Fairfield Stags
From Hoopedia
Fairfield University is a private, co-educational undergraduate and master's level university located in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1942, and today is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Over 3,500 undergraduate and 1,100 graduate students study in Fairfield's six schools and colleges: The College of Arts and Sciences, The Charles F. Dolan School of Business, The School of Engineering, The School of Nursing, The Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions, and The University College. In total, the student body hails from 34 states, 45 countries, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In July 2004, Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J. became the eighth Jesuit President of Fairfield University succeeding Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., the longest tenured and most accomplished President.
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Men's Basketball
The Fairfield Stags men's basketball team has experienced the thrill of post-season tournament action twelve times (1951 NAIB Tournament; 1960, 1961 and 1962 NCAA DII Tournament; 1973, 1974, 1978, 1995 and 2002 National Invitation Tournament (NIT); and 1986, 1987, and 1997 NCAA DI Tournament). In the 1997 NCAA Tournament, the Stags lost to top-seeded North Carolina, despite leading by seven points at halftime. Individually, Deng Gai '05 was the nation's top shot blocker in 2005 with 5.5 blocks per game which ranks #5 on the NCAA's all-time blocked shot average list. Thirteen Stags have been either drafted or signed to play in the National Basketball Association.
The Dawn of Stags Basketball
Through the efforts of Rev. Victor Leeber, S.J., Fairfield University introduced men's basketball in 1948 and has since played 57 continuous seasons of hoops through the 2005-06 season. Fairfield played its first-ever game against Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, NY, losing 46-78, and won its first-ever game that season against Hillyer College (now the University of Hartford), 47-37, in Bridgeport, CT at the Bridgeport Armory, Fairfield's original home court. During the 1950-1951 season, under new Head Coach James Hanrahan, the still fledgling program experienced its first winning season with a 16-11 overall record and received the school's first ever postseason berth in the 1951 NAIA National Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.
Red Stags Rising
During the 1958-1959 season Head Coach George Bisacca took over the program and proceeded to elevate the Stags to a higher level experiencing only 1 losing season in 10 years. The Stags received three straight postseason berths to the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship Tournament between 1960 and 1962 and advanced to the 2nd round in 1960 and 1961. On the heals of this postseason success, Fairfield upgraded the program up to Division 1 hoops during the 1964-1965 season.
The Golden Barakat Era
The most successful stretch of Fairfield basketball occurred under Head Coach Fred Barakat when the Stags received three berths in the post-season NIT in six years and was chronicled in the book, 25 Years Plus One: Recounting the Meteoric Rise of Fairfield Basketball, by Connecticut sportswriter, Don Harrison. During the 1972-73 season the Stags finished with a 18-9 overall record and were invited to the post-season NIT for the first time in the programs history. In the 1st round, Captain George Groom led the Stags to a 80-76 victory over Marshall University playing before 13,904 fans at Madison Square Garden. In the 2nd round, the Stags fell 76-77 to the eventual National Champion Virginia Tech Hokies before more than 17,000 fans. The Stags followed up this success with a 17-9 overall record and a second invitation to the post-season NIT during the 1973-74 season. In the 1st round, Captain Richie O'Connor led the Stags to a 37-32 halftime lead before falling 65-66 to the University of Hawaii before 17,739 fans. The Stags returned to the post-season NIT for the third time during the 1977-78 season following the program's first 20 win season (22-5 overall) and a record point setting 123-108 victory over the then 14th ranked Holy Cross Crusaders. In the 1st round of the tournament, Junior Mark Young led the Stags with a 32 performance in a 93-108 losing effort to the Dayton Flyers.
Back to Back in the MAAC
During the 1995-96 season Head Coach Paul Cormier led the Stags to a 20-10 overall record, an appearance in the MAAC championship game and the program's fourth berth in the NIT. In the opening round of the NIT, the Stags played the Providence Friars before 6,368 fans at the New Haven Coliseum. Led by Shannon Bowman the Stags held a 46-43 half time lead before eventually falling 78-69 to the Friars.
Picked to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 1996-97, Fairfield suffered through an injury-plagued regular season and finished in last place. But the Stags made a Cinderella run in the MAAC tournament, defeating top seed Iona, St. Peter's and Canisius to capture the league's automatic berth in the 1997 NCAA Tournament despite an 11-18 record. Fairfield then gave top seeded North Carolina all it could handle in the first round of the East Region in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Stags opened a 37-28 lead early in the second half before their bid to become the first 16 seed to win a NCAA Tournament game fell short, 82-74. Stag legend Greg Francis '97 almost single-handedly upset the Tar Heels scoring 26 points including eight three-pointers. Following the game, legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith said "I had to find Francis after the game but I couldn't shake his hand because it was so hot."
O'Toole Time
In 2002, Stags basketball moved from the comfy confines of the on-campus Alumni Hall to the new state-of-the-art 10,000 seat Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, CT. During that same season, Head Coach Tim O'Toole '87 led the Stags to an 19-12 overall record, an appearance to the MAAC tournament championship game, and the program's fifth berth in the NIT. In the opening round of the NIT, Nick Delfico led the Stags with 14 points in a 90-78 losing effort to the Boston College Eagles before 6,500 fans at the Arena at Harbor Yard. During 2004-2005 season, Deng Gai '05 led the nation in shots blocked with 5.5 blocks per game and graduated as number eight on the NCAA's all-time blocked shots list.
Cooley In Control
On April 11, 2006, Ed Cooley (former Boston College Eagles assistant coach) was announced as the program's 11th Head Coach ushering in a new era of Stags basketball. With a renewed commitment to reestablishing the winning basketball tradition at Fairfield, Coach Cooley quickly signed a talented recruiting class to join veteran leaders Michael van Schiack, Danny Ogelsby, Marty O'Sullivan, All-MAAC Rookie Herbie Allen and Jon Han (of MTV Nike Battlegrounds fame). The new Stags include 6'7" Roi Bookbinder (Tel Aviv, Israel), 6'8" Iowa State transfer Mike Evanovich (Storrs, CT), 6'8" Anthony Johnson (Lake Wales, FL), 6'4" Devin Johnson (Richmond, VA), 6'7" Richard Fleming (Chester, PA) and 6'6" Greg Nero (Red Hook, NY). Nero was the only one of these recruits to be signed by O'Toole, and he also led his high school squad to a berth in the New York State regional final and was the Most Valuable Player of the Mid-Hudson Athletic League. Devin Johnson was the Richmond Metro Player of the Year.
Women's Basketball
The Lady Stags received an at-large bid to the Women's NCAA Tournament in 2001, a first for the school. Head Coach Diane Nolan reached her milestone 500th game win in 2006 and led the Stags to four post-season bids to the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship in 1988, 1991, 1998 and 2001. The women play their home games in the 9,500 seat, state of the art Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, CT where Fairfield University hosted the The Arena and Fairfield University recently hosted the Bridgeport regional of the 2006 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament and will host the upcoming 2007 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship and will co-host with Yale University the Division I NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Regional in 2009 and 2011.
