Raider Great Videos

"The formative years of Shippensburg University football featured a great deal of prosperity – with Harry Newsham Bentz’s 14-3 recor during the 1924-25 seasons being among the signature achievements in early Red Raider history.

However, the Red Raiders began their first truly prosperous run in the mid-1930s under legendary coach Ed Gulian. After a 1-6 debut season in 1933, Gulian championed the Red Raiders all the way through the 1946 season following the students’ return from World War II, fashion- ing a career record of 47-28-8.

While Gulian’s 47 total wins may seem like a small number given his 11 seasons as a head coach, it’s a strong accomplishment given the fact sea- sons typically averaged just eight total games in his era. In fact, Gulian’s 47 career victories are the second-most by any coach in SU football history, trailing only Rocky Rees.

Gulian never coached an undefeated team, but his 1935 and 1936 teams both went 7-1 and were among the best ever fielded by the Red Raiders. They were captained each year by Brower Pernet – an SU hall of famer who thrived at the end position. Pernet was the last player to serve as team captain for two consecutive seasons until Tim Ebersole and Rich Pryor in 1981 and 1982 and Dave Szlahetka in 1985 and 1986.

Pernet was a senior in 1936 and the Red Raiders were as stingy as can be on defense. In Pernet’s two seasons as captain, Shippensburg allowed just 34 points in 16 games and posted 12 shutouts.

In an age when 60-minute men were the rule rather than the exception, the 1936 squad set a school record for fewest points allowed, a minis- cule 15, and posted shutouts in six of its eight games.

Shippensburg mowed through the opposition and didn’t allow a point in its first five games of the season, defeating Wilson (now known as UDC), Kutztown, ESU, Cal and Bloomsburg and compiling a 134-0 scoring margin in the process. In its next two games, SU defeated Mill- ersville, 19-6, and IUP, 14-0.

Unfortunately, SU narrowly missed a conference title and an undefeated year when Lock Haven handed the Red Raiders a 9-7 road defeat in the season finale. But when all was said and done, the Red Raiders out- scored the opposition by a 74-15 margin – a feat that will stand the test of time in SU’s history"

"The “Golden Age” of Shippensburg football had many memorable seasons under legendary coach Vinton Rambo. The 1953 squad, w was led by Associated Press Little All-American tackle Robert “Tiny” Adams, was the first team in the history of college football to lead the nation in total defense, pass defense and rushing defense in the same

season. Other teams had led in total defense and either passing or rush- ing defense, but never all three.

The squad, captained by Ray Ellis and Chuck Burnheimer, demolished every opponent in its path en route to an 8-0 season. Ellis eventu-

ally became the namesake for the football team’s treasured “Fighting Heart” award. After a 24-14 season-opening win over Lock Haven, Shippensburg won its next three games by a combined 119-0 margin. The Red Raiders then defeated Slippery Rock on the road, 20-14, before a 65-0 rout of Millersville, a 20-7 road win over Cheyney and a 52-0 whitewashing of Bridgewater.

Adams was the first football player in Shippensburg history to earn first team AP All-America honors. He used his strength to dominate the line of scrimmage, helping set school records for fewest yards allowed per game (81.9) and fewest yards per play. Among his most famous exploits that season was a punt in which he blocked his man into the flight of the kick and subsequently the punter.

Burnheimer was a lineman, playing tackle on both offense and defense. In 1953 he was second team All-Conference again and he was one of only three Shippensburg players to earn All-Pennsylvania honorable mention recognition. The All-Pennsylvania team consisted mainly

of major college players and it was difficult for players from smaller schools to gain those accolades.

Hall of famer Spencer Keyes was the leading rusher and scorer on the squad with 66 carries for 588 yards and nine touchdowns. He passed for two more touchdowns and also set the schoo record for most kick returns for touchdowns (two punts, one kickoff )"

"In his first season at the helm of the Red Raiders, head coach Joe Mark guided the Shippensburg University football team to the PSAC West- ern Division championship and a split of the PSAC crown after tying East Stroudsburg in the State Game, 14-14. It was Shippensburg’s first conference championship in 19 years.

After starting the season with a tough loss to West Liberty State, Shippensburg rattled off seven consecutive victories, including a 21-0 road shutout of IUP, a 10-3 home win over Slippery Rock, and a 7-0 road victory at Lock Haven. Rounding out October, SU crushed Cali- fornia 58-0 and then defeated Edinboro, 28-24.

Shippensburg shared the best record in the Western Division with Slippery Rock but the Red Raiders were selected to compete in the State Game by virtue of their head-to-head victory in Week 5. Rushing touchdowns by Fred Glasgow and Rene Posey were the only scores for Shippensburg, but the tie prevented East Stroudsburg from matching Shippensburg’s all-time PSAC record for consecutive victories set in 1954 (20).

Several players produced memorable seasons. Glasgow, one of four fu- ture SU hall of famers on the 1976 squad, led the team in rushing with 220 carries for 990 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was an AP honorable mention Little All-America selection.

Wide receiver Averell Harris led the team with 31 receptions and 439 receiving yards – earning honorable mention All-America honors in addition to being a first team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division player.

Quarterback Scott Knudson had one of the most remarkable success stories in the history of Red Raider football. Knudson was the third- string quarterback entering the season but became the starter as a sophomore after the first two quarterbacks were injured within a week. Knudson finished the season as the team’s leader in total offense with 74 completions in 137 attempts for 1,030 yards and five touchdowns.

Defensively, senior co-captain Tony Winter led the team with over 150 tackles. He set school records for the most tackles in a single game (27 in a road loss to Clarion) and career tackles with 387. Winter won the 1976 Ray Ellis Fighting Heart Award and was also the team’s Most Valuable Player. He was a first team All-Pennsylvania Conference choic for All-American."

"Shippensburg was the only team in the country to finish the 1981 regular season with an 11-0 record. The Red Raiders were named t ECAC Division II Team of the Year and won the Lambert Cup for be- ing the top Division I-AA or Division II team in the East. SU defeated Millersville 34-17 in the State Game and advanced to the NCAA playoffs for the first time in school history.

In the national quarterfinals, SU achieved a 40-27 victory over Virginia Union before 12,000 fans at Richmond’s City Stadium. Virginia Union entered the game ranked second in the country in total defense. The Red Raiders then hosted North Dakota State in the national semifinals before a capacity crowd at Seth Grove Stadium but lost, 18-6.

Among national rankings, SU finished seventh in the nation in total offense by averaging 394.8 yards per game. The Red Raiders also ranked 11th in the nation for rushing offense after averaging 223.5 yards per game. Eight players received All-PSAC designations.

Quarterback Tim Ebersole was named the ECAC Division II Player of the Year after ranking third in the nation for passing efficiency and 10th in total offense. He also set a school record with 20 touchdown passes that season.

Senior lineman Dave Calvario received the Vinton Rambo Award and was a third-time AP College Division All-American. Ebersole and defensive end Ed Brown received AP honorable mention.

Head coach Vito Ragazzo was the Pennsylvania Conference Coach of the Year, Kodak College Division Coach of the Year (as selected by the AFCA) and the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year for the Chevro- let Scholar program (as selected by ABC television – who broadcasted the national semifinal).

Seven players earned All-PSAC Western Division accolades. The First- Team picks were Brown, Calvario and Ebersole. Five players earned Second Team accolades: linemen Greg Keller and Fran Masciantonio, wide receiver Ed Noon, running back Dave Friese and defensive back Chuck Beans.

Noon teamed with Ebersole to form a potent passing threat - he caught 46 passes for 816 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those totals do not include the 10 receptions for 221 yards that he totaled in the to NCAA playoff games. He added 199 rushing yards and a touchdown to rank second on the team behind Friese with 1,015 all-purpose yards. At the conclusion of the season, Ebersole and Noon shared the team's ""Most Valuable Player"" award"

Despite finishing second in the PSAC Western Division, the 1991 Red Raiders still earned the opportunity to play in the NCAA Division

II tournament after a 9-2 regular season that was capped off with Jeff Fickes’s blocked field goal to preserve an exhilarating 31-30 victory over New Haven.

The Red Raiders opened the season with five consecutive victories, in- cluding a win in the season opener over NAIA tournament team Shep- herd and a 44-35 comeback over Kutztown in which the Red Raiders trailed 35-14 at halftime. The only two losses of the regular season came against IUP (week 6) and Clarion (week 8).

In the opening round of the playoffs, SU traveled to face East Strouds- burg – the Eastern Division champions. The teams were tied 27-27 af- ter regulation. The Red Raiders scored first in overtime to take a 34-27 lead after a Winston Horshaw touchdown and a Howie Guarini extra point. ESU countered with a touchdown but George Strish blocked the extra point to give SU the win – marking the second straight week that Shippensburg had clinched a victory with a blocked kick.

The season ended in the next round with a loss at Indiana (Pa.) – the eventual national semifinalists.

Horshaw led the nation in kickoff return average, totaling 536 yards on 15 returns (35.6 yards per return). Fickes, an AP All-America First Team selection, led the nation in interceptions with 12 through 11

games - setting new school records for a single season and a career (21). Both men received All-ECAC First Team honors.

Four other men received All-ECAC honors. Linebacker Ken Pickett set a school record with 182 tackles during the season. He also earned AP All-America Second Team honors. Defensive lineman and future NFL standout Rob Davis tied the school record with 10 sacks in a season and led the defensive line with 90 tackles.

Bill Pettyjohn broke the single season school record for rushing with 1,101 yards – he added an additional 181 yards in two touchdowns in the NCAA playoffs. Tad Pribula led the team in receiving despite

missing two games with an injury. He had 48 receptions for 675 yards

and four touchdowns."

For the first time in 13 years, the SU football team advanced into the NCAA playoffs after a memorable and historic regular season. The 2004 season began with five consecutive victories, had one hiccup in the middle at IUP, and finished with six more victories. SU was ranked as highly as No. 9 in Division II and won its first share of the PSAC Western Division crown since 1988.

SU had an overwhelming 15 All-PSAC Western Division selections – including nine of the team’s 11 starters on defense – contribute to a squad that hosted a NCAA playoff game for the first time in 23 years and appear in the postseason for the third consecutive decade.

Shippensburg, backed by AFCA First Team All-America fullback John Kuhn, set a new school record with 3,112 rushing yards during the season. It was the first time in school history that SU had totaled more than 3,000 rushing yards in one season.

Kuhn completed his career owning 21 school records and four confer- ence records, totaling 910 rushes, 4,685 rushing yards, 53 touchdowns and 23 games with at least 100 yards on the ground. In 2004, Kuhn ran for 1,487 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.

The defense, coached by former Red Raider All-American Mark “Mac” Maciejewski, was one of the best the school has ever produced. SU held seven opponents under 100 yards rushing and only yielded two 100 yard rushers all season. Opponents averaged just 13.6 points per game against Shippensburg, totaled 25 interceptions and recorded 28 sacks.

Among the group was standout All-PSAC West First Team defensive back Brent Grimes, who intercepted seven passes and recorded 12 pass breakups, and Gene Upshaw Lineman of the Year finalist Ryan Hoff- man, who recorded 4.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss.

Several players also earned All-Region honors from Don Hansen's Football Gazette, including Kuhn, Grimes, safety Mike Street, line- backer Dan Walsh and offensive lineman Chris Leavenworth, who achieved honorable mention All-America honors from the publication.

The 2004 squad, which totaled 391 points and 4,882 yards from scrim- mage, capped off a memorable four-year run in which the Red Raiders went 32-13 to compile a winning percentage of .711. The 32 victories set a new school record for the most victories in any four-year stretch."

Shippensburg earned its first outright divisional championship and first overall conference championship in 28 years, beating three ranked op- ponents along the way: No. 3 Bloomsburg, No. 15 Edinboro and No. 18 California (Pa.). Two of those games were on the road.

The Red Raider Wing-T was dominant, ranking first in the conference with an average time of possession at 32:40 per game and ranking third in the conference with an average of 182.2 rushing yards per game. SU also led the conference with a total of 510 rushes from scrimmage.

Shippensburg scored at least 21 points in all 12 games, a feat never before achieved in 105 seasons of organized football at the university. The Red Raiders also came within six points of a new record for points scored in a season, finishing the year with 393 points (32.8 per game), and within one touchdown of tying the school record for the most touchdowns scored in one season (53 in 1999).

The season ended earlier than the Red Raiders had hoped, however, los- ing a 26-21 game to California (Pa.) in the NCAA Division II Second Round. SU had earlier defeated Cal in the State Game, 42-35.

Senior quarterback Chad DiFebbo finished his Red Raider career with the school record for passing touchdowns in a season (27) and total touchdowns in a season (29) while throwing at least one touchdown pass in 22 of his 23 career starts.

Senior split end Mike Harris concluded his tenure at Shippensburg as an AFCA All-American and just the 14th player in PSAC history to compile 3,000 receiving yards (197 career receptions, 3,000 career receiving yards). He finished his career with the school record for the most career games with a touchdown reception (20), breaking Ed Noon’s mark.

Another senior, Kyler Ford, set school records for career punts (245), career punting yards (9,768), points by a kicker in one season (77) and successful extra points by a kicker in one season (47). He was among the nation’s top five punters in terms of net average and competed with Harris in the Valero Cactus Bowl.

In all, Shippensburg averaged 32.8 points per game and ranked among the PSAC’s Top 5 teams in 23 statistical categories. Nine players earned All-PSAC credentials."

Mark ‘Mac’ Maciejewski, an All-American defensive lineman with the Red Raiders in the late 1980s and early 1990s, whipped up much fervor in his first seasons as the head coach of his alma mater during the early 2010s. In his first two seasons, Mac guided Shippensburg to an 18-6 record – including a historic 11-2 run in 2012. SU posted its second-highest win total in school history and won its first NCAA postseason game since 1991 while being the only PSAC team to post an undefeated 7-0 divisional record en route to an Eastern Division title. Along the way, the Red Raiders broke or tied 73 school records, scoring 609 points and 83 touchdowns en route to 6,889 yards of total offense. SU led the nation in total offense (529.92) and ranked second in scor-ing offense by averaging 46.8 points per game. As the No. 4 seed in Super Region One, Shippensburg earned the right to host No. 5 seed Bloomsburg in the opening round of the playoffs and defeated the Huskies, 58-20. SU’s season ended in the second round at the hands of No. 1 seed Winston-Salem State – who reached the national championship game. Eleven players earned All-PSAC accolades (eight First Team picks, three Second Team picks) – six of whom doubled up as Daktronics All-Super Region 1 performers. Highlighting the group was junior Zach Zulli, the PSAC Eastern Division Offensive Player of the Year, Dak-tronics All-Super Region 1 Offensive Player of the Year and Harlon Hill Trophy Winner, who led all divisions of college football with 54 touchdown passes and 4,747 passing yards – tying the NCAA single-season record for touchdown passes in a season while breaking NCAA single-season records for points responsible for in a season (344) and touchdowns responsible for in a season (57). ‘Mac’ was named the 2012 PSAC Eastern Division Coach of the Year and 2012 AFCA D-II Region 1 Coach of the Year and was also selected as one of five finalists for the 2012 Liberty Mutual D-II Coach of the Year award. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was hired away from Shippensburg in the offseason to serve in the same role at another school – Oklahoma State. Zulli and junior defensive end Jake Metz were named to the 2012 Associated Press (AP) Little All-America Teams, with Zulli the First Team quarterback and Metz a Second Team defensive lineman. The two Red Raiders are the first SU players honored by the AP since Brent Grimes was chosen as a First Team defensive back in 2005.

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Shippensburg University football head coach Mark 'Mac' Maciejewski '92/'96M was named the 2017 AFCA Division II Region 1 Coach of the Year on Tuesday morning – his second national coaching honor – after guiding the Red Raiders to a 10-2 record and the opening round of the NCAA playoffs.

Maciejewski, in his seventh year at the helm, instructed Shippensburg University Football to its fifth 10-win season in school history and first NCAA playoff berth in five years. The 2017 NCAA First Round berth for the Red Raiders is the sixth NCAA postseason appearance in school history.

Shippensburg leads the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in numerous statistical categories, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Red Raiders pace the conference in scoring defense, total defense, and third-down defense in addition to other categories. SU committed the fewest turnovers (13) of any PSAC team in 2017 and ranks second nationally with a +16 turnover margin.

Additionally, Shippensburg ranks among the Top 10 Division II teams in nine defensive categories, including the No. 1-ranked red-zone defense (.556) in the nation, the No. 3 scoring defense (13.0) and the No. 4 total defense (268.8).

This is the second time that Maciejewski has been named AFCA Division II Region 1 Coach of the Year, accompanying his first honor he received in 2012. Maciejewski is also a two-time PSAC Eastern Division Coach of the Year (2012, 2017).

1897 - 4-0 Coach C.E. Barton

1920 - 6-2 Coach Seth Grove

1925 - 8-1 Coach Harry Newsham Bentz

1935 - 7-1 Coach Ed Gulian

1952 7-0 Coach Vinton Rambo

1957 6-0-1 Coach Jack Roddick

1978 - 7-3 Coach Joe Mark

1988 6-4 Coach Joe Bottiglieri

2001 - 8-3 Coach Rocky Reese

2013 - 7-4 Coach Mark Maciejewski

2021 - 9-2 Coach Mark Maciejewski