I fancy myself as one who knows quite a bit about college basketball, particularly when it comes to smaller schools from around the country. I don't know everything, I'm not an encyclopedia (for those of you who know what an encyclopedia is) but I know more than the casual fan. Don't believe me? Let's talk D3 hoops or challenge me on mascots of D1 schools from around the country. But I'll be honest, I know very little about Fairfield. So before we the Gophers play the Fairfield University Stags let's get to know them a bit.
First the cold, hard facts
- A private, Jesuit school located in Fairfield, CT.
- About 3,500 undergad students and 1,200 grad students
- Cost is about $57,000
- During the American Revolutionary War in 1779, the "Battle of Round Hill" took place on the present day Bellarmine Hill on the campus of the university.
- The University regularly earns high rankings for a quality education with the best value, based on academic rating and average cost of attendance.
Athletic Facts
- Originally nicknamed the Men in Red when the school organized a cross country team in 1947.
- The following year the Board chose Stags over Chanticlears (you can bet Coastal Carolina breathed a sigh of relief).
- Stag is a good jumper and is spirited and agile, as Fairfield would like all of its student-athletes to be.
- Consistently the Stags boast one of the highest athletic graduation rates in all of D1.
- During the 2000 football season, Steve Dogmanits recorded 11 interceptions which was one shy of the NCAA record held by Princeton's Dean Cain (yes THAT Dean Cain).
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StagBrag is a blog devoted to Fairfield athletics.
Notable alumni include
- Paul Macarelli, a name you might not recognize but I'll give you a hint..."Can you hear me now?" (you should really watch the link)
- Donatella Arpaia, a regular on The Food Network.
- #Occupy-ers may be protesting outside the homes of E. Gerald Corrigan (chairman at Goldman Sachs), Kathleen Murphy (former CEO of ING, US Wealth Management), Jeff Campbell (former CEO of Burger King) and Christopher McCormick (CEO of L.L. Bean)
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Christian McEvoy, a real life Forest Gump who ran 3,400 miles across the US to raise money for cancer research.
You probably also remember Fairfield University from the hit ABC comedy "Who's the Boss" which was set in Fairfield, Connecticut. And Tony' Danza's character, Tony Micelli was a fictional Fairfield graduate.
This is the kind of research and thoroughness that you get here at TDG, which you won't find at the Pioneer Press or by paying your online subscription fee for the Star Tribune. Actual basketball related info is coming in the OPEN THREAD on Thursday.