Nov. 2, 2002
Canisius College President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., announced Thursday that the college will reduce the number of NCAA Division I varsity sports from its current level of 23 to 16. The college's Board of Trustees approved the decision at its meeting last week.
The Griffs will no longer compete in football effective with the 2003-04 school year. This will reduce the number of schools in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League from nine to eight programs.
Canisius will end its football era on Nov. 16 at Stony Brook. The Dukes will face the Griffs next Saturday, Nov. 9, in the Buffalo, NY program's final home game.
Canisius will also eliminate men's and women's indoor and outdoor track, men's and women's tennis and rifle. It will continue to offer: men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, softball, women's volleyball, men's ice hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, women's swimming, men's golf and men's and women's cross country, baseball and synchronized swimming. Men's swimming will be added as a Division I sport.
The remaining members of the MAAC FL, in addition to Duquesne, are Fairfield, Iona, La Salle, Marist, St. Peter's, St. John's and Siena.
The Red Storm rejoined the league this season. St. John's was a member of the MAAC from 1993-98, competed as an independent in 1999 and as a member of the Northeast Conference in 2000 and 2001.
