Stevenson University Football: A Tradition of Excellence

Stevenson University, a private institution in Baltimore County, Maryland, has a rich history of academic and athletic development since its founding as Villa Julie College in 1947. While the university has expanded its academic offerings and physical presence over the decades, its athletic programs, particularly the football team, have become a source of pride and accomplishment. Stevenson’s football program is built for excellence - on and off the field - and empowers student-athletes to rise to their full potential.

The Genesis of Stevenson University

Stevenson University's story begins in 1947 when the Roman Catholic women's religious order Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur founded Villa Julie College. Initially, it was a one-year school dedicated to training women as medical secretaries. The college was situated on the 60-acre "Seven Oaks" estate in the Green Spring Valley, formerly owned by the George Carroll Jenkins family. This location, with its ancient oak trees believed to mark a Lenni Lenape burial ground, provided a picturesque setting for the burgeoning institution.

Villa Julie was approved as a two-year college by the Maryland State Department of Education in 1954 and received its first Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation in 1962. Traditionally a commuter college for local residents, by the early 1990s Villa Julie started attracting students interested in college housing. Without the proper zoning for such an addition to the Stevenson campus, the college leased off-campus apartments in Pikesville and later in the county seat of Towson, where resident students began living in 1993. It started offering master's degrees in 1995.

Transformation to Stevenson University

Under the leadership of President Kevin J. Manning, who was inaugurated on October 28, 2000, Villa Julie experienced significant growth. Enrollment increased, and the demand for college-owned student housing intensified. In August 2003, the college broke ground on a second campus in Owings Mills, opening it a year later. Recognizing its broader reach and academic advancements, the school's leaders decided to pursue university status in late 2007. After considering various names, including Great Oaks University and Greenspring University, the institution was renamed Stevenson University. The name was chosen for its perceptions of tradition, history, and academic quality, while also maintaining a geographical connection to the founding location of Villa Julie in Stevenson, Md. The Villa Julie name endures as the Villa Julie College of Arts and Sciences.

Academic and Campus Expansion

Today, Stevenson University is composed of seven schools. The Howard S. Brown School of Business and Leadership opened for the fall 2008 semester. Formerly housed on the Greenspring campus, the School of Design moved to a new building on a property purchased from Shire Pharmaceuticals in 2013 to create what is now the Owings Mills North location of the Owings Mills campus. In September 2016, the Kevin J. Manning Academic Center opened and today houses the Beverly K. Fine School of the Sciences, the Sandra R. Berman School of Nursing and Health Professions, and additional facilities for the School of Design. Facilities in Garrison Hall on the Owings Mills campus serve as the headquarters for Stevenson University Online, the university's online school for working professionals seeking master's degrees or to complete a bachelor's degree.

Read also: Preserve Your Stevenson Diploma

The university expanded its athletic facilities in 2010 with the opening of a 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) gymnasium and the 3,500-seat Mustang Stadium on the Owings Mills Campus. In summer 2017, Stevenson University reached an agreement with the state of Maryland to acquire the former Rosewood Center property in Owings Mills. The 117-acre site is adjacent to Stevenson's existing Owings Mills campus and nearly doubles the total acreage of the university.

Stevenson offers over 90 majors, minors, tracks, and concentrations. Stevenson University Online offers online master's, bachelor's, and certificate programs for working professionals. The freshman enrollment and housing enrollments rose dramatically between 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. In the fall semester 2010, there were over 900 freshman students, around 700 of whom were residents. In February 2018, Stevenson opened a Student Activities Commons in Garrison Hall on the Owings Mills campus to serve as a student club and activities center.

The Rise of Stevenson Football

The addition of a football team in 2011 marked a significant milestone in Stevenson University's athletic history. With the induction of the football team in 2011, the university added a marching band. The Stevenson University Marching 100 is a modern-style marching band that plays both contemporary and traditional marching band music. The band uses woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments along with synthesizers, guitars, and color guard. The band plays at football games, open houses, and other university events. The university unveiled a new 3,500 seat stadium on its Owings Mills campus. Designed to rival any facility found in Division III athletics, the stadium accommodates football, lacrosse, and soccer on two synthetic turf fields and provides a host of features for athletes, patrons, the press, and fans.

The football program quickly gained momentum, attracting talented student-athletes and dedicated coaching staff. The team's success contributed to a growing sense of school spirit and community engagement.

Kyle Cassamas: A Coaching Legacy

Since 2017, Kyle Cassamas has served as the leader of the Stevenson Pirates football program, turning it into one of the most respected and competitive small-school teams in the Central Coast Section. Over the past eight seasons, Kyle has compiled an impressive 36-28 overall record, including a dominant 32-6 mark in league play. Stevenson has captured two PCAL division championships, with undefeated league seasons in both 2022 and 2024, and just one league loss over the past three years. Defensively, Kyle has built a unit that not only dominates in a single season but consistently ranks among the best in the PCAL year after year.

Off the field, Kyle is known for his mentorship and long-term investment in student-athletes. More than 20 Stevenson football athletes have gone on to compete at the collegiate level, from Division III to Division I. Kyle’s coaching career began at his alma mater, The Moses Brown School, where he contributed to the development of several future college standouts - linebackers and edge rushers who went on to play at schools like Stanford, Brown and Penn, with one player eventually reaching the NFL and now working for the New Orleans Saints. At Stevenson, Kyle has dramatically grown participation at both the varsity and JV levels, assembled a loyal and talented coaching staff, and instilled a culture rooted in accountability, pride and growth. He is also Stevenson’s director of summer & auxiliary programs, a dorm head and father to two Stevenson Pirates, Quinn and Clover.

Recent Achievements

The Stevenson football team has consistently demonstrated its commitment to excellence. In the 2024-2025 season, the team dominated league play with an undefeated 6-0 record, capturing the division title and exemplifying what it means to compete with heart, grit and purpose.

With a 13-7 win over King’s College Saturday in Mustang Stadium, Stevenson Football has opened with a 5-0 record for the first time in school history. The Mustangs were led by 151 yards rushing from freshman Kiandre Burrell and two interceptions by senior Billy Lewis. After falling behind 7-0, Stevenson scored 13 unanswered points to remain unbeaten.

A Commitment to Multi-Sport Participation

At Stevenson, Football thrives within an athletic department that champions multi-sport participation. Grounded in wellness and performance research, we develop well-rounded athletes while fully supporting those pursuing college opportunities. Players have year-round access to our field, weight room, and film/meeting spaces for optional skill development and strength and conditioning.

Athletics at Stevenson University

Stevenson teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Mustangs are a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). Stevenson used to compete in the Capital Athletic Conference(now the Coast-to-Coast Conference [C2C]) from 2007-08 to 2011-12. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field, volleyball and swimming. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball (indoor and beach), and swimming. In 2016, Stevenson University became the first NCAA Division III Institution to add Women's Beach Volleyball as a collegiate sport. This is also the same year men's ice hockey began their first season of competition. In Spring of 2022, Stevenson broadened their sport count to 28 with the addition of Acrobatics & Tumbling, a competitive sport with similarities to cheer, gymnastics, and stunt. In 2013, the Stevenson Mustangs men's lacrosse team took home the 2013 Division III national championship, the first national championship of any kind for the school. They advanced to the finals after defeating their rival Salisbury University.

Facilities Supporting Athletics

The university's athletic facilities include the Caves Sports and Wellness Center (formerly the training facility of the Baltimore Colts), the Owings Mills gymnasium, and Mustang Stadium. In 2017, purchase of the Rosewood property has been further developed into what is now known as East Campus. Great progress is made on Owings Mills East - the university’s new athletic hub for NCAA D3, club, and intramural sports.

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