Somerset, NJ -- Duquesne University has accepted an invitation to join the Northeast Conference as an associate member in the sport of football, it was announced today by NEC Commissioner Brenda Weare. Duquesne will begin competing in the NEC in the 2008 season.
“We are excited to add a football program the caliber of Duquesne,” said Weare. “Football is an integral sport in the NEC, and the addition of Duquesne will strengthen our reputation as an emerging Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) league.”
With the addition of Duquesne, NEC football sponsorship will reach eight in 2008. Central Connecticut State, Monmouth, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis (PA) and Wagner are full-time NEC members who sponsor football, and are joined by associate member Albany, which joined the league in 1999.
Duquesne began as a Football Bowl Subdivision team in 1902 and won a pair of New Years Day Bowl games (1934 Festival of Palms and 1937 Orange) before the program was disbanded following the 1950 season. DU returned at the Club level prior to the 1969 season and won a National Club Championship in 1973. The Dukes competed at the NCAA Division III level from 1979-92 before moving up to the FCS in 1993.
Under the direction of second-year head coach Jerry Schmitt, Duquesne posted a 7-3 record and earned a share of its eighth consecutive MAAC championship in 2006. DU, the winner of 10 of the past 12 titles overall, won 39 consecutive conference games from 1999-06. During that impressive stretch, Duquesne captured the 2003 Sports Network Cup, emblematic of the top NCAA FCS Mid-Major program in the country.
The Duquesne football program has crossed paths with the NEC before, representing the MAAC in the ECAC Football Classic on five occasions from 1995-03. Duquesne won the Classic - which matched the champions of the two leagues in a postseason game - twice, defeating Wagner, 44-30, in 1995 and Monmouth, 12-10, in 2003.
“We are pleased and excited to be a football-playing member of the Northeast Conference,” said Greg Amodio, Duquesne Director of Athletics. “The NEC membership has demonstrated a continued commitment to its football programs and we are proud to join that group. We look forward to the next great chapter in the rich football history at Duquesne.”
About Duquesne University
Duquesne University, located in downtown Pittsburgh, offers a unique hilltop campus that was once a residential neighborhood. Over the past 40 years, the campus has been transformed yet still retains the feel of a small town, with its brick-paved, tree-lined walkways, Victorian benches and fixtures, abundant open spaces, inviting fountains and a variety of architectural styles.
All campus buildings and facilities - living and learning centers, academic buildings, recreation facilities and more are situated within easy walking distance. Movement around campus for Duquesne's 10,000 students is unfettered by the city’s vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Rated by USA Today as one of the safest in the nation, Duquesne’s campus provides a comfortable and secure academic and social atmosphere.
A glance to either side quickly reveals Duquesne’s proximity to all the city has to offer. To the south lie the Monongahela River and the South Side, one of Pittsburgh’s many unique neighborhoods. To the north and west are the skyscrapers of downtown, one of America’s most attractive and recognizable skylines and symbol of a bustling commercial and cultural community.
Situated high atop the heart of one of America’s most livable cities with career opportunities available only in a major corporate center and academic offerings that only a comprehensive university can provide, Duquesne University offers unique educational opportunities to its undergraduate and graduate students.
About The Northeast Conference
The Northeast Conference consists of 11 institutions of higher learning located throughout five states and is celebrating its 26th year as an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association.
The NEC began sponsoring football at the FCS level in 1996, and has since increased its membership from five to seven institutions. Central Connecticut State, Monmouth, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis (PA) and Wagner are full-time NEC members who sponsor football, and they are joined by associate member Albany. Duquesne will become the eighth member of the football league in 2008.
Effective with the 2006-07 academic year, all NEC football playing institutions are permitted to award a maximum athletics financial aid amount of 30 full grants-in-aid on an equivalency basis.