THE NEW ENGLAND FOOTBALL CONFERENCE THE HISTORY 1965 - The New England Football Conference is founded by charter members Curry, Bridgewater State and Maine Maritime. 1971 - Plymouth State and New England College become conference members. 1972 - Nichols College and Boston State become conference members. 1972 - New England College suspends football program following ’72 season; Mass. Maritime Academy becomes conference member. 1973 - Framingham State and New Haven become conference members. 1979 - Western Connecticut State becomes conference member. 1981 - Western New England College becomes conference member. 1981 - New Haven leaves conference, moves to Division II. 1981 - Boston State suspends football program following ’81 season. 1982 - Westfield State becomes conference member. 1985 - Fitchburg State and Worcester State become conference members. 1985 - Western Connecticut leaves conference to pursue independent schedule. 1987 - UMass Lowell becomes conference member in 1987, initiating a split into two six-team divisions with divisional winners meeting in championship playoff game. 1988 - UMass Boston and UMass Dartmouth become conference members. 1988 - Western New England leaves conference following ’88 season. 1992 - Plymouth State and UMass Lowell join the Freedom Football Conference; Curry and Nichols join the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference. 1992 - The conference now numbers nine colleges that play a round robin schedule. 1997 - Five new members begin conference play in 1998: Curry, Nichols, MIT, Salve Regina and WNEC. The 14team conference will have two 7-team divisions. 1999 - Bridgewater State (10-0) receives first automatic qualification to NCAA playoffs. 2000 - The first Championship game in the 14-team Conference is scheduled. Wal*Mart agrees to sponsor the game. The Divisions are re-named with the Red being the Bogan Division and the Blue becoming the Boyd Division named after the NEFC’s first two commissioners. Bridgewater State defeats Salve Regina 27-24 for the championship. UMass Boston drops football. 2001 - The Bogan Division plays with only six teams while the Boyd continues with seven. Endicott College begins a football program and is admitted into the Boyd Division beginning with the 2003 season. 2004 - A Most Valuable Player Award is established for the NEFC Championship Game and is named the William Mottola Award in honor of the long-time conference commissioner. 2005 - Plymouth State University and the United States Coast Guard Academy are admitted as members for play beginning in the 2006 season. Plymouth enters the Boyd Division and Coast Guard Academy will compete in the Bogan Division.
2012 NEFC FINAL STANDINGS BOYD DIVISION
BOGAN DIVISION Bogan * # Framingham St. 7-0 Bridgewater State 6-1 Coast Guard 4-3 Mass. Maritime 4-3 Worcester State 4-3 Westfield State 2-5 Fitchburg State 1-6 Maine Maritime 0-7 * Bogan Division Champions # NEFC Champions
Boyd * Salve Regina 6-1 Endicott 6-1 Curry 5-2 Western N.E. 4-3 MIT 4-3 Plymouth State 1-6 Nichols 1-6 UMass-Dartmouth 1-6 * Boyd Division Champions
Overall 10-2 9-2 5-4 5-4 6-4 3-7 2-8 0-9
Overall 9-2 9-2 6-4 6-4 5-4 2-8 1-9 1-9
NEFC WILL HAVE NEW LOOK THIS YEAR The New England Football Conference announced a restructuring of the Conference that will take place this season. The NEFC will function as an eight team league and will retain the NEFC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The realigned NEFC will consist of Curry College, Endicott College, Maine Maritime Academy, MIT, Nichols College, Salve Regina University, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and Western New England. Institutions that are currently members of the multi-sport Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, Massachusetts MaritimeEnament. Academy, The Westfield State NEFC University, Worcester State University) will compete in a newly formed New realigned willand consist of MASCAC football league. Plymouth State University and UMass Dartmouth, two schools that have a playing Curry College, Endicott College, MaineanMaritime relationship with the MASCAC through affiliation agreement between the MASCAC and the Little East Conference, will also join the new league.
Academy, MIT, Nichols College, Salve Regina University, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and www.NewEnglandFootballConference.com Western New England. 14