Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College football team will begin defense of its 2012 Northeast Conference (NEC) title when Spring Practice commences on Friday, March 22 and concludes with the annual Green & White Spring Game on Saturday, April 20.
The 2012 season orchestrated by the Seahawks was extraordinary on many levels, one that featured a nine-game winning streak, the school's first Northeast Conference (NEC) Football Title, a 31-20 NCAA FCS Playoff win over No. 24 Colgate, followed by a gallant effort in a 29-19 defeat at No. 4 Eastern Washington.
Wagner finished the campaign with a 9-4 record, highlighted by a 7-1 NEC mark that featured a
rousing 30-0 win at No. No.18 Albany, a score that made all followers and fans of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) take notice. Following the magical season, the Seahawks became the first NEC team ever ranked in the Top 25 of both major FCS polls, finishing 21
st in
The Sports Network Poll and 22
nd in the FCS Coaches Poll.
Head Coach
Walt Hameline who will bring a 213-127-2 (.626) record into his 33
rd season this fall, was named the 2012 FCS National Coach of the Year by the
College Football News and the
College Sports Journal. He was also named the 2012 NEC Coach of the Year, in addition to being
inducted into the New Jersey Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame .
Highlighting the Seahawk returnees in 2013 will be fifth-year senior running back
Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Milford Academy). The strong, agile 5-9, 205-pounder rushed for 1,228 yards last season, placing him seventh on the school's all-time single-season list, just 10 yards behind the sixth-highest mark of 1,338 that he gained in 2011.
A First-Team All-NEC choice last season, Williams was also one of five running backs named to the 2012
College Sports Journal All-America Team. He was also the only NEC player named to the 2012 CSJ All-America Team
. His 105.6 yards per game in 2012 rushing ranked third in the NEC through the end of the regular season, as did his 133.3 all-purpose yards per game. Nationally, Williams' 102.54-yard average (NCAA computes stats based on entire season) ranked 25th.
Williams will enter the 2013 season with 3,308 career rushing yards, which ranks fourth in the Seahawk all-time annals. The three people ahead of Williams on the Wagner all-time rushing list are Rick Sarille, the No. 1 all-time rusher with 5,290 yards, followed by Terry Underwood, who gained 5,010 yards from 1985-88, and Alonzo Patterson, who rumbled for 4,177 yards from 1979-1982. Williams is also fifth in all-time scoring with 234 career points.
There will be several key position battles beginning in spring practice, including the competition to determine who will replace the record-setting and rock-solid
Nick Doscher, a two-time All-NEC choice and a fixture behind center as the Seahawks' starting QB the past four years. The quarterback candidates are many and led by senior
Kramer Berg (Plymouth, MN / Wayzata/ Rochester Community & Technical) , redshirt-junior
Matt Misley (Park Ridge, NJ/ Park Ridge) and redshirt freshman
Chris Andrews (Queens, NY/ St. Joseph's (NJ)/Valley Forge (PA).
Tom Masella, the former standout Wagner defensive back ('81) and two-time NEC Champion head coach at Central Connecticut, has added the duties of offensive coordinator to his responsibilities as assistant head/ QB coach. Masella will inherit eight starters on the offensive side of the ball.
Returning at defensive coordinator
Malik Hall, regarded by many as one of the bright, young minds in the game, guided an attacking, aggressive defense that was ranked No. 1 in the NEC in 2012. Wagner returns five starters on this side of the ball. Junior
cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard/ Purdue) returns and will anchor the secondaryafter earning First-Team All-NEC honors last season. An emerging star on the Seahawk defense is sophomore
Daevonte Barnett (Riviera Beach, FL/ J.T. Dwyer) who earned
CSJ Freshman All-American honors after recording 34 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
The Seahawks are also excited that placekicker
David Lopez, second-team All-NEC selection in 2010, will return as a fifth-year senior. Another special teams weapon returning his lightning-fast junior
Otis Wright (Fort Lauderdale, FL/ Dillard) who ranked ninth nationally in kickoff return yards (27.71) and
was ranked First-Team All-NEC, in addition to rushing for 322 yards.
Practices are open to the public and guests should contact Operations Director
Bill Cole at 718-420--4511 in the football office for specific practice times and dates as they are subject to change.
Wagner will kick off the 2013 season on Saturday, August 31 when the Seahawks host Georgetown.
2013 Spring Practice Schedule
Date ` Time Venue
Spring Practice #1 Friday, March 22 8:00 am-10:45 am Hameline Field
Spring Practice #2 Saturday, March 23 12:30-3:30 pm Hameline Field
Spring Practice #3 Monday, March 25 8:00 am-10:45 am Grass Field
Spring Practice #4 Tuesday, March 26 1:00 pm-3:30 pm Hameline Field
Spring Practice #5
Wednesday, March 27 (Scrimmage) 8:00 am-10:45 am Grass Practice Field
Spring Practice #6 Monday, April 1 8:30 am-2:00 pm Hameline Field
Spring Practice #7 Wednesday, April 3 8:00 am-10:45 am Grass Practice Field
Spring Practice #8 Friday, April 5 (Scrimmage) 8:30 am-10:30 am Hameline Field
Spring Practice #9 Wednesday, April 10 8:00 am-10:45 am Grass Practice Field
Spring Practice #10 Friday, April 12 8:00 am-10:45 am Hameline Field
Spring Practice #11 Saturday, April 13 (Scrimmage) 10:00 am-12:00 pm Grass Practice Field
Spring Practice #12 Monday, April 15 8:00 am-10:45 am Grass Practice Field
Spring Practice #13 Wednesday, April 17 8:00 am-10:45 am Grass Practice Field
Spring Practice #14 Friday, April 19 12:00 pm-2:45 am Hameline Field
GREEN & WHITE GAME Saturday, April 20 TBD Hameline Field
