NEWPORT NEWS — Ahead of its 2024 home opener Saturday at TowneBank Stadium, Christopher Newport University (CNU) football is already looking for another conference championship.
CNU head coach Paul Crowley returns in his third season at the helm of Captain’s football. Crowley, who played for CNU from 2005-08, coached for CNU as an assistant from 2009 to 2016, and also coached at William & Mary before returning to lead the Captains.
During the 2023 season, the Captains boasted a 7-4 record. After earning the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championship, the postseason run closed with a first-round loss to Randolph-Macon.
As the team began its 2024 quest in Indiana at Trine University on Sept. 7, Coach Crowley entered the game with a growth mindset.
“We really just want to continue to grow and develop as a football program. Now in my third year, there are some increased expectations, but I think our guys understand how hard it is to do what we’ve done the last two years and to be able to repeat that will take a really good effort,” Crowley said.
During the 2024 season, CNU will host five home games. Of those, Crowley has a few on his list that may present a challenge to his Captains team.
“All of the games are tough, but our first home game against Johns Hopkins. They are a top 10 school in the country with a really good football program. It’s also our family weekend, so we’re expecting a big crowd at our place. It’ll be an exciting atmosphere, but also a tough challenge. From there, within the conference, Salisbury University is still the class of our conference for sure,” Crowley said.
Coach Crowley and his staff have set a precedent of discipline for the program, which is something the coaching staff relies upon season after season to inspire its athletes.
“The culture has been set to a degree where being disciplined, being tough, and playing together are something that they understand is the expectation of the football program. As a program, those are the things that we talk about quite often,” Crowley said.
Crowley said he plans to continue to be the same coach as he has been during his last two seasons.
“Whatever kind of coach you are, you have to be authentic to who you are as a person. If you try to change it and be something that you’re not, the kids see through it pretty quickly,” Crowley says.
Being an alum of the program that he is now coaching, Crowley knows there is a certain responsibility that comes with his title.
“There is added responsibility for sure. Coach Matt Kelchner, who started the program back in 2001, the first group of guys that he had and the things they accomplished during those first 15 years, they did things that had never been done in the history of college football. It’s a big history that I’m trying to live up to, but it’s also a really cool experience as an alumni to get to interact with all those guys either I used to play with or coach and get to experience them on a daily basis,” Crowley said.
For more information on CNU football, visit cnusports.com.
Christopher Newport University football 2024 schedule:
Sept. 7 — away vs. Trine University
Sept. 14 — home vs. Johns Hopkins University
Sept. 21 — away vs. Gettysburg College
Oct. 5 — away vs. Salisbury University
Oct. 12 — home vs. Dickinson College
Oct. 19 — home vs. Rowan University
Oct. 26 — away vs. Kean University
Nov. 2 — home vs. William Paterson University
Nov. 9 — away vs. Montclair State University
Nov. 16 — home vs. The College of New Jersey
