Update ? Iona Football !!!

[Collegefootballfan]

So what has been the fall out from Iona College dropping there program ?
For that matter what has been the fallout as well at St Peter and
LaSalle. Any plans to revive them at all even on the club level.
Read an interesting artical on line about how the students at the above
mentioned colleges wanted football so badly that they took it upon
themselves to start there own programs on the club level.
It was run by the students and eventually lead to a club football
league on a national level and a championship . All done back in the 60's
Just curious if anyone at Iona is trying to put together a team,
It is the perfect opportunity to strike while all the players and coaches
and uniforms are still around at Iona.
Games can be played against other clubs team like Vermont, Maine has
a club team. and againsts other like Xavier of Ohio, Marquette,
there is a whole midwest club league to play. An new d3 teams like Becker,' Anna Maria, Castleton, Sunny Maritime.
So just curious is there any interest or is it like most stated it is a dead
issue.

[DFW HOYA]

The club football movement began in 1963 at Georgetown University, which soon added allies in NYU and Fordham, each of which added programs in 1964. A lot of schools added in 1965, including Iona.

At its peak in the late 1960's there were nearly 100 club teams, in schools you would not associate with football, such as Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Marquette, St. Louis, New Orleans, Virginia Commonwealth, Manhattan, American, and Drexel. Unofficially, there are few such clubs teams left today: George Mason, Marquette, Xavier, Vermont, UW-Milwaukee, and SIU-Edwardsville, and a a couple I missed. The National Club Football Association folded in 1970 about the time Georgetown, Towson and Fordham upgraded to the NCAA College Division (D-II); most remaining club programs began to fold in the intervening years.

I haven't heard anything from the former MAAC schools, but the student bodies at these schools are much less unified than they once were and sprots isn't the priority it once was. Another difference? Many of these schools were all-male in the 1960's and adding football seemed a good idea to keep the men busy..now schools can wave the Title IX banner and scare off interested kids today.

[GaelsFootball]

I would like to see some sort of football. Not sure how it would work. I'm pretty sure the school already made money off of all of the equipment and sold them. I just don't see this happening because in reality, these kids came to play FCS ball, not club. There not going to want to stay at Iona and risk never playing again.
I would love to see it in a couple of years, but how do you fund something like that? It would be great if all the MAAC schools formed a club football conference something like you mentioned in the midwest. I wasn't around in the 60's but I just feel like trying to start a club team today is much harder than it once was.

[TexasTerror]

Nicholls State went NCAA after the club football association went under. New Orleans ended football at that time and just last year, brought it back. They got a 10-game slate which includes games against nine club teams and a money game against a NCAA foe.

[Franks Tanks]

I would like to see some sort of football. Not sure how it would work. I'm pretty sure the school already made money off of all of the equipment and sold them. I just don't see this happening because in reality, these kids came to play FCS ball, not club. There not going to want to stay at Iona and risk never playing again.
I would love to see it in a couple of years, but how do you fund something like that? It would be great if all the MAAC schools formed a club football conference something like you mentioned in the midwest. I wasn't around in the 60's but I just feel like trying to start a club team today is much harder than it once was.

Insurance costs are the major barrier to club football. You may want to read up on Vermont who started a club football team recently, and the initiative was done totally by the students.

[DFW HOYA]

I would like to see some sort of football. Not sure how it would work. I'm pretty sure the school already made money off of all of the equipment and sold them. I just don't see this happening because in reality, these kids came to play FCS ball, not club. There not going to want to stay at Iona and risk never playing again.
I would love to see it in a couple of years, but how do you fund something like that? It would be great if all the MAAC schools formed a club football conference something like you mentioned in the midwest. I wasn't around in the 60's but I just feel like trying to start a club team today is much harder than it once was.

Club funding is around $40,000 per team. Some of that will come from the students themselves, a lot of it from either alumni support or the school's club sports fund; hence, the hesitation by many schools to get involved. Xavier would be a good place to see how it has been done recently.

If today's Iona kids want to continue playing the sport at any level, they have one choice: leave. If the school wants to maintain opportunity for students to play football at a cost they can live with, than club football should be an option. If they don't care or are content seeing male enrollment fall below 40% (as it has become at schools which drop football), then it won't be back.

Another option--sprint football. The budgets are more along the lines of a Division III program.

[Collegefootballfan]

If Iona still wants to play football it is the best time to do it.
A meeting should be held on campus for all players and coaches
to organize the club team . They are in a stronger position than starting
from scratch. It only take one determined guy to get the ball rolling
just ask the guy who started the Vermont team . Look what he accomplished in just a short time.
The topic of the meeting would be to determine the general interest in
the club team. A nucleus of players should be counted of those that
want to continue as a club. A club team has alot of advantages to it
no more restrictions of the NCCA to who you can and cannot play.
So teams like Div 3 startups like Anna Maria and Castleton could be on
the schedule and the like. As far as money is concerned it can be raised in numerous ways. Equipment is still available and uniforms.
It can be done.
Another option besides club is the Sprint Football Conference
A league made of Army, Navy, Penn, Colgate.
Major names that anyone would love to be associated with
an with the weight restriction recruiting for schools like Iona and
the former Mac teams gives them a wider range .
An even the playing field and the cost is half of the former budget
just ask Manfield College who dropped football but brought it back
in Sprint football and is happy with the results
In conclusion if Iona and other schools want to play football
it can be done if the well is there

[Franks Tanks]

If Iona still wants to play football it is the best time to do it.
A meeting should be held on campus for all players and coaches
to organize the club team . They are in a stronger position than starting
from scratch. It only take one determined guy to get the ball rolling
just ask the guy who started the Vermont team . Look what he accomplished in just a short time.
The topic of the meeting would be to determine the general interest in
the club team. A nucleus of players should be counted of those that
want to continue as a club. A club team has alot of advantages to it
no more restrictions of the NCCA to who you can and cannot play.
So teams like Div 3 startups like Anna Maria and Castleton could be on
the schedule and the like. As far as money is concerned it can be raised in numerous ways. Equipment is still available and uniforms.
It can be done.
Another option besides club is the Sprint Football Conference
A league made of Army, Navy, Penn, Colgate.
Major names that anyone would love to be associated with
an with the weight restriction recruiting for schools like Iona and
the former Mac teams gives them a wider range .
An even the playing field and the cost is half of the former budget
just ask Manfield College who dropped football but brought it back
in Sprint football and is happy with the results
In conclusion if Iona and other schools want to play football
it can be done if the well is there


Cornell not Colgate plays sprint FB. Other participants include Army, Navy, Penn, Princeton and Mansfield who added recently. The consenus among Mansfield alums and former players is that sprint FB is a joke. All other schools who play sprint also have NCAA sponsored D-I FB teams and the sprint team is a side project of sorts. Mansfiled alums are pissed that the administration tried to present sprint football as a viable replacement to a D-II college football team as it is not. Dont get me wrong some good athletes play sprint football, but it is a sorry replacement for an NCAA team (sprint FB is not sponsored by the NCAA). Also I dont understand how a school can only have sprint football-- it is prejudice againt kids over 180 :)

[BloomHusky'01]

Cornell not Colgate plays sprint FB. Other participants include Army, Navy, Penn, Princeton and Mansfield who added recently. The consenus among Mansfield alums and former players is that sprint FB is a joke. All other schools who play sprint also have NCAA sponsored D-I FB teams and the sprint team is a side project of sorts. Mansfiled alums are pissed that the administration tried to present sprint football as a viable replacement to a D-II college football team as it is not. Dont get me wrong some good athletes play sprint football, but it is a sorry replacement for an NCAA team (sprint FB is not sponsored by the NCAA). Also I dont understand how a school can only have sprint football-- it is prejudice againt kids over 180 :)

Mansfield is the only participant in the Sprint league that does not also have an NCAA team. Football was not well supported at Mansfield and their program was one of the worst in D2 in its last years, but Sprint is not an acceptable replacement. A majority of the alumni do not like what has happened. The only good things about it are 1) it provides an outlet for their very good marching band 2) it keeps some of the equipment and some infrastructure in place in case they opt to bring back NCAA ball in the future.

[DFW HOYA]

Also I dont understand how a school can only have sprint football-- it is prejudice againt kids over 180 :)

Sprint football costs about $150K a year, that's why.

[Franks Tanks]

Sprint football costs about $150K a year, that's why.

Please note smiley face = sarcasm. Sprint football is also not an NCAA sponsored sport so it is really no different from club football. If you are going to play what is in essense club football why not allow more kids to play.

[DFW HOYA]

Sprint football is also not an NCAA sponsored sport so it is really no different from club football. If you are going to play what is in essense club football why not allow more kids to play.

Depdnds on how you define it. A club sport is generally outside of a school's athletic department, either as an independent or through the studnt activities or rec sports budget. Sprint is an non-NCAA intercollegiate sport like men's rowing, budgeted through an athletic department, with coaches as university employees (albeit part time). Sprint players are eligible for athletic letters, so it is probably more than a "club" in the eyes of the school.

[Franks Tanks]

Depdnds on how you define it. A club sport is generally outside of a school's athletic department, either as an independent or through the studnt activities or rec sports budget. Sprint is an non-NCAA intercollegiate sport like men's rowing, budgeted through an athletic department, with coaches as university employees (albeit part time). Sprint players are eligible for athletic letters, so it is probably more than a "club" in the eyes of the school.

Ok, if you want to be technical there is a difference as club is student sponsored. Club sports also have coaches that are paid by the university. At Lafayette I know the club Hockey and rowing coaches were paid something, so technically they are university employees as well. Either way Sprint football is supported like a club sport. Athletes are not give aid to play sprint football and the budget is similar to that of club sports. You can talk about semantics all day but Sprint football is virtually similar to club, and a normal club team will give more kids the chance to participate.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Depdnds on how you define it. A club sport is generally outside of a school's athletic department, either as an independent or through the studnt activities or rec sports budget. Sprint is an non-NCAA intercollegiate sport like men's rowing, budgeted through an athletic department, with coaches as university employees (albeit part time). Sprint players are eligible for athletic letters, so it is probably more than a "club" in the eyes of the school.

Princeton lists Sprint football as a sport on its official website goTigers.com:

http://www.goprincetontigers.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=46859&SPID=4263&DB_OEM_ID=10600

You can get news on the sprint football team - from the same navbar as the NCAA sanctioned-sports. So that's an option for Iona and other schools.

Of course, worthy of mention here is that Princeton's aid policies sprint football is in effect a scholarship sport, since folks making under $100K a year and can get into Princeton are paying nothing.

[Franks Tanks]

Princeton lists Sprint football as a sport on its official website goTigers.com:

http://www.goprincetontigers.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=46859&SPID=4263&DB_OEM_ID=10600

You can get news on the sprint football team - from the same navbar as the NCAA sanctioned-sports. So that's an option for Iona and other schools.

Of course, worthy of mention here is that Princeton's aid policies sprint football is in effect a scholarship sport, since folks making under $100K a year and can get into Princeton are paying nothing.

True but that aplies to every single student. Also they are not making any kind of admission priority for sprint FB players, nor do they actively recruit from what I understand.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

True but that aplies to every single student. Also they are not making any kind of admission priority for sprint FB players, nor do they actively recruit from what I understand.

But they do recruit for the football team... and there's nothing stopping sprint FB members from making it on the FB team, right?

I can certainly imagine a recruiting pitch for a young, skinny freshman WR or DB to tell them they can start on the sprint team, bulk up, and then start playing as a sophomore. After all, if he gets into Princeton, his education is paid for...

[Franks Tanks]

But they do recruit for the football team... and there's nothing stopping sprint FB members from making it on the FB team, right?

I can certainly imagine a recruiting pitch for a young, skinny freshman WR or DB to tell them they can start on the sprint team, bulk up, and then start playing as a sophomore. After all, if he gets into Princeton, his education is paid for...


Well maybe but A recruited FB player would be working with the varsity team from the beginning. I am sure a few kids went from Sprint to varsity but I would say it is rare.

[Go...gate]

Sprint Football (which used to be called "150 lb." or "Lightweight" Football)is something the participants take very seriously. I can remember some Princeton - Rutgers 150 lb. games which were like wars. The games always took place on Friday nights.

[Collegefootballfan]

Wow thanks for all the imput,. but we are getting ahead of ourselves here
alittle bit. the orginal purpose of the thread was to see what was
happening with Iona and the rest of the Mac schools that dropped
football. Is there anything going on about bringing the sport back to
these schools/
After all most Mac schools dropped the programs due to
lack of funds , not enough participation etc.
So the question is besides the cost of insurance why is it so
expensive to run a program .
If a inner city high school can afford a program why not a college
or university. A bare bones program can be provided.
If a university has a enrollment of 3,000 student by charging them
an extra $120.00 each there is more than enough to fund a program
Another thing was noted about the difference between club and
sprint football not being real football . The major point is that
the school is still playing football . The students are still having
fun . Not who is recruting who and playing where.
Beside one of the reasons St Peter AD cited for dropping the program
was the lack of kids in the program . That is an advantage for sprint
football which is that the recruitment pool is larger due to the
fact that you don't have to rely on kids over 250 -300 pds to be competive
Nothing wrong with either but for a program to recruit a player
that has to be under 175 is easier. Also it was mentioned that
game is not as good as the other. Go watch it and u come away
with the another inpression, Even though there is a weigh limit
the players are still quick and fast and big.
Anyway again the main purpose of the thread is to see what is happening
at the schools that dropped there programs.
So dose anyone know what Iona has planned or what has been
the fall out at St Peters or LaSalle .

[Franks Tanks]

Wow thanks for all the imput,. but we are getting ahead of ourselves here
alittle bit. the orginal purpose of the thread was to see what was
happening with Iona and the rest of the Mac schools that dropped
football. Is there anything going on about bringing the sport back to
these schools/
After all most Mac schools dropped the programs due to
lack of funds , not enough participation etc.
So the question is besides the cost of insurance why is it so
expensive to run a program .
If a inner city high school can afford a program why not a college
or university. A bare bones program can be provided.
If a university has a enrollment of 3,000 student by charging them
an extra $120.00 each there is more than enough to fund a program
Another thing was noted about the difference between club and
sprint football not being real football . The major point is that
the school is still playing football . The students are still having
fun . Not who is recruting who and playing where.
Beside one of the reasons St Peter AD cited for dropping the program
was the lack of kids in the program . That is an advantage for sprint
football which is that the recruitment pool is larger due to the
fact that you don't have to rely on kids over 250 -300 pds to be competive
Nothing wrong with either but for a program to recruit a player
that has to be under 175 is easier. Also it was mentioned that
game is not as good as the other. Go watch it and u come away
with the another inpression, Even though there is a weigh limit
the players are still quick and fast and big.
Anyway again the main purpose of the thread is to see what is happening
at the schools that dropped there programs.
So dose anyone know what Iona has planned or what has been
the fall out at St Peters or LaSalle .


It may not be all that expensive to run a FB program especially is travel costs are low, but it is expensive to run a competitive FCS program. The lack of number at some of the former MAAC schools could be attributed to the fact that many of these schools are rather expensive to attend and the FB program didnt give out much or any financial aid. With solid financial aid packages these school would have found many solid players, but that was/is impossible for the respective school budget. Club/Sprint FB is better then nothing, but dont kid yourself it is vastly different from FCS football.