Posted: April 20, 2007 11:51 p.m.
When it comes to publicly addressing one of the most debated issues in the history of Eagle football, Georgia Southern athletic director Sam Baker would rather not.
But it’s a fact: The Division I-A vs. I-AA (Football Bowl Subdivision/Championship Subdivision) topic isn’t going away.
Since this proud program was restarted in the 1980s led by the late icon Erk Russell, Eagle fans and alumni have discussed its direction, progression and future. And many believe their interests have fallen on deaf ears the past few years.
“I have been concerned by the lack of information coming from the administrative offices at GSU for the last decade,” said Ken Vickers, a 1979 Georgia Southern graduate, current Southern Booster and season ticket holder. “The question of ‘What are the goals and plans for the future of GSU football?’ has been asked over and over and still there is no answer.
“We know the year-to-year goal is to win as many games as possible, but what are the long-term goals? Most importantly, has anyone in the administration taken the time to try and find out what the desires of the majority of our students, alumni and fans are, much less see if they are even possible to achieve?”
I have asked Baker his thoughts on moving to I-A four times in the last 16 months, most recently last Saturday. In every instance, he has refused to discuss the issue.
Georgia Southern’s baffling silence is very different from 2001 when Southern Boosters launched its “Double Up to Leave Double A” campaign. Back then, a letter from Southern Boosters was sent out urging increased donations and recruitment of new members so the Eagles could begin competing at a “higher level” after “impending changes in the structure of Division I football. We have only 18 months to get ready,” the letter to boosters stated.
“There are a lot of people who would like to understand where we are and where we are going, and I don’t think that’s very clear right now,” said Patrick Parr, a Southern Booster and former defensive lineman under Russell who helped the Eagles to back-to-back national titles in 1989 and 1990. “I think people have a right to know about the team they love so much and what the future holds for them.”
SouthernFACTS.org
Stacey Roach, a 2001 GSU grad and Southern Booster, was tired of hearing the same old I-AA/I-A dispute.
So he decided to do something about it.
In March he launched SouthernFACTS.org (Fans for Advanced Competition Through Sports), a Web site designed to gauge support for football realignment at GSU. Roach said his intention is not to criticize the athletic administration but to take a practical approach to a longstanding issue in the Georgia Southern community.
“Instead of arguing about it, I want to see who is willing to do it,” Roach said. “I want to put some facts behind the debate and provide information and a list of supporters. I think we can go for more. We've have been bold for 25 years, but we seem to be in a situation where we're unsure whether to continue that boldness.”
On the Web site, fans can sign a survey to show support and voice their opinions. As of late Friday, 783 people have signed up as supporters. If plans for the move were in place, 143 say they’d join Southern Boosters, 497 new season tickets are pledged to be purchased, 284 students would support higher fees to help fund the move and about 75 percent of people who say they are current boosters would increase their donations. A total of $100,000 in increased annual booster donations has been promised on the site, and approximately 95 percent of the signatures are in favor of the move.
Of course, these figures are hypothetical. How does SouthernFACTS.org know the numbers are somewhat accurate and not one person signing the survey over and over?
It requires verification of a valid email account, plus Roach keeps tabs of all the IP and email address so phony or duplicated accounts get deleted from the list.
Thanks to a SouthernFACTS.org interest group on www.facebook.com, a popular networking site, the movement has garnered the attention of GSU’s student population. More than 370 people have joined the facebook group, including numerous current and former Georgia Southern athletes.
GSU senior Andrew Rutland, president of Kappa Sigma, the largest fraternity on campus, has helped the site gain support from students and alumni.
“I’m willing to do whatever I can to help,” Rutland said. “I would like to see GSU advance in any way possible, and I think a I-A football program would attract students and provide a lot more opportunities for GSU.”
SouthernFACTS.org has also put together a public advisory board, which has seven members, including Roach, Vickers and Rutland.
Clearly, what is said or promised on the Internet, particularly when it comes to coming up with money, should not determine whether Georgia Southern moves up in football. But what’s also clear is many fans who love Georgia Southern football are being ignored.
Many supporters believe signing the SouthernFACTS.org survey is the only way to garner the attention of the Eagle administration.
“It is apparent to me that without a grassroots movement like this, the administration is going to do nothing but sit around and wait for something to happen,” said Brooks Collier, a Southern Booster and member of the SouthernFACTS.org advisory board. “This petition would not be necessary if president (Bruce) Grube and athletic director Sam Baker would have done what was needed years ago. We need leaders, and we apparently have managers. It’s time to regain some of the excitement, fire and passion revolving around Georgia Southern football that has been lost over the past few years.”
What Erk wanted
Supporters of the Web site believe moving to the next level of competition was Russell’s ultimate goal for the program when he build it from the ground up two and a half decades ago. For those people, Russell’s vision provides more than enough motivation.
“I wasn’t sure what ‘Division I’ meant to him,” Russell is quoted as saying on SouthernFACTS.org. “But I knew what (it) meant to me — Georgia, Notre Dame and Southern California — all those kind of folks.”
Said Vickers: “It’s now 25 years later, and we still don’t know if it can be done. It’s time to try and see if their dream can be honored.”
Parr said he believes “95 percent or more” of all football lettermen want to see GSU make the jump.
“I know that Coach Russell wanted to see it eventually,” he said.
‘Let’s communicate’
Whether or not the school decides to make the jump, Vickers is one of many who believe it’s vital to know what the fans want and what they are willing to commit.
“You can cut it any way you like, but it still ends up, there has been no effort to determine what our wants, needs or desires are,” Vickers said. “Not even a simple ballot like the first one used more than 25 years ago. I think the masses need to be polled and a direction needs to be determined.
“The main thing is let’s communicate with the fans and stop the guessing. There is a simple solution, the administration just needs to take that step.”
Parr agrees.
“The bottom line for me is I would like to see our current administration, whether they oppose it or not — and if they oppose it, I understand that — give us a reason and let it be known so that the people out there can understand and know what’s going on. Don’t leave us in the dark. This isn’t national security we are talking about here. This is football — something that everybody that’s involved with Georgia Southern wants to see successful again.”
The Eagles are coming off a tough year, and first-year coach Chris Hatcher has already brought back a lot of excitement and energy since he arrived in Statesboro three short months ago. Come fall, I fully expect 15-20,000 fans at Paulson for every home game. But many Eagle fans want more. They want a chance to compete at the highest level of college football. Or at least they want an explanation as to why that’s not possible.
It seems Baker — the man in charge of charting the direction of Georgia Southern football — would prefer to lock any discussion of I-A in a box and toss the key into Beautiful Eagle Creek. All Eagle fans, whether they support a move to I-A or not, deserve better than that.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at apellegrino@statesboroherald.net.
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