OT: Community College Football Collapsing in Arizona

[huskymedic]

Two-year colleges in Arizona consider cutting football after five institutions drop sport

>>For the second time in its history, the Pima Community College Aztecs will play in a football bowl game hosted by the National Junior College Athletic Association.

But the Aztecs' appearance this weekend in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl will be Pima's last game. The community college, which is located in Arizona, decided in June to cut football, citing the expense of the program. That decision followed a similar one by the Maricopa County Community College District to eliminate football programs next year at its Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa and Glendale colleges. Now other two-year institutions in Arizona are questioning whether they can maintain football programs in the Western States Football League, which only has three teams left with Eastern Arizona, Arizona Western and Snow College in Utah.<<

>>The NJCAA's membership includes 400 community college basketball programs, compared to 73 football programs. “Four or five schools possibly drop football, and it certainly impacts other school programs,” said Christopher Parker, the association's executive director. “We respect and understand all the decisions the State of Arizona and the Maricopa system have to make. But we’re also true advocates for those students who are only attending school because football is the driving force to get them to attend.”

While two-year college football programs exist across the country, Parker said the strongest ones are in Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi and Texas. And the number of programs nationwide has remained steady for the past decade.<<

 

[Exit 4]

This is pretty significant.

 

[Purple Stein]

The state of Arizona has essentially defunded its community colleges, so if football isn't making money, it's not going to survive.

You can read more here if you're interested in what's been going down.

 

[Redding Husky]

My son was a starting punter on a junior college team in Texas. Academically, he could have gone to Texas A&M or Oklahoma. But he wanted to keep playing football. Juco was ideal for us because my ex-wife took literally every penny I had, and I couldn't afford a private Division III school like Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

For a lot of kids, and for a lot of reasons, Juco football is an excellent option. I hate to see it in trouble.

 

[billybud]

There are 76 Junior College teams in Florida (baseball, volleyball, etc)...but only one JC football team.

Never thought of football as a JC sport...but that's because I am a Floridian.

 

[Alum86]

I recall in the ‘70swhen CT had JUCO teams. Mattatuck from Waterbury was good. They even played in a bowl type game at 3 Rivers Stadium.

 

[storrsroars]

Simple answer: replace with Rugby clubs.

 

[Redding Husky]

There are 76 Junior College teams in Florida (baseball, volleyball, etc)...but only one JC football team.

Never thought of football as a JC sport...but that's because I am a Floridian.

California has half of the Juco football teams in the U.S.

My son’s conference in Texas has produced many NFL players, including the Panthers’ Cam Newton.

 

[BRG 1]

Wonder if this is the beginning of minor league football finding a stakehold. Tom Brady's agent proposed a California minor league for football players who didn't want to attend college.
Community college football is big in the Midwest and the south in Mississippi (Last Chance U.) Around here, we have D-III football (Dean College, Ana Maria.)
The AAFC and XFL are supposed to be "pro" football leagues to give athletes a chance to get back to the NFL.
The USFL proved that there will be always players to fill leagues. If the USFL had stayed in the Spring, I believe an arrangement with the NFL to be a minor league post college would have existed.
If state funding and insurance premiums continue to make hard choices for college administrators we may see some NFL minor league 20 years from now. There will always be the Alabama's and the like, and even though high schools have increasingly dropped football there will be plenty of Football players who want to make a career at it on some level.
Remember there is the Major hockey leagues in Canada and college hockey, both which co exist and send players to the NHL. Football could be the same. The ACFL in the 60's (Hartford Knights) had some players who worked blue collar jobs and didn't attend college.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

I recall in the ‘70swhen CT had JUCO teams. Mattatuck from Waterbury was good. They even played in a bowl type game at 3 Rivers Stadium.

Manchester Community had a great soccer team in the 70s. Now the community colleges don't have athletics?

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Manchester Community had a great soccer team in the 70s. Now the community colleges don't have athletics?

Some do, but it is rare.

 

[Buffett10]

Powerhouse Arizona Western just announced it dropped football

 

[huskymedic]

Powerhouse Arizona Western just announced it dropped football

'The end of an era and a sad day' Arizona Western College is latest community college to drop JUCO football

 

[Exit 4]

'The end of an era and a sad day' Arizona Western College is latest community college to drop JUCO football

Seems like this will have to boost the eastern US league Lackawanna and ASA Brooklyn play in.

 

[QDOG5]

'The end of an era and a sad day' Arizona Western College is latest community college to drop JUCO football

My college friend is the President of Arizona Western. I haven't spoken with him recently but I know that he is huge football fan so I'm sure that he exhausted every avenue before the university made the decision. It seems like the 4 other JUCOs in AZ dropping football kind of forced their hand. It was nice to see the head coach landed at a good JUCO in Kansas.