Re: History of NCAA Conference Realignment and the Big East
Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 8:35 pm
trephin wrote:Fieldhouse Flyer wrote:
Georgetown would be well-advised to join Butler (and Dayton) in the Pioneer Football League.
I have no inside information but I am certain Georgetown fully knew what the consequences were when it decided on maintaining the no scholarship policy and that there is more to it's decision to stay in the PL than wins and losses. I bet the Patriot League's academic prestige and regional foes are very important factors.
Fair points trephin. Thank you for posting them, and I certainly accept them.
However, I don't envy Georgetown's football coaching staff in their recruitng efforts in the Patriot League.
Patriot League Rival Coach: "We really want you to play football for our school, and we're willing to offer you free tuition, free room & board, and free books for the four years that you play here."
Georgetown Coach: "We really want you to play football for the Hoyas, but it's gonna cost your parents about $280,000."
Another important factor to be considered is that non-scholarshipped football programs rely heavily on donations from alumni and other benefactors for their continued existence. If a school’s football team consistently fares poorly on the field, fan support will diminish, home game attendance will fall, and donations from alumni and other benefactors will decline.
Therefore, there are strategic and financial incentives for fielding a respectable football team on a regular basis. Keeping the cash-giving alumni happy is important for the finances of a school’s athletic department, and the best two ways of keeping these alumni happy are: (1) fielding winning football teams and (2) providing some desirable locations for alumni to meet with each other and enjoy a college football game together - such as San Diego, Jacksonville, and Deland.
In the specific case of Georgetown, the Hoyas have won a total of four conference games in the four seasons since the Patriot League began allowing football scholarships, including their most recent 0-6 performance. There could be dark days ahead for the Hoyas’ football program unless Georgetown begins to award football scholarships, or changes conference affiliation for football.
NCAA Division III - Wikipedia
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In 1992, several Division I schools playing Division III in football, most notably Georgetown University, were forced to make their football programs Division I. This directly led to the creation of the Pioneer Football League, a non-scholarship football-only Division I FCS conference that remains in operation today. Although Georgetown still does not award football scholarships, it has never been a PFL member.
beltwaybluejay wrote:
There were no NCAA divisions before 1973.
You're quite obviously correct. My apologies for missing that in the discussion of Wikipedia's (incorrect) Creighton Men's Basketball article.
NCAA Division III - Wikipedia
Division III formed in 1973, and is the NCAA’s largest division, with approximately 40% of the total membership. The Division consists of colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletically-related financial aid (athletic scholarships) to their student-athletes.
Wikipedia's Xavier Musketeers Football article wrote:
The Xavier Musketeers football program was discontinued in 1973, citing cost concerns.
Do any of you older Xavier fans know if Xavier ever considered downgrading to Division III football in 1973 (at least on a trial basis) as an alternative to discontinuing the Musketeers' 73-year-old football program?