Dean College to Join MASCAC in Football in 2025

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Council of Presidents and Commissioner Angela Baumann are excited to announce the addition of Dean College as a football affiliate beginning during the 2025 season.

Dean will join Anna Maria College, Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Plymouth State University, UMass Dartmouth, Vermont State University-Castleton, Western Connecticut, Westfield State University and Worcester State University as football programs in the MASCAC.

“The MASCAC and the Council of Presidents are delighted to welcome Dean College to the conference in football,” MASCAC Council of Presidents Chair and Salem State University President John Keenan said. “It strengthens our conference footprint and the conference brand. We look forward to enhancing student-athlete opportunities.”

“This is a momentous time for the MASCAC as we further solidify our competing teams in the sport of football,” Commissioner Baumann said. “We are excited to welcome a Massachusetts team like Dean to the MASCAC and look forward to the kickoff of a long-term football partnership with us beginning in 2025.”

The Dean College football program is led by 2007 alumnus Andrae Murphy who is in his second year at the helm. The team last won a conference championship in 2019 and played in the New England Bowl. The program, along with the rest of Dean’s athletic teams, officially joined the NCAA in the fall of 2020 as a full member.

“While we have cherished our time in the ECFC,  joining the MASCAC represents a great opportunity for the next phase of our football program,” said Dean College President Kenneth Elmore, J.D. “With its deep-rooted traditions, storied history, and competitive landscape, this is an ideal union for our student-athletes.”

“Dean College is thrilled to become an affiliate member in the MASCAC for the sport of Football,” said Dean College Director of Athletics George Martin. “We would like to thank the MASCAC President’s Council and Commissioner Baumann for the invitation to join this group of outstanding institutions, and we are honored to accept. Beginning in the fall of 2025, our student-athletes will benefit from this new partnership, and we will look forward to joining in the spirited competition this conference has exhibited for many years.”

Dean College is a private, residential New England college grounded in a culture and tradition that all students deserve the opportunity for academic and personal success. A uniquely supportive community for more than 150 years, Dean has woven together extensive student support and engagement with exceptional teaching and innovative campus activities. Our graduates are lifetime learners who thrive in their careers, embrace social responsibility and demonstrate leadership. This is The Dean Difference.

The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, the nation’s oldest Division III men’s and women’s playing conference, has a rich and storied tradition of competitive success while celebrating excellence in the classroom. MASCAC member schools include Bridgewater State University, Fitchburg State University, Framingham State University, MCLA, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Salem State University, Westfield State University and Worcester State University. Two other institutions, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Plymouth State University, are affiliate members of the conference in the sports of football and men’s ice hockey, while Western Connecticut State University joined the conference as a football affiliate member in 2013 and Castleton University in 2024. Springfield College joined as a men’s golf affiliate in 2019. Anna Maria College will join the conference as the ninth core member in 2025.