Nathaniel Ford :: December 14, 2023
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Endicott football had a historic season in 2023, and the team culture is a massive part of it.
The program had their best season in its history, finishing 9-2 on the season, going undefeated in conference play, and winning their 5th CCC Championship. They reached their highest national ranking in the program’s history, finishing the season 14/14.
A huge part of this success is on the shoulders of head coach Paul McGonagle, who was named the All-Region I Coach of the Year.
McGonagle has been the head coach since 2018, and he has seen incredible success during his time. This year marked his third CCC Championship, with all coming in the last three years.
Since day one of his time at the college, Coach McGonalgle has instilled the values of “Beach Culture” into his team.
“It takes time to build, and it didn’t take a month or six months to build. We wanted to establish a culture, a culture that’s used to competing and used to winning,” McGonagle said. This culture is not just about winning football games. It is about building character and contributing off the field, both in the community and in the classroom.
Beach Culture was in full effect this season, and not just because of the huge wins Endicott kept turning out. For the third straight year, the program was number one in the conference academically.
“We had 99 players with a 3.0 and 45 with a 3.5 or above,” McGonagle said. This was the first achievement he brought up, even over the conference championship and the historic win over Hardin Simmons. Not only does he take pride in this culture, but so do the players.
“We are here to play football, we are here to go to class, but we are really here to help everybody out,” said senior wide receiver Shane Aylward. Aylward was a captain on the team this year, and his class has been huge in leading the underclassman.
He has been a big contributor to the program since he arrived. This season, he became Endicotts’ all-time receiving yards leader, with 2044 yards in his career. Throughout his time, he witnessed first hand the growth the program has seen under McGonagle.
“My sophomore year was when everything really started clicking,” he noted. This was the first season following the COVID-19 pandemic. Coincidentally, this was also the first season McGonagle had a full team of players he recruited himself. Everyone he recruited fit his scheme and also the culture he was trying to build in the team.
This team went on to win the CCC Championship, which was McGonagle’s first as a head coach. The Gulls built off that season, winning the Commonwealth Coast Conference again and also reaching a national ranking for the first time in program history.
This team lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. McGonagle noted that while some teams are happy to just get to that point, that was not this group. “They are very hungry. They want to get back to that point. There is no complacency,” he said.
This hunger was evident throughout the 2023 season. McGonagle formulated a tougher schedule than Endicott had ever played because of their out of conference games. The Gulls faced No. 18 Ithaca and No. 5/5 Hardin-Simmons, both of which were nationally ranked opponents.
“The dedication and culture of the team is the best it has ever been. Everyone from players to coaches are all invested and bought into getting better and competing with the best of the best,” said defensive line coach Mehdi Squalli.
Squalli joined the coaching staff this season. He is an Endicott alumni, and he played linebacker in his playing days. He had a very successful career with the team, recording 165 tackles, being a two time captain, and winning a CCC championship.
Squalli noticed a big difference in the culture of this team compared to the teams he played on in the past. “The guys on this team all want what’s best for each other and want to see each other succeed,” he said.
The team rallied with each other and knew they could compete with top programs, and they wanted to prove that they were on the same level as them. They showed this against Ithaca, losing by just three points. A loss this close inspired the Gulls against Hardin-Simmons, who traveled up from Texas as the No. 5 team in the country.
“We went into that game expecting to win,” said Aylward. The players were extremely confident going into this huge matchup. Under the lights on a Friday night, the Gulls blew out Hardin-Simmons 37-10 in a massive statement victory.
This was the biggest win in the program’s history. Not only was it the first ranked win for Endicott football, but they defeated a top 5 team in the country. Endicott was immediately thrust into the national rankings, and they only continued to climb.
While this was an exciting victory, their season goal was not accomplished by this win. “Each year, the goal is to win the conference,” McGonagle says. Since this was an out of conference win, matchups against CCC opponents were still coming later in the season.
Even coming off of the big win, the team stayed focused and went 5-0 in conference play and took home the championship. “It wasn’t that hard of a task because we were all focused on the same goal,” said Aylward. The whole team recognized what still needed to be done, and they put their heads down and did the job.
Endicott got an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, and unfortunately lost in the first round to 11/13 Cortland State 23-17. The Gulls had the ball at the 11 yard line on the last play of the game, and they came up just short.
While this was not the result the team was looking for, this season proved to be a historic one and something that they can continue to build on. This season truly put not only Endicott football, but also New England football, on the national radar.
Outside of football, this was a special team for the players. Aylward puts it best: “This team was probably the most closely knit team I’ve been a part of.”
McGonagle made a point to mention the hard working group of student-athletes he has on the team. “Everybody sees the Saturdays, but nobody sees the Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays when they go to work,” he said.
The team worked for all of their successes this season. These practices every weekday were in the dark, in the rain, or in the cold, and nobody on the team complained about it.
Possibly the most important feature about this team to McGonagle was their character. He sees them working out together in the weight room outside of their required workouts. Players hang around the coaches’ offices even throughout the offseason, showing how tight-knit the team is.
To sum it up, McGonagle said this: “They are just an amazing group of young men.”
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