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Football at East Tennessee State University would add more students, experiences and opportunities, according to some community supporters of the effort to bring the sport back to campus.
Jerry Robertson, a member of the Buc Football & Friends Foundation, said he felt good for the university, where he was athletic trainer for many years, now that a proposal to bring back football is being drafted for consideration by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The TBR governs ETSU.
“I feel good for the students,” he said Wednesday morning. “This is a first step and I feel proud of what (ETSU President Brian) Noland and the faculty and staff and students are doing.”
Student Government Association representatives at ETSU voted Tuesday in favor of asking Noland to pursue a new football program and to impose a $125 fee per student per semester to fund it. Football was last played at ETSU in fall 2003. The program was canceled for financial reasons.
Robertson was on the athletics task force for the Committee for 125, a group charged with looking at ETSU’s future. It was this group that recommended the school look into establishing football.
“Well, it provides an opportunity for people to go to school and get an education,” Robertson said of what a football program would do. “It doesn’t just involve the football team, it involves a marching band and a whole bunch of other activities.”
The campus Mini Dome, where football was previously played, has been widely criticized as a poor venue. Noland has said he does not want football to be played in the Dome.
Should football be approved by the Regents, Robertson said an agreement with the city of Johnson City to play at Science Hill High School’s football field would be a good alternative until ETSU can build its own new stadium.
C. M. Boggs, also a member of Buc Football & Friends Foundation, said a football program would likely add 500 or so students.
“There’s a lot of advantages to a football team and a marching band and cheerleaders coming back,” he said.
He thought the community would get behind a new ETSU football program.
Noland said after Tuesday’s vote that it would take community support to have a successful football program.
“There’s a lot of interest,” Boggs said. “We have never seen too many people against the football team and marching band.”
He said a football program would provide a lot of opportunities for young people.
“It’s not about a football game as much as it is helping young people get through school,” Boggs said.
Regarding a stadium, Boggs said no one wants to go in the Dome to watch a football game. He said a new stadium should be built on campus to get alums back on campus during games.
He thought that was indeed possible.
Frank Hawkins is also a member of Buc Football & Friends. Asked what it would take to have a successful program, he said a winning team would draw people to games. He thinks Noland will assemble a good coaching staff to accomplish that.
“It’s essential in putting together a winning program they get a good coach and good staff and put the sport behind it,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins said he thinks people have missed ETSU football and want it back.
“It’ll bring back things that the campus hasn’t had, such as homecoming,” Hawkins said. “I think it makes a big difference in homecoming.”
Ted Hughes, also a member of Buc Football & Friends, said he thought the addition of football was a great turn for the university and that it would allow homecoming on campus to thrive.
“It gives you spirit,” he said. “It gives you enthusiasm. And it gives you something to build homecoming around.”
Kimberly Reece, who worked at ETSU while a doctoral student and interviewed numerous ETSU football players, some of whom played in the 1940s, about their experiences for her dissertation, said football at ETSU would add many positives not only for players but for the whole student body.
“In college football, to me it’s about access to opportunities for not only scholarships for football players but the learning experience of football and the environment of being around football can teach any student and fan,” Reece said.
She said an alumni connection is deepened by a well-run football program.
“The cost of not having football has been greater than the cost of having it,” she said.
Noland said Tuesday he plans to discuss the student vote with staff, faculty and the community before developing a proposal to submit to the Regents.
The Regents could vote on an ETSU football measure in March.
shylocxs writes:
January 31, 2013
7:43 AM
$250 a year? Really?
Taba3455 writes:
January 31, 2013
8:39 AM
Football would help kids get through school? So now we will take sup-par athletes who couldn't get into a college if it wasn't for a football scholarship? I don't know, personally I think it’s a waste of money and will never garnish enough community support (people actually paying to go to the games) to be financially viable. Playing at a High school Stadium, that’s almost worse than not having a football team at all. ETSU should focus on academics and boosting their exit exam scores of their students rather than finding ways to provide scholarships to athletes and not academic students.
Tiredoftaxandspend writes:
January 31, 2013
8:58 AM
Does not say it is an article about both sides does it?
Tennesseepride writes:
January 31, 2013
9:30 AM
Any additional entertainment created in Johnson City is a win for the city. I'm sorry if I hurt anyones feelings here but this town is one of the most boring places in the state. The tri-cities needs more entertainment options like this! Look at Knoxville, Chatanooga, Nashville, and Memphis.. they have entertainment galore; the tri-cities residents have nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs, thats why no one wants to move here.
etsudolfan writes:
January 31, 2013
11:15 AM
that's funny, I don't remember seeing people whine and cry when the athletic fee was raised back in 06, even without football, to field a men's soccer team. For the record, even with the increased fee, ETSU is still going to be one of the most affordable universities in the state. The JV team would only play at Science Hill until the stadium is built. Reading comprehension people!!!
MannyCalavera writes:
January 31, 2013
2:56 PM
If you didn't see people "whine and cry" about it, you didn't pay attention.
etsudolfan writes:
January 31, 2013
3:06 PM
Well if you don't like it, you can always transfer to Northeast State...they have plenty of programs to choose from. You'll be hard press to find many cheaper universities that offer a good balance of academics and athletics for the price like ETSU (even with the increased fee).
Johnny Q Public writes:
January 31, 2013
5:29 PM
Why should the students pay for it to the tune of $125 per semester. If it is such a great deal for the restaurants, bars and hotels shouldn't they pay for it instead of the students and taxpayers? If it is such a big money maker, shouldn't it pay for itself without any taxpayer money to buy land and build another football stadium? I'm sure there will always be those that say it is okay for the government to borrow more money to build a new stadium with the hope that it will attract more students to pay ever higher activity fees.
etsudolfan writes:
January 31, 2013
6:31 PM
Johnny, if that is your argument, then why should the students pay for anything at all? Let's just let them attend for free...throw in their books, living expenses, etc. The new performing arts center that ETSU will be getting will be taxpayer funded. You don't want the students to pay, but you don't want the taxpayers to pay. Please tell me how a public, state university is going to grow without support from one or the other? If you're going to complain about both, then according to your view ETSU should be a private university. Sittin' the fence complaining and whining accomplishes nothing.
etsudolfan writes:
January 31, 2013
6:32 PM
also, good luck getting restaurants, bars, and hotels to pay for it....give me an example of when you've seen that happen.
Johnny Q Public writes:
January 31, 2013
7:58 PM
Well it just seems like a lot of expense for 5 or 6 home games a year. Local attendance for the games had dropped off prior to the end of the football program. To ask every four year student to pay $1000, plus the tax payers to pay tens of millions to build a football stadium to restart a program that died from lack of interest is not a smart investment of our education dollars. It may be time to let the NFL incur the expense of it farm programs.
etsudolfan writes:
January 31, 2013
8:35 PM
Well people certainly have no issue with taxpayers footing the $3.5 million dollar cost of the new arts center. My point is, people only seem to come out and slam anything at ETSU when it deals with football....nothing else. If it was soccer (which by the way the students' fees increased for that when Stanton was president, no stink made about that) arts related, or anything else other than football no one would be making a big deal out of it.
shylocxs writes:
January 31, 2013
9:17 PM
Quite simply, soccer and the arts center will probably pay for themselves. Football LOST $1,000,000 dollars a year. Soccer doesn't lose that much money. The arts center hopefully won't lose that much money. Football won't in the first few years but, given time and competition from UT Knoxville, you bet it will. Then we will go through this all over again.
etsudolfan writes:
February 1, 2013
4:52 AM
"The arts center hopefully won't lose that much money." "Quite simply, soccer and the arts center will probably pay for themselves." Please tell me how "hopefully won't lose that much money" is a lesser risk than starting a football program. Is it suddenly ok to take risks anything BUT football?
etsudolfan writes:
February 1, 2013
8:58 PM
Possum, seriously...come back down to earth! "Tribalism?!" wow
shylocxs writes:
February 2, 2013
5:41 AM
Tribalism? Exactly. What's at play here is a set of fantasies of old white men that have no substantive basis in reality: 1) that an ETSU football team will be supported by the local community, in contrast to the past and current support for UT football; 2) that an ETSU football team will be given the chance (not have to PAY for the chance) to play in Division I and be a contender for national fame; that football is still a formative and important experience for young men in the area, wherein they are coached by wiser, older men and become pillars of the community (I always wondered why the homoerotic nature of football wasn't more recognized and applauded... if it was, I might be a bigger fan of football). All of which can be traced to roots in tribalism.
The Sophmore writes:
February 3, 2013
6:34 PM
I don't like the idea of charging students for a team that doesn't exist. I tell you what, if ETSU football can at least be 1/2 as good as ETSU basketball, then it ought to be spectacular!
Aren't there some starving homeless somewhere in Johnson City that can benefit from the money that's about to be WASTED on this football crap?
Cold writes:
February 5, 2013
11:44 AM
"this town is one of the most boring places in the state. The tri-cities needs more entertainment options like this! Look at Knoxville, Chatanooga, Nashville, and Memphis.. they have entertainment galore; the tri-cities residents have nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs, thats why no one wants to move here."
Really? From looking at the census, it seems like Johnson City is growing rather briskly. And I'm sure many people, myself included, are fairly happy that this city is nothing like Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga.
Tennesseepride writes:
February 5, 2013
2:07 PM
I wouldn't consider Johnson City to be a boom town by any stretch of the imagination. Several of the people that I graduated with at ETSU left Johnson City because there was nothing to do... it wasn't lack of jobs that sent them away, it was boredom. I'm in my mid to late 20's now and have considered leaving several times now. I have a decent job at the medical center but nothing to spend my money on. I have to drive to asheville, knoxville or chatanooga to have a good time. Johsnon City needs to realize that it's missing out on a lot of entertainment.. before to long it will become another bristol or kinsport where the majority of people are 50+.
Bucsfansince83 writes:
February 5, 2013
5:26 PM
You say 50+ like it is a bad thing. Frankly, we 50+ "Old Goats" are the group that typically has money to spend. This 50+ alumni will be getting 6 season tickets. GO BUCS!
Cold writes:
February 6, 2013
6:53 AM
I understand that for younger people, particularly the college crowd, this area would seem kind of boring. There is a lot to do if you're part of the outdoors crowd, however. The thing is, priorities change when you get older, particularly when you start a family. This is a great area to raise kids, which is why we moved here.
Tennesseepride writes:
February 13, 2013
2:37 PM
I don't have anything against people in their 50's or 60's, what I'm saying is that Johnson City is missing out on retaining many of the bright graduates who come out of ETSU. The city needs to become more appealing to every demographic and right now they definitely need to work on there appeal to younger individuals.
I understand that it is a great place to raise children but I think that families here should be able to spend their money here rather than having to drive to knoxville to see a college football or hockey game. I'm an outdoor person as well, I get that, I'm an avid flyfisher and have probably hiked every section of rocky fork off and on trail. But.. I still want to do things in the city and I still want to see a sporting event and I still want to have things to do on the weekend.. That likely won't change no matter my age and if they do kill me now LOL.
Btw.. I plan on buying season tickets to ETSU football also. I'm with you.. GO BUCS!
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