Chicago State University announced a proposal to move forward with a public fundraising campaign to possibly institute a football team with the intention of competing at the Division I level.
“I appreciate the contributions of our sports expansion exploratory committee to Chicago State. As a regional public university in Chicago, we are committed to implementing strategies that will enhance the student experience and support the economic development of our community,” said Zaldwaynaka Scott, president of CSU. “We look forward to a successful fundraising campaign and to make our visions a reality.”
HBCU Sports spoke with Chicago State athletic director Monique Carroll about the Cougars’ sports expansion.
HBCU Sports: What was the impetus behind moving forward on a football program?
Carroll: It’s always kind of been something in the works as we took a look at our university strategic plan, growing enrollment, and looking at the future of our athletic program. This past January, we formed the exploratory committee that consisted of an advisory committee made up of former NFL players, different different people in the community.
We submitted a recommendation to the president that we all believe with a unanimous decision from both the advisory group and the committee to move forward with sports expansion, what we are calling the whole project, in women’s triathlon, women’s swimming, and Division I football.
So we went to our board of trustees just this Monday, and the resolutions that were approved by the board of trustees were to add women’s triathlon effective immediately for Fall 2024
HBCU Sports: Is there a target date for rolling the football program out, and is that contingent on the success of the fundraising efforts?
Carroll: It is dependent on our fundraising, but the date we have targeted is Fall 2025. We will access [where we are] every six months to see if we need to push our timeline back.
HBCU Sports: Is there a specific monetary amount that you all are shooting for that will allow you to move forward?
Carroll: We don’t have a specific target with our Board of Trustees, but our initial fundraising plan calls for $4 million.
HBCU Sports: The Midwest is an area that has and continues to be an area that has a rapid football fanbase. Is that something that you think you will be able to tap into?
Carroll: Our location was one of our biggest selling points. We feel like we can really get the city behind us. [There are] a lot of [HBCU] alumni in the area and those with an affinity for black college football that are in the area. Where can they go to get that experience? One place for sure is the Chicago Football Classic, but after that, you have to get in a car or hop on a plane [to see HBCU football].
HBCU Sports: Chicago State is going the D-1 route in terms of football. Was that based on pursuing conference membership?
Carroll: It was a little bit of both. There had been conferences that expressed interest but said it would potentially throw the balance off by not adding a football-playing institution. One thing I will say is we are Notre Dame; we cannot play an independent football schedule, so full conference membership would be a must for us.
HBCU Sports: Is one of those conferences that you have had discussions with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference?
Carroll: There have been some conversations prior to my arrival with the MEAC. I think this [the addition of football] positions us to go back to several FCS conferences and say, ‘This is where we are; this is where we will be in two years. Does this align with what you want to be as a conference?’
The biggest thing I speak about when speaking to conferences is it has to be a fit. We feel we have a ton to offer here at Chicago State, but if conferences and commissioners can’t see that, then maybe that is not a good fit. So we will continue with our efforts until we find the right fit for all of our programs.
We will continue to embrace our predominately black institution identity and play games we think will showcase that identity.
