RICHMOND, Ind. — The 2019 Earlham College football season has been canceled. And the future for the Division III program is in question.
Interim president Avis Stewart, a 1974 graduate of the college, announced in a statement Tuesday that next year’s season would be suspended after consultation with the College Cabinet, the Senior Director of Athletics, Faculty Athletics Representatives, and the Earlham Board of Trustees and “authorizing a review to examine the factors that are necessary to build and sustain a viable and competitive football program that would potentially attract significant numbers of student-athletes to enroll in our College.”
Last Thursday, Director of Athletics Julie Kline announced that head coach Nick Johnson would leave the program and undertake a new role at Earlham, assisting with student-athlete development for the Department of Athletics. With a 70-6 loss to Rose-Hulman on Saturday, Earlham completed a fifth consecutive winless season, and extended the NCAA Division III national record with its 53rd straight loss. The Quakers last won on Oct. 26, 2013, when they defeated Anderson 21-20.
“As President of Earlham College, I am well aware of the many ways in which a successful athletics program can enhance and strengthen the overall well-being of a college,” Stewart said in his statement. “More specifically, it is certainly true that our football program has contributed to the success and development of many of the College's alumni, and that it means a great deal to these individuals as well as our community. It is important to acknowledge the football program's role in benefitting enrollment, diversity, net tuition revenue, and the overall student experience.
“However, it can reasonably be argued that our inability to field competitive teams has significantly hampered our ability to recruit a sufficient number of student-athletes who seek a positive, quality intercollegiate athletics football experience. Therefore, I have decided that our community needs to take a fresh approach to building and sustaining a competitive football program. It is my sincere hope that the approach, described below, will help us discern the appropriate next steps for intercollegiate football at Earlham College.”
Stewart says that the program will return in 2020 as long as three conditions are met, without sacrificing the academic reputation or the quality of the College experience: 1) determine the appropriate funding levels and resources to support football outside of the College’s current operating budget, 2) hire a highly qualified head coach for the 2020 football season, and 3) recruit an appropriate number of football student-athletes to field a competitive team.
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