Cortland Red Dragons football
American football team of SUNY Cortland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cortland Red Dragons football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the State University of New York at Cortland. The team competes in the NCAA Division III, and is a member of the Empire 8. The team plays its home games at James J. Grady '50, M '61 Field at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex or Grady Field for short in Cortland, New York. The Red Dragons are led by Tom Blumenauer, who has served as head coach since 2025.[2] The Red Dragons won their first NCAA Division III national championship in 2023.
First season1893
Athletic directorMike Urtz
Head coachTom Blumenauer
1st season, 8–3 (.727)
1st season, 8–3 (.727)
LocationCortland, New York
| Cortland Red Dragons football | |
|---|---|
| |
| First season | 1893 |
| Athletic director | Mike Urtz |
| Head coach | Tom Blumenauer 1st season, 8–3 (.727) |
| Location | Cortland, New York |
| Stadium | James J. Grady '50, M '61 Field at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex (Grady Field) (capacity: 6,500) |
| NCAA division | Division III |
| Conference | Empire 8 |
| Colors | Red and white[1] |
| All-time record | 499–339–27 (.592) |
| Bowl record | 5–8 (.385) |
| National championships | |
| Claimed | 1 (2023) |
| Conference championships | |
| 13 | |
| Rivalries | Ithaca Bombers (rivalry) |
| Website | cortlandreddragons.com |
Year-by-year results
- Statistics correct as of the end of the 2025–26 college football season
| NCAA Division III playoff berth | National champion | Conference champion | Division champion | Undefeated season |
| Year | NCAA Division | Conference | Conference division | Coach | Overall | Conference | Final ranking | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Win | Loss | Tie | Pct. | Games | Win | Loss | Tie | Pct. | Standing | ||||||
| 2007 | III | NJAC | — | Dan MacNeill | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | T–1st | — |
| 2008 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | .846 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st | 6 | ||||
| 2009 | 11 | 0 (7)* | 4 | 0 | .000 | 9 | 0 (7)* | 2 | 0 | .000 | 3rd | — | ||||
| 2010 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | .833 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | .889 | T–1st | 18 | ||||
| 2011 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | .818 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | .778 | T–2nd | — | ||||
| 2012 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | .818 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st | 24 | ||||
| 2013 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 3rd | — | ||||
| 2014 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 4th | — | ||||
| 2015 | Empire 8 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | T–1st | 15 | |||
| 2016 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | T–6th | — | ||||
| 2017 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | T–2nd | — | ||||
| 2018 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 2nd | — | ||||
| 2019 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .833 | T–1st | — | ||||
| 2021 | Curt Fitzpatrick | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | .917 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st | 16 | |||
| 2022 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | .818 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st | 19 | ||||
| 2023 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | .933 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st | 1 | ||||
| 2024 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | .917 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st | 2 | ||||
| 2025 | Tom Blumenauer | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | .727 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st | 22 | |||
| Totals | 206 | 147* | 52 | 0 | .739 | 133 | 103* | 23 | 0 | .817 | ||||||
* All seven wins from the 2009 season were later vacated by the NCAA.
Postseason appearances
NCAA Division III playoffs
The Red Dragons have made fourteen appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs, with a combined record of 13–13 and one national championship.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | First Round Second Round |
Hofstra Ithaca |
W, 32–17 L, 17–24 |
| 1989 | First Round | Union (NY) | L, 14–42 |
| 1990 | First Round | Hofstra | L, 9–35 |
| 1997 | First Round | TCNJ | L, 30–34 |
| 2005 | First Round | Hobart | L, 22–23 |
| 2008 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals |
Plymouth State Curry Mount Union |
W, 31–14 W, 42–0 L, 14–41 |
| 2010 | First Round Second Round |
Endicott Alfred |
W, 49–35 L, 20–34 |
| 2012 | First Round Second Round |
Framingham State Wesley |
W, 20–19 L, 6–56 |
| 2015 | First Round Second Round |
Salisbury Linfield |
W, 45–21 L, 22–38 |
| 2021 | First Round Second Round |
Springfield RPI |
W, 26–21 L, 14–21 |
| 2022 | First Round | Randolph–Macon | L, 28–35 |
| 2023 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl |
Endicott Grove City Alma Randolph–Macon North Central (IL) |
W, 23–17 W, 25–24 W, 58–41 W, 49–14 W, 38–37 |
| 2024 | Second Round Third Round |
Endicott Springfield |
W, 17–9 L, 28–40 |
| 2025 | First Round | Springfield | L, 7–21 |
Rivalries
Ithaca Bombers
Notable former players
- Bob Bateson (1983), retired CFL & Italian Football League linebacker, current associate head coach of the Buffalo eXtreme
- Jake Ceresna (2016), NFL & CFL defensive end
- Scott Israel (BA, 1977), quarterback, former sheriff of Broward County, Florida, current police chief of Opa-locka, Florida.[3]
- Kevin James, actor and comedian
- Ryan McCarthy (2002), head football coach at Central Connecticut University
- John Moiseichik (1946), professional basketball player in the National Basketball League
- Craig Peterson (2010), American football placekicker in the Indoor Football League
- Dan Pitcher (2011), NFL coach
- R-Kal Truluck (1997), NFL defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, and Arizona Cardinals
