Moon Township, Pa. - According to a poll of Northeast Conference (NEC) head coaches, the Robert Morris University football team has been picked to finish in a tie for seventh in the NEC this season. Tabbed as the 2006 favorites are both Albany (5-6, 4-3 NEC in 2005) and Central Connecticut State (7-4, 5-2). The Great Danes received four first-place votes, while the Blue Devils received a pair of first-place tallies. Following Albany and Central Connecticut State in the poll is Stony Brook (6-5, 5-2), Monmouth (6-4, 4-3), St. Francis (3-8, 3-4), Wagner (6-5, 3-4) and the Colonials and Sacred Heart (4-6, 3-4).
Robert Morris returns 12 starters in 2006, including six on the defensive side of the ball. Among the returning starters on defense are senior defensive lineman Ray Gensler (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Keystone Oaks), senior linebacker Jeff Rommes (Gibsonia, Pa. / Deer Lakes) and sophomore safety James Kazil (Georgetown, Pa. / South Side). Gensler enters his third year as the starting left end for the Colonials and contributed 60 tackles in 2005, including 23 solo stops. Rommes added 53 stops, while Kazil finished second on the club in takedowns with 65 and also led RMU in interceptions with three.
Offensively, RMU returns four starters, including sophomore quarterback Erik Cwalinski (Jacobsburg, Ohio / Shadyside), who started four of the final five games of the 2005 campaign. Cwalinski finished 42-for-80 passing for 729 yards and four touchdowns a year ago. Also returning as starters on offense are senior offensive lineman Gus Alonso (Miami, Fla. / Miami Springs), senior fullback Vince Magnone (Weirton, W.Va. / Weir) and senior split end Michael Rogers (Duarte, Calif. / Citrus J.C.). Alonso will be looked upon to anchor an offensive line that will have four new starters, while Magnone returns as the club's leading rusher after gaining 460 yards on 103 attempts (4.5 yards per rush) in 2005. Rogers returns as RMU's top receiver, having finished second on the club in receptions (21), receiving yards (365) and touchdown catches (3) in 2005.
Under the tutelage of 13th-year head coach Joe Walton, the only head coach in Robert Morris history, the Colonials open their 2006 schedule Saturday, Sept. 2, with a 1:00 p.m. contest at Dayton. Robert Morris opens the home portion of its schedule the following week, hosting crosstown rival Duquesne at Joe Walton Stadium Saturday, Sept. 9, for a 1:00 p.m. tilt.
The Colonials enter their 13th season in 2006 winners of five Northeast Conference Championships (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) and a pair of NCAA I-AA Mid-Major National Championships (1999, 2000) according to Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette. Robert Morris is also a two-time winner of the ECAC Classic (1996, 1997) and enters 2006 with an overall record of 75-45-1 (.624).
A look at the 2006 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll:
| School (First Place-Votes) |
| 1. Albany (4) |
| Central Connecticut State (2) |
| 3. Stony Brook |
| 4. Monmouth (1) |
| 5. St. Francis (1) |
| 6. Wagner |
| 7. Robert Morris |
| Sacred Heart |
