Would you support the return of football at WSU?

[SubGod22]

Boatright has stated he has no interest and will not be a part of football here. But we know he's a balless wonder with no spine.

I'm not sure Muma will make a change and I don't know enough about him and what kind of ambition he might have.

Football could also be an enrollment boost and keep more area kids here. That was one of the stated reasons given by UTRGV.

As the data above shows, a yearly budget of just 5M would be all that would be needed to start up and play FCS and build from there. Initial costs would be a little higher to lay the groundwork and facilities would have to be built in time. But we're nowhere close to the 100M the anti-football folk used to always throw around. Unless that includes a new stadium right out of the gate.

[XtalShock]

A school district north of Houston (Tomball) just built a new 10000 seat state of the art stadium for about $37M (artificial turf, video screens). For comparison, another nearby school district (Conroe) built a 10000 seat stadium complex in 2008 at a cost of $49M. Depending on the size of the stadium needed, the anti-football folks number might have been reasonable 10 years ago. But you could certainly get started in FCS for significantly less now.

[shoxlax]

I don’t support the return of football but I would support the return of basketball.

[bleed yellow]

I think we’ll be alright.. Once Udeze, Dennis and Etienne wake up the team will be averaging almost 100 points per game. Just give it time

[WstateU]

Foosball…

[WstateU]

Foosball…

Commemorative Shocker Footballs

As you well know, Shockers, few collegiate sport histories can match the highs and lows of Wichita State’s football program. For 90 years, from 1896 through 1986, fall football games were rallying points for many in the Shocker community. As one Parnassus writer penned way back in 1921 when Wichita State was Fairmount College: “When Fairmount plays football, the game is not played by eleven men in moleskins. It is played by every student in the school. Co-eds, professors, students of every class and kind are on the side lines, and if you don’t believe that they take an active part in the game, just stand in front of the Fairmount rooters sections some time — that is, if you don’t mind losing your ears.” This fall, led by former Shocker offensive guard Jay Hull ’83, fans of Shocker football can purchase OFFICIAL NCAA COMMEMORATIVE SHOCKER FOOTBALLS via BigGameUSA.com. A portion of sales will benefit the WSUAA and, through licensing fees, Wichita State University. (This message and these sales are not affiliated with any individual, group or organization whose mission is to restart football at WSU.) Top photo is by the late George Alan Godbey ’83. As always, Shockers, you can stay up to date and in the know about all things Wichita State at our WSUAA online home: shockeralumni.org.

[ShockerDropOut]

Nothing Shocker related comes up on a search of that website.

[SubGod22]

If something like this were part of a greater effort to raise funds and/or awareness of a return of football I'd be all over it.

[Dark Lord]

Screw it, one more post on this just because all of the numbers I've seen today make me even more optimistic about the ability to get it done, if we ever get an administration that has the backbone to do it.

The following will be the Top 25 teams in FCS as of this week and their overall and football expenses based on the Knight Commission linked above.

1 - Sam Houston - 18.54 and 4.1
2 - James Madison - 52.7 and 10.6
3 - Montana State - 23.22 and 7.7
4 - South Dakota St - 23.08 and 7
5 - North Dakota St - 27.49 and 6
6 - UC Davis - 39.56 and 5.7
7 - Eastern Wash - 18.34 and 6.7
8 - Villanova - Private School
9 - Montana - 22.07 and 5.7
10 - Kennesaw St - 27.58 and 5.4
11 - E. Tenn. St - 23.45 and 4.6
12 - Sacramento St - 30.57 and 5.6
13 - Tenn. Martin - 14.02 and 4.6
14 - SE LA - 13.88 and 3.7
15 - Southern Ill - 31.8 and 4.3
16 - SWOMO - 28.8 and 4.2
17 - Incarnate Word - Private School
18 - Jackson State - 9.56 and 2.6
19 - South Dakota - 20.1 and 4.2
20 - UNI - 21.7 and 4.3
21 - VMI - 13.92 and 3.7
22 - Chattanooga - 18.19 and 4.5
22 - Dartmouth - Private School
24 - Prairie View A&M - 19.49 and 4
25 - William & Mary - 29.36 and 7.1

So James Madison leads the way, but they've also been building to be an FBS program. The FCS average is a hair over 4M and the top 25 (22) average is about 5.25M.

There is no financial reason for not having football. It is all about a lack of vision and the typical Wichita attitude of nothing is worth doing or investing in unless it is easy and risk free. To do otherwise is like pulling teeth and most academic leaders definitely are not going to consider anything of the sort, no matter how big the impact would be for the University overall. We do not have the kind of strong and ambitious leadership that would be needed to do what is necessary and that is infuriating.

[SubGod22]

I can't really disagree with much of what you say. I fear the continual non existence of a football program will one day really bite us in the ass.

[Shoxing Me Softly]

Well here’s the football setup

https://www.kansas.com/sports/mlb/wichita-wind-surge/article255952622.html

I think it would be more than adequate for FCS startup.

[Wuzee]

There is no financial reason for not having football. It is all about a lack of vision and the typical Wichita attitude of nothing is worth doing or investing in unless it is easy and risk free. To do otherwise is like pulling teeth and most academic leaders definitely are not going to consider anything of the sort, no matter how big the impact would be for the University overall. We do not have the kind of strong and ambitious leadership that would be needed to do what is necessary and that is infuriating.

Leadership and vision is in no way the problem. Wichita is in every way the problem.

Personally, I would love to have some level of football back. As a student during the last seasons, I feel we lost so much in terms of tradition, student life and diversity. But it's clearly not a good move for the university because, despite the voices on Shockernet, football has no real support in the community.

It was just five years ago that John Bardo -- hardly a risk-averse leader without strength and ambition -- took the temperature of boosters, alumni, students and community leaders and the feedback was very much "nobody gives a **** about college football in Wichita." This wasn't a half-assed attempt. Consultants were brought in. Financial studies were done. Helmets, band uniforms and supporting graphics were designed to build interest. New stadium locations were discussed. The door was wide freaking open.

But, unlike in Birmingham and other successful restarts, the community had no interest in walking through. Bardo listened, then put the helmet in storage and moved on to other things.

This just isn't a football town, guys.

---

“I think all of us at the end of the day were disappointed that there wasn’t more excitement to step up and do this.” -- John Bardo on the football study.

[1972Shocker]

Leadership and vision is in no way the problem. Wichita is in every way the problem.

Personally, I would love to have some level of football back. As a student during the last seasons, I feel we lost so much in terms of tradition, student life and diversity. But it's clearly not a good move for the university because, despite the voices on Shockernet, football has no real support in the community.

And there was certainly little support in the 1980's as well. I was their at the end and it the crowds were less than Shocker basketball crowds in the 1990's. It was very sad to see but it was what it was.

Apparently Dr. Bardo found that had not changed enough.

[bleed yellow]

When I was attending wsu in the early 2000’s it kinda seemed like at one point in the schools history there was a drive to be like KU and K-State as far as the size of the school and it’s sports, but at some point the hammer was brought down and the people that ran wsu said “We care about academics…. Then basketball.”
This is why the move to the AAC puzzled me from the get go. It’s almost like they were leaving the door open to bring football back, but then that door got slammed shut and we were just kinda left in the unstable AAC with no football team. I think the future is a little concerning for wsu. If the door on football is really closed forever, we should be in a basketball conference. Unless we’ve already tried to get into a basketball conference and got denied

[SubGod22]

There's no non football conference that really fits with us from a cultural or academic standpoint. The MVC made sense geographically but didn't have much to offer in way of urban research focused schools. The MVC also screwed us over in the 80s when the majority of schools chose not to sponsor football at the highest level and left us without a conference for football.The BE and A10 are NE focused and also not really full of peer institutions and any joining of one of those conferences would be purely basketball related and probably harm many other sports and not have the positive impact that joining the AAC has had academically.

Our research numbers continue to rise as we're associated with similar schools. Also, WSU has recruited OK and TX hard for students for a number of years and having a presence in those states goes a long way towards brand recognition and growing WSU in numerous ways. Not having football will always hold us back a bit in ways when it comes to enrollment and keeping some of our youth here. I know I knew a lot of people growing up who went to KU and more so KSU because of the football aspect of college life. My KU friends didn't care that the team wasn't good and I know I visited both campuses a few times when I was younger and the college football experience was great. I actually considered going to KSU because of those experiences after I was done with BCC.

A number of schools that have added or are adding have pointed to retention of local students as a reason or a positive result to football at their school. Along with more brand recognition and a stronger and wider donation base. At some point, not having football is going to bite us in the ass.