Xavier FCS Football???

[bjf123]

About 15 years ago, the brought football back to X as a club sport. I think it lasted 3 years.


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[JTG]

I honestly don't know the answer to this question: Do people go to UD, Butler, and Valpo football games? Is there big tailgate parties that happen? Do having those teams help enrollment and retention?

I get football being a draw, not sure I see this level of football being that draw though.

Edit: I guess it helps the enrollment and retention on the people on the football team, but past that?

Having done some recruiting for X in the late 90s early 2000s, I had some kids tell me that X not having football was a deal breaker.

[paulxu]

Could they use Corcoran field for football also?

Would like to see Jimmy Carter heads in the stands the first time the Fayers came down.

[xudash]

Meaning it's a long way off, or just in the spitballing stage? Someone on that site said administrators at Parents Weekend were talking it up to folks. Do you have some inside info.? Usually you're in the know.

I have to believe that is true. The cat is certainly appears to be very much out of the bag.

It's not just about male enrollment. You actually hit the nail on the head about this (see below).


Please allow me to go about it this way: how does a cynic see this opportunity?

1. We had club football already and that didn't work out (well, yeah, probably because it was "club" football).

2. This will take energy and focus away from our basketball program (I thought that way years ago; that's no longer a concern).

3. This is a money (tuition) grab (if the students/parents value this experience at a place like Xavier, then its "marked to market").


How does an optimist see this opportunity?

1. Football at this level, done well, provides multiple benefits to the institution.

2. This will be accomplished in a manner that ensures the basketball program will move forward successfully.

3. It will give the kids on campus the "fall experience" of having football.


This obviously isn't about navigating our way to FBS football or even FCS football. It's obviously non-scholly all the way, at least with respect to athletic scholarships. We aren't angling to do anything other than establish a successful NAIA program.

If you missed it before, then consider JTG's post again:

It has been tried elsewhere and has been successful. In Indy around 20-25 yrs ago Marian U, was little Marian College and most of the student body was girls. They decided to start NAIA football to get males to go to the school. It worked so well that male enrollment jumped, they had money to build a stadium, built a heck of a program that has won National Championships. The school started a Med School a few years ago. It has nothing to do with tv, or becoming Alabama or OSU. It's a student acquisition, retention, and student quality of life program.

I can't put it any better than that.

Xavier has been changing, mostly for the better and at an increasing pace since Father Hoff showed up. Just think about Xavier in 1990 versus 2000 versus now. We are 9 years out from our 200th Anniversary. We're going to look even better when we get there.

[GoMuskies]

Having done some recruiting for X in the late 90s early 2000s, I had some kids tell me that X not having football was a deal breaker.

Sure, but were those kids instead going to Ohio State, UC and Kentucky, or were they going to Mt. St. Joe's?

[D-West & PO-Z]

Having done some recruiting for X in the late 90s early 2000s, I had some kids tell me that X not having football was a deal breaker.

Yeah I get that, but what level of football? Any football? Or division 1, 80,000 fans in the stands football.

I think a lot of kids who say X not having football is a deal breaker, wouldn't consider Pioneer League level football, the football they are talking about.

[Xville]

I have to believe that is true. The cat is certainly appears to be very much out of the bag.

It's not just about male enrollment. You actually hit the nail on the head about this (see below).


Please allow me to go about it this way: how does a cynic see this opportunity?

1. We had club football already and that didn't work out (well, yeah, probably because it was "club" football).

2. This will take energy and focus away from our basketball program (I thought that way years ago; that's no longer a concern).

3. This is a money (tuition) grab (if the students/parents value this experience at a place like Xavier, then its "marked to market").


How does an optimist see this opportunity?

1. Football at this level, done well, provides multiple benefits to the institution.

2. This will be accomplished in a manner that ensures the basketball program will move forward successfully.

3. It will give the kids on campus the "fall experience" of having football.


This obviously isn't about navigating our way to FBS football or even FCS football. It's obviously non-scholly all the way, at least with respect to athletic scholarships. We aren't angling to do anything other than establish a successful NAIA program.

If you missed it before, then consider JTG's post again:

It has been tried elsewhere and has been successful. In Indy around 20-25 yrs ago Marian U, was little Marian College and most of the student body was girls. They decided to start NAIA football to get males to go to the school. It worked so well that male enrollment jumped, they had money to build a stadium, built a heck of a program that has won National Championships. The school started a Med School a few years ago. It has nothing to do with tv, or becoming Alabama or OSU. It's a student acquisition, retention, and student quality of life program.

I can't put it any better than that.

Xavier has been changing, mostly for the better and at an increasing pace since Father Hoff showed up. Just think about Xavier in 1990 versus 2000 versus now. We are 9 years out from our 200th Anniversary. We're going to look even better when we get there.

A few questions here:

1.) How in your view does FCS football provide multiple benefits to the school?

2.) What does this have anything to do with the success of our basketball program?

3.) What does Marian have anything to do with Xavier? Does Marian have a basketball team, one that has grown leaps and bounds and is in the Big East?

If this was the 70s when Xavier basketball was a blip on the radar, I could see the correlation. Otherwise, I don't think what happened at Marian has anything to do with Xavier.

I really think most of this stuff is nonsense. Guys don't go to Dayton or Villanova because they have a football team, I think that's complete nonsense. If they want to increase male enrollment and do it by adding 100 guys a year and it doesn't hurt the basketball program, go for it. I think there are much better ways to achieve the desired outcome but whatever floats their boat i guess.

[nickgyp]

About 15 years ago, the brought football back to X as a club sport. I think it lasted 3 years.


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Actually, club football got through a number of years with some entertaining games. Problem was the students had to pay to play; the number of players weren't sufficient to deal with injuries. I always enjoyed to attending games at Corcoran Field back in the days of Danny Abramowicz, Carroll Williams, Steve Bailey, Jim Louder, Denny Caponi and others. Autumns at Xavier have never been the same since football was dropped in 1973. I attended Xavier when football was dropped and even attempted to walk-on for what would have been my sophomore year. Always thought that dropping to Division 3 football as Dayton did back then would have been a better option.

I had hoped that club football might have morphed into non-scholarship football in the Pioneer Football League where schools like Butler and Dayton have played without harming their basketball programs. Villanova's football program certainly doesn't harm their basketball program (this even after Nova dropped their program only to re-start it very quickly). Schools adding football and /or restarting programs at various levels has been a growing trend:

National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Last week the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) highlighted that football remains strong on campuses across the country as the number of four-year colleges and universities from all NCAA divisions, the NAIA and independents offering football currently stands at 774. The total number includes one college football team that will take the field for the first time this season and six additional programs that will take to the gridiron in the coming years. (Media release courtesy of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.)

Since 1978 when the NCAA changed its method for tracking attendance figures, the number of schools playing NCAA football (FBS, FCS, DII and DIII) has steadily increased by 181 schools from 484 in 1978 to 665 in 2021. Adding NAIA and independent schools playing football and schools launching programs in the coming years, there are now 774 four-year colleges and universities offering students an opportunity to play college football...

”No other sport contributes more to the vibrancy of a college campus than football, and we are very pleased to highlight those schools that have added our great game,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “University and college presidents clearly see the value of having programs on their campuses, and we applaud them for understanding the role football can play in the educational experience of all their students.”

The rationale for adding football varies at each institution, and all of the decision makers, who helped develop a plan for launching a program, explain that an in-depth study played a critical role in finding the right level of play and the proper financial balance. Small colleges may cite increasing enrollment and addressing gender imbalances while larger universities might highlight the role of football in raising the institutionÂ’s profile and its ability to attract research grants. All mention creating a more vibrant on-campus community and connecting with alumni.

“With more than one million high school students playing football, there is plenty of room for expansion of the game at the collegiate level,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “Many of these colleges clearly recognize that football can play an important role in encouraging students to continue their educations by enticing them to enroll.”

According to a 2015 study of five small universities published in College Planning & Management by Virginia Wesleyan University President Dr. Scott Miller and former Carlow University (PA) President Dr. Marylouise Fennell, adding sports teams and facilities, especially football and marching bands, can fuel an enrollment boost. The study found that each of the five institutions experienced a six-year increase of 26 percent or more, with one school doubling its enrollment during that period...

You can read more of this story at: https://footballfoundation.org/news/...-football.aspx

I have no idea how the numbers would work for Xavier especially with Title IX considerations but an argument can be made that non-scholarship football doesn't impact legislation and/or female club sports even out the athletic.opportunities.

I fully support the administration exploring the pros and cons of non-scholarship football. It would certainly fill an autumn void that exists on Victory Parkway and I believe basketball success wouldn't be undermined. I would love to see it happen.

FWIW: I am just a little more than a year out from chemo and beam radiation for thyroid cancer. Today I had CT scans of my chest, neck and abdomen. Reads just in: All show me clear of cancer consistent with July PETSCAN at MD Anderson which showed no evidence of cancer.
Scheduled to head to Houston again in January for another PETSCAN. I am blessed!

Finally: Musketeer Madness noted this past summer that Steve Thomas turned 80. Can somebody get his jersey hanging at Cintas?
His 30 ppg. average without a three-point shot in 1964 is one remarkable basketball feat. He was that good!

[drudy23]

I don't understand this. The gap between where Xavier is now vs. what it would need to be to provide substantial and difference making revenue is cavernous. What other school the size of Xavier uses football to supplement other things?

There would be zero interest in Xavier football, except by the weekend warriors hanging on to play "college" football. There is Father Hoff vision and then there is this. This is dumb.

This feels like someone trying to sell me on the streetcar.

[nickgyp]

sorry for repost