Colgate head coach Dan Hunt made the official announcement in July 2017 promoting Stan Dakosty to associate head coach. Dakosty is in his 12th season on the Colgate coaching staff and his ninth season overseeing the Raider secondary. He also serves as the football recruiting coordinator.

Dakosty has been a part of six Patriot League championships with the Raiders, including the 2003 run to the national championship game. Last season, he coached three defensive backs -- Abu Daramy-Swaray, Tyler Castillo and Alec Wisniewski -- to All-Patriot League First Team honors.

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.

Prior to 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, was the longtime successful head football coach at Marian. The elder Dakosty retired recently and had the school's football field named in his honor.

Dakosty and his wife, Jess, reside in Hamilton and are the proud parents of three children: Stanley, Nora and Tommy.

Paul Shaffner's Colgate defensive units keep getting better and better.

In 2016, the Raiders led the nation and the Patriot League and set a Colgate Football record by allowing just 69.4 rushing yards per game. They were second nationally in sacks with 34 and also led the conference in tackles-for-loss with 74.

Colgate topped the Patriot League in total defense (344.1), fewest rushing TDs allowed (five), fewest first downs allowed (17.2), opponent third-down conversion percentage (31.8) and fourth-down percentage (45.5). The rushing TDsk figure also led the nation and the first downs allowed tied for second.

Shaffner brought New York and Patriot League experience with him to Hamilton when he was named Colgate's defensive coordinator in June 2013.

He grew up and played his high school football in the Buffalo suburb of Lancaster before then playing collegiately at Ithaca, helping the Bombers to the 1979 NCAA Division III National Championship. Before graduating in 1982, Shaffner received the Sebring Scholar-Athlete distinction for highest GPA on the football team and was a senior-year captain.

In October 2014, Shaffner and his Bomber squad-mates were inducted as a team of distinction into the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame.

He earned his master's degree during a fifth playing season at Ithaca before entering the coaching ranks at Division III Maine Maritime. He then took a position as a graduate assistant coach at Penn State from 1986-88. The Nittany Lions were 1986 national champions thanks to a perfect 12-0 record.

Shaffner moved to Lafayette in 1988, helping to guide the Leopards to three conference titles during a 12-season stint. As defensive coordinator, his units consistently ranked at the top of the Patriot League.

"For me personally, it's great being in the Patriot League," Shaffner said. "It's such an outstanding conference."

Shaffner advanced into the head coaching ranks first at Glenville State in West Virginia and then back home at Buffalo State. Glenville won a conference title during his 2000-03 stay and Shaffner was named WVIAC Coach of the Year. At Buffalo State from 2004-08, Shaffner coached 38 players to All-Conference honors.

“I have a lot of familiarity recruiting Pennsylvania, New York State and Western New York especially,” Shaffner said. “That hopefully helps us try to find the best student-athletes we can for Colgate here in New York State and get them in the Maroon and White.

“Having scholarships, we have an opportunity to go places where we couldn't before. We are able to recruit that kid who is an outstanding athlete, has excellent grades but who had scholarship offers to other schools that don't have the same academic standards we do. Those are the kids we want because they value academics and excel on the field.

"Those are the young men who belong here at Colgate.”

Shaffner is married to the former Donna Lueckenbach of Milwaukee. Donna is a board member of the American Football Coaches Wives Association and a past president. They are the parents of three children: Jessica, a Dickinson College graduate who now works at Syracuse University; Samantha, a William Smith College graduate who now works at Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C.; and Jake, a sophomore Colgate football student-athlete.

Brad Dunlay's first five years at Colgate were impressive by any standards.

Three times in those five years he has placed multiple Raiders on the All-Patriot League First Team offensive line. Most recently, it was Jordi Dalmau and Ryan Paulish earning the distinction in 2016. That makes seven All-Patriot League First Team members in Dunlay's five seasons at Colgate.

During the 2012 and 2015 Patriot League championship seasons, five of Dunlay's charges made the All-Patriot League First Team to pave the way for one of the nation's most prolific offensive units. Ryan Risch, Craig Capodiferro and Brian Crockett all earned first-team honors in 2012, with Risch also being selected All-America Third Team by The Sports Network. In 2015, it was Dalmau and John Weber. Dalmau also was named an ECAC All-Star.

The Raiders in 2012 led the Patriot League and ranked in the top 10 nationally in nearly every major offensive category. Colgate finished the season third nationally in scoring (39.4), fourth in total offense (486.4), fifth in rushing (284.5) and sixth in pass efficiency (154.22 rating). In addition, tailback Jordan McCord rushed for 1,708 yards for the fifth-best total in Patriot League history. In 2015, Colgate against led the Patriot League in rushing offense at 206.4 per game and were among the nation's top 10 in both fewest sacks allowed and fewest tackles-for-loss allowed.

Dunlay arrived at Colgate from Georgetown, where he served as offensive line coach for six seasons. During his tenure with the Hoyas, the offense improved every year. In his last season, the Hoyas gained 3,520 total yards and recorded their best record (8-3, 3-2 Patriot) since 1999.

Dunlay joined Georgetown after spending the previous five years at Maine Maritime, where he was an assistant coach and guided the offensive line in addition to overseeing such duties as recruiting and weight-room supervision. He helped the Mariners to a 7-3 record in 2005, including an appearance in the ECAC North Atlantic Championship Game.

A native of nearby Sauquoit, New York, Dunlay is a 1999 graduate of Springfield College. He earned his master's degree in athletic administration from Springfield in 2001.

Dunlay resides in Hamilton with his wife, Sarah, and their two children, Brooke and Nolan.

Terry Dow in 2017 begins his 30th year coaching college football. Dow joined head coach Dan Hunt's staff on a full-time basis as an assistant coach in July 2014.

Dow's primary responsibility is with the tight ends and H-backs. He has coached two All-Patriot League tight ends in John Quazza (2014-15) and Nick Martinsen (2016).

Dow previously coached at Colgate in 1991 under head coach Mike Foley, and he completed the 2013 season as a volunteer assistant for the Raiders under Dick Biddle. Dow served 16 years as head coach at nearby Morrisville State, helping reinstate the program in 1997 and eventually transitioning the Mustangs from the junior college ranks into the NCAA's Division III classification.

Throughout Dow's 16 seasons at Morrisville State, he claimed three NJCAA Northeast Football Conference championships and two Region III titles, while being named the NFC Coach of the Year twice. Dow coached 83 NFC All-Conference selections, six conference players of the year and 11 NJCAA All-America team selections.

For five consecutive seasons (2001-06), the NFC named one of Dow's student-athletes as its offensive or defensive player of the year.

Morrisville State's 2001 NFC Defensive Player of the Year and NJCAA All-American linebacker, Alex Lewis, was the first Mustang under Dow to be drafted into the NFL in 2004. Lewis was picked by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the annual draft. Curtis Johnson joined Lewis in the NFL in 2008, earning a position on the Indianapolis Colts roster as a defensive end. In 2016, former Mustang Wendell Williams played for the NFL's Houston Texans.

A 1990 graduate of Ithaca College with a bachelor's degree in physical education, Dow spent two seasons as a lineman under legendary Bombers head coach Jim Butterfield. He remained at Ithaca for three additional years and began his career as assistant coach for the offensive and defensive lines.

In 1991, Dow joined the football coaching staff at Colgate in charge of tight ends before accepting a coaching position at Monmouth in New Jersey.

Named offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Monmouth in 1993, Dow spent four seasons gaining vast knowledge and experience on the Division I-AA level, bringing his experience to Morrisville State in 1997.

He and his wife are both locals. Dow grew up in Hamilton, while the former Brenda Bogan is from nearby Waterville. They reside in Hamilton with their three children: Zachary, Olivia and Trevor.

Brent Bassham joined the Colgate coaching staff in July 2014. He coaches the wide receivers, and over the last three season helped John Maddaluna III earn multiple All-Patriot League honors.

Maddaluna three times was named to the All-Patriot League Second Team. He capped a terrific career in 2016 by leading the Raiders in both receptions and receiving yards. Maddaluna finished fifth at Colgate in career catches with 153 and sixth in career yards at 2,332.

Bassham arrived at Colgate after spending more than a year as defensive quality control coach at Syracuse. Before his tour with the Orange, Bassham in 2012 was offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at NAIA-member Concordia (Mich.). Bassham helped Concordia set 32 offensive school records that season while overseeing the quarterbacks, receivers, tight ends, fullback and the punting unit.

He was selected as an offensive coordinator for the 2012 All-American Bowl, a multidivisional all-star game that took place in Minneapolis.

Bassham began his coaching career as a student assistant at his alma mater, Western Michigan University. He started in 2006 working with the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. In 2007-08, he moved over to support the defensive coordinator and secondary coaches as a graduate assistant while also assisting the recruiting coordinator.

The Chesaning, Mich., product earned his undergraduate degree in physical education in 2008 and his master's degree in 2010, both from WMU.

Bassham is married to the former Candice Smith of Howell, Michigan. They are the parents of a son, Brayden.

Aaron Foster joined the Colgate Football staff in April 2017 as video coordinator and safeties assistant coach.

Foster arrived after two seasons at Wake Forest, where he served as a recruiting assistant under Demon Deacons head coach Dave Clawson. Foster played his football at Bowling Green, also under Clawson, and helped the Falcons win the 2013 Mid-American Conference title.

"Aaron is a great addition to our staff," Hunt said. "He played at the FBS level and has worked in a Power Five program. He comes highly recommended from people we have a relationship with, which is always a plus.

"He is extremely bright, and his personality is a perfect fit for our program."

Foster played defensive back at Bowling Green, with starts in all four seasons. He started 14 games as a senior when the Falcons went 10-4 and won the MAC title over Northern Illinois. After his collegiate career ended, Foster earned an invite to the Dallas Cowboys rookie camp and then spent time with the Tri Cities Fever of the Indoor Football League.

Foster's duties with the Raiders include all facets of Colgate Football video coordination.

"It's an amazing opportunity," Foster said. "From what I've seen so far, it's a great place to be with great people."

Colgate Connection
Foster learned about the staff position from Nick Monroe, his secondary coach at Bowling Green and a former Raiders assistant coach from 2004-09.

"He put me in touch with Coach Hunt and the rest is history," Foster said.

A native of West Bloomfield, Michigan, Foster graduated from Bowling Green in December 2014 with a degree in health care administration.