2008-10: Stony Brook Joins The Big South
Further information: Stony Brook Seawolves football under Chuck PrioreStony Brook joined the Big South in 2008 after a year of independence. The 2008 season opened in winning fashion with a 42-26 victory against Colgate but the Seawolves struggled losing the next four out-of-conference match ups against Elon, Maine (a matchup named by ESPN listeners as The Battle for the Butter), Brown, and Hofstra. The Seawolves then dropped their first Big South match up against Liberty with a 33-0 result. The Seawolves went on to win four of their last five games to finish their inaugural season with a 5-6 record, 3-2 in the Big South.
The 2009 season showed a much improved team and stronger schedule with games against cross-island rival Hofstra, UMass and North Dakota in which they lost but went on to win five out of their six conference games and capped the season with 36-33 upset over the Liberty Flames to share the Conference title.
In the off season, cross island rival Hofstra announced the immediate folding of their football program. For Stony Brook that meant the addition of multiple transfers from Hofstra eligible to play immediately. As a result, the Seawolves came out stronger than ever in their 2010 campaign. Continuing to increase the strength-of-schedule, the Seawolves played their first ever game against a Division I FBS school (85 scholarship offerings) at South Florida, in which they managed to lead for the entire opening quarter but were kept scoreless for the remaining of the contest losing by a score of 59-14 in front of over 40,000 fans. As the last game of the season approached the Seawolves found themselves undefeated in conference play but fell 28-54 to the Liberty Flames at Lynchburg sharing the Big South title for a second year straight, this time in a three way tie with Coastal Carolina and Liberty. Due to the nature of the tie, the Seawolves lost their chance to earn the automatic bid to the FCS playoffs which went to Coastal Carolina after allowing less points-against in their conference season. Midway through the season, the program announced it was receiving its largest donation ever - a $4.3 million Strength & Conditioning facility from former Stony Brook athlete Glenn Dubin.
The 2011 season featured the addition of top recruit Fernando Diaz who transferred from the Division I FBS program at the University of Pittsburgh together with returning running-duo Miguel Maysonet and Brock Jackolski and renewed expectations. The program continued the efforts of increasing the strength of schedule adding games against Division I FBS Buffalo and UTEP and a record six games at home. In the preseason, The Seawolves were ranked among the top 15 programs at the Division I FCS level in the "Phil Steele's College Football Review" ahead of their conference rivals, Liberty, which were ranked in the 31st position.
Read more about this topic: Stony Brook Seawolves Football, History
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