Football | 12/19/2023 9:20:03 AM
SUNY Cortland football head coach Curt Fitzpatrick was named the 2023 D3football.com Coach of the Year. He becomes the second Empire 8 football coach to earn National Coach of the Year honors, joining Jason Mangone of SUNY Brockport, who was the 2017 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coach of the Year.
Fitzpatrick led the Red Dragons to their first NCAA Division III National Championship, which was also the first national championship won by any Empire 8 team and first football title by any New York State program since 1991. The Red Dragons finshed the season atop both the D3football.com and AFCA Division III National polls for the first time in program history.
Fitzpatrick and Cortland finished 14-1 in 2023, winning the Empire 8 title for the third straight season with a 6-0 league record. The Red Dragons set countless team records in 2023, including points scored (693), scoring average (46.8 points/game), total yards (7,638) and total offense (509.6 yards/game). Cortland led all of Division III with 368 first downs and was sixth nationally in total yards per game and eighth in points scored per game. Cortland out-scored its opponents, 693-296 this season.
After finishing 9-1 in the regular season, the Red Dragons defeated Endicott (23-17), Grove City (25-24) and Alma (58-41) in NCAA play before a 49-14 win over Randolph-Macon (VA) in the national semifinals. In the Grove City contest on Nov. 25, Cortland trailed 24-17 late in the fourth quarter before scoring a touchdown with 1:23 remaining. Fitzpatrick and the Red Dragons made the decision to go for a 2-point conversion and converted to take the 25-24 lead and hang on for the win.
On Dec. 15, Cortland beat then No. 1 North Central College (IL), 38-37 in Stagg Bowl 50 to claim the national title. All-American quarterback Zac Boyes was named Stagg Bowl Most Outstanding Player, throwing for 349 yards and five TDs, while rushing for 123 more yards. All-American wide receiver Cole Burgess caught 11 passes for 134 yards and a pair of scores.
In its final three contests against Alma, Randolph-Macon and North Central, Cortland averaged 48.3 points, 531.3 yards of total offense and did not turn the ball over once. Boyes was 73-of-97 passing for 1,028 yards, 13 TD and 0 interceptions in those contests, while Burgess caught 28 passes for 395 yards and six scores.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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