[flamesbball84]

Sources tell me Lynchburg College is having a press conference tomorrow to announce their decision on rather to add football or not. Since they are ahving a press conference, I would think that would mean they are adding it.

[Knucklehead]

DO WHAT?
LC FOOTBALL!
WHY?

[flamesbball84]

DO WHAT?
LC FOOTBALL!
WHY?

They have been seriously looking into it for over a year now. Several other schools within their conference have it, I guess they want to add another football school to the conference. i'm not sure what kind of arguments someone could make for adding football at D3, I can't think of any because it will surely produce little to no revenue...

[Sly Fox]

Frankly I miss Shuk right about now for his insight.

While DIII football doesn't bring in any revenue it also isn't ridiculous from a cost standpoint if travel costs can be kept in check (thank you ODAC). Good for LC for making a move like this.

[Cider Jim]

I wonder if the Lynchburg AD has Karcher on speed dial.

[Sly Fox]

Forget Karcher, get a former LU coach who proved he coukld win at City Stadium (which I assume will be the homefield) ...

Morgan Hout!

Somewhere Hburg is trying to find the latest number for Tom Dowling.

[Fumblerooskies]

I had sources tell me the same thing. The issue, as I understand it, is that MALE enrollment has dropping. With football, you're talking potentially an additional 80-100 males...and at an enrollment driven school, that is important. Both Averett and Shenandoah have added FBL in recent years, with some decent success within 5 years, so the model is out there.

[kentuckywildcats]

the main solutions for a field from what I have been told by the Athletic Director consist of two pre-existing fields: using their main athletic field that is used for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, convert one of the practice fields into a football facility, or BUY city stadium - placed in order of likelihood

as Fumble said, the model for success is there, but I've dealt with this athletic department for five years now and I am ZERO% confident that the current athletic director can do it right. he's had close to 30 years now to hire a good basketball coach and still has somehow managed to not find one. Why should I expect him to hire a good football coach? He has also displayed absolutely zero support for any of the other athletic teams, so now you are going to have an athletic director that doesn't give a dang being at least partially responsible for the school adding a football team, and LC expects the addition to be done properly? I laugh at their stupidity.

I've been opposed to adding football ever since they started talking about looking into it. Ever since the board of trustees began looking into it, not once has one single person provided any of the detractors one single reason for adding it. Not one single reason. Now they are going to force it on us without giving any reason for adding it? Do they expect me and other detractors to just embrace it with open arms because the board of trustees decided it was a good idea? You know, I probably still would have been opposed to it if they had kept people informed about the process and tried to convert the detractors to supporters, but they didn't and I most likely never will embrace the football team now. Apparently at LC, forcing things on you is more important than trying to get people to support it and doing things the right way.

[Fumblerooskies]

Sounds like someone should put out a call to Thom Park.

[flamesbball84]

Sounds like someone should put out a call to Thom Park.

a new athletic director would be a better option if the guy is as bad as stated

[Fumblerooskies]

Park was our former AD who was Karcher's agent. Both got purged in the great blood letting of Nov 05.

[bigsmooth]

good for LC. the ODAC is a solid D3 football conference, and LC would have a good talent pool to choose from.

[Knucklehead]

Just heard that the announcement was they will NOT start a football program!

[Sly Fox]

DIII football is a surprisingly entertaining product. And beyond enrollment it offers a bigtime way to bond students together that is not as likely in other sports outside of mens hoops. That is why so many liberal arts schools are rushing to add programs. It makes sense for the longterm viability of schools.

Perhaps Randolph could get together a powerpuff team and a new rivalry is born.

And as for City Stadium, why would anyone try to buy a stadium from the city that they only need 5-6 days a year when it is readily available for rent?

[Fumblerooskies]

Just heard that the announcement was they will NOT start a football program!

WOW!

[Knucklehead]

Script for story upcoming on ABC13 news midday:

Lynchburg College is saying NO to football, at least for now. About a year ago, L.C. President Kenneth Garren asked the school's Board of Trustees to undertake a study to see if it would be feasible to return football to campus. L-C actually played football from 1917 into the early 30's. What they found was it would take about 10 million dollars of new money to produce a quality football program with the facilities L.C. would want.

Dr. Kenneth Garren, Lynchburg College President - "If someone came up and said Mr. President we have 10 million dollars, we would like you to start a football program, I'm certain we would take another look at the situation. But if someone were to come up and say Mr. President we have 10 million dollars, how do you want to spend it, it would not be on a football program."

Garren says a football program would bring in about 135 new students. That would necessitate building a new residence hall, along with a new practice field, weight facilities and more. Garren says the school doesn't want to start a new program unless it's done with quality.

[Fumblerooskies]

Thanks for the info...I've found NO mention of it on the LC website. Sounds like they have some very prudent administrators...as I have seen what can happen when something is done half-way.

[HenryGale]

Script for story upcoming on ABC13 news midday:

Lynchburg College is saying NO to football, at least for now. About a year ago, L.C. President Kenneth Garren asked the school's Board of Trustees to undertake a study to see if it would be feasible to return football to campus. L-C actually played football from 1917 into the early 30's. What they found was it would take about 10 million dollars of new money to produce a quality football program with the facilities L.C. would want.

Dr. Kenneth Garren, Lynchburg College President - "If someone came up and said Mr. President we have 10 million dollars, we would like you to start a football program, I'm certain we would take another look at the situation. But if someone were to come up and say Mr. President we have 10 million dollars, how do you want to spend it, it would not be on a football program."

Garren says a football program would bring in about 135 new students. That would necessitate building a new residence hall, along with a new practice field, weight facilities and more. Garren says the school doesn't want to start a new program unless it's done with quality.

Be careful of breaking news on FF...I've seen what it has done to other posters...

And FWIW...I feel this is probably a good move for LC.

[TDDance234]

If you're not going to put all of your efforts in to building a quality football program--then the correct stance is to not do it. Good move by LC.

[Fumblerooskies]

Now...they need to re-direct some of the money to the baseball program and field rennovations.

[LUconn]

good move I guess, but I do have to question some of the logic. The point of the program is to increase male enrollment. But one of the major costs that they're not willing to pay is for new dorms? Where are they planning on housing the men that they're seeking?

[ToTheLeft]

Where are they planning on housing the men that they're seeking?

I am sure Asheville's male population would gladly take them in...

[Baldspot]

Why don't they just recruit pretty ladies if they want more men to apply?

[flamesbball84]

good move I guess, but I do have to question some of the logic. The point of the program is to increase male enrollment. But one of the major costs that they're not willing to pay is for new dorms? Where are they planning on housing the men that they're seeking?

It would be my guess that a new dorm would be minimal compared to a lot of the other costs. It would be a one-time start up cost, as opposed to what I would guess would be $100,000+ they'd ahve to be spending on just the football team alone, which doesn't factor in expenses that cacn't directly attributed to football alone, most notable increased staff expenses like athletic training, sports information, janitors and other manual labor type jobs, an increase in insurance costs because of the addition of a sport that is veyr prone to injuries - expenses that you'd have to be paying for every year as long as the program exists.

[kentuckywildcats]

good move here. LC cant adequately, in terms of finances, support the current athletic teams, so adding cash cow football could be detrimental to the athletic department, an athletic department that was completely opposed to adding football for that very reason, might I add. LC would be better off spending money to get a new student center that would also function as an athletic facility. LC could seriously use some new, bigger locker rooms, a new indoor track, a new basketball gym, a new fitness center, improvements to other facilities, and just a better sutdent center. the current state of the things i mentioned is laughable at best, particularly the track, gym, fitness center, and student center.