Category | News

KSU ready to kick-off football campaign

Published on October 16, 2007 by The Sentinel

    Athletic Director, Dr. Dave Waples, says that KSU is
ready for some football. According to Waples, the first-ever
fundraising campaign in the
history of the university will kick off at the end of October. The
proposed campaign includes an estimated $11 million for existing sports
and anywhere from $15 to $30 million for football.

    The $11 million will be used to build a field house
with an indoor track and a 24-hour student recreation center, to
upgrade the soccer and baseball fields, and to support academia.

    The money allocated for the football program would
be used in part to build a multi-purpose stadium, ancillary facilities
and to acquire the land necessary to build these facilities. One
possible location for the stadium is at the east parking lot near the
Waffle House.

    “I don’t want to build a stadium ten miles from
campus, because that defeats the entire purpose of having
football.  I want students to be able to walk to the games,”
Waples said.

    Other possible locations include land on the
opposite side of Chastain Road or land on the west side of
campus. 

    How soon we get a team is entirely dependent on the success of the fundraising campaign.

    “If we got the money tomorrow, boom, we’re into football immediately,” Waples said.

    More likely though, Waples feels that coaches and
staff could be hired during the first part of the 2008-09 school year.
The staff would then begin scouting and recruiting in January 2009, and
the team would be eligible to play in the 2011 season. 

    Dr. Shane Smith, assistant professor of Sports
Marketing, says that KSU needs to do it soon if the school is going to
beat Georgia State at acquiring a team. According to Smith, Georgia
State is working harder and faster in the race for a football team.

    In addition to the start-up costs and the current
athletics budget, it is estimated that annual operating expenses of
$1-$5 million will be needed to sustain the program.  Part of this
money would come from sponsorships, naming rights, ticket sales and
concessions.

    KSU says the majority, however, will likely rely on
student athletic fees.  According to Waples, “our athletic fees
are among the lowest in the state, and we hope that the students will
agree to an athletic fee increase to help support the football program.”

    The amount of the proposed increase is undecided,
but according to a feasibility study released by the athletics
department earlier this year it may fall in the range of $30-$45 per
semester. Students will be asked to vote on the increase this
fall. 

    Waples says the size of the athletics fee increase
will help determine the scope of the football program. The school’s
options, he says, are to join Division 1-AA non-scholarship, which will
cost $1 - $1.5 million per year in addition to the current budget,
Division 1-AA with 65 scholarships, which will cost around $2.5 - $3
million per year or Division 1-A with 85 full scholarships, which will
cost an estimated $5 million plus per year.

    Waples said that if going to Division 1-AA is what
it takes to get football, then that is what we will do, but ideally we
would like to go straight to division 1-A.  “If we are going to do
it, we want to do it big.”

    One option is the Big East Conference. Both the SEC
and ACC have 12 teams, while the Big East currently has eight.

    “This is the perfect place for football,” Waples added, referring to Atlanta and its lucrative media market.

    Reactions from faculty around the campus are mixed.
When asked about football, Dr. John David Johnson II, assistant
professor of Sport Management, is protective of the existing sports
programs, saying that rushing to Division 1-A is “not a good idea
because it will take away from other sports.” He also points out other
problems such as the lack of spectators for current sports, Title IX
and the athletic fee increase.

    “[Current] students’ fees will be going up to pay
for a future football team.  It’s not fair, and I think students
have a right to know,” Johnson said.  Smith disagrees, saying,
“Football will have a tremendous impact on student culture. Good sports
bring in good students, involve the community and bring in
contributions. I’m all for it.” 

    Waples, who has been Athletic Director for 21 years,
acknowledges that hurdles must be overcome, but maintains that football
will help other sports. He also believes that in the long run, the
notoriety will increase the value of students’ diplomas.

    “We want to take [KSU] to the next level beyond a
commuter school. To do that, we need campus housing and football, and
we are doing everything we can to get football,” Waples said.