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Tulane reaffirms I-A, launches offensive against
BCS
From staff and wire reports
(Posted 06.11.03)
NEW ORLEANS Tulane University took an aggressive stance on two fronts
Tuesday, announcing it would continue to compete in the NCAA's highest
division in football, while embarking on a mission to change the structure
and values by which some of the nation's I-A programs have begun to operate.
The university's trustees voted unanimously not to eliminate the football
team, but told the program's constituents they must reduce the amount of
money the athletic department loses each year.
The board considered scrapping the program or dropping it to a lower
division, but instead voted 27-0, with one abstention, to keep the team in
Division I-A, board president John Koerner said.
The announcement was met with cheers by supporters who carried "Roll Wave"
signs.
Prominent backers of the football program included a pair of New Orleans
political figures, Mayor Ray Nagin and City Councilman Jay Batt, who joined
Koerner at a news conference.
The board passed a resolution stating Tulane will attempt to change "the
culture" of NCAA programs to bring them back in line with the original
purpose of athletics "as a recreational pursuit."
The school must also increase its fan and financial bases, and reduce the
athletic department's $7 million annual deficit to $2 million by 2007.
"What we did was not endorse the status quo," Tulane president Scott Cowen
said.
The board called for an aggressive discussion to try to change the Bowl
Championship Series and "minimize, if not eliminate, its adverse impact on
team I-A intercollegiate athletics," an apparent reference to the inherent
financial and recruiting disadvantages for teams not included in the
six-conference cartel which runs the BCS.
"I would do away with the BCS, absolutely," Cowen said.
``I think it is abysmal that we let people play for national championships
and the graduation rates of their student-athletes is an embarrassment to
the institution,'' Cowen said.
Tulane graduates 80 percent of its football players, 78 percent of its
athletes overall.
``I would get rid of the bowl championship series alliance,'' Cowen said.
``It has an adverse affect on Division I-A athletics because it has created
a class of financial Haves and Have-nots.''
The decision was an obvious relief to the school's coaches and players.
``From a football stand point we've got a lot of ground to make up,'' coach
Chris Selfo said. ``We just came off spring recruiting and we didn't
recruit, we defended.''
A last-ditch drive over the weekend, directed by athletic director Rick
Dickson, doubled the number of season tickets for football to more than
11,000. Last year, there were 5,300 season tickets sold.
Average attendance at games in the Superdome last season was 27,000, boosted
by big crowds for games against Texas and Southern.
In addition, the drive picked up another $1 million for the athletic
foundation, increasing it to more than $2 million, and boosted the athletic
endowment to $14.5 million from the previous $10 million.
Tulane's football program has had mixed results since leaving the
Southeastern Conference in 1966. Tulane Stadium was torn down 30 years ago
when the team moved to the Superdome. The program now plays in Conference
USA.
The football team finished 8-5 last season and beat Hawaii in the Hawaii
Bowl. The men's tennis and women's golf teams reached the NCAA regionals,
and the women's basketball team made it to the NCAA tournament for the ninth
straight year. The baseball team went to the NCAA regionals.
The idea that football might be dropped outraged some fans.
"I don't think the seriousness of this situation really registered with our
fans until now," baseball coach Rick Jones said. "Once it did they took it
to heart."
As impressive as the campaign has been, it's not enough, Koerner said.
``If we can't translate that fan support into showing up at game, buying
season tickets, donating to the athletic program, then we're in trouble,''
Koerner said. ``We factored in a value that wasn't there. So now it's up to
the city of New Orleans, the alumni association, and our alumni around the
country to come together and support this decision and not just leave it out
there hanging in the wind.''
Copyright 2003 Bonesville.net. The Associated Press contributed to this
report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:48:07 AM
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