Sept. 5, 2003
Endicott College - 1994 was an historic year for Endicott College. The small, 700-student women's college on Massachusetts Bay began admitting men for the first time since its founding in 1939. In addition, the two-year curriculum was phased out in favor of 4-year programs, and the college's 10-sport athletic department joined the NCAA, Division III. That was just the beginning!
Fast forward to 2003. Classes start on September 5th for over 1600 undergraduates and the athletic department will unveil its 18th sport on September 6th -- football. Nestled between the men's soccer game at 11am and the women's soccer game at 7pm, the Endicott gridders will take on Worcester Polytech at 2:30pm. In just its second season of existence and first full varsity season, the football team expects over 90 players to report for pre-season training camp on August 20. The roster includes two Globe All-Scholastics: Gerard Festa (Lynn, MA/St. Mary's HS), Massachusetts' leading scorer in 2002, and Tim Boyd (Rockland, MA/So. Shore Voc), the Division VII Player-of-the-Year. North Shore standouts include Jay Munroe from Beverly and Dan O'Connor from Gloucester.
The athletic triple-header will be played on the latest of Endicott's new facilities: The Multi-Purpose Stadium. It seats 2,200 spectators and features Field Turf ®, the leader in the synthetic grass industry. Athletic Director, Larry Hiser, commented that, "Endicott is an amazing place! We have had explosive, yet methodical growth that has really placed us among the elite in New England." Endicott's new stadium, along with the 4-year-old Post Center, provide Endicott College with athletic facilities that lead the region in design and usefulness. Hiser added, "The separation of the MacDonald Gym and the field house, along with the synthetic grass in the stadium, helps us maximize the use of limited space for all our students, not only the athletes."
President Richard E. Wylie reported that the Trustees welcomed the opportunity to include football in the athletic offerings. According to Dr. Wylie, "It is yet another dimension in meeting the needs of our students and alumni."
Located in Beverly, Massachusetts on two hundred and forty-four acres of oceanfront property, Endicott College offers Master, Bachelor and Associate degree programs. All programs integrate professional and liberal studies through internships. There are over 2,500 students enrolled at the College.