It’s Official: ODU To Field Football Team In 2009

What may have seemed like third and long for Old Dominion football last year has now turned to first and goal. During a “tailgate party” at Foreman Field on May 31, university officials announced that football will return to campus in the fall of 2009, nearly 70 years after the school’s first and only program ended its 11-year run at the close of the 1940 season.

The announcement followed two unsuccessful attempts in the mid- and late 1980s to resurrect football. Board of Visitors Rector James Hixon, however, assured those present that the board’s decision “was not made lightly.”

The board agreed to endorse football as a Division I-AA intercollegiate sport contingent upon the university satisfying three criteria: assurance from an outside consultant of community support; acquisition of land for football practice fields and a field and facilities for women’s softball, volleyball and crew (sports to be added later to comply with Title IX); and an $8 million endowment.

The first was met in December when consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers released a market assessment report indicating a strong base of support for football, particularly among alumni.

In April, an agreement was reached with the city of Norfolk on the leasing of land near the campus.

Although the June 2006 deadline to raise $8 million was not met, the board agreed to extend the timeline. Alonzo Brandon ’85, ODU vice president for development and alumni relations, has reported that more than $5 million has been pledged to date, and he anticipates having the full $8 million in hand by the start of the first season.

Annual fund donations, student fees, ticket sales and concessions will also help sustain the new program.

Wearing an ODU ball cap, Lauren Conner ’79, the 2005-06 Alumni Association president, told those gathered for the announcement that football “provides another wonderful opportunity for alumni to stay connected to their alma mater.”

ODU President Roseann Runte, in her remarks, stressed that academic quality, other sports and Title IX will not be compromised by football. She added that she is convinced the time is right for the sport, noting that the movement started with the student government and picked up support among alumni and the board.

Looking out at the stadium, she said, “Can’t you imagine in a few years, every seat filled and people cheering for Old Dominion’s team? We’re not going to have a tough start. It’s all the other teams that are going to have a tough season the day we begin playing football again at Old Dominion.”

Getting to that point will take a lot of work, and the next few years will be busy ones for athletic director Jim Jarrett and his staff. The first order of business will be to retain an assistant athletic director for football. Up to 33 support personnel will be hired over the next three years to handle everything from ticketing to training, as well as the three new women’s sports: crew in 2007-08, softball in 2010-11 and volleyball in 2014-15.

“We look forward to sitting in this stadium for our first football game in the fall of 2009 and ultimately competing for a CAA championship,” Jarrett told the crowd, eliciting enthusiastic applause.

Plans call for hiring a head coach during 2007-08. Freshmen and junior college transfers will comprise ODU’s first recruiting class.

Home games will be played at Foreman Field, a 20,000-seat stadium that opened in 1936. It will be upgraded to include individual chair-back seating, a locker complex and luxury suites.