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With the growth going on at SSU have they discussed the possibilty of adding a football program? If Ky christian can start a program I dont see why SSU couldnt. Anyone know the specific reason?

was it thought about 15 years ago or anything??

cause the growth is more than likely where the school's attention is at right now. . . fiscally speaking. . . They gotta know with the old spartan stadium there and a lot of people around with nothing to do they'd sell tickets. . . . .I'm sure it will happen in the next 10 years

I HOPE THEY DO.

I think the main reason for not starting a football team is that you are only allowed so many scholarships at certain levels in college sports. And, I beleive they are afraid that if the other sports had to compete for scholarships that it would drain those sports from getting the recruits that they want.

Simply put... it takes far more scholarships to put together a football team than it does a basketball or baseball team. I would love to see a football team at Shawnee State!

Ironically enough; Coach Dick Tipton tried to get a team establiched there once and they backed out of it! Now look where he is! I was never a fan of the Tipton style of coaching but he had a great idea for launching Shawnee State and the city into the next level.

We probably wouldn't have the stadium crisis; that we will be faced with in a few years. Or the Branch Rickey Park declining status! Life support will certainly be needed for both of these facilities. Possibly a long stay in ICU!

If you ask why Shawnee State hasn't started football, you could probably ask the same for Rio Grande. There are not a lot of teams in the American Mideast Conference that have a football team.

I have always heard that the Rio Grande reason was tied to the original founders and big donors of land and money had stipulated no football.

The fact that SSU and URG don't have football is a joke! I have recently heard faculty members at URG complain about the small population of students who reside on campus in Rio Grande. One way to boost the number of on-campus students would be to start a football program.

I have heard all the tired arguments about why URG doesn't have football but none of them hold any water. It is time for the local colleges to step up to the plate and give the kids in SE Ohio an opportunity to remain close to home while going to school and playing football.

Because they don't want to?

Maybe I will ask Jeff Lanham when I see him sometime over there at Rio...

i thought they did a long time ago.


but you know i have been down there becasue my sister goes there and on weekends there is nothing to do i wouldnt mind going to a football game because the basketball games werent that great and the soccer is decent.

I think RIO dropped football in about 1950... not sure why.

I hope that Shawnee gets a football program. Then they can play their games in Spartan Stadium.

it is pretty sad. . .. . .even IF they really really stank. . . . god knows people would love to see college football games with locals playing

Josh Martin

Journalism 231 Student
The scene is 1997, and Shawnee State University’s (SSU) Board of Trustees is having a meeting.

The topic—a football team.

The vote—taken.

The resolution—passed.

Unbeknownst to most students, SSU had the opportunity to go on with a football program.

The scene moves is 2001, a re-vote comes, and cross-country is in and football is out.

The reason for this change of heart is Title IX. This law, adopted by the NCAA into regulation, says that male and female athletes must be proportionate to each other in number. Men’s college football averages up to 100 male athletes, and, according to SSU rosters, Shawnee athletics is split 50/50.

The University Chronicle put the subject before the campus in the form of an online poll. The question asked were: would you like to have a football team, would it have affected your decision to attend SSU, and would you regularly attend SSU football games.

Over 200 emails were returned, from Faculty and students alike, and people of all ages.

“I really believe having a football team would attract more students here to SSU. Football is a big part of the college experience and not having it here makes alot of people not want to come here,” said Jasmine Dominguez, a student at Shawnee State.

Dominguez’s opinion was echoed through out the replies, with each students feeling robbed of the experience, in a community such as Portsmouth, with such a strong high school football following. Out of 200 responses, only two came back with ambivalence about having a football team.

Candice Baxter, a 34-year-old student at Shawnee, said that she thought an SSU football team could help pull the community together.

“I think it would be great for the school and the community,” she said. It would create a sense of community pride and spirit. Not to mention the financial aspects. I would think that the school and Portsmouth would prosper if SSU had a football team. Let's face it, football is what school spirit is built on.”

A fourth question asked addressed the subject of sacrificing a team or teams to make room for football. SSU would have to give up one or more of the men’s teams to accommodate Title IX.

Soccer came in a resounding first with over 155 people picking that men’s sport to go. Those who cited a reason said that they were dismayed with the coaching and think it’s time something be done.

Tennis and Cross-Country split the rest of the votes

http://www.shawnee.edu/pub/chrn/pages/Sports.html

Bobcat Thunder wrote:If you ask why Shawnee State hasn't started football, you could probably ask the same for Rio Grande. There are not a lot of teams in the American Mideast Conference that have a football team.

Malone, Ohio Dominican, Urbana, and Walsh all have football programs under the Mid-States Football Mid-east

Morehead State doesn't give out football scholarships along with a large number of other institutions. Shawnee is a public school that would enable athletes to compete at the collegiate level at a lower price than getting a partial scholarship at almost any other school outside of Division 1. I wish someone would take the bull by the horns and begin a football program once and for all. We have a GREAT area for recruiting small school-talent football players because there is a deep passion for football in the area and no other football-playing school within an hour of SSU.

The program would do so much not only for the school, but also for southern Ohio. I love the idea of Wheelersburg, Ironton, Jackson, Chillicothe, PWest, Valley boys lining up together and taking it to the next level. Man, I wish they would just start!!!!!!

If they did start a program how long would it take for them to get it started, like recruting, a stadium, a schedule, ect....

If correctly staffed and funded, I think they could put a team on the field in 2-3 years. They would need to do some massive fundraising/fiscal redistribution to fund the uniforms, build some sort of facility for lifting/team meetings, coaching staff, recruiting, and travel. I do not think a stadium would be a problem with PHS building its new facility nor do I think fielding a team with a large # would be an issue becuase there would be so much local interest.

they could use portsmouth's new football stadium as thIER home. i'd love to see it happen, and buy season tix. right away, if they announced it. GIT R DONE.

You're Tiger Bait wrote:they could use portsmouth's new football stadium as thIER home. i'd love to see it happen, and buy season tix. right away, if they announced it. GIT R DONE.

Or do the right thing and fix up Spartan Stadium and use it as their home field, then buy Branch Rickey and use it as the home of the baseball team.

I really don't see how they would be any good... ever....