Bradley football?

[tornado]

I know it sounds silly - but hear me out...
I know the concept is really a long shot - but would it be feasible for Bradley to bring back football, especially to help make Bradley viable in DI athletics?

Let me give an example-
Temple University, like Bradley, is an Urban school - they have about 12,000 students on their main downtown Philly campus.
Their campus is landlocked and about 112 acres in size (Bradley's is 84 acres).
It seems unlikely that they could make DI football work - and that's exactly how it looked less than a decade ago.

Their football program, like Bradley's, declined thru the 70's and 80's and like Bradley, they were considering dropping football.
Their football program was so bad that by 2005, they were kicked out of the Big East and had to look for another conference. They downsized and looked at their options.

But that's where the similarities end -
Instead of dropping football like Bradley did in the 1970's, Temple made changes and made the decision to rebuild their football program - ultimately cutting SEVEN other sports to make it feasible, and made the commitment to save football.
They brought in a new AD in 2012 & a new University President in 2013 - both fully committed to making football & athletics work - and they have expressed a renewed passion to build their football program.
Today - they are back in the Big East and their FB program is reasonably healthy -
they've gone to Bowl games twice in the last 5 years after a 30-year absence...and their attendance is back up over 20,000.
They have hired great coaches - the last two of which got hired away by bigger programs (Miami & Boston College).

Like I said - we'd be a long shot to do the same, but they have made it succeed with smart decisions and good people. Other schools our size have football (Drake, Rice, Army, Tulsa, Wofford).

http://www.phillymag.com/articles/neil-theobald-football-save-temple/

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/01/06/temple-cuts-highlight-cost-big-time-football

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2014/10/13/temple-president-neil-theobald-reflectson-his.html?page=all

[Vent]

There was a failed attempt to bring football back to BU in the early 1980's and it was unfortunately, rejected.

It would enhance the college experience tremendously. One of the huge advantages football schools have over non football is during the visiting process of potential recruits. When there is a football game on the day of an official visit, there is a buzz around the campus. You just don't get that buzz with soccer. No offense to our soccer program is intended. We have one of the finest soccer programs in the country.

Another school that has football is Butler. Them and Drake play in what is called the Pioneer League. Unless you are a private school in an all private conference, it is difficult to be competitive year in year out in basketball, when you don't play football and play in a league that is predominantly made up of state schools. One small correction to you statement, Temple does not play football in the Big East Conference. They are a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Big East Conference does not have football as a sport, although some teams play football (Villanova) in other conferences and even at a lower level.

I would like to see football return to BU, although it is at least currently a pipe dream.

[Old Coach]

I think the only way Bradley could play football would be non-scholarship I-AA football (like Drake). Which leads to the question, can you get 75-80 good football players to pay their own way to play football at Bradley?

[mvcfan]

Looking at the number of recruits ISU signed from Peoria this year for football will only help ISU expand it's brand in an area that once was dominated by Bradley. Reading national message boards following ISU's run to the title game has created a lot of notoriety for ISU. I understand not keeping something around if it makes zero financial sense, but for so many football does when executed properly.

[bradleyfan124]

Football expenses are more than alot of the other sports plus I don't think you would get 20,000 people at a game. The Peoria area just would not support it

[Old Coach]

Football expenses are more than alot of the other sports plus I don't think you would get 20,000 people at a game. The Peoria area just would not support it

They wouldn't need 20,000 people at a game. Most I-AA scholarship programs don't get 1/2 that many.

I think 5,000-7,500 would be great attendance if Bradley had non scholarship football.

[tornado]

BTW - to complete the above comparison to Temple University-
Here are a couple of their top guys' salaries...per public information..
..except for FB, they pay all their guys less than we do...


-Their University President Neil Theobald (who does have midwestern ties) makes $450,000 (plus deferred package)
-Their Athletic Director who also serves as VP of the University still makes less than our AD
-Their FB coach $1.3 mil (football barely survived a vote by the Board in 2004 to drop the sport!)
-BKB coach $650K

[Old Coach]

BTW - to complete the above comparison to Temple University-
Here are a couple of their top guys' salaries...per public information..
..except for FB, they pay all their guys less than we do...


-Their University President Neil Theobald (who does have midwestern ties) makes $450,000 (plus deferred package)
-Their Athletic Director who also serves as VP of the University still makes less than our AD
-Their FB coach $1.3 mil (football barely survived a vote by the Board in 2004 to drop the sport!)
-BKB coach $650K

I think to play non-scholarship D I-AA football, Bradley would only have to pay about $120,000 - $150,000 per year for a head coach.

* Morehead State (OVC member school) operates on a total football budget of $850,000.

[tornado]

It won't work with the status quo...
but...
-get someone in here with a vision and the capability to make it work
-then re-build the main sports & revenue sport, basketball
-get the revenue flowing, get enrollment back up, rebuild the donor base, it sure got done back in 2002-2009...then collapsed under this admin
-then get the "national prestige" back top where it was when we were on the cover of national magazines!
-then get the idea floating for FB - other schools are doing it and halfway there - LINK

[wizard1]

Bradley Football

This is a great idea! Football would put BU at a better level if/when conference affiliations change. It would be great for students and could help in student recruiting, our Homecomings have been no good since we dropped football so these could once again become major events. We could start slow...give a few scholys to skill positions (quarterback,wide receivers,running backs,linebackers). I was on the Chiefs board when football was dropped and we really had some controversial discussions regarding this.Most board members at that time were against dropping football but the administration said it was necessary to reduce costs. I was always a little suspicious of this rationale.
In any event, I know some people at Florida State so maybe we could work out a home & home series W/ them?

Wiz

[Old Coach]

I love the idea of Bradley football played downtown at Dozer Park.

[Vent]

Scholarships don't actually cost the university that much money. The professors are in the classrooms teaching whether there are 20 people in the class or 200. What costs the university are books and room/board. The FCS level (Illinois State, Northern Iowa) has a limit of 63. For Division II football there are no scholarships as with Division III.

As for attendance, it is not rare for a lot of FCS schools to have 7,000 - 10,000 at a game. Schools at the FCS level can have huge paydays when playing a BCS team. A couple years ago, Western Illinois received over $500,000 dollars to play at LSU.

If Eureka College can have football, Bradley could have it also. But the university has a lot bigger fish to fry right now.

[Redbird Recon]

For Division II football there are no scholarships as with Division III.

Division II does offer football scholarships.

[Vent]

Division II does offer football scholarships.

That is correct, they can offer up to 36.

[Old Coach]

Scholarships don't actually cost the university that much money. The professors are in the classrooms teaching whether there are 20 people in the class or 200. What costs the university are books and room/board. The FCS level (Illinois State, Northern Iowa) has a limit of 63. For Division II football there are no scholarships as with Division III.

As for attendance, it is not rare for a lot of FCS schools to have 7,000 - 10,000 at a game. Schools at the FCS level can have huge paydays when playing a BCS team. A couple years ago, Western Illinois received over $500,000 dollars to play at LSU.

If Eureka College can have football, Bradley could have it also. But the university has a lot bigger fish to fry right now.

Bradley can't play scholarship football. If they do, then Title IX would come into play.