1999: New WSU leader doubtful on football

Donald Beggs introduced himself to members of the Wichita State University Alumni Association Tuesday morning and warned them, “We have to understand we can’t have everything.”

The new WSU president said reinstituting football is an unlikely goal, but one that he would look into.

“I’m not in favor of spreading ourselves too thin in athletics or otherwise,” Beggs told a crowd of about 100 at a breakfast meeting on campus.

Cessna Stadium hasn’t seen a Shocker football game since the program was discontinued in 1986 because of financial losses, poor attendance and poor performance.

Beggs told of his experience as chancellor at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where he raised student fees to boost athletic scholarships from part-time to full-time and created a rift between alumni and outraged students. And still, he said, Southern Illinois was unable to compete effectively on the playing fields.

“In high school athletics the goal is participation, but in college sports the goal is to win,” Beggs said.

In April, a 17-member advisory committee recommended WSU reinstate football and add three women’s teams needed to comply with federal Title IX gender-equity regulations.

A report commissioned by the previous president, Gene Hughes, estimated it would cost $11 million over five years to accomplish that goal. Another report said it was unlikely that season ticket sales would meet minimum standards or that private donors would make up the shortfall.

Hughes refused to raise student fees - already the highest among state universities - to pay for football.

After talking to several college experts, Beggs estimated it would take more than $3 million annually to keep a football team running.

“I don’t know where those resources will come from,” Beggs said.

This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 12:22 PM with the headline "1999: New WSU leader doubtful on football."