- January 24th, 2007, 12:45 am
#55647
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.c ... ran=231232
ODU football closing in on necessary endowment
By JIM DUCIBELLA, The Virginian-Pilot
© January 24, 2007 | Last updated 9:53 PM Jan. 23
NORFOLK - Old Dominion University is closing in on the $8 million endowment set by the school's Board of Trustees as a prerequisite for resurrecting the football program in 2009.
Last spring, during a pep rally at Foreman Field to officially announce that football was returning after a 70-year absence, university officials said between $5-6 million had been raised by that time. Tuesday, ODU vice president for Development and Alumni Relations Alonzo Brandon said "we don't see" $8 million "as any sort of problem."
"We're working hard on it," Brandon said. "We have had several dinners recently with supporters who we feel strongly will donate to the $8 million cause."
As the fundraising continues, Brandon said the university is focusing on establishing a statewide network of support that would result in annual contributions of $1 million or more to the football program. As part of that effort, the ODU Intercollegiate Foundation - better known as the Big Blue Club - is forming chapters on the Peninsula, in Richmond, Northern Virginia, Lynchburg, and in North Carolina, among other locales.
"The network is a major point of emphasis," Brandon said.
Meanwhile, ODU athletic director Jim Jarrett said this week that after the expected hiring of a head coach in February, an immediate priority will be adding two assistant coaches. He said the coaches will begin to establish relationships with high school coaches, recruit players and promote the program to the public.
"Recruiting for the 2008 high school graduating class is beginning now," Jarrett said. "Our goal is to have a staff of three that will immediately recruit the first class and get out in the community and begin selling the program. A major part of that is to... develop relationships throughout the state, obviously concentrating on Hampton Roads."
ODU received about 80 applications for the head-coaching position. Their experience level ranged from NFL to high school and prep school. Jarrett refused to say how many candidates are still being considered or when the process will enter its final stage.
Jarrett said former ACC coaches-turned-consultants George Welsh and Dick Sheridan had not been used to "filter" applicants, but had recommended a couple of candidates for consideration.
"We haven't used them to say, 'Here's A, B, C, D; what do you think?' " Jarrett said. "But I'm not saying that we won't do that before it's over."
Asked if getting a coach with previous experience at the I-AA level remained a high priority, Jarrett answered, "Absolutely."
The new coach will have input on every football-related decision ODU makes, including what type of grass or artificial surface to use at Foreman Field. Drawings for the remodeled stadium, which will seat approximately 20,000, are expected to arrive shortly after the new coach is named and will be released to the public soon thereafter.
As for scheduling, Jarrett re-emphasized that ODU would not compete for the CAA championship until 2011. The Monarchs' 2009 schedule will include games against teams from the CAA, other I-AA schools that don't offer scholarships - the Ivy League and Patriot League, for example - and "two or three games that will be reflective of the fact that we will have had only two recruiting classes."
Reach Jim at (757) 446-2364 or jim.ducibella@pilotonline.com
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