Resurrecting Football

[colgate13]

Every now and again in a discussion the topic of 'so and so' bringing back football comes up. Most times I'm very doubtful so...My question is: who's actually done it in the (soon to be defunct) I-AA era? Are there any teams that have gone from no football to I-AA since 1978?

[Ivytalk]

Villanova?

[DaBears]

I think SE Louisiana recently started their football program.

[dbackjon]

Coastal Carolina
SE Louisiana

[DaBears]

Also Florida Atlantic went from no football to I-AA for a few years and now they are I-A.

[colgate13]

Villanova had no team from 81-84. I guess that does count!

So we've got:

Villanova
SE Louisana
FAU
Coastal Carolina

[UAalum72]

Robert Morris and Monmouth started from scratch as I-AA in 1992-94. At the same time Sacred Heart introduced football while D-III and the entire University moved to D-II and then D-I by 1999.

I believe Drake was I-A, dropped football completely for a year, then returned as D-III in the mid-80s.

[henfan]

In 2009, Old Dominion.

[89Hen]

"Are there any teams that have gone from no football to I-AA since 1978"

On that question you'd have to add Coastal Carolina and FIU even thought they didn't bring it back.

[colgate13]

What's up with Arkansas-Pine Bluff not having a team in 91-92?

And FIU counts too if FAU does but maybe with an * since they used us!

[dbackjon]

If you are counting FAU, then you will have to include UCONN.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

To this list, you could add some other teams as well. Although Charleston Southern didn't go from nothing to I-AA, they were only in D-III a couple of years before going I-AA. Arguably I'd say they fall in this category.

[OL FU]

GSU, I mean Georgia Southern:o

[89Hen]

If you are counting FAU, then you will have to include UCONN.
:confused: UConn has always had football.

[Marcus Garvey]

LaSalle resumed football at the NS I-AA level about 10 years ago. They got Bill Manlove, who turned Widener into a DIII power to be their first head coach.

[dbackjon]

:confused: UConn has always had football.

you are right - I was thinking they restarted to go I-A, but only upgraded with the new stadium.

[colgate13]

GSU, I mean Georgia Southern:o

Geez! How could one forget that!

I also don't count the III to I-AA move. They at least already had some committment to football. I'm talking from a stand still. That takes real institutional will power.

[ButlerGSU]

GSU was a club sport when it was first started. I believe we had a club team for three years before we moved to I-AA. We started from nothing though, we borrowed equipment from high schools in the area and even played our games in Statesboro High Schools stadium. If you listen to Ralph’s interview with Erk they told players to bring their own shoes and a ball if they had one to try outs for the club team. We literally had nothing.

[OL FU]

GSU was a club sport when it was first started. I believe we had a club team for three years before we moved to I-AA. We started from nothing though, we borrowed equipment from high schools in the area and even played our games in Statesboro High Schools stadium. If you listen to Ralph’s interview with Erk they told players to bring their own shoes and a ball if they had one to try outs for the club team. We literally had nothing.

Still love Erk's quote which I will paraphrase cuz I can't remember.

We don't cheat. You need money to cheat:)

[LBPop]

The Georgetown (HoyaSaxa) website indicates that there was no football during the following periods:


1951-1963 (Not sure why, but I'll bet that DFW knows)

1943-1945 (Likely due to WWII)

1895-1897 (My Saturdays in the fall were really a drag during that period) :p

[ButlerGSU]

Still love Erk's quote which I will paraphrase cuz I can't remember.

We don't cheat. You need money to cheat:)

"We don't cheat, cheating takes money and we don't have any."

[65 Pard]

More impressive is UConn who went from 1AA doormat to 1A bowl appearance in just a few years...It just takes money and commitment at any level...

[crunifan]

I believe Drake was I-A, dropped football completely for a year, then returned as D-III in the mid-80s.

Drake is I-AA non-scholarship. It was never DIII.

[colgate13]

Drake is I-AA non-scholarship. It was never DIII.

Not so my good man. (http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_iaa/pioneer/drake/index.php)

Drake was D III from 1987-1992.

[TexasTerror]

Didn't UAB get football in the mid-90s, come through I-AA and then go through to C-USA?

We may see the rebirth of football at Lamar, UT-Arlington and A&M-CC in the next few years in the SLC...

[Husky Alum]

More impressive is UConn who went from 1AA doormat to 1A bowl appearance in just a few years...It just takes money and commitment at any level...

...and a guaranteed invitation to a BCS Conference and a crooked governor who was looking to save face after Robert Kraft used him like a Vegas Hooker in order to get Gillette Stadium built.

Don't underestimate the impact of UConn having an auto invite to the Big East. Without that, I'm not sure UConn makes the jump.

[ngineer]

Every now and again in a discussion the topic of 'so and so' bringing back football comes up. Most times I'm very doubtful so...My question is: who's actually done it in the (soon to be defunct) I-AA era? Are there any teams that have gone from no football to I-AA since 1978?

Florida International started from scratch not too long ago...

[ButlerGSU]

Florida International started from scratch not too long ago...

and look where they are now! lol we beat them their first year in I-A transition but the following year they backed out of the game with us.

[colgate13]

We may see the rebirth of football at Lamar, UT-Arlington and A&M-CC in the next few years in the SLC...

This is exactly why I asked the question. I want to get a list of who's actually done it. So far it looks like:

Villanova
SE Louisana
FAU*
Georgia Southern
Coastal Carolina
FIU*
LaSalle
UAB* (started from scratch in 1991 as a D III. Spent three years in I-AA in 93-95).

I think FAU, FIU and UAB are not necessarily what I am looking for, as they used I-AA as a very short springboard to go I-A. I-AA was not the idea.

So in reality, I think it is

Villanova
SE Louisana
Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern
LaSalle

I guess it can be done, but now I'd like to know from each school WHY it was done. Are there common themes that we can look for in some of these potential newbies?

[GannonFan]

...and a guaranteed invitation to a BCS Conference and a crooked governor who was looking to save face after Robert Kraft used him like a Vegas Hooker in order to get Gillette Stadium built.

Don't underestimate the impact of UConn having an auto invite to the Big East. Without that, I'm not sure UConn makes the jump.

The Big East invite (fruit of UConn being a Big East charter member) was the end all be all for UConn - without that they definitely don't make the jump. Interesting enough, it was also being in the Big East that helped UConn make a bowl - remember, you just have to be .500 to make a IA bowl - there are so many now that really only one or two eligible teams don't go to one. With them adding more bowls for next year, the .500 record may go away as well and losing teams can start going to bowl games. Oh what fun. :rolleyes:

[OL FU]

"We don't cheat, cheating takes money and we don't have any."

That's it.:nod: :)

[89Hen]

...and a guaranteed invitation to a BCS Conference and a crooked governor who was looking to save face after Robert Kraft used him like a Vegas Hooker in order to get Gillette Stadium built.

Don't underestimate the impact of UConn having an auto invite to the Big East. Without that, I'm not sure UConn makes the jump.
Agreed with Husky and Gannon. The Big East auto was the golden ticket for UConn. NO other I-AA ever had an opportunity like that. Even if that ticket got tarnished a little when soon after they made the leap, BC, VT and Miami left. I think had UConn known that then, the decision would have been a little harder, but it turns out they made the right move even with the changes to the BE.

BTW, UConn was not exactly a doormat when they left I-AA, they did make the playoffs the year before leaving at 9-2 (of course the Hens beat them 59-17 that year :D ).

[ngineer]

Villanova did it because of the alumni uprising over the dropping of football, which everyone recognized was a horrible waste of money trying to compete as a 'big time' program.. So they brought it back at the reasonable level of I-AA, which is what I-AA was intended to be.

[TxSt02]

We started football up again last year... hadnt really played since 82!