[Husker] No UNO football? (and wrestling)

[Mike Jaixen]

Actually, it is all budget related. UNO's athletic department needed $5 million 
in support from the University. At the same time, the University is dealing with 
a flat level of state support to all of the University while expenses continue 
to increase.  So something has to give, and frankly, without any hope that 
football could start making inroads into that deficit, it became something that 
couldn't be sustained.

The move to D-1 is with the intention that basketball could become revenue 
positive. The thought is that UNO could play money basketball games around the 
region playing schools like Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa State, plus improve 
attendance by playing Division 1 opponents.  Win the Horizon League 
championship, and UNO is in the Big Dance and makes a nice chunk of change.

But that spells the end of wrestling.  Wrestling doesn't cost much at the D-2 
level, but would cost significantly more at the D-1 level. Plus since the 
Horizon League doesn't sponsor wrestling but does sponsor other men's sports, 
they'd have to find another league for wrestling (doable) and still add golf and 
men's soccer programs.  That causes gender equity issues, which requires adding 
another women's sport, which makes keeping wrestling financially difficult at 
best.

Sucks for the wrestling program, which won it's third national championship over 
the weekend.

 Mike Jaixen
http://huskermike.blogspot.com
http://www.cornnation.com




________________________________
From: Andy Knipp <andy at knipp.com>
To: Kathy Jackson <kj60028 at windstream.net>; husker at tssi.com
Sent: Mon, March 14, 2011 9:35:31 AM
Subject: RE: [Husker] No UNO football? (and wrestling)

Thing is, this is not budget related. UNO wants to go to a D1 conference.
That does not have FB or wrestling. Quite a shame because UNO just won its
3rd consecutive D2 championship in wrestling. 

Trev does not seem to be a fan of wrestling (some of this other things he
did were not wrestling friendly).

Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: husker-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:husker-bounces at tssi.com] On Behalf Of
Kathy Jackson
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 4:57 AM
To: husker at tssi.com
Subject: [Husker] No UNO football? (and wrestling)

Saw the article in today's LJS - who would have thought?  I guess the global
fiscal crisis really has hit Nebraska.

Kathy Jackson

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