Published:
By Jeff Meade
The Blue Devils have built a deep bench of achievements and milestones over the years. Among many, we’ve selected 10 great moments that define the Blue Devil legacy and spirit.
Undefeated 1954 football team
Under second-year head coach Henry Majlinger, the Blue Devils went 6-0. Featuring multiple Alumni Athletics Hall of Famers, including captains Ray Rondini and Lou Magoli, the squad was led by a stout defense that was only scored on four times and outscored its opponents, 158-26, in six games.
Cross country’s success story
Through the years, Central cross country has been among the most successful programs. In 1961, the Blue Devils earned a third-place finish at the 1961 NAIA National Championships. The squad featured three All-Americans, including individual national champion, Jim Keefe.
Going Division I
After enjoying decades of success in college athletics, Central began the transition of competing in the NCAA Division I ranks in 1986-87. Currently offering 16 varsity sports, the success of Central athletics has been built by thousands of student-athletes who have worn the blue and white.
Joining the NEC
Central joined the Northeast Conference as a full member in the 1997-98 season. At the time, the move brought the Blue Devils’ athletic programs into a league of nine institutions. The move was a boon for Central athletics, which has been one of the most successful schools in the conference, capturing a total of 78 team titles since joining the NEC.
Gabrielle Blockley: First woman inducted into CCSU Hall of Fame
Gabrielle Blockley helped shape women’s athletics at Central when she spearheaded the inclusion of the Blue Devils’ female athletes and teams into intercollegiate competition. A longtime professor of Physical Education at Central, she would serve as the head coach of the basketball, field hockey, and softball teams during her time at the university. Blockley was the athletics faculty advisor from 1958 to 1973 and was among the inaugural class of Alumni Athletics Hall of Fame inductees in 1979.
Championship tradition
Over the years, championships have become second nature for Central’s athletic teams. Three squads — women’s soccer (13), men’s cross country (11), and women’s swimming and diving (8) — hold the most NEC championships in those sports in league history.
Men’s basketball goes dancing
The 1999-2000 men’s basketball team went 25-6 and earned the school’s first trip to the “Big Dance” after defeating Robert Morris, 63-46, in the NEC Tournament. Featuring conference Player of the Year Rick Mickens, the Blue Devils put a scare into the second-seeded Iowa State Cyclones before ultimately succumbing to a team with a pair of future NBA stars.
Women’s soccer defeats Boston College in NCAA Tournament
The 2003 women’s soccer team earned its second straight NCAA Tournament berth after winning back-to-back Northeast Conference titles. The Blue Devils made program history with a 1-0 win at Boston College in the opening round. Despite falling at UConn in double-overtime in the next round, Central set a then-program record with a 16-3-3 mark.
Baseball sets wins record
The 2004 Central baseball season marked the program’s third consecutive Northeast Conference championship and was punctuated by a program-record 41 wins. Under head coach Charlie Hickey, the Blue Devils won at least 30 games for the fourth straight season and played Florida and Oklahoma in the NCAA Regional.
Men’s soccer to Sweet 16
After earning the final spot in the NEC Tournament, the 2007 men’s soccer team went on a magical postseason run. Central won a pair of 1-0 contests to make the NCAA Tournament field, where it went on the road and defeated 15th-ranked Harvard and 9th-ranked Tulsa by identical 3-2 scorelines. Central concluded the season ranked 25th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll.