FROM GROUND FLOOR TO CHAMPIONSHIPS
“We wanted to be a national leader in Division III athletics,”
said Manning, who led Stevenson from 2000 until his 2016
retirement. “And, we understood that we had to establish a higher
level of awareness of Stevenson for parents and students.”
The greater name recognition would lead to more interest in
Stevenson as a collegiate destination.
A former football player at Lafayette College and Temple University,
Campbell was equally committed to this vision.
“Growing up in Philadelphia, I played sports from the time I could
walk,” said Campbell, who retired in August 2019 after 22 years at the
school. “I always thought that a big part of the college experience was
the pride and school spirit that you felt for your teams.”
“We knew what the popularity of sports could mean, in terms
of recruitment and enrollment,” Manning said. “Colleges that
hadn’t previously focused their attention on athletics were starting
to add teams.”
THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE
For many years, the current headquarters of Stevenson’s athletic
department was home to two NFL franchises and a CFL team. In 1980,
the Baltimore Colts opened the facility that is now known as the Caves
Athletics Complex. After the Colts’ franchise left for Indianapolis in
1984, the CFL’s Baltimore Stallions occupied the complex from 1994
to 1996, when the NFL’s Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and
became the Ravens. Eight years later, the site was vacated again when
Kathy Railey and the 2014
women's lacrosse team won the
Commonwealth Conference
championship, rallying past
Messiah for a 13-12 win, and
made the program's first NCAA
appearance.
the Ravens built their own modern facility.
However, the complex didn’t sit idle for long. Villa Julie was
growing, and the school realized the possibilities of a second campus
that included student housing. The expanding Owings Mills area was
chosen as the site, and in 2006 the school acquired the former Colts-
Stallions-Ravens facility and established the Caves Athletics Complex.
The restored athletic complex complemented the vision of a
comprehensive residential college campus in Owings Mills.
“Those moves were key to the athletic success,” Adams said. “We
were able to recruit out-of-region, we had instant recognition with the
Ravens, and it spurred the interest in starting football.”
AN UPDATED LOOK
Stevenson now had the space to expand its athletic program. The
first step in the expansion was the construction of the Owings Mills
Gymnasium, a 1,400-seat arena that opened in 2010 and provides a
home for four Stevenson teams: men’s and women’s basketball and
men’s and women’s volleyball.
FIRST WIN: In 2011, SU unveiled its new stadium, which
hosted football’s inaugural home opener on Sept. 10.
The Mustangs won, 46-43, over Christopher Newport
University in double overtime.
STEVENSON.EDU
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