http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=236645

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.

Good read..thanks

YESSS

Kennesaw State needs to worry about doing what is right for their own benefit rather than trying to get a team up and running before Georgia State. That kind of narrow thinking is what causes athletic programs to take dumb shortcuts and eventually end up in big trouble for no good reason.

As for what level Kennesaw State should aim for, I think they should join up with Campbell and Jacksonville at the non-scholarship level, to begin with. If the schools in the Atlantic Sun want to build the league for the long term then there should be some coordination as far as football plans go.

I am sick of seeing the AD of Kennesaw State mention the Big East, however, as this is at least the second time. The Big East actually has 16 members, including the Catholic basketball schools, which writers often omit. Every league does not need to have 12 football members like the SEC.

Congrats and good luck.

Someone at KSU understands the relationship between athletics and academics.

If the Big East wants the Atlanta market, I suggest they add Georgia Tech!

Who said the Big East wants the Atlanta market? The Big East wants nothing to do with the Atlanta market. It is the crazy dream of the AD of Kennesaw State University that the alleged lure of the Atlanta market, which is almost completely dominated by the University of Georgia, will magically cause the Big East, a well-established and highly-ranked BCS conference, to somehow desire the addition of his new-on-the-scene educational institution.

Great article and news for KSU. Everything looks positive except the Big (North)East notion. No offense to KSU, but at this point in their 2 year D1 life, the Big East would not have them very high on their list.

Now if only a few more A-Sun schools (Mercer) would get some guts and pull the football trigger.

Do we have a link for this article? Because I went to the link in the original post and I couldn't find anything referring this article.

GaStPanthers Wrote:Do we have a link for this article? Because I went to the link in the original post and I couldn't find anything referring this article.

Link

Corn_3024 Wrote:

GaStPanthers Wrote:Do we have a link for this article? Because I went to the link in the original post and I couldn't find anything referring this article.

Link

Thanks!

"new-on-the-scene educational institution"

Anyone ever heard of South Florida (The Bulls)? They are a member of the Big East and have only been playing Division I A football for seven years. I like the way our AD thinks. He sets his goals high rather than low like so many other schools.

He's finally got a president that understands the importance of a football program for the community. Siegel was just going through the motions her last 10 or so years. Campus housing was probably the best decision in her waning years in charge.

kr983 Wrote:"new-on-the-scene educational institution"

Anyone ever heard of South Florida (The Bulls)? They are a member of the Big East and have only been playing Division I A football for seven years. I like the way our AD thinks. He sets his goals high rather than low like so many other schools.

I competely agree.

and wow, its been a while since i posted last. But i'm really excited for football. Hopefully we can get rid of some of those anti football students who think it will mess up CLUB hockey team. I'm all for the increase in fee's, in fact if you didnt tell the students that the fee's were increasing, almost all of them wouldnt of even noticed.

The AD at Kennesaw State has a right to dream. Fine. But to go name-dropping a league that he probably has never even talked to as a way to raise money and drum up interest in his football plans is offensive. Why not mention the ACC or SEC? At least those leagues have teams in your area. The Big East is not some starter league for everyone with big wishes. It has consistently been one of the top basketball leagues in the nation for the last three decades and is clearly one of the six best football leagues in the nation. People do not just get into the Big East by saying they are interested.

As for the University of South Florida, they just started football 10 years ago, but the Bulls have been in Division I much longer than that. South Florida was a charter member of Conference USA as well. They got into the Big East through a combination of unfortunate circumstances and a leap of faith. In 2003, after politics stalled the greed-driven expansion of the ACC at 11 teams, the Big East looked set with just Cincinnati and Louisville joining the football side. Boston College, however, got down on their knees behind the ACC outhouse begging to be #12 and, thus, stabbed the Big East in our backs.

This was literally the last minute as the Big East's new 16-team line-up was set to be formalized just three weeks later. A replacement team was needed and needed fast. The Big East was too proud to ask back Temple, a football-only member which had been kicked out for numerous issues, so they had to look in a new direction. The AD at Louisville, Tom Jurich, helped sell the Big East hierarchy on South Florida because he felt they had the ability to become something special. So the Big East took a serious gamble and it is paying off. Do not, however, expect this kind of scenario to be repeated.

I think the Big East talk is far reaching at best but whatever. 16 teams in a conference is rediculous whether it's split into two sports or not. I don't see us adding into that mix anytime soon but it would be a nice goal say in 10 years when there's a scholly D-1A team playing at kennesaw and it can hold it's own.

The bigger news is that Kennesaw's looking at doing this. I doubt the funding will be there for a I-A school but so what. It'd be football in the area.

I read recently that the NCAA won't be allowing any team to transition from D1-AA to D1-A until 2013. I would imagine that this rule would apply to start ups as well.

This is what I am talking about:
http://www.gojaxstate.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4205

If this is true then that means no Big East until 2013.

So if both GSU and KSU get a team. And the Big East (or any successor to the BE (seeing that most feel they will break up by 2011)) is actually interested in expansion. They may have a choice between GSU and KSU.

Good read GSU. I knew it was a long term plan anyways but that makes it pretty standard. I-A should be prestigious. 119 teams already in the Football Bowl Subdivision (who the heck came up with these names?). Maybe Waples should have his hand slapped for using Big East everytime he's quoted.

In the end, it doesn't matter. I'm not convinced yet the students will do the right thing but I'm learnin to like the new administration.

Most of the students I have talked to are pro-football. I have been bringing it up to everyone.

http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwexa/news/archive...otball.htm
October 19, 2007

Committee unanimously approves fee increases in support of football and student activities at Georgia State University

ATLANTA - The Georgia State University Mandatory Student Fee Committee today (Oct. 19) unanimously approved a proposal from the Athletics Department for an $85 per semester increase to support football, additional women’s sports and a marching band program. The committee also unanimously approved a $35 increase request from the Student Activity Fee Committee that would increase funding for student organizations, fine arts programming and a lecture and concert series.

Douglass Covey, vice president for student affairs, said the committee vote brings closer to reality the possibility of an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) team at the university.

The next step, following consideration by a university senate committee, will be for Georgia State President Carl Patton to make a recommendation to the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.

“For many years, the Georgia State student body has been extremely positive in voicing its desire for the university to field a football team,” Patton said. “I’m delighted that the students have supported the increase.”

Last April, Georgia State hired former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves as a consultant to examine the feasibility of adding football at the university. If football does become the 17th NCAA Division I sport at the university, the earliest it could field a team would be 2010, according to Athletic Director Mary McElroy.

As a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), Georgia State would become the eighth member of the league to have football. Currently, Delaware, James Madison, Hofstra, Northeastern, Towson, William & Mary field teams, with Old Dominion slated to begin in 2009. Other teams who are playing football as associate members of the CAA are Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Richmond and Villanova.