Colgate University Athletics

Stan Dakosty has been a part of seven of Colgate's 10 Patriot League titles and every FCS playoff win, both as a player and a coach. That made him the perfect choice to join the list of legendary head coaches who have lifted Colgate Football to its level of prominence.
 
Dakosty was named Fred '50 and Marilyn Dunlap head football coach in August 2021. The 30th head coach in Colgate Football history, he previously earned the associate head coach title in 2016 after originally being named to the Raider coaching staff back in 2007. He served as the co-defensive coordinator from 2019-21 and held the position of recruiting coordinator as the Patriot League began its new scholarship era from 2012-20.
 
Dakosty's run of Patriot League titles includes the 2003 run to the national championship game. In 2015, the Raiders conquered New Hampshire and James Madison on their way to the FCS quarterfinal.
 
In similar fashion, Colgate put together 10 wins for just the fourth time in program history in 2018. The Raiders got there by putting together an amazing run of near-perfection over their first nine games. Colgate in streaking to 9-0 allowed just 29 points during that span and tied the NCAA FCS record with five shutouts in one season.
 
Over a seven-game stretch, Colgate allowed 3, 0, 0, 3, 0, 0, and 0 points. The Raiders knocked off James Madison 23-20 on a game-ending field goal in the first home playoff contest since 2003.
 
The Raider defense led the nation in scoring defense at 9.3, total defense at 237.7 and Dakosty’s secondary led the nation in pass efficiency defense with an 88.77 rating, and was also No. 2 nationally in passing yards allowed per game under Daksoty’s direction. This despite the fact that the Raiders finished their season against arguably the toughest three-game stretch in program history in Army, James Madison, and North Dakota State.
 
The 2015 to 2018 stretch of Colgate football saw a combined 31-16 overall record during its four years and an amazing 21-3 mark against Patriot League competition. That resulted in three conference titles, three NCAA playoff victories, and two trips to the FCS quarterfinals.
 
In his first year at the helm, Dakosty coached the Patriot League Rookie of the Year Michael Brescia who helped lead the Raiders to a 5-1 conference record and a second-place finish.
 
Last season, Colgate was the only school in the Patriot League to play two FBS opponents after opening the season at Stanford and closing the Raiders’ non-conference slate at Army West Point. Six Raiders earned spots on the 2022 postseason All-Patriot League Team, including punter Shelby Pruett who garnered the title of First Team Punter. Three Raiders also landed a spot on the Patriot League All-Academic Team to cap off the season
 
 While serving as the defensive back coach, Dakosty coached defensive backs Abu Daramy-Swaray and Tyler Castillo to All-America honors in 2018. Under Dakosty’s guidance, the Raiders had a defensive back grab a spot on the All-Patriot League Team for eight consecutive seasons, including back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018 with three Raiders earning First Team honors. In 2018 Dakosty also coached Ben Hunt IV, who won the Dick Biddle Coaches Award.
 
Under Dakosty’s tutelage, Mike Armiento and Castillo, completed their Colgate football careers in the top five in career interceptions. The two defensive backs also hold a spot in the Patriot League’s top seven career interceptions, highlighted by Armiento, who is tied for second all-time. 
 
Dakosty returned to his alma mater in 2007 from Division III Amherst, where he coached running backs for two years.
 
He began his coaching career as an undergraduate at Colgate, serving as a student assistant and assistant video coordinator in 2003 before working with the tight ends in 2004. Colgate won the Patriot League title and advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game while posting a 15-1 record in his first year on the staff.
 
He worked with the team's tight ends and fullbacks over the first three seasons before switching to the secondary.
 
Before coaching, Dakosty played two years of varsity football for the Raiders, helping them to the 2002 Patriot League championship before he suffered a career-ending injury.
 
Dakosty graduated from Colgate in 2005 with a degree in history and educational studies. While on the Amherst staff, he earned a master’s degree in education in addition to his social studies teacher's certification at the University of Massachusetts in 2006.
 
He was a standout quarterback and defensive back during his high school days at Marian High School in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. Dakosty remains linked with Coal Region football and has helped recruit several area players to the Hamilton, New York, campus. He helped land former Hazleton Area standout Nate Eachus back in 2007, and also North Schuylkill grad Ed Pavalko a few years later. Eachus went on to become an All-American running back with the Raiders and played professionally with the Kansas City Chiefs.
 
Dakosty's father, Stan, is a hall of fame football coach in the state of Pennsylvania at Marian Catholic High School.
 
Dakosty and his wife, Jess, reside in Hamilton and are the proud parents of three children: Stanley, Nora, and Tommy.