I just ran across this
1994 writing on the Los Angeles Times website
http://articles.latimes.com/1994-12-17/s...l-expenses. Nearly a decade before ETSU did it, others were experiencing the pain of idiotic decision making at their universities. Obviously, the designers of the Stanton/Mullins model (Stanton and Mullins) have never read the L.A. Times.
Dropping Football Would Be a Mistake
December 17, 1994
With the continuing state budget crunch, it has been suggested that many of the Cal State universities drop football as a cost-cutting measure. Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton have dropped football to join only a half-dozen large universities without it. Now Northridge and Sacramento are considering this move.
This is a bad idea. A school's football program cannot simply be measured by accounting principles. To the equation must be added a school's reputation, student spirit, community involvement, alumni relations, and opportunities for the high school athletes of the region.
I don't think any state university can be deemed a major, comprehensive university without a football program. Obviously, every university president in America agrees with me--except for the half dozen.
Cal State Fullerton made a big mistake. The small savings in eliminated football expenses have not made CSUF a better place. The athletic department is not better off financially and still operates on a shoestring budget. The administration fails to acknowledge the benefits a top-flight athletic program could bring to the university and the region.
Here in bankrupt Orange County, Cal State Fullerton sits as a dormant giant rather than trying to tap the awesome potential of the region. No tool can accomplish this better than Division I football. It's shameful that no effort is made.
