A Century of Falcons on the Field: The History of Bentley University Athletics

Bentley University's athletic program has evolved significantly since its humble beginnings. From candlepin bowling to Division I ice hockey, the university has demonstrated a commitment to both athletic excellence and academic integrity. This article explores the history of Bentley athletics, highlighting key milestones, influential figures, and the program's overall growth.

Early Years: From Bowling to Basketball

In the early days of the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance, organized sports were limited. There are reports of a football game against MIT when what was then the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance was only a couple of years old. And there’s a picture of a basketball team from the early 1930s. But for most of the first half-century in Bentley’s history, the only organized sport at the school was candlepin bowling on Wednesday afternoons. Things began to change in the early 1960s when Al Shields was hired to serve as Bentley’s first athletics director and basketball coach. He was approached by Professor Frank Porter, setting the stage for a new era of athletics at Bentley.

After competing on an informal basis for a year, the basketball team - men only at that point - became one of Bentley’s first five varsity sports, joining cross country, tennis, golf and skiing. The Falcons finished their first official season, 1963-1964, with 16 wins in 21 games.

As Bentley was still located on Boylston Street, the Falcons were nomads for the first decade, playing home games at the YMCA, Brandeis University and Waltham High School.

Growth and Expansion: New Facilities and Sports

The construction of the Dana Athletic Center in 1973 marked a turning point for Bentley athletics. The first game in the new facility was a resounding 105-63 victory over Lowell Tech on December 1 of that year. Four months later, the new building was the focal point of Division II basketball in the region, as the Falcons hosted the NCAA New England regional tournament. The Dana Center was Bentley’s second on-campus facility, the first coming three years earlier when a baseball field was built at what is now the location of Fenway Hall. Hockey debuted in the late 1960s, and more club sports were added in the next few years, including track and field, soccer and football.

Football, which became a varsity program in 1988 after succeeding at the club level, has made its mark over the years. There was a New England record 30-game winning streak from 1993-1995 and NCAA Division II playoff games at home in both 2003 and 2004. Offensive lineman Mackenzy Bernadeau ’08 became the first Falcon to play a regular professional season in one of the four major sports, spending four years with the Carolina Panthers and another four with the Dallas Cowboys.

Welcoming Women's Sports

Coinciding with the addition of the Dana Center, women’s sports came to Bentley during the 1973-1974 academic year and made their varsity debut a year later. Basketball, field hockey and softball were the first three, with Daryl Leonard serving as head coach of each. Leonard’s work with those early teams helped laid the groundwork for what has been a very successful women’s program at Bentley, one that has included the only two NCAA Division II national championships in the university’s history. The field hockey team won theirs at home in November 2001, dispatching East Stroudsburg by the count of 4-2. A little more than a dozen years later, in March 2014, legendary women’s basketball coach Barbara Stevens guided her team to not only the national championship, but also to a perfect 35-0 record. The Falcons, who captured the title with an incredible comeback against West Texas A&M down the stretch, became only the second undefeated women’s basketball champion in Division II history.

Dominance in the Northeast-10 Conference

For most of the first 20 years, Bentley athletics competed as an independent with no conference title to shoot for. That all changed in 1980, when Shields and other Division II athletics directors created what was then the Northeast-7 Conference. Now, a 15-team conference known as the Northeast-10, no NE-10 institution has won more league championships than the Falcons. There have been a total of 143, including 110 in the DeFelice era. Eight times since 1996, Bentley has won the prestigious President’s Cup, given annually to the best overall program in the Northeast-10. Taking that further, the Falcons have finished in second place 17 times since 1987-1988. Their 25 top-two finishes during that time is unparalleled; no other institution had more than seven.

Transition to Division I Hockey

Ice hockey became Bentley’s first Division I sport in 1999. The team competes in the Atlantic Hockey Division, along with such institutions as Air Force, Army West Point and Holy Cross. Last year’s team swept Northeastern home and away, and the Falcons have beaten a Hockey East opponent in six of the past eight seasons. In early 2018, a multipurpose arena - the future home of Bentley’s Division I hockey team - was completed.

Excellence in the Classroom and on the Field

Bentley student athletes have a history of excelling in the classroom as well as on the playing fields. Over the years, 72 have earned Academic All-America recognition from the College Sports Information Directors of America, one of the most prestigious honors in collegiate athletics. Included on that list is former Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II National Player of the Year Lauren Battista ’14, who was named the Division II Academic All-America of the Year for all sports in 2014, months after leading the Falcons to the national championship. During the 2015-2016 academic year, all of Bentley’s 21 athletic teams posted a grade point average exceeding 3.0. More than half of the university’s 500-plus student athletes earned President’s or Dean’s List recognition.

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Key Figures in Bentley Athletics History

Several individuals have played pivotal roles in shaping Bentley's athletic program. Al Shields, the university's first athletics director and basketball coach, laid the foundation for the program's growth. Bob DeFelice, who succeeded Shields in 1991, led Falcon athletics to new heights, overseeing the construction of new fields and the expansion of the Dana Athletic Center. Barbara Stevens, the legendary women's basketball coach, guided her team to a national championship and a perfect 35-0 record in 2014. Mike Hill was named the conference's Coach of the Year.

Bentley's Commitment to Division II

Bentley University has been a proud member of NCAA Division II since it began in 1973 and was at the center of the Northeast-10 Conference - then called the Northeast-7 Conference - and its founding in 1980. Al Shields, the Director of Athletics at Bentley, was not only a founding father of the Northeast-7 but also served as the conference's first commissioner until 1989. Dick Lipe, the longtime Bentley Sports Information Director, also gave his time to serve as the NE10 Sports Information Director from 1980 to 1998.

Since becoming a Division II member, Bentley women's basketball has competed in an NCAA Division II record of 37 regional tournaments - including 14 regional titles between 1989 and 2018. This stretch included the 2013-14 season, when Bentley completed a perfect 35-0 season on its way to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship under Hall of Fame head coach Barbara Stevens. Under longtime head coach Jay Lawson, Bentley men's basketball has reached the Division II East Regional championship game eight times from 2005 to 2023 and has made four trips to the Elite Eight.

Memorable Moments and Achievements

Throughout its history, Bentley athletics has produced numerous memorable moments and achievements. These include:

The women's basketball team's undefeated national championship season in 2014.
The men's basketball team's record-breaking 55-game regular season winning streak from 2006 to 2008.
Dallas Mall's incredible college football career, finishing with a record 78 touchdown passes.
The field hockey team's national championship victory in 2001.
Football's New England record 30-game winning streak from 1993-1995

The Student Experience and Athletics

The student experience at Bentley also reflects the distinctive philosophy that characterizes this institution in so many ways - a philosophy that embraces founder Harry Bentley’s belief in a real-world education. In the 21st century we talk about engagement, and Bentley prepares students to have full lives and careers by engaging them in innovative ways now, in the life of the campus and beyond. Today, fostering an engaged student experience is a key element of the university’s strategic direction, one that recognizes the educational value of comprehensive growth in and out of the classroom.

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Greek Life and Athletics

Greek organizations sprang up at Bentley in the 1920s, and they have been a cornerstone of social life at the school ever since. The first Greek organizations at Bentley were fraternities, and they included Kappa Pi Alpha (founded in 1922), Beta Tau Alpha (founded in 1922), Kappa Eta Sigma (founded for Jewish evening students in 1925), and the still existent Alpha Gamma Pi (founded for Jewish day students in 1926).

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