Chestnut Hill College announces its official acceptance into the Collegiate Sprint Football League, joining the ranks of prestigious Ivy League universities and military academies that play football for the love of the game, beginning in fall 2015.
“This is an exciting new venture for the Griffins,” said Chestnut Hill College president Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, Ph.D., a vocal supporter of the school’s traditionally untraditional student offerings. “I’m thrilled at the promise sprint football holds for Chestnut Hill College—to attract talented student-athletes, to support the College’s recruitment and retention efforts on all levels, and to bring a new vitality to an already-energized campus.”
Football in its Purest Form
A lesser-known brand of football organized under the Collegiate Sprint Football League, sprint football dates back to before World War II. A full-contact, intercollegiate, non-NCAA varsity sport, the game has the same rules as NCAA D1 collegiate football, but allows for a 65-player roster and observes a weight limit of 172 pounds or less, evening the playing field.
As the ninth team to join the league, Chestnut Hill College finds itself in good company alongside competing Ivy League institutions including Cornell University, Princeton University, and the University of Pennsylvania; service schools including West Point and the Naval Academy; a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rival, Post University; and Franklin Pierce University and Mansfield University.
“We’re excited to welcome Chestnut Hill College into the league, and to grow the sport of sprint football,” said Gene McIntyre, Collegiate Sprint Football League commissioner and associate athletic director at Army. “This league is comprised of true student-athletes, equally dedicated to school and sport, and Chestnut Hill College will help us carry on a longstanding tradition of football for all the right reasons.”
A History of Student-Athlete Success
In 2007, Chestnut Hill College was elevated to an NCAA Division II institution, gaining acceptance into the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. Since then, the Griffins have proven to be exemplary student-athletes, garnering the College back-to-back Division II Presidents’ Awards for Academic Excellence, recognition from the East Coast Conference as a Team of Academic Excellence, and various individual academic accolades from the NCAA, CACC, ECC, Intercollegiate Tennis Association, and the DII Athletic Directors’ Association.
“Historically, our student-athletes are our most successful students—the most engaged, and the highest-performing in terms of GPA,” said Lynn Tubman, Chestnut Hill College director of athletics and recreation. “The decision to add sprint football supports our mission of providing an all-around enriching environment for students. We can already feel the enthusiasm building among our current students and alumni.” Beyond enhancing intercollegiate offerings and building a spirited social culture, Tubman noted positive implications for enrollment, and for cultivating an increasingly active young alumni base.
Griffins Gear Up
In advance of its inaugural sprint football season, set for mid-September 2015, Chestnut Hill College has launched a nationwide search for a head coach and assistant coaching staff.
The College is already in conversations with the Colonial School District regarding use of the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School football stadium, and is exploring its own athletic facility renovations during the course of the 2014-2015 academic year.
Recruitment efforts for sprint football players will begin in earnest this summer. Interested student-athletes are invited to complete and submit a prospective student-athlete questionnaire.
For more information, visit www.GriffinAthletics.com and www.SprintFootball.com.
