By Chris Metcalf
LCAA’S FINEST
ALFRED – Caledonia-Mumford graduate Chad Pieri will be one of five former Alfred University student-athletes to be inducted into the AU Athletics Hall of Fame next Saturday, Nov. 4.
Pieri will be joining Nicole (Hedrick) Kivett (’12 – Softball), Vinson Hendrix (’11 – Football), Lyndsay (Murphy) Kieffer (’11 – Women’s Basketball), and Steven E. Miller (’73 – Men’s Lacrosse), individually along with the 1983-84 Men’s Swimming & Diving (Team of Distinction), for the induction ceremony.
Pieri was a four-year player for the Saxon football team and one of only a few players in AU history to earn All-Empire 8 honors all four years.
Pieri earned All-E8 Second Team in 2006, 2009 and 2010 and was an All-E8 First Team selection in 2007. Although not playing in 2008, Pieri was a captain of the Saxons in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and was the Saxons’ Defensive Most Valuable Player in his junior and senior years.
He helped Alfred University become back-to-back ECAC Bowl Champions along with Hendrix in 2006 and 2007, defeating U. of Rochester twice. He then helped the Saxons become back-to-back Empire 8 Champions in 2009 (Co-Champions) and 2010, making the NCAA Tournament in both years with the Saxons advancing to the Elite 8 at Mount Union.
Pieri graduated with a degree in childhood education in 2010 and then returned to AU to earn his Master’s in Literacy in 2011.
Pieri is an elementary school teacher at Wayland-Cohocton and the head coach for the DWC football program.
Pieri helped Cal-Mum football win the NYS title in 2003 as an All-State performer who played both linebacker and fullback.
Also on that Cal-Mum team was Pieri’s good buddy Paul Keeley, who was inducted into the Alfred Hall of Fame in 2019.
Keeley, a three-year starting QB, holds several AU records including passing yards in a season (3,015 in 2007).
Keeley is currently on DWC’s coaching staff as well
Pieri couldn’t be any happier to join Keeley in Saxons’ history.
“The game of football means the world to me, as it has given me so much as a person,” Pieri said. “I take great pride in being a Saxon. Being recognized in the AU Hall of Fame with so many accomplished teams and individuals is an honor and a blessing. I carry the lessons Alfred U has taught me and try to instill that hard work, and toughness into our program at DWC. I am forever thankful for the experience AU has provided me and to be a Saxon warrior.”
There were plenty of great memories for Chad and his family that he will cherish forever.
“AU holds a dear spot in my heart as it has been a source of many great memories for my family,” he said. “My father and grandfather who are no longer with us had some of the best times at games. I’m very appreciative of the time we had while at AU.”
