In the long and storied history of Hobart College football, the Statesmen have made eight postseason appearances, all under the watchful eye of just one man, Head Coach Mike Cragg. At the time of his induction, he had led Hobart to a program record 14 consecutive winning seasons, eight conference championships, and an overall record of 109-51 (.681).
An outstanding mentor, Cragg has overseen the development of 199 All-Liberty League selections, including 14 players of the year (offensive, defensive, or special teams) and five rookies of the year. He has also coached dozens of All-Americans, including consensus All-Americans Dave Russell ’98 and Alex Bell ’05. Several Statesmen have gone on to play football professionally, including Bell, who signed with the New York Giants.
Cragg’s teams have rewritten the Hobart records book, breaking dozens of school records, including the NCAA Division III season mark for lowest completion percentage allowed. Cragg’s defense limited opponents to a paltry 31.3 completion percentage in 2000.
Even more impressive, Cragg’s charges have earned hundreds of academic honors, including Academic All-Americans Brian Monaco ’10 (the school’s only two-time first team selection), Chris Purtell ’05, Erik Schiller ’98, Craig Swanson ’04, and Josh Van Auken ’05.
The program’s all-time leader in wins has been widely recognized by his peers. Cragg was first named the Liberty League Coach of the Year in 2000 after guiding the Statesmen to a 9-2 record, the conference championship, and the NCAA Playoffs. He repeated as conference coach of the year in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2008. Additionally, the American Football Coaches Association tabbed Cragg the East Region Coach of the Year in 2002.
Cragg also coached the Hobart tennis team, leading that squad to conference championships in each of his three seasons at the helm.
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