More and more colleges seem to be turning to football to help solve financial issues.
?Big-name colleges have leaned heavily on their multi-million dollar generating football programs as a way to raise cash for other programs for many years. In recent years, colleges are starting new programs on their campuses as ways to not only generate money, but to gain students, fans and new campus-wide opportunities.
??No other sport contributes more to the vibrancy of a college campus than football, and the trend of adding programs continues full force,? National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame president Steve Hatchell said in a news release. ?University and college presidents clearly see the value of having programs on their campuses, and we applaud them for understanding the role football can play in the educational experience of all their students.?
?Twelve new college football teams will take the field for the first time this season. More than 20 colleges have exploratory committees studying whether football is a fit for their campuses.
?Plus, these 11 colleges say they will add programs starting somewhere between the 2014 and 2016 seasons: College of Idaho (Caldwell, Idaho), George Fox University (Newberg, Ore.), Limestone College (Gaffney, S.C.), Missouri Baptist University (Saint Louis, Mo.), Paine College (Augusta, Ga.), Southeastern University (Lakeland, Fla.), East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, Tenn.), Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw, Ga.), Lyon College (Batesville, Ark.), Finlandia University (Hancock, Mich.) and University of New Orleans (New Orleans, La.).
?Presentation College in Aberdeen started its program a few years ago, with the Saints first season in 2011, along with nine other colleges. Since 2008, 45 colleges launched programs, including the 12 preparing for their first games in 2013.
?Since 1978, the number of colleges playing football in the NCAA alone has increased by 160 schools.
??With more than one million high school students playing football and less than 70,000 spots on college teams, there is plenty of room for expansion,? said NFF chairman Archie Manning, father of NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning. ?Many of these colleges clearly recognize that football can play an important role in encouraging students to continue their educations by enticing them to enroll.?
?Here are the schools who have added football in the last two seasons and the upcoming season:
|2013|
?Alderson Broaddus University (Philippi, W.Va.): NCAA Division II.
?Berry College (Mount Berry, Ga.): NCAA Division III.
?Florida Tech (Melbourne, Fla.): NCAA Division II.
?Hendrix College (Conway, Ark.): NCAA Division III.
?Houston Baptist University (Houston, Texas): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
?Mercer University (Macon, Ga.): NCAA Division I FCS.
?Oklahoma Baptist University (Shawnee, Okla.): NAIA.
?Reinhardt University (Waleska, Ga.): NAIA..
?Southwestern University (Georgetown, Texas): NCAA Division III.
?Stetson University (DeLand, Fla.): NCAA Division I FCS.
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