Iowa Regent Suggests UNI drop Scholarship FB

[HI54UNI]

Regent, UNI debate scholarship football

Cedar Falls, Ia. — Northern Iowa officials need to examine the financial viability of continuing the school's scholarship football program, a member of the State Board of Regents suggested Thursday.

"Sooner or later, UNI is going to have to address scholarship football," Michael Gartner, told Ben Allen, school president, during a discussion of the school's proposed budget cuts for the current academic year.

Gartner, owner of the Iowa Cubs and a Regent member, has been critical of Northern Iowa's reliance on large amounts of general fund assistance to finance its 18-sport athletic department. But he insisted he wasn't expressing an opinion about whether the scholarship program should continue, be dropped or downgraded to a nonscholarship level.

"Eventually it's an issue that has to be addressed because so much tuition and general appropriation money goes into the athletic department at UNI in contrast to ISU and the University of Iowa," Gartner said.

Allen had no immediate response to Gartner's comment.

But Troy Dannen, Northern Iowa athletic director, said all Panther athletic programs are scrutinized not only for the individual financial viability, but also the overall impact that each program has financially on department revenues and expenses.

He said a decision to go to nonscholarship football would likely result in a huge drop in the program's visibility and popularity. He said that the one nonscholarship program in Iowa, at Drake, averages only about $50,000 annually in ticket sales and compared that to the $800,000 generated by the Panther football team, which advanced last season to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs.

Last year, Northern Iowa dropped its 103-year-old baseball program because of budget problems.

Dannen said the department will receive $4.6 million in general fund and student fee money - $1 million less than the year before. Northern Iowa's current budget calls for the spending of $11.5 million - substantially smaller than Iowa State's $43.2 million budget and Iowa's $65 million.

Iowa State athletics is to receive $3 million this year from the school's general fund. Meanwhile, Iowa athletic officials insist they receive no general money, but Regent budget documents show $882,000 is to be paid from the general fund. School officials say that amount is a refund paid to the athletic department for scholarship money paid to the school.

"We have only one program that generates revenue, and that is men's basketball," Dannen said. "But our scholarship football program is crucial to our commitment to decrease our reliance on general fund money."

For example, Dannen said, a recently signed 10-year advertising rights package with Learfield Sports valued at an average of $1 million annually likely would be lost if the school dropped scholarship football.

In addition, Dannen said there is no likelihood that Iowa or Iowa State would play a nonscholarship Northern Iowa football team. That would mean the loss of $325,000 alone next year for the Panthers' scheduled game against Iowa State and the loss of $500,000 from Iowa in its next scheduled game.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... 003/SPORTS

[HI54UNI]

MIchael Gartner is a douchebag. He was president of NBC news when Dateline faked gas tank explosions on GM trucks and defended his reporters actions. Gartner is also an owner of the Iowa Cubs and got $950,000 of taxpayer money to renovate his baseball stadium. I guess he likes subsidies when they line his pocket.

[dbackjon]

What a douche

[Cap'n Cat]

What a complete fvckhead.

[clenz]

People like him clearly do not understand the what positive attention a program with tradition like UNI has brings to UNI. Without football and basketball I firmly believe UNI would be a quarter of the institution it is right now.

[Cap'n Cat]

It'll never happen, I'm sure.


What I think is happening is he is just trying to get UNI to think more strategically and proactive. It's happening already as there have been many good ideas on PantherNation already.

We'll be fine. No one in government will have the balls to go after this seriously. We're not the Hawkeyes, but there are many UNI alumni in the legislature and national/state government that won't stand for this. Of all the great sports phenomena in the state of Iowa, too, I know UNI football is in the top six or seven.

[houndawg]

It'll never happen, I'm sure.


What I think is happening is he is just trying to get UNI to think more strategically and proactive. It's happening already as there have been many good ideas on PantherNation already.

We'll be fine. No one in government will have the balls to go after this seriously. We're not the Hawkeyes, but there are many UNI alumni in the legislature and national/state government that won't stand for this. Of all the great sports phenomena in the state of Iowa, too, I know UNI football is in the top six or seven.

Yeah, right behind hog calling and cow-chip chucking at the State Fair.
:

[houndawg]

What a douche

No shit. What kind of fans do they have up there? Lose a couple of games and they turn cannibal......

[clenz]

What a douche

No shit. What kind of fans do they have up there? Lose a couple of games and they turn cannibal......

He isn't a UNI fan, or even a football fan. He is one of those academic only douches

[JayJ79]

Has absolutely nothing to do with the play on the field.
It's all about finances and the budget.

[Cap'n Cat]

Has absolutely nothing to do with the play on the field.
It's all about finances and the budget.

You'd think there is some other fat in the state budget, wouldntcha?

[guinzone]

I sure hope it doesn't happen, but you guys did drop baseball which stunned me. Keep us updated. I want to beat UNI before they go non-scholly. And the sad thing is, we'd still lose to you then!

[GrizMonster]

No ****. What kind of fans do they have up there? Lose a couple of games and they turn cannibal......

He isn't a UNI fan, or even a football fan. He is one of those academic only douches

It would be an awful thing for this to happen, I personally pull for UNI and would love to see the Griz and Panthers play each other. They are the second best team in the West, but when it comes to College, academics will always be given top priority. I would hate to see UNI lose their football program, but it is a university, and academics should be first and foremost, but its just sickening if it has to be at the expense of the football program.

[EWURanger]

Whatta douche

[HI54UNI]

I agree with Capn that I don't think this will happen and that Gartner is trying to challenge people to think. However bring this kind of stuff up in private with the university president and AD. Don't do it at a board meeting so the press can jump all over it. If you're a kid being recruited by Farley right now and you have any doubts about UNI does this push you over the edge to go somewhere else? UNI dumped baseball last year because of money. What if some kid is afraid he'll lose his FB scholly?

Our state budget is so f'd up right now. The governor just order a 10% across the board cut of $500 million which started this discussion. The estimated budget deficit for next year is anywhere from $1 to 1.5 BILLION out of a $6 billion budget. Our idiot governor and his cronies in the legislature keep spending and spending. They based this year's budget on an assumption that revenues would increase! Anybody with a brain new that wasn't going to happen.