2012 Schedule (PDF)
Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College football program is proud to unveil its 2012 football schedule, an 11-game slate that features eight Northeast Conference (NEC) games and three non-conference contests. The three non-conference foes in 2012 are Florida Atlantic (FAU), an FBS school that competes in the Sun Belt Conference, as well as Patriot League members Georgetown and Holy Cross.
"When we combine our league schedule in the ever-improving NEC, with the challenge of playing an FBS program in Florida Atlantic along with two winning programs from the Patriot league, it's obvious our student-athletes will be tested in 2012,” said Head Coach
Walt Hameline, who will be embarking on his 32
nd season at Wagner ranked eighth among active FCS coaches with 204 career victories. “We are extremely excited about confronting this challenge and hope that our loyal Seahawk fan base is as enthusiastic and energized about the 2012 schedule and season as we are as a coaching staff and program.”
The Seahawks will enter the 2012 campaign riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak that capped the 2011 campaign, giving Wagner a final mark of 4-7. Offensively, the Seahawks return dynamic running back
Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Bridgeton), who is coming off a sensational sophomore season that saw him rush for 1,338 yards and 14 touchdowns. Quarterback
Nick Doscher (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) returns for his senior season ranked third in school history in completions (324) and fourth in passing yards (4,306).
Defensively, the Seahawks will be headlined by the return of their two leading tacklers in rising seniors
Mike Lombardo (Jupiter, FL/ Jupiter Christian) and Carl-Olivier Prime (Laval, Quebec, The Kent school) who registered 82 and 80 tackles, respectively.
The 82
nd season of Wagner College football commences on Friday, August 31 when the Seahawks travel to Boca Raton, FL to meet Florida Atlantic. From its inception in 2001 through the 2011 season, the Owls' football program was directed by legendary head coach Howard Schnellenberger, who gained fame by guiding Miami to the 1983 National Championship during a 53-year career that also included head coaching stints at Oklahoma and Louisville.
After two seasons in the Sun Belt, FAU won the 2007 Conference title and secured its first ever bowl invitation, defeating Memphis 44–27 in the New Orleans Bowl. In just the seventh season of the football program's history, and the third year playing FBS football, Florida Atlantic set an NCAA record by becoming the youngest program ever to receive an invitation to a bowl game.
The Wagner-Florida Atlantic game will take place at 30,000-seat FAU Stadium. On December 5, Carl Pelini was named Schnellenberger's successor after serving four seasons as the University of Nebraska's defensive coordinator, heading a unit that was ranked as the best in the nation for a time during his tenure. Pelini takes over an Owl team that went 1-11 last season.
In week two, on September 8, the Seahawks travel to our nation's capital to meet Georgetown, marking the third straight season the Seahawks and Hoyas will meet. In 2010, Wagner won a dramatic 22-16 overtime contest at Georgetown while last season the Hoyas turned the tables on the Seahawks, out-scoring Wagner 24-10 in Staten Island, en route to an 8-3 season and an appearance in the Patriot League Championship.
Wagner begins its five-game home slate on September 15 with its first of seven consecutive NEC contests when the nearby Hawks of Monmouth come knocking. Following a trip to the Nutmeg State to meet Central Connecticut St. (September 22), the Seahawks entertain Bryant (September 29) on Family Weekend. The first weekend of October features a clash at Sacred Heart (October 6). Following a bye, the Seahawks swing back into action with the long trek to Western Pennsylvania to meet Saint Francis (PA) (October 20).
The following week is Homecoming Day (October 27), as Robert Morris makes the East-bound sojourn from Pittsburgh, PA, to meet the Seahawks in what is sure to be a festive day on Grymes Hill, a day when Wagner will also unveil its annual Hall of Fame Class. The final road game of the season takes place in New York's Capital City when Wagner meets perennial NEC linchpin and defending league champion Albany (November 3).
The 2012 regular season concludes with consecutive home games, the first of which marks the first-ever meeting (November 10) between Wagner and Holy Cross. Like Wagner, the Crusaders ended the 2011 season on an uptick, capturing its final two games to forge a winning season at 6-5. The always emotional Senior Day contest will feature a battle with Duquesne (Nov. 17), a team that posted the best overall record of any NEC team last season at 9-2.
For the third consecutive season, the NEC champion will take part in the 20-team NCAA FCS Playoffs.
For ticket information to home games at Wagner College Stadium, log on to wagnerathletics.com or call the ticket office at 718-420-4039.
2012 Schedule
Day Date Opponent
Fri. August 31 at Florida Atlantic
Sat. September 8 at Georgetown
Sat. September 15 Monmouth*
Sat. September 22 at Central Connecticut State*
Sat. September 29 Bryant* (Family Weekend)
Sat. October 6 at Sacred Heart*
Sat. October 13 Bye
Sat. October 20 at Saint Francis (PA)*
Sat. October 27 Robert Morris* (Homecoming)
Sat. November 3 at Albany*
Sat. November 10 Holy Cross
Sat. November 17 Duquesne* (Senior Day)
*Northeast Conference Game
(Game times to be announced at a later date)
