Jayhawk Conference rejects increase in out-of-state football spots

The Jayhawk Conference voted Thursday to reject a pair of proposals that would have increased, and potentially removed, restrictions on out-of-state football roster spots, choosing instead to stay with the current maximum of 20 out-of-state athletes.

A proposal made by commissioner Bryce Roderick, which would have bumped out-of-state roster spots for Kansas community college football programs to 30 with the 10 extra coming from the border states of Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, failed without a yes vote.

Next, Garden City president Herbert Swender offered an amendment to a proposal that was rejected earlier this spring to remove out-of-state restrictions for football, soccer, and golf. His suggestion of giving it a two-year trial period failed 10-8.

A conference spokesman said football-playing members Coffeyville, Independence, Dodge City and Garden City voted for the proposal, along with non-football members Barton, Cowley, Kansas City and Seward.

“My concern originally was finding a compromise, which I thought we did but the schools spoke today and they don’t even want that changed,” Roderick said. “I’m fine with it, I’m not disappointed. I really do believe we have a good system in place and we saw today that they don’t want it changed. As far as I’m concerned, as the conference commissioner, I won’t be proposing any more changes. That will have to come from the schools themselves. I’ve done my duty.”

Kansas high school football coaches, who have argued more out-of-state players would hurt Kansas kids’ opportunities, were relieved to see the proposal defeated. But the narrow margin to eliminate out-of-state restrictions caught their attention.

To Bishop Carroll coach Alan Schuckman, it signaled that a change needs to come from both junior-college coaches and high school coaches.

“I think it’s good news for the student-athletes and for the state of Kansas,” Schuckman said. “But I don’t want to see this become a winner and a loser thing. I think we all are willing and want to help the Jayhawk Conference grow. There doesn’t have to be a loser in this. I think maybe their perceptions need to change, so they can take some kids in their program and develop them in a three-year period instead of looking for kids that can play right now. And then I think maybe we need to do more as a high school association to get our kids more prepared to be ready to play when they go to junior college.”

To Northwest coach Steve Martin, who is the president of the Kansas Football Coaches Association, he said it was “crazy to me” so many would vote in favor — and he stands by the threat he made before the vote of boycotting any two-year school that voted in favor of the proposal.

“If I would turn around and use it as just a threat, then I’m not teaching my kids life lessons about standing up for what you believe in,” Martin said. “Any school that voted yes will not be allowed to go into my school and recruit my kids. At Northwest, my kids are better than that. They can still go wherever they want, we live in the greatest country in the world and they are free to do so. But those schools who voted yes will not be welcomed into my building.”

Garden City Community College coach Jeff Sims made headlines with his advocacy for the increase. He has said limitations of out-of-state players is based in past discrimination against minorities. Sims did not return a phone call on Thursday.

“His concern was clear to western Kansas that they were having a difficult time filling out their roster with Kansas kids,” Roderick said. “He said our restrictions could be viewed as discriminatory. I don’t think that they are. We’re a volunteer organization and when you belong to a volunteer organization, you abide by the rules.”

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Jayhawk Conference rejects increase in out-of-state football spots."