Article on J'ville, FCGU Football

[TexasTerror]

This article confuses me some, but from the sounds of it - an NAIA school is starting football and it has spurred conversation regarding Florida Gulf Coast starting to football.

To explain how bad an idea the columnist thinks of it, he makes remarks regarding Jacksonville's non-scholarship football...


How about if we look at a school and a city much closer to our reality? Jacksonville. Jacksonville University is in the same conference as FGCU. They have been around since 1934, yet the NFL came to town before JU started playing football. After a decade of losing and at best mediocrity, only now is Jacksonville beginning to win in college football at the old I-AA (now FCS) level with former Gator Kerwin Bell as head coach. Two years ago they went 9-4, won the Pioneer League title and for the big home win against Dayton, they had a record crowd of ...

5,263

That's reality.

Credit: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/feb/18/david-moulton-timing-isnt-right-ave-maria-or-fgcu-/

[Lehigh Football Nation]

OT but the following tidbit interested me:


The whispers are getting louder that Stetson will leave the Atlantic Sun Conference in coming years because of the cost of D-I athletics.

If that is the case and a football-playing member joins the A-Sun, it could be one more non-scholarship team added to the A-Sun that may cause them to make their own non-scholarship league. Right now Jacksonville and Campbell are non-scholly schools, and ETSU, Kennesaw State and FGSU have all been rumored at one time or another to be starting (or, in the case of ETSU, re-starting) up D-I teams. You could possibly add Davidson, too.

[TexasTerror]

If Stetson leaves the Atlantic Sun because of the cost of Division I athletics, does that mean they will join New Orleans, Centenary and Birmingham Southern in Division III?

I really think we'll see a few schools go that route if the economy, particularly some states, do not turn around...

[BigSouthFB]

Just my 2 cents but North Florida has a football stadium in place already. it is the home of their soccer teams and track and field. it would take a minimal amount to make it football ready. The A-sun is not going to retain campbell it already is joining the big south in all sports except football next year(correct me if i'm wrong on the year)

[UAalum72]

That article links to this one http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/feb/12/fgcu-reacts-ave-maria-universitys-new-football-pro/ where the FGCU president says
“I’m excited about the potential for football but it’s out there a bit. I mean, it’s not going to be in three or four years. ... It’s a matter of when not if.” Gulf Coast U is only 10 or 12 years old, and the Fort Myers area has been especially hard hit by the real estate collapse, so it may take a while.

[GA St. MBB Fan]

OT but the following tidbit interested me:



If that is the case and a football-playing member joins the A-Sun, it could be one more non-scholarship team added to the A-Sun that may cause them to make their own non-scholarship league. Right now Jacksonville and Campbell are non-scholly schools, and ETSU, Kennesaw State and FGSU have all been rumored at one time or another to be starting (or, in the case of ETSU, re-starting) up D-I teams. You could possibly add Davidson, too.

Yeah I really don't understand why they haven't done this yet. Mercer was talking about adding football recently as well. Note, though that Campbell is leaving for the Big South - so even if Mercer adds football you still might need another school.