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.
In the fall of 2015, a strategic plan for football was developed and reviewed by the College's senior administration, athletics administration, and the Board of Trustees. The plan called for an analysis of the football program and set benchmarks for the program to attain within a three-year time period. The program did not make progress toward these goals.
“To be clear, our number-one concern must be the health and safety of our students who participate in intercollegiate sports,” Stewart said. “Small roster sizes significantly increase the risk of injury and often lead to degraded competitive experiences. Unfortunately, our current and recent Earlham students have participated on football teams with inadequate roster sizes, and this is something we cannot accept.”
The Football Review Committee (FRC) will begin its work in January and will be chaired by Faculty Athletics Representative Vince Punzo. Members of the FRC will include Punzo, Kline, Chair of the Board of College Community Life Committee and former athletics director Ellie Bewley, Chair of the Board of Diversity Ad Hoc Committee and former student athlete Ian Henry, Faculty Athletic Representative Lindsey McGee, former Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference commissioner and longtime Division III director of athletics Chris Ragsdale, current Wabash College head coach Don Morel, former student athlete and head football coach at Cincinnati St. Xavier Steve Specht, former student athlete and head coach at Warren Central Jerry Stauffer, Earlham athletics physician and former student athlete Windel Stracener, and two current student-athlete leaders.
A preliminary update of the committee's work will be shared with the President by February, and periodic updates will be given throughout the process. The FRC will share its final report prior to the June 2019 Board of Trustees meeting and Stewart and Kline will review the report and will consult with the College Community Life, College Enrollment and Marketing, and College Diversity Committees of the Earlham Board of Trustees, the College Cabinet, the College Athletics Advisory Committee and the FRC, making their recommendation to the full Board of Trustees during their June 2019 Board meeting.
The roster on the school’s athletic website lists 42 current players: three seniors, six juniors, 16 sophomores and 17 freshmen. Earlham will assist with transfer requests from student-athletes who choose to continue their educations elsewhere and student-athletes who were primarily recruited to play football and decide to remain at Earlham and choose not to participate in NCAA intercollegiate athletics, will have the opportunity to participate in special experiential learning opportunities in the local community.
"I am grateful to the committee members for agreeing to serve in this capacity," Stewart said. "As with all processes we are undertaking at this critical period in Earlham's history, it is very important that we give this our best thought. I am confident that this process will help our community find a good path forward for football at Earlham."
Texas Longhorns wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey (84) lunges for the end zone over Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive back Demarcus Fields (23) to score the winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter at Jones AT&T Stadium. Michael C. Johnson, USA TODAY Sports
