KSU to present football plan to Board of Regents
Kennesaw State will present its financial plan for football to the State Board of Regents on Tuesday in the last step needed before the Owls can start the program.
If the Regents approve a $100 per-semester increase in student fees, Kennesaw State will make official at a pep rally on campus Wednesday what was first discussed in 2010 when the students approved the fee increase: a football team.
That rally, which will be held at the Convocation Center, may include the unveiling of a major donation, according to a person familiar with the Owls’ plan, but who wished to remain anonymous because the Regents haven’t given the green light.
The Owls hope to begin play as early as 2015. The person with knowledge of the plan said that if the Regents approve, athletic director Vaughn Williams will begin the search for a coach, whom he hopes to have hired by Signing Day in February. He also must begin the search for a conference on the FCS level, previously known as Division I-AA. The Atlantic Sun, the Owls’ home in all sports, doesn’t have football.
The team will play at the KSU Stadium, which seats slightly more than 8,000. The soccer stadium likely won’t be expanded, but there will be a renovation to the suites on the West side of the stadium. The stadium was constructed with the addition of football as a possibility, so there’s not a lot of work that needs to be done to make the stadium football-ready.
The team will likely practice in a field adjacent to the stadium, which is on the east side of I-75. Most of the campus is on the west side.
The increase in student fees will bring the total earmarked to athletics to $251 per semester. Multiplied by the university enrollment of more than 24,000, the increase is expected to cover the projected $3.5 million in annual operating costs for the football team. The fee will go into effect for the Fall semester later this year.
The university announced in Sept. 2010 that, after a committee chaired by former Georgia coach Vince Dooley spent 10 months examining the possibility, it was going to move ahead with adding football and hoped to field the first team by 2014. However, they weren’t able to get on the Nov. 2012 agenda, which has likely pushed back the program’s first season to 2015, at the earliest.
Doug Roberson, AJC staff
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
94 comments Add your comment
wsj
January 3rd, 2013
1:33 pm
We’ll see. KSU was hot stuff in DII basketball and won the national championship. Now they are regularly stomped in DI. You have to do more than just field a team and show up when you play DI.
GSU
January 3rd, 2013
1:34 pm
The Sun Belt has been decimated and GSot still isn’t guaranteed a spot. Yet, they can certainly tell you whether or not GSU will have a program in 5 years. News Flash: GSU is FBS, and you’re a sub division 1 team. Buh bye!
Dr Hook and the Medicine Show
January 3rd, 2013
1:34 pm
Hey KSU Alum, your mens basketball team won that title 10 years ago… wake up. The great new coach they hired, that supposedly was to bec the savior, he is now 4-39 in his KSU coaching career.
KSU???
January 3rd, 2013
1:35 pm
I thought Kansas State University already had a football team. Oh, well.
KSU
January 3rd, 2013
1:44 pm
@GSU
If us and Southern are sub D1, then why are you still here?
Oh thats right, because you couldn’t win at this level and hold a grudge.
Enjoy the empty Dome.
Dawgington
January 3rd, 2013
1:46 pm
Georgia State is still sub-D1 IMO. Can anyone name a Sun Belt team? NOOOOOO!!! You beat your chest while you have earned nothing. We own this State.
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
1:49 pm
Sorry I’m not going to donate money to KSU for sports. I will continue to Attend Georgia Tech games. I might get a ticket or two to a KSU game but no way will I support KSU Football with my money. I like being a KSU Alum but I will not give money for athletics only academics.
jj
January 3rd, 2013
1:51 pm
KSU will draw a lot of folks who like college football, in a local environment. I will probably buy a season ticket just because it’s close and convenient, and I suspect there are a lot of people just like me.
Interesting how they raise $4.8 million in fees for football but only budget $3.5, I guess they figured we couldn’t read or do simple math.
KSU>Commuter State
January 3rd, 2013
1:52 pm
You feel that Georgia State… its time for KSU to take the Atlanta Market and OWN YOU!
Jimbo
January 3rd, 2013
2:00 pm
As a KSU alumni (grad school), I think they should go back to the old team name. That was the “HOOTERS”. Think of the fun you could have with that. What would the mascot look like? How about the cheerleader’s uniforms. HOOTERS is a name you can really get your hands on.
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
2:04 pm
KSU>Commuter State………………exactly How many KSU students LIVE on campus and Don’t Commute?
Animal Control
January 3rd, 2013
2:06 pm
Can’t wait to see my school dominate the football field! I will definately be a season ticket holder! Go Owls!
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
2:06 pm
KSU and football will be perfect for the new law in Kennesaw. If you provide drinks to underage people or know they have drinks on your property you will be arrested. Man that should make Friday night parties and tailgating fun.
Educator
January 3rd, 2013
2:13 pm
The continued demise of the educational system continues. Athletics has ruined the educational system in our country – K -12 and college. If we spent as much time on actual education and learning, we would still be leading the world in STEAM. Yes yes – you learn about adversity and teamwork – big whoop. You learn that in everything valuable in life. Athletics is simply a drain on the educational system and we are finding that the relentless training and strain on young bodies and minds is actually BAD for our young people. Wake up America! Athletics is no answer to anything – it is simply a diversion.
Educator
January 3rd, 2013
2:16 pm
Just read the macho, aggressive, inane come backs that are posted in this thread. Athletics and ignorance go hand in hand.
DownTownATL
January 3rd, 2013
2:21 pm
a KSU alum saying “we run the ATL”? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…. you barely run town center mall. good luck with the football program, Owls, just please don’t say you run the ATL.
Woody Paige
January 3rd, 2013
2:25 pm
DownTownATL: As someone that is a KSU alum (Summer 2012), I can vouch that they don’t even run Town Center Mall. There’s more signage in there for Valdosta State than there is the school three miles up I-75.
Lakerman
January 3rd, 2013
2:26 pm
hey KSU Alum… you might want to do your homework before making statements. KSU IS NOT the only school in Georgia with a men’s basketball national championship. There was also West Georgia in 1974 and Life in 1997, 1999 and 2000.
Stringer
January 3rd, 2013
2:26 pm
RE: The Kennesaw State Fighting Hooters
I think a ladies mud wrestling team would be more appropriate for KSU than a football team.
Don Carter
January 3rd, 2013
2:37 pm
The football mascot could be named Owl Gore!….good luck with the team!
Really
January 3rd, 2013
2:39 pm
Did someone really type that KSU will be a “football powerhouse” in no time? Really?
BariBlue
January 3rd, 2013
3:02 pm
Georgia State plays Division I FBS football and is a national research university… Kennesaw is not a threat. Best of luck to the Owls!
KSUAlum
January 3rd, 2013
3:05 pm
@Lakerman:
OK, I’ll give you West Georgia (though, what division did they win? Was it NAIA? Cause that BS don’t count and you know it).
But Life?! No, Life is not a legit school. Life does not count in this category. Life should be in the same sports category as the University of Phoenix.
KSUAlum
January 3rd, 2013
3:11 pm
Yeah, West Georgia won a basketball national championship in NAIA. So no, they don’t count. Life? Also NAIA. They don’t count.
KSU – still the only school in Georgia to win an NCAA men’s basketball NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
andy009
January 3rd, 2013
3:37 pm
month her income was $20729 just working on the computer for a few hours. Go to this web site and read more http://www.qr.net/j38ℤ
DaveDawg
January 3rd, 2013
3:42 pm
Mercer has the best chance of all of these new programs. (Of course, Mercer Bears football is not new at all, just been dormant.) With all of Middle Georgia to support it, the potential is there. Could be like Clemson in 20-30 years.
Like It Is
January 3rd, 2013
3:44 pm
Don’t complain about the rising cost of tuition and then turn around and pay $200 per school year for football. That same $3.5 million could be spent in better ways. I guess it’s all about priorities.
Disoriented
January 3rd, 2013
4:01 pm
I’m opposed to a new football program for one reason and one reason only. I don’t want to sit through the KSU women’s soccer games with football lines on the field. The soccer team deserves better!
GSU
January 3rd, 2013
4:04 pm
I’m here because I knew the Podunk crowd from GaSo would bring GSU into a conversation that had nothing to do with GSU. I respect what KSU is trying to do and I respect every program in this state besides those clowns in Statesboro. Nothing but a bunch of losers with an over-inflated value of their pee-wee titles, running the most basic of offenses. Get a grip!
You laughed when we said we were going FBS and have essentially been on your knees begging for an invite on every message board and/or blog since 4/9/2012. What happened to the WAC-E?…..LOL, buh bye!
VSU Alumnus
January 3rd, 2013
4:13 pm
Within 5 years there will be 5 super conferences and they will dominate all D1 NCAA sports. Due to this the NCAA needs to create a division between D1 and D2 for the KSU’s, GaSo’s, and Georgia States of the world.I would support VSU moving up under these conditions. In the 1-AA of today you sellout all other sports for football. In Valdosta we have won recent NC’s in tennis and softball. I want to be competitive in all sports.
kevrock
January 3rd, 2013
4:14 pm
Podunk? Losers? What? I have 2 National Championship Rings that last time I checked means winners. Could you imagine if Georgia no campus State played Georgia this year what the score and the stats would of been? Thats your rebuttal? Losers and Podunk? You sound like a jealous child
Disoriented
January 3rd, 2013
4:17 pm
First year program, stadium staying at 8,000 seats, addition of women’s lacrosse (Atlantic Sun), slow start getting the program started…….
I believe the Owls will continue to compete in the Atlantic Sun in all sports and join fellow members Jacksonville, Mercer and Stetson in the Pioneer Football League. Non scholarship, but automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. This is a good thing!
NotSam
January 3rd, 2013
4:26 pm
From a paying parent… Have you seen the cost of mandatory fees at KSU? They are about 1/3 of the tuition costs. Why are students in debt? Why are families unable to afford college? Think about all the fees. What’s more important, the education or the sports? I for one hate seeing $100 more added to each bill.
Contractor
January 3rd, 2013
4:29 pm
I feel as if it was a HUGE mistake to go with Adidas as their sponsor, considering Adidas is known for soccer and their continuous efforts to branch out to other sports has been slower than a turtle’s pace with not the greatest outcomes. It may sound like a small thing, but things just like this are what draws recruits, boost merchandise sales, and creates a buzz. If Kennesaw State would have gone with Nike, I feel as if the program would have quickly achieved a bigger name and offered more of a brand name to recruits with the equipment and free clothes acquire. I hope they get it together and do it the right way, but the athletic director at Kennesaw State has to make better decisions in order to support a football program that will eventually be worth a crap. He’s not grading out very well in my eyes at the moment. I do not want to see a nose dive like Georgia State has come to be.
VSU Alumnus
January 3rd, 2013
5:15 pm
@DaveDawg……..I must agree. I wish all the new programs well, but Mercer has the best chance of early success. Some of their alums have cut some huge checks for the new stadium and facilities. Their season ticket sells are going very well. I like the 1-AA non-scholly concept for a private school their size. Those will be real student athletes. Good luck Bears..
Football Lover
January 3rd, 2013
7:37 pm
Congrats to all of the KSU students and Alumni! There are over 20,000 students and thousands of alumni that live in the metro Atlanta area, which will support the new football program with their attendance and their financial support. I am personally excited about the addition of KSU football and can’t wait to buy my season tickets. This is the state of Georgia and we have more than 8 million people. We can support another D1 program and I look forward to the success of the program. Go Owls!
Realist
January 3rd, 2013
8:22 pm
Write this down. KSU will be battling Alabama for the BCS national title within 5 years.
Buckhead Benny
January 3rd, 2013
8:48 pm
Hell, I would like to see the state start funding some of these athletic ventures for these public schools like Ga. Southern, Kennesaw State, Valdosta State, etc like Alabama, and Missisippi and some other states do- The reason why is it ends up being a big money boost and gives your school great brand recognition and ultimately drives more students to your school-
I think it would be good if you had some other D-1 schools- Heck Alabama has Troy, UAB, Auburn, and Alabama and is a fraction of the size of Georgia- MS- Has Ole Miss, Southern Miss, and Missippi State- There should be at least 5 D1 schools in Georgia- UGA, Tech, Ga. State, Ga. Southern, and I think Kennesaw State will end up being there with 25k students and 10 years they can do it-
The state will need good facilities to keep good students and maintain them in state as well- Not saying break the bank but provide some type of loan assistance for capital projects that help fund stadiums, etc that end up creating a better student life environment-
Hell, if states with less money like MS and Alabama can do it no reason
GA can’t. Hell, lord knows my school Valdosta State could use the assitance just to build a D2 stadium.
Buckhead Benny
January 3rd, 2013
9:01 pm
http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/01/2134910/college-sports-come-at-a-cost.html
link for State of Kentucky that directly funds athletics- I know State of Alabama does and so does state of MS-
Dr Hook and the Medicine Show
January 3rd, 2013
9:45 pm
Realist you are a complete idiot
5150 UOAD
January 4th, 2013
1:28 am
Is KSU still serving Beer at the games?
Jimmy
January 4th, 2013
6:15 am
This is one of the stupidest ideas ever for a school like Kennesaw. Football at this level is a financial black hole. Here Kennesaw has been making great decisions all these years and has grown into a great university. And now they are going to add football? You have got to be kidding.
Mooner
January 4th, 2013
2:07 pm
I am a big fan of Hooters.
Ergo, I miss Dagmar Midcap.
Mooner
January 4th, 2013
2:08 pm
Football brings in $$$$$$ to colleges and universities.
That is why they have teams.
Debate Teams?
Not so much.