the Pioneers. The ECFC is a great fit for us competitively, as it gives our student-athletes an immediate opportunity to be recognized for their athletic, academic and personal achievements on the conference level, and to make a run for conference championships. It also gives us the opportunity to participate in NCAA Championships starting in 2018."
Along with the addition of Alfred State, the ECFC will also add Dean College (Franklin, MA) for the 2017 season. Dean, which will spend 2016 in an exploratory year with the NCAA Division III, will participate in a full ECFC schedule in 2017 as a provisional NCAA Division III member. The Pioneers and Bulldogs have a long history competing as NJCAA and Northeast Football Conference members. The two programs first met in 1995 during Alfred State's first year sponsoring football and have met 16 times overall. The two teams will renew their rivalry during the 2016 season.
"We are thrilled to welcome Alfred State and Dean to the ECFC after unanimous approval from the conference presidents and athletic directors," said Matthew Burke, athletic director at Mount Ida and acting ECFC commissioner. "The addition of these two programs helps the ECFC continue to be a competitive football conference with institutions committed to providing a high quality student-athlete experience."
During its three years of competition at the NCAA DIII level, Alfred State has faced ECFC members Castleton and Husson on the football field. The Pioneers are slated to travel to Husson and Dean during the 2016 season.
Jarod Dodson, who will enter his second season at the helm of the Pioneer football program in 2016, looks forward to joining the ECFC. "We are thrilled to be a part of the ECFC," he said. "I would first like to thank President Sullivan, Vice President for Student Affairs Greg Sammons, and Athletic Director Dr. Higgins for their leadership, vision, and commitment to building something great. We are honored to accept this invitation to such an innovative football conference. Our staff, players, and recruits are excited to have the ability to not only be able to compete for conference championships, but to also have the educational experience as we travel through the beautiful Northeast."
The winner of the ECFC has an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Norwich won the 2015 ECFC and has won three of the seven league championships. In the last four years, a different school has claimed the conference title.
Higgins knows this is great first step for the Pioneer athletic department. "We now have this one critical sport affiliation locked up," he said, "and we will continue our focus on gaining/creating conference affiliations for our other sports in the near future."
The Eastern Collegiate Football Conference was formed in the spring of 2009 as an NCAA Division III single sport football conference. The conference, named after the geographic location of the institutions began competition in the fall of 2009.
Founding members were Anna Maria College (Worcester, Mass.), Becker College (Leicester, Mass.), Castleton University (Castleton, Vt.), Gallaudet University (Washington, D.C.), Husson University (Bangor, Maine), Maritime College State University of New York (Throggs Neck, N.Y.), Mount Ida College (Newton, Mass.), and Norwich University (Northfield, Vt.). Alfred State College (Alfred, N.Y.), and Dean College (Franklin, Mass.) will join in 2017, filling the void made by the departures of Becker and Norwich.
For more information on the ECFC visit: www.easterncollegiatefootball.com
ECFC Release of Addition of Alfred State and Dean College
Additional Quotes:
Greg Sammons: Vice President for Student Affairs
"We're very excited to be joining the ECFC's great mix of collegiate football programs across the northeast. The ECFC will provide our players great competition, the opportunity for new rivalries including fellow SUNY school Maritime, and the opportunity to compete for qualification to the NCAA national tournament. The ECFC is a great fit for our football program and we're excited they've welcomed us into their fold."
Todd Vasey: Athletic Director at Dean College
"Being accepted into a conference is a big step for the program and the college", said Dean Athletic Director Todd Vasey. "It stabilizes our schedule each year and creates some immediate rivalries in the region."