University of St. Thomas Athletics
Football announces inaugural Division I schedule for 2021
6/1/2021 10:30:00 AM | Football
The first of five home games will be played Saturday Sept. 4 at O'Shaughnessy Stadium against NAIA member St. Francis (Ill.).
The Tommies then hit the road to play at Division II program Michigan Tech on Sept. 11, and at FCS power Northern Iowa on Sept. 18.
The Purple return home Sept. 25 to open their Pioneer Football League era against Butler University. St. Thomas has four home and four away games this fall in the 11-team Pioneer.
These 2021 contests will mark the first all-time football meetings against 10 of the 11 opponents. St. Thomas played Northern Iowa in 1926 in Cedar Falls, a loss, and in 1927 in St. Paul, a 6-6 tie.
Opportunity Knocks
Glenn Caruso starts his 14th season as St. Thomas head coach. The Tommies didn't play any games in 2020-21 due to COVID protocols, but Caruso said a lot of progress was made in practices and some spring scrimmages.
Caruso also mentioned preparing his program for FCS play and building a schedule has been a challenge, but it's one he's enjoying, thanks to the athletic department support.
"Most people don't understand how difficult it is to put together a comprehensive Division I schedule in such a short period of time. I'm very proud of our efforts to do so," Caruso explained. "At this level, many people are scheduling out for in five years, so to pull something together with this type of national recognition and regional exposure is a huge tip of the hat to Phil Esten and our administrative team.
"As I've said before, we'll never shy away from competition, and this schedule personifies that. Much like when we arrived here 13 years ago, we felt strongly that we had to have an understanding of where we stand as a program in relation to the established programs in order for us to be able to set the vision for where we are going."
Caruso helped jump start Macalester's program in two seasons there as head coach. He took over a team coming off a 2-8 season at St. Thomas and had the Tommies in the NCAA playoffs in year two and in the national championship game in year five and again in year eight.
He sees both challenge and opportunity in competing in the Pioneer League, Division I football's only coast-to-coast conference.
"A large part of our mission, is to not only give our players the foundational tools to succeed, but also open their eyes up to a broader part of our country and world," Caruso explained. "This schedule, with trips to San Diego and Florida and North Carolina, not to mention future trips all across the country, are part of the comprehensive education that allows us to do that."
2021 St. Thomas Football Schedule
Home games at O'Shaughnessy Stadium
Kickoff times TBA
September
9/4 – University of St. Francis (Ill.)
9/11 – @Michigan Tech University (Houghton, Mich.)
9/18 – @University of Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls, Iowa)
9/25 – Butler University**
October
10/2 – @University of San Diego** (San Diego, Calif.)
10/9 – Valparaiso University**
10/16 – @ Stetson University** (DeLand, Fla.)
10/23 – Bye Week
10/30 – Marist College**
November
Sat. 6 @Davidson College** (Davidson, N.C.)
Sat. 13 @Drake University** (Des Moines, Iowa)
Sat. 20 Presbyterian College**
**-Pioneer Football League contest
Fans interested in season tickets for next season are encouraged to complete the Season Ticket Interest Form to express their interest in joining the Tommies for the inaugural Division I season.
