Student group wants UTA football back

[NT80]

Group makes long-shot effort to bring football back to UTA

By LEILA FADEL and HEIDI PEDERSON

STAR-TELEGRAM/BRUCE MAXWELL

Sam deBerry has started a group to bring football back to UTA. Members of the organization's club team practice Tuesday evening.ARLINGTON -- About 30 University of Texas at Arlington students ran football plays in shorts and T-shirts Tuesday.

The drills were not for an upcoming intramural competition. The students, who plan to form a club football team, hope that their commitment persuades the administration to bring back NCAA football.

"Nothing in the state of Texas brings about school spirit, a sense of pride and tradition like football," said Sam deBerry, founder of the latest student movement to bring football back to UT-Arlington.

The Mavericks for Football Now, led by deBerry, has gathered about 3,000 signatures on a petition and scheduled a march at noon today to demand that university President James Spaniolo reconsider his position. In April 2004, students voted to raise the student athletic fee by $2 for a football team. But after a consultant's study, Spaniolo in January 2005 put off the decision for five years, saying it was too expensive. Football was disbanded after the 1985 season because of low attendance and high costs.

To reinstate football, the school would also have to begin women's golf and soccer to comply with the Title IX federal law requiring equal opportunity for female athletes. The total cost would be up to $17.5 million over five years, according to the study.

Instead, Spaniolo chose to focus on a $34 million expansion and renovation of the Activities Building, which will be renamed the Maverick Activities Center.

He is also working on a financial package to fund a Special Events Center, which would hold basketball and volleyball courts and a space for commencements and other events.

"I'm pleased with the enthusiasm of the students in getting behind the issue of campus spirit, but my position is there are a lot of ways to create campus spirit," Spaniolo said Tuesday. "In my mind there is a timetable and a sense of priority about when we look at football ... but now is not the time."

When Spaniolo was a dean at Michigan State, he held season tickets for the school's football team. But for UT-Arlington, other things come first, he said.

"Starting football from scratch is an enormous undertaking," he said. "There are only seven institutions in the country where football actually makes money. At institutions like ours, it would be a huge expense."

In the meantime, deBerry has spoken to sponsors about funding a club team, which would begin playing in the Texas United Football League in the spring. They have no money and must raise about $2,000 a game to play in Maverick Stadium, deBerry said.

The university's athletic director, Pete Carlon, said he has met with deBerry, but told deBerry that the athletic department couldn't be involved with his campaign.

"I hope someday we sponsor a football program, but it has to be the right timing, and the funding has to be secure before you get started," Carlon said. "That's a pretty monumental task, to fund even a Division I-AA football program, and I don't want to be involved in anything that negatively affects the programs we do have."

Still, students won't give up hope.

An NCAA football team would "bring more pride," said Jeoff Schroeder, 23, a wide receiver on the student organization's team. "You walk around campus and nobody wears UTA stuff, they're in A&M stuff, or a UT sweatshirt."

THE MAVERICKS FOR FOOTBALL NOW

What: A student organization is holding a rally in support of bringing football back to the University of Texas at Arlington.

When: Noon at the University Center Mall, 300 W. First St.

On the Web: www.myspace.com/mavericksforfootballnow

For more information: e-mail, utafootballclub@yahoo.com

Recent Comments

In 1985 the Football program was killed as Chuck Curtis stood by. ...

maybe if uta didnt have to give instate tuition to illegals that we...

Outside of the BCS, most schools bleed big time to keep their...

If only 7 schools make money, then how do the other 112 Div-I...

I would rather graduate from UTA."true college." don't make me laugh.

[MeanGreengdub]

*Football was disbanded after the 1985 season because of low attendance and high costs.*

I hope this doesn't happen to North Texas!

[UNTflyer]

Title IX

The Death Knell of many athletic programs.

[SilverEagle]

I never understood why they disbanded it totally. They could have gone with a non-scholarship program like Sul Ross or Austin College, or Mary Hardin Baylor.

Midwestern State is a much smaller school than UTA and they started their football program over again.

[UNTflyer]

"There are only seven institutions in the country where football actually makes money.

I find this difficult to swallow.

Top 10 Football Revenue Schools (2005)

1) Texas $47,556,281

2) Tennessee $46,704,719

3) Ohio State $46,242,355

4) Florida $42,710,967

5) Georgia $42,104,214

6) Alabama $39,848,836

7) Notre Dame $38,596,090

8) Michigan $38,547,937

9) LSU $38,381,625

10) Auburn $37,173,943

If these teams and more aren't making money, the accountants should all be fired.

[Cr1028]

Title IX

The Death Knell of many athletic programs.

←

Yep, I wonder how TWU gets around this or does Title IX even apply to them?

I guess for everything to be equal we need to add some guy baton twirlers and NT dancers.

Why can't they just add womens golf or soccer, why both? They have an even number of sports as it is.

Edited November 30, 2006 by Cr1028

[Guest Aquila_Viridis]

"There are only seven institutions in the country where football actually makes money.

I find this difficult to swallow.

Top 10 Football Revenue Schools (2005)

1) Texas $47,556,281

2) Tennessee $46,704,719

3) Ohio State $46,242,355

4) Florida $42,710,967

5) Georgia $42,104,214

6) Alabama $39,848,836

7) Notre Dame $38,596,090

8) Michigan $38,547,937

9) LSU $38,381,625

10) Auburn $37,173,943

If these teams and more aren't making money, the accountants should all be fired.

←

Oh heck Texas spent half that on the godzillatron. The rest is the recruiting budget. After that it's all underwater.

[Guest Aquila_Viridis]

Yep, I wonder how TWU gets around this or does Title IX even apply to them?

I guess for everything to be equal we need to add some guy baton twirlers and NT dancers.

←

Well they did have some flag dudes so we're dangerously close already.

[MrStrange62]

Yep, I wonder how TWU gets around this or does Title IX even apply to them?

I guess for everything to be equal we need to add some guy baton twirlers and NT dancers.

Why can't they just add womens golf or soccer, why both? They have an even number of sports as it is.

←

thats an interesting point... never thought about that.

[VideoEagle]

thats an interesting point... never thought about that.

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There is the tiny detail that our womens' soccer team is pretty good. Don't we have women golfer's as well? We might not.

[NDT]

Yes we have a women's golf team. They usually are available to play in the Don January Golf Classic as an added player on a foursome for an extra fee. A few years back Jaqueline Golden from the Women's Golf team played with my foursome and she impressed us with her play.

[rcade]

Title IX

The Death Knell of many athletic programs.

←

Cheap shot. I was at UTA right after they lost their football team. The school had terrible leadership and placed absolutely no priority on things that enhance campus life and school spirit, like football, nice campus housing and support for Greek row.

To give you one example among many of how incompetent they were, the school has two incredibly busy roads running through the middle of campus. Both have bridges for students to cross, but in both cases it took the death of a student to finally get them built. The second fatality was a wheelchair athlete who competed nationally.

Female athletes deserve a chance to pursue sports at public universities as much as male athletes.

[untgirl04]

"There are only seven institutions in the country where football actually makes money.

I find this difficult to swallow.

Top 10 Football Revenue Schools (2005)

1) Texas $47,556,281

2) Tennessee $46,704,719

3) Ohio State $46,242,355

4) Florida $42,710,967

5) Georgia $42,104,214

6) Alabama $39,848,836

7) Notre Dame $38,596,090

8) Michigan $38,547,937

9) LSU $38,381,625

10) Auburn $37,173,943

If these teams and more aren't making money, the accountants should all be fired.

←

I believe Nebraska should be on that list. According to my in-laws (Nebraska alumns), Nebraska gives excess revenue outside operating costs back to the university to fund scholarships. What a novel idea! I hope someday North Texas gets to that point... rather than spending all our excess money on some godzilla-tron.

[WIFE2HOT4U]

the ave age @ UTAlmost is 28 - they need to change that before worrying about fball

I grew up in Atown so I can say these things - no pun intended

[CorinthEagle]

Did you see these folks on channel 8 last night? Oh my. Had maybe 15-20 people march to the president's office and the guy leading the crusade seemed like a complete nutjob. Good luck with all that.

[medpilot21]

I was a UTA student in 95-96. I hope things are different there now, but if they are not... Spaniolo is right. The student demographics are at a point now where the majority of students at UTA are foreigners. As the national sports of most of their countries is soccer, football would be a hard sell. For the first few games, there may be decent support and attendance? However, very quickly the fan-base will decline and then the cost of running a football program becomes a waste of money. The good side is there is already a stadium, and it is actually nice for it's size. I played several flag football games at Maverick Stadium, and I love those glass press boxes. The field is good too. The bad side... simple. UTA still has the reputation as a commuter school, and the foreign students are more interested in academics than sports.

Case and point: UTA has a fantastic baseball program, with several of their players drafted into pro-ball each year. The last few games I went to (including one this past year) had a crowd smaller than fifty people? Most of the crowd were adults and family members of the players. Students could get in free to watch very good baseball and they simply do not go. The same would be the case with football. It would be popular for about four games, then the support would go through the floor. Players families and the Greeks would be there, and very few else.

For the record, I would love for UTA to have football again. I just dont see how it's possible? Unfortunately, it will take far more than 3000 signatures to get Spaniolo to even consider it. The cost-analysis was accurate; we know that based on what NT pays each year. The University would also have to comply with title-IX? Again, a tough sell.

Good luck to the Maverick Fans... It is certainly worth the fight, even if you lose.

GMG!!!

[FirefightnRick]

To me it would be best for UTA to start out as a D II program since there is not one very close by and the cost would be less. However with D II you get an exciting brand of football and a chance to make some noise with a playoff system to boot. The Lone Star conference would bring some exciting teams to the metroplex every year for their alumni here to go see play, such as Tarleton, Texas A&M Kingsville and West Texas A&M. I do know that at some time in the near future Tarleton will be making a push to go 1-AA in the SLC. This would open up a spot for UTA. Just a thought.

Rick

[rcade]

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Here, Jacksonville University wanted to start a football program even though they didn't even have enough resources to build a stadium. They began a non-scholarship program that played in a field with a raised berm around it. After around a decade, they're now building a stadium.

It ain't much, but it's a start, and UTA has an adequate stadium already for non Division I-A football.

[VideoEagle]

To me it would be best for UTA to start out as a D II program since there is not one very close by and the cost would be less.  However with D II you get an exciting brand of football and a chance to make some noise with a playoff system to  boot.  The Lone Star conference would bring some exciting teams to the metroplex every year for their alumni here to go see play, such as Tarleton, Texas A&M Kingsville and West Texas A&M.  I do know that at some time in the near future Tarleton will be making a push to  go 1-AA in the SLC.  This would open up a spot for UTA.  Just a thought.

Rick

←

It would be a good idea, except you can’t have a D1 basketball program and a D2 football program. Unless they drop to d2 in basketball, they have to start out at 1AA.

Actually, they could start as a “club sport” and then go to 1AA.

[untbowler]

To me it would be best for UTA to start out as a D II program since there is not one very close by and the cost would be less.  However with D II you get an exciting brand of football and a chance to make some noise with a playoff system to  boot.  The Lone Star conference would bring some exciting teams to the metroplex every year for their alumni here to go see play, such as Tarleton, Texas A&M Kingsville and West Texas A&M.  I do know that at some time in the near future Tarleton will be making a push to  go 1-AA in the SLC.  This would open up a spot for UTA.  Just a thought.

Rick

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I do not see UTA though dropping from Div I, I do not think they can play DII footbal and DI other sports

[Go_UTA]

I do not see UTA though dropping from Div I, I do not think they can play DII footbal and DI other sports

Right.

[stebo]

They could go Div IAAA, which is non-scholarship Div I football.

[Go_UTA]

They could go Div IAAA, which is non-scholarship Div I football.

←

I'd be in favor of that, but the experts on our board have found the research (talking with the AD, etc.) and say that that isn't allowed. That is, we can't play non-scholarship f-ball and still complete in Div I in everything else. I think you can take it to the bank that the university won't drop down in classification with the present line-up of sports.

[gksmith]

*Football was disbanded after the 1985 season because of low attendance and high costs.*

  I hope this doesn't happen to North Texas!

←

I thought it almost did in the 1980's? If it didn't die then, it won't die now.

There is enough attendance to keep things going. Unfortunately, football drives the bus for funding itself and other athletics and even the university itself. Don't look for football to go away from North Texas...EVER.

[Duck_Mav]

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Here, Jacksonville University wanted to start a football program even though they didn't even have enough resources to build a stadium. They began a non-scholarship program that played in a field with a raised berm around it. After around a decade, they're now building a stadium.

It ain't much, but it's a start, and UTA has an adequate stadium already for non Division I-A football.

Actually, I'm sure NT would love to trade stadiums with Arlington. Fouts is about as good as it can ever get, while Maverick Stadium is a nice facility with the potential to be enlarged to a very nice Division 1 stadium. (Sorry, I had to get my digs in about Fouts, just like the UNT fans enjoy talking about our horrendous basketball venue, Texas Hall.)

I went to the UTA football game last Saturday night and enjoyed it immensely. We had a good crowd of mostly students, plus a generous sprinkling of alumni and community fans. Paid attendance was around 1000. With the students who got in for free, it looked like 4-5000, pretty much what a "15,000" crowd looks like at SMU. We're playing in a semi-pro league against club teams that have been playing together for years, but it looks like the Mavericks will be pretty competitive. We won 43-6 against a team called "The Lake Country Blaze." Tomorrow night, we play at Pennington Field against the defending league champ "Ft. Worth Avengers," which could be a tougher matchup.

It's at highway 183 and Central in Hurst. Game is at 7pm. Great entertainment for $2. See you there!