JOHNSON CITY – A group of people known as Buc Football & Friends Foundation, Inc., came together Saturday at the Carnegie Hotel for a presentation on the "Costs and Benefits of Intercollegiate Athletics."

It became apparent through the three-hour presentation and panel discussion that intercollegiate athletics produce both a visible and invisible hand in communities as well as university academics.

Dr. David Larimore, of Tennessee Tech University, produced data on athletic revenue for TTU sports two years ago. Larimore’s conclusions showed that if Tennessee Tech dropped their football program there would be a net loss of $323,000 for the university.

"Any athletic program is an investment," said Larimore, responding to a question on ETSU’s supposed $1,000,000 shortfall in the football program. "Universities lose much more money in student services because most students don’t use them.

"There is no Division I-AA football program that is self-sufficient."

Larimore, debunked myths about college athletic programs such as graduation rates, which are 13 percent higher across the board for college athletes. Raising the hair of some academics, Larimore pointed out that most of a university’s publicity and recognition are based upon the success of its athletics programs not its academic standing.

According to Larimore, 80 percent of what’s written about higher education comes from sports and almost 90 percent of hits on any college web site are due to its athletics.

"What the leadership at ETSU needs to realize is that football brings name recognition," said Rep. David Davis, R-6. "We need to pull that back to where we are playing name brand schools. When we do that we should have a better academic program because we have a better sports program."

Davis was on hand with other state elected officials Rep. Matthew Hill and Sen. Rusty Crowe, who are actively participating to bring back ETSU football.

Tennessee High School football coach Greg Stubbs participated in the panel discussion as well.

Stubbs, who played football for ETSU in the late 1960s, made the case of the negative impact on local high school football players.

"Athletes don’t have the opportunity to play at the next level and stay around home," said Stubbs. "An athlete now who walks on locally at Carson-Newman, Emory & Henry or Maryville College will have to pay at least $20,000 out of pocket to do so. There is not an affordable opportunity for athletes to walk on a football program around here anymore."

The Buc Football & Friends Foundation, Inc., elected a board of directors on Friday and met for the first time on Saturday. According to Jerry Robertson, the longtime ETSU trainer, the group would like to have an organizational plan ready within a year.

The group may seek the help of Dick Sheridan, a former head football coach at Furman and North Carolina State. Sheridan, one of Saturday’s panelists, helped save Furman football when a faculty senate resolution voted to disband the program in the early 1970s.

Since that time Sheridan has served as a consultant to schools starting up football programs like that of Coastal Carolina, which was 10-1 in its second season last year.

Sheridan told those on hand Saturday that he would serve as a consultant if asked.

"There is a tangible revenue side to a football team," said Larimore. "There is also intangible things like publicity that is worth a lot.

"This study was out there for the ETSU administration to ponder, but they chose to ignore it."

Southeast Louisiana is the only program to bring back football, which they did last season, after a 20-year layoff. Its program is privately funded.

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