CLICK HERE to read an open letter from Athletics Director Peter Roby
Northeastern officials announced yesterday the decision to terminate school's intercollegiate football program, according to a press release from the university.
According to the release, the decision was made by a panel consisting of senior administrators, trustees, faculty, alumni, donors and students. The Athletics Review Panel has met since 2007 to discuss the direction of the Athletic Department. Peter Roby, director of athletics and recreation, headed this panel and made the initial recommendation to discontinue football, which the panel accepted.
In the release, Roby said the benchmark for defining a program’s success is not wins and losses, but creating a positive student-athlete experience.
“The primary motivation for this decision was based on the significant obstacles to providing this experience for our football players,” Roby said in the press release.
The release addressed the financial burdens of continuing to field a team, in part by saying that “elevating and sustaining a competitive Division 1 football program would require additional multimillion dollar investments on an ongoing basis.”
Mike Armini, vice president for marketing and communications, told The News a press conference to discuss the matter in detail will be held Monday morning at Matthews Arena at 11 a.m.
In an interview with The News from October 2007, Roby said cutting an athletic program was “a possibility,” citing the mandate from President Joseph Aoun for each department "to try and be distinctive and excellent."
According to the release, the decision follows the university’s attempt to “prioritize programs and invest in signature strengths.”
The decision to drop football comes less than a year after the Friends of Northeastern Athletics group wrote in a newsletter that football would not be dropped. In a Dec. 21, 2008 newsletter, the group wrote it met with Roby about future plans for the university's athletics programs. According to the newsletter, Roby reportedly remarked that there was no reason Northeastern football would not exist for the next four years.
The football team had not had a winning season since 2003. It completed its 74th season of play Saturday with a 33-27 victory at Rhode Island, finishing up the 2009 season with a record of 3-8, 3-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Armini said members of the football team who had been receiving an athletic scholarship will still continue to receive their scholarship until their graduation. As an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school, Northeastern's football team received 63 scholarships a year.
The departure of the football program leaves the school with 18 intercollegiate sports, in addition to club and intramural sports.
90 comments
This could have been avoided.
Make no mistake, I’m delighted at the work that went into Matthews Arena over the summer. From video clips and photos, to reports from fellow alumni, I’ve heard nothing but incredible things about that old barn – a place I spent an enormous amount of time in. Kudos to you, Mr. Roby for regenerating a Boston icon and architectural gem. But could the football program have been saved with that money? Could that same money have been put into a fund to turn Columbus Park into a stadium?
I’m discouraged. I’m discouraged and sympathetic towards the student body, faculty and alumni who watched the NU football program over the years. I’m sad for all the former players, from Sean Jones to Liam Ezekial. I feel extraordinarily bad for the current players and the coaching staff, who now must find new places to play and coach in a difficult economic time. But most of all, I feel absolutely terrible for Jack Grinold, who has devoted more than 45 years to the NU football program, barely missing a game.
Today, NU fell a level – one I never thought it would drop to. In a way, I feel this could have been avoided. In tough economic times, you find ways to reduce your staff cuts, even if that means holding off on something you desperately want to fix or purchase. I know this was not an easy decision, and I admire Mr. Roby for making it knowing the balance of student emotion will sway against him. But I firmly believe, Mr. Freeland would never have let this happen.