Caldwell University Adds Sprint Football To Its Sports Program

Caldwell, NJ – Caldwell now has a sprint football team.

On Wednesday, Caldwell University announced that it added sprint football to its sports program, increasing its varsity sports opportunities to 16.

Sprint football is a full-contact, intercollegiate, varsity sport and has the same rules as regular college football, except that all players must weigh 172 pounds or less, school administrators explained in a news release.

The Cougars will compete in the Collegiate Sprint Football League, which will now include 10 teams.

According to a news release from the university, the Cougars will hire a full-time sprint football coach in the summer of 2016 and begin their first season in the fall of 2017.

The Cougars will join the nine members of the CSFL: Army West Point, Chestnut Hill College, Cornell University, Franklin Pierce University, Mansfield University, the U.S. Naval Academy, Post University, Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania.

“Sprint football will increase the vitality of the student life experience at Caldwell and create an opportunity for the local community to become more involved with the university, our events and our students,” Caldwell University President Nancy Blattner stated. “Personally, I am thrilled with this addition to our sports offerings and look forward to our first game in the fall of 2017.”

According to a school news release, sprint football was created in 1934 by University of Pennsylvania president Thomas Sovereign Gates, who wanted to give smaller athletes a chance to play the sport. Michigan, Rutgers and Villanova once fielded sprint teams but have discontinued their programs. Penn and Princeton are the remaining original members from the league’s inception in 1934.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Caldwell University to the Collegiate Sprint Football League and we are excited about the future of our league,” said CSFL Commissioner Matthew Munnelly. “Caldwell University will be a great representative for the state of New Jersey. We look forward to a long and flourishing relationship.”

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