Liberty Football Thinking Big

MeanGreen61 · February 14, 2006

"Without (football), a university has a big gap in it that is not filled," Falwell said. "Basketball has a great appeal, but football is still king in America.

The men's basketball team already has been to the tournament. The women reached the Sweet 16 last year.

Lord knows, Falwell, Liberty thinking big in football

Feb. 9, 2006

By Dennis Dodd

CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer

Of all the fires Jerry Falwell has started with his mouth, this nugget might be among the more incendiary:

"I refuse to die," the famous televangelist told SportsLine.com this week, "until we get this done."

What, a 900-foot Jesus? More fundamentalist doctrine?

No. Football. Falwell, 72, wants to preside over a Division I-A football program in his lifetime. A big-time D-I program, one that could take the field against Notre Dame some day on even terms.

More than that, the Liberty University chancellor is fast-tracking the sport. Liberty's I-AA program went 1-10 last year. The coach was fired. The AD resigned.

Falwell quickly hired Virginia assistant Danny Rocco. A new 36,000-seat stadium has been promised. A $7 million football complex opens in June.

"Just in the last year," he said, "we've decided to take football (to another level)."

The goal is for I-A to happen in the next decade. By then Falwell, who underwent heart surgery last year, will be 82.

"The issue," he said, "is getting it done soon enough for me to see it happen."

Lord willin' and the interest rates don't rise, Falwell's vision will be realized. America will have a fundamentalist Christian football superpower.

Don't be alarmed. ACLU vs. LU isn't on the schedule yet.

What Notre Dame is to Catholics and BYU is to Mormons, Liberty can be to evangelical Christians.

There's not a thing wrong with that, though Liberty's burden will be great. The school has a chance -- no, a duty -- to get it right.

FULL ARTICLE

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/9220541/1

Edited February 14, 2006 by MeanGreen61

Stan R · February 14, 2006

He isn't serious, is he?

emmitt01 · February 14, 2006

He isn't serious, is he?
←

Yes he is. Just like he was serious about "Happy Holidays" being anti-christian, just like he was serious about teletubbies doing the devil's "gay" work, just like he was serious...you get the picture.