Bryant University Football: A Program on the Rise
Bryant University, located in Smithfield, Rhode Island, boasts a rapidly growing football program with ambitions to establish a significant history in a short amount of time. While the university itself dates back to 1863, Bryant football is a relatively recent addition, with its inaugural season in 1999. The Bryant University Bulldogs proudly host 25 NCAA Division I teams, where champions are made and excellence thrives. Whether on the field or in the stands, Division I athletics is a large part of the Bulldog experience. Ranked No. 19 in the nation for school spirit by Princeton Review, Bryant University is home to 25 NCAA DI teams. More than 20 percent of undergraduate students participate in varsity sports, joining the Bulldog community from around the country and the globe. With the support of a dedicated academic advisor, student-athletes attain an overall graduation rate of 95 percent, five points above the national average. As of the upcoming 2024 season, the Bulldogs will be members of CAA Football, an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) league operated by, but legally separate from, the multi-sports Coastal Athletic Association.
Early Years and Division II Success (1999-2007)
Bryant football launched in 1999, with Jim Miceli as the first coach. They played their first season in front of great support. In their home opener against Assumption College the team packed the stands with 4,817 fans. From 1999-2002 the team operated at around .500, they showed signs of great play, but still showed that they were a young team. The team was showing improvement and the fans were enjoying it. Bulldog Stadium has been drawing fans since the beginning, on the other hand the team was not doing as well. In 2003 it was an all-time low and the end of the Miceli era. The team posted a 3-7 record, with two losing streaks of three. Bryant spent two years in the NCAA Div. II Eastern Football Conference before moving to the Northeast 10 in 2001. In 2004, Marty Fine took over, marking a turning point for the program. 2004 was a major year for Bryant; it went from Bryant College to Bryant University; this change was the stepping-stone to all future university moves. One of those was athletics, and coach Fine was a piece to the puzzle. Being an assistant head coach at Iowa State University, he brought the drive and expectations of a Division I program with him. During the next two seasons under Marty Fine the team posted 7-3 and 8-3 records (0-1 in playoffs). Under Fine the team has brought in many Division I transfers the most notable is Lorenzo Perry, a transfer from UMass Amherst. Lorenzo Perry in just two years broke almost all the rushing records at the university. He was also a finalist in the Harlen Hill Award, the Heisman Trophy for Division II, while he did not win the trophy he did make the NCAA All-American Team. Bryant closed out its time in Div. II going 23-9 over its final three seasons with back-to-back NE-10 championships.
Transition to Division I (2008-2021)
Bryant's growth as an institution and improved athletics prompted university leadership to make the move to NCAA Div. I began in 2008. The biggest move in the Fine era was the move to Division I. Under coach fine they had three consecutive winning seasons before the move to Division I. The team also had its longest win streak at seven straight to start the season. All these accomplishments sent the team up perfectly for the transition. Bryant considered three conferences; The Northeast Conference, The Patriot League and The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. With the move to Division I, Bryant would have the ability to offer scholarships to its football players for the first time in program history. After a long search, Bryant accepted an invite to the NEC and started competing in Division I in 2008-09. The Bulldogs completed their probational period in football after the 2011 season, going 7-4 in 3-of-4 seasons during the transitional phase. Initially a member of the Northeast Conference, Bryant finished .500 or better in league play every season until 2018.
Recent Years and Conference Affiliations (2021-Present)
The 2021 Bulldogs finished 5-2 in the NEC and 7-4 overall under current coach Chris Merritt, then moved on to the Big South in 2022. Last year, with the Big South and OVC merging members, Bryant finished 4-2 in the conference and was in the hunt for the league's FCS Playoffs bid. In 2022, Bryant joined the Big South Conference as an associate football member. The Big South Conference and Ohio Valley Conference announced a football agreement, forming a unique association to benefit all football members. The Bryant Bulldogs football program represents Bryant University in college football. As of the upcoming 2024 season, the Bulldogs will be members of CAA Football, an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) league operated by, but legally separate from, the multi-sports Coastal Athletic Association.
Coaching Staff
Bryant has only had 4 coaches since its inception. The first Bulldog coach was Jim Miceli who coached the team from 1999 until 2003 followed by the second Bulldog coach Marty Fine, who coached the team from 2004- 2016. Before becoming the Bryant head coach, Fine was an assistant head coach at Iowa State University. In his third year as Bryant head coach, Fine led the Bulldogs to the playoffs. Fine resigned from his position on December 1, 2016. On January 3, 2017, Bryant University hired of James Perry as the 3rd head coach of the Bulldog football program. Perry left Bryant to join his alma-mater Brown University on December 3, 2018. On January 3, 2017 Bryant University president Ronald K. Machtley and director of athletics Bill Smith announced the hiring of James Perry as the next head coach of the Bulldog football program. An outstanding quarterback during his playing days, Perry has instilled an offensive mentality of "Fast and Physical" football to each of his coaching stops. A 2000 graduate of Brown University, Perry is no stranger to the Ocean State, spending three years at his alma mater as an offensive assistant before joining the Princeton staff in 2010. He coached the quarterbacks and served as recruiting coordinator for the Bears, helping them win an Ivy League crown in 2008. As a quarterback at Brown, Perry led the Bears to the 1999 Ivy League Championship, finishing the season with 3,255 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. He was named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award and was the recipient of both the Bulger Lowe Award as the Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year in New England and the New England Football Writers Gold Helmet of the Year. In addition to his numerous accolades, Perry set virtually every school and Ivy League passing record during his playing career. He graduated as the all-time leader in total offense in a career (9,236), passing yards in a career (9,294) and season (3,255), completions in a career (789) and season (309), and touchdown passes in a career (74) and game (6), still holding the Ivy League mark in the final three. On December 3, 2018, it was announced that Perry had accepted the head coaching job at his alma mater Brown University. On December 21, 2018 Bryant University President Ronald K. Machtley and director of athletics Bill Smith officially announced Chris Merritt as the fourth head coach of the Bryant football program. Merritt spent the past 18 years as the head coach at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida. He posted an overall record 172-45 (.792), leading the Explorers to two state finals appearances (2014, 2018), five Regional Championships, 14 District Championships and an 80-4 record in district competition in the largest high school classification in the state of Florida.
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Upon his hire in 2019 at Bryant, coach Chris Merritt made the unusual jump from heading up a high school program to leading an NCAA Div. I member. His teams at Columbus High School in Miami were consistently among the very best in South Florida and produced NFL players including Deon Bush and C.J. Henderson. Merritt's successful transition from preps to Div. I may be unusual, but unusual is nothing new for him. Before landing at Columbus in 2001, he spent four seasons coaching in Europe - two of which were spent in a player-coach capacity with the Hamburg Blue Devils in Germany. Hamburg won the German Bowl during Merritt's time with the Blue Devils in 1996.
Historic Game
Bryant made the playoffs in its 8th season as a team, hosting the first-round game against West Chester University. The crowd was the largest recorded in Bryant's short history with 5,434 fans in attendance.
Bryant and the CAA
The Bryant University Bulldogs join the Coastal Athletic Association in 2024, expanding the league's footprint in New England. The Smithfield, Rhode Island-based school makes 16 teams in the Coastal for the coming season. Joining the CAA marks a major milestone in the fast growth of Bryant football. Bryant is a member of the America East Conference and competes in football as a member of the Coastal Athletic Association. Rhode Island has long had regional counterparts throughout its time in the CAA and while a member of the Coastal's previous incarnations. With Bryant joining, however, the Rams have an in-state counterpart for the first time. What's more, the first meeting scheduled between Bryant and Rhode Island in conference competition falls on Rivalry Week, adding additional significance to a series heading into its fourth straight year of engagement. The Bulldogs and Rams first played in 2002 when Bryant football was still in its infancy. The Ocean State neighbors went almost 20 years before meeting again but have played each season since 2021. Bryant is seeking its first win in the series heading into 2024.
Against the rest of the Coastal excluding Rhode Island, Bryant is 6-19 all-time against current CAA programs. Here's the breakdown:
- UAlbany: 2-3
- Campbell: 1-0
- Maine: 1-4
- Monmouth: 1-6
- New Hampshire: 0-1
- North Carolina A&T: 0-1
- Stony Brook: 1-4
Most of these matchups were when Bryant shared other leagues with these programs - the NEC with UAlbany and Monmouth, the Big South with Campbell, and North Carolina A&T, for example.
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First Bulldog in the NFL
Wide receiver Tom Kennedy made his Detroit Lions in 2019, becoming the first Bulldog to appear in a regular-season NFL game. He spent three seasons with the Lions, catching 14 combined passes in the 2021 and 2022 campaigns. Kennedy's NFL debut had double historical significance. A year prior, he played for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse, making him only the second athlete ever to appear in both NFL and MLL regular-season contests.
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