About Football
Over the past 20 seasons, DelVal Football has established its self as one of the premier college football programs in the country, winning over 80-percent of its games and boasting a 190-43 record over that span. The Aggies have been crowned champions of the Middle Atlantic Conference 12 times in the last 20 seasons with its active title streak reaching six in a row, spanning from 2017-2023. There was no MAC football in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The resume also includes three Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championships, two MAC-Centennial Bowl Series titles, nine trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs including five quarterfinal (elite eight) appearances.
The program's turnaround began in 2003 with head coach G.A. Mangus at the helm and DelVal Hall of Fame quarterback Adam Knoblach under center. After a nine-win season in '03, the Aggies won the conference in 2004 and became the first team at DelVal to reach the NCAA playoffs. That team set a program record for wins with 12 and advanced to the elite eight for the first time. They made their second-straight elite eight appearance in 2005 and again posted a 12-1 record.
Knoblauch was the MAC and ECAC Offensive Player in the Year, an All-American and a Division III National Player of the Year finalist in 2005. Knoblauch became just the sixth quarterback in NCAA history (all levels) to pass for 10,000 yards (11,284) and rush for 1,000 yards (1,549) in a career. His 12,833 yards of total offense ranked second in Division III history.
In 2004, linebacker Andrew Erby became the first player to be named MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Mangus was named the league's Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2004.
Jim Clements took the torch in 2006 and continued the tradition of success. As head coach, Clements led the program to four consecutive MAC Championships from 2008-2011 and brought the program back to the NCAA Playoffs in ‘09, ’10 and '11. The Aggies became one of just four schools in conference history to win four-straight MAC Championships. In 2008, the squad upset the No. 3 and 6 teams in the nation during the regular season and shared the conference crown.
During Clements' run, the Aggies earned nine MAC Of the Year awards. Hall of Fame quarterback Mike Isgro won Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and fellow Hall of Famer, running back Matt Cook, took home the honor in 2010. Offensive lineman John Lavelle and quarterback Aaron Wilmer claimed Rookie of the Year awards in 2009 and 2011, respectively. Hall of Fame linebacker Kyle Gesswein became the second player to earn Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and defended the honor the next season in '10. Clements was named the Coach of the Year three times.
Duke Greco, a 2003 graduate of DelVal, was the offensive coordinator under Clements and was a key to the Aggies continued success. He took over as head coach in 2014 and currently owns a 91-15 (.858) overall record. In 2023 he earned his fourth Coach of the Year award, becoming the first coach in program history to do so. Greco's long time assistants include Nick Brady '05 as assistant head coach/defensive coordinator, Greg Fedick as offensive line coach/director of football operations/academic coordinator, Mike Isgro as special teams coordinator/running backs coach/recruiting coordinator and Roger Wright as defensive backs coach/video coordinator. A host of other long time assistants are key contributors to the tradition of winning.
In Greco's first season, senior wide receiver Rasheed Bailey set numerous school records and led Division III in multiple categories after an 80-reception, 1,707-yard, 19-touchdown season. He was named to three separate All-American teams, was the MAC Offensive Player and Maxwell Club Tri-State Player of the Year, and was even featured in Sports Illustrated. Bailey then signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL), the first Aggie to get an NFL look since 1993. He was a member of the Eagles, the Jacksonville Jaquars, the San Diego Chargers and the Carolina Panthers before signing a deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League (CFL). With the Bombers, Bailey became a key contributor and helped the team to back-to-back Grey Cup championships in 2019 and 2021 and four-straight Grey Cup appearances. In four seasons in the CFL, Bailey has 180 receptions, 2,072 yards and 20 touchdowns in 58 games played.
Bailey and Greco each were recognized with Maxwell Football Club awards, one of the oldest and most prestigious football honors in the country. Grego was the tri-state Coach of the Year and Bailey was the tri-state Player of the Year.
The current run of six MAC Championship seasons from 2017-2023 has featured 12 MAC Of the Year recipients. Along with Greco's four Coach of the Year awards, running backs Devauntay Ellis and Donte Simmons took home Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2017 and 2021, respectively. Defensive end Michael Nobile became the first student-athlete to win three Defensive Player of the Year honors ('18, ‘19, ’22) and was named the conference Rookie of the Year in 2018. Linebackers Anthony Tedesco and Anthony Puntolillo helped keep the Defensive Player of the Year title in Doylestown for five straight seasons by earning the honor in 2021 and 2023.
The Aggies reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 2017, 2019 and 2022. They tied the program record for victories in both ‘17 and ’22 with 12-1 marks. They hosted three NCAA Playoff games both seasons. In 2019, the team won two NCAA playoff games on the road before flying to the outskirts of Chicago and battling eventual national champion North Central College. The 2022 team hosted Mount Union for the elite eight round, but fell to the eventual national runner-up.
The team's identity has become its nationally-ranked defense led by Nick Brady and Roger Wright. Brady was named the Division III Coordinator of the Year by FootballScoop in 2021 and was a finalist in 2022. The 2021 unit finished number one in the nation in nine different categories including rush defense, pass defense, total defense, and scoring defense. To boot, Brady's squad finished inside the top three in another three categories and top-10 in another two. They permitted just 126.8 yards per game and 6.8 points per game. In 2022, they once again led the country in total defense with 193.2 yards per game against and finished fourth in points allowed at 9.2 per game. Individually, Michael Nobile was named the national Defensive Player of the Year by D3football.com and three players earned All-American.
