Bridgewater State Bears football
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| Bridgewater State Bears football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1960 |
| Athletic director | Dr. Marybeth Lamb |
| Head coach | Joe Verria 8th season, 37–26 (.587) |
| 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 | 2–0 (1.000) |
| Playoff appearances | 4 |
| Conference titles | 9 |
| Rivalries | Massachusetts Maritime (Cranberry Bowl)[1] |
| Colors | Crimson, white, and black[2] |
| Mascot | BRISTACO the Bear |
| Website | bsubears.com |
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]
Their head coach is Joe Verria, who took over the position for the 2016 season.[4]
Conference affiliations[edit]
- NAIA Independent (1960–1964)
- New England Football Conference (1965–2012)[5]
- Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (2013–present)[6]
List of head coaches[edit]
Key[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[10][11] | 1960–1967 | 47 | 14 | 33 | 0 | 0.298 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2 | Peter Mazzaferro[12][13] | 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[14][15] | 2005–2015 | 112 | 75 | 37 | 0 | 0.670 | 55 | 24 | 0 | 0.696 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 5 | Joe Verria[16] | 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[17] | ||||||||||||||
| 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[18]
- Joe Domingos – Former head coach for Massachusetts Maritime[19]
- Paul Melicharek – Former defensive lineman[20]
- Andrae Murphy – Current head coach for Dean, former defensive back and linebacker[21]
- Joe Verria – Current head coach for Bridgewater State, former defensive tackle[22]
See also[edit]
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.[7]
- ^ 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.[8]
- ^ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ "Historic Cranberry Bowl Enters 41st Edition". November 14, 2019.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "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.
- ^ "NEFC Timeline".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Falcons Drop MASCAC Clash To Bears". October 1, 2022.
{{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 from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
- ^ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. 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 October 22, 2009. 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".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Paul Melicharek Garners Pair of Postseason Football Honors". December 5, 2012.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Bridgewater St". Bridgewater St. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ "Joe Verria to Remain Bridgewater State Football Coach". November 10, 2016.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)