Stony Brook University Football: A History of Growth and Achievement

The Stony Brook Seawolves football team represents Stony Brook University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, competing in CAA Football. The program plays its home games at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. From its humble beginnings as a Division III program to its current status as a respected FCS competitor, the Stony Brook football program has experienced significant growth and achieved notable success.

Early Years and Transition to Division I

Stony Brook first fielded a varsity team at the Division III level in 1984 and rose to Division II in 1996. In 1988, Stony Brook joined its first ever conference, the Liberty Football Conference in NCAA Division III, where it stayed until 1991. The Liberty Football Conference was a New York-only league where Stony Brook played again teams such as Hofstra, St. John's and Iona. Stony Brook left for the Freedom Football Conference in 1992, where it had winning seasons every year.

In 1999, the Seawolves transitioned to Division I, joining the Northeast Conference (NEC) without offering scholarships until 2006. This move marked a significant step forward for the program, as it began competing against a higher level of competition. Despite signing a contract to remain in the NEC through 2010, Stony Brook left to become an FCS independent in 2007 because it wanted to offer the FCS-maximum 63 scholarships instead of the NEC's limit of 30.

Joining the Big South and Colonial Athletic Association

After a year of FCS independence, Stony Brook joined the Big South Conference in 2008 and fully transitioned into a 63-scholarship program. In the summer of 2012, the program announced its admission into the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).

Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium

In 2002, the 8,300 seat Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium opened as the new home of Seawolves football. Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, then known as Seawolves Stadium, began construction in April 2000 and opened on September 14, 2002. Stony Brook beat St. John's 34-9 in the first game at LaValle Stadium, returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Built in 2002, LaValle Stadium is the on-campus home of the Stony Brook Seawolves football team. LaValle Stadium has a seating capacity of 12,300. It was constructed with a cost of approximately $22 million and it is the largest outdoor facility in Suffolk County. It was named after the New York state senator who was instrumental in getting the funding for the stadium. The stadium is also shared with the school soccer and lacrosse teams. In October 2012, it was reported that the University has allocated $5.7 million for the addition of at least 2,000 seats to LaValle Stadium, which would bring the capacity up to 10,300. The expansion was completed in the summer of 2017.

Read also: On-Campus Job Openings

Memorable Seasons and Achievements

Since transitioning to Division I, the Seawolves have amassed five conference championships, including four straight from 2009 to 2012. They have participated in the Division I FCS playoffs four times and advanced to the second round three times. In 2012, they had their best performing season, winning a program-record ten games.

2005 Season

The Seawolves won their first Division I Conference Championship in the 2005 season while playing in the Northeast Conference with an end of the season record of 6-4 (5-2).

2009 Season

In 2009, the Seawolves were named co-conference champions of the Big South Conference after finishing 6-5 (5-0) but did not earn a bid to the FCS Playoffs.

2010 Season

In 2010, Stony Brook repeated as co-champions of the Big South after a 6-5 (5-1) season, but did not receive a bid to the FCS Playoffs after losing their season finale to the Liberty Flames 54-28.

2011 Season

Stony Brook lost its first two games in 2011 to FBS teams, falling to UTEP 31-24 in overtime after allowing 21 unanswered points and being routed 35-7 by Buffalo. The Seawolves fell to 0-3 by losing to Brown 21-20 in the home opener. Then, Stony Brook began a program-record nine-game winning streak, beating Lafayette 37-20 in the conference opener and scoring at least 40 points in each game for the rest of the regular season.

2012 Season

Before the 2012 season, the Seawolves added several FBS transfers, including Iowa's Marcus Coker, Maryland's Adrian Coxson, and Minnesota's Leston Simpson. In addition, the Dubin Family Athletic Performance Center opened in the early summer. Stony Brook started 2-0 and then led for most of the first half against FBS Syracuse, but lost 28-17. The Seawolves broke their attendance record with 10,278 in a 32-31 comeback win over Colgate during Homecoming. Stony Brook made history in Week 5 by defeating Army 23-3. It was the program's first victory against an FBS opponent. The Seawolves opened Big South play on a high note and rode a seven-game winning streak to a No. 6 ranking in the FCS national polls, the highest in school history. Stony Brook lost the season finale 28-14 to Liberty, giving Coastal Carolina the autobid, but won a share of the Big South title for the fourth straight year. The Seawolves beat Villanova 20-10 at home in the first round but lost 16-10 to third-seeded Montana State in the second round to end their season at 10-3 (5-1 Big South). Stony Brook fans storm the field after beating Colgate 32-31 during Homecoming in 2012.

2015 Season

The Stony Brook Seawolves take on Towson at the 2015 Homecoming game. Stony Brook began their 2015 season with a match against FBS Toledo, but the game was suspended and canceled due to severe thunderstorms. While they won their first two games, including an upset against No. before they watched the Seawolves top Bryant, 21-13.

2016 Season

In 2016, Stony Brook won their season opener against No. 19 North Dakota before losing the next game to FBS Temple, who were led by head coach Matt Rhule. In Week 3, Stony Brook upset No. 2 ranked Richmond, pulling off a 42-14 victory at home. The surprise win helped the Seawolves earn a No. 20 ranking in the FCS STATS poll the next week, the team's first ranking since 2013.

2017 Season

Before the 2017 season started, Stony Brook was predicted to finish 8th out of 12 in the CAA. While they lost the season opener at No. 19 FBS-ranked South Florida, Stony Brook ended the season with a 10-3 record, going 7-1 in CAA play to finish in second place behind James Madison. Their lone conference loss came at home against Delaware. In the regular season finale, Stony Brook won 20-19 at Maine on a Hail Mary which was caught in the end zone as time expired in the fourth quarter; the pass was ranked No. 1 on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays. Stony Brook received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs, beating Lehigh 59-29 in the first round before losing to James Madison in the second round by a score of 26-7. The season was the Seawolves' most successful since 2012 as they won more than five games for the first time since joining the CAA. Stony Brook finished the regular season ranked No. 10 in the FCS STATS poll, the team's highest since a No.

2018 Season

Stony Brook began their 2018 season with a 38-0 road loss against FBS opponent Air Force. The team would rebound, winning their next four games including a 29-27 comeback victory against Villanova after trailing 21-0 in the second quarter. The team was upset on the road by Towson but beat New Hampshire 35-7 and Rhode Island 52-14. A major upset bid against No. 3 James Madison fell short 13-10, but Stony Brook came out of the bye week by toppling first-place Delaware 17-3. In the final game of the season, No.

2019 Season

Stony Brook began 2019 with a 4-1 record, losing only to FBS Utah State and future first-round NFL quarterback Jordan Love. The team set a new attendance record with 12,812 during Homecoming in a 45-38 OT loss to No. 2 James Madison. The Seawolves upset No.

2021 Season

In 2021, Stony Brook started 1-5 for the first time since 2008. In one of those losses, the Seawolves trailed by only 10 points at halftime against No. 4 FBS Oregon. Stony Brook won four of its last five games, including a 34-17 upset of No. 14 Delaware. However, Stony Brook still missed the playoffs for a third straight season with a 5-6 (4-4 CAA) record.

Recent Seasons

In 2022, Stony Brook finished with a program-worst 2-9 record, but managed to outdo themselves in futility in 2023 by going 0-10 for the first winless season in program history.

2025 Season

2025 CAA Standings

Rhode Island 4-0 (6-2)
Monmouth 3-0 (6-1)
Villanova 4-1 (5-2)
William & Mary 3-1 (4-3)
Maine 2-1 (3-4)
New Hampshire 2-2 (4-4)
Elon 2-2 (4-4)
Campbell 2-2 (2-6)
Stony Brook 1-2 (3-4)
Towson 1-2 (3-4)
North Carolina A&T 1-1 (6)
Bryant 0-3 (2-5)
UAlbany 0-3 (1-6)
Hampton 0-4 (2-6)

2025 Team Leaders

Passing Yards: Chris Zellous (QB #2) - 1,143 yards, 7 TD
Rushing Yards: Roland Dempster (RB #46) - 118 carries, 617 yards, 6 TD
Receiving Yards: Jayce Freeman (WR #5) - 20 receptions, 348 yards, 4 TD

2025 Team Stats

Points For: 28.2 (44th)

Recent scores:

NCAAF: Derek Robertson, Frankie Weaver combine for 4 passing touchdowns as Monmouth beats Stony Brook 49-21- Derek Robertson threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns, Frankie Weaver passed for another score, and Monmouth beat Stony Brook 49-21 on Saturday for its fourth straight victory.
NCAAF: Zellous rushes for 3 touchdowns, throws another in Stony Brook’s 47-12 rout over Albany- Chris Zellous rushed for three touchdowns and threw another, powering Stony Brook to its first Coastal Athletic Conference win of the season in a 37-6 rout over Albany on Saturday afternoon.
NCAAF: Nate Glantz and Lindenwood start fast before holding off Stony Brook 30-27- Nate Glantz threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score as Lindenwood held off Stony Brook 30-27 on Saturday night after building a 24-point halftime lead.
NCAAF: Zellous scores four times as Stony Brook cruises past Fordham 41-18- Chris Zellous accounted for four scores and MarQeese Dietz tallied 120 yards and a touchdown as Stony Brook breezed past Fordham 41-18 on Saturday.
NCAAF: Devin Farrell leads Rhode Island to 31-17 victory over Stony Brook- Devin Farrell passed for 316 yards and two touchdowns to guide Rhode Island to a 31-17 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday night after thunderstorms delayed the start.
NCAAF: Sutton, San Diego St. demolish Stony Brook in first-ever meeting between the schools- Lucky Sutton ran for two touchdowns and Jayden Denegal threw for a score and San Diego State established control early and never let it go and beat Stony BrooK 42-0 in a season opener for both teams Thursday night.
NCAAF: Derek Robertson throws for school-record 536 yards and Monmouth surprises Stony Brook 55-47- Derek Robertson threw for a school-record 536 yards and three touchdowns, and Monmouth wrapped up its season with a wild 55-47 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday.
NCAAF: New Hampshire closes with 21 straight points to beat Stony Brook 31-30- Seth Morgan passed for 263 yards and two touchdowns, and he added another on the ground as New Hampshire closed with 21 straight points to beat Stony Brook 31-30 on Saturday.
NCAAF: Stony Brooks beats Albany 24-6 for fourth straight victory- Tyler Knoop passed for 229 yards and a touchdown, Roland Dempster had 98 yards rushing and two more scores, and Stony Brook beat Albany 24-6 on Saturday for its fourth straight victory.
NCAAF: Dempster, Stony Brook survive Bryant in a 31-30 OT win- Roland Dempster ran for 103 yards and scored one of his two touchdowns in overtime and Stony Brook never trailed in a 31-30 win over Bryant on Saturday.

Rivalries

Albany, Stony Brook's in-state rival, first played the Seawolves in 1995 when both programs were at the Division II level. The two teams played each other annually from 1995 to 2007 before meeting again in the first round of the FCS Playoffs in 2011, where Stony Brook won 31-28.

In December 2009, cross-island rival Hofstra announced the immediate folding of its football program. Hofstra running back duo Miguel Maysonet and Brock Jackolski both transferred to Stony Brook in the offseason.

Traditions and Homecoming

C.W. the annual Homecoming parade. 2003: Homecoming participants had the chance to win a Chevy S.U.V. to compete in the halftime kickoff contest. Stony Brook fans storm the field after beating Colgate 32-31 during Homecoming in 2012. The team set a new attendance record with 12,812 during Homecoming in a 45-38 OT loss to No. 2 James Madison.

Facilities

In February 2011 it was announced that a new strength and conditioning center will be erected in the north side of the Stony Brook indoor Sports Complex. It will be a 8,000-square-foot (740 m2) facility set to be completed during the fall 2011. In Spring 2012, the facility was inaugurated. The facility provides the Seawolves with a world-class fitness facility and is named after alumnus Glenn Dubin, who donated over $4.3 million for the construction of the project, the largest athletic donation in the SUNY system. In 2020, the Stony Brook Indoor Training Center opened. It is a 106,000-square-foot facility that measures 180 feet wide, 315 feet long and 70 feet tall and is located 150 yards from Kenneth P.

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