First conference title in program history celebrated 50 years later
The University of Scranton honored the 1976 men's soccer team at halftime of today's men's soccer game. The event marked 50 years since the team won the program's first Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championship. This win started a run of six MAC championships over the next eight seasons, before the MAC's overall soccer title was replaced by the Freedom and Commonwealth League championships.
At the time, the MAC was the largest athletic conference in the country across Division I, II, and III. It included 26 colleges and universities in the mid-Atlantic region. Many of today's Centennial Conference and Landmark Conference schools were once part of the MAC. This makes Scranton's 1976 title a notable achievement.
A Championship Season
The 1976 Royals finished the season with a record of 15-6. They beat Division I Colgate University and lost close games to the region's top two Division I teams, Penn State, 3-2, and Philadelphia Textile, 2-0.
In the MAC playoffs, Scranton beat Upsala and Drew in a league playoff. The team then beat Elizabethtown, 2-0, in the Northern Division Final. The Royals won the MAC Championship with a 2-1 win over Haverford College. Jack Vogel scored the tying goal in the second half, and John Keating scored the game winning goal in overtime.
Keating passed away in 1985 at age 26. Scranton's Most Valuable Player award is named in his honor.
The MAC did not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that year, so the Royals did not advance to the NCAAs. They reached the ECAC regional championship instead. Elizabethtown received the NCAA bid that season and advanced to the national Final Four.
Team Members in Attendance
These members of the 1976 championship team attended the event:
Dan Amspacher, Glenn Brodwater, Joe Cocciardi, Bill DiBianca, Tom McGann, Jim McGlynn, Jim Rauer, Ron Rauer, Jack Vogel, Chuck Weaver, and Mike Foster, along with Athletic Trainer John Robertson, Assistant Coaches Dennis Guida and Bill Mizerak, and Head Coach Steve Klingman. Steve Jiulianti was a possible attendee.
A Lasting Legacy
Fifty years after graduation, several team members still rank among the program's career leaders. Jim Rauer ranks in the top 5 in career goals and points, and Bill DiBianca ranks in the top 10. Goalkeeper Glenn Brodwater ranks in the top 5 in career saves and shutouts.
Dan Amspacher, Glenn Brodwater, Bill DiBianca, Jim Rauer, Jack Vogel, Athletic Trainer John Robertson, and Head Coach Steve Klingman are all inductees in the University of Scranton Wall of Fame.
Additional Roster Members
Other members of the 1976 roster who did not attend the event were Don Gregory, Jim Hrynda, Steve Jiulianti, Tony Labella, Frank Penotti, Wayne Risoli, Brian Ward, Jim Weick, and Ed Zeidler.
The team also remembered Walt Andrus, a special member of the 1976 team who is no longer with us. The team's Sportsmanship Award is named in his honor.
