Without trying to start a "why don't we have football anymore" argument, I wanted to share this article from Bob Wolfley at the JS:
Marquette whistled football dead 50 years ago
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/111563979.html
Interesting article.
What it seems to say is the Marquette Football was profitable and successful until it moved to County Stadium...why didn't we just move back to Marquette Stadium instead of killing the entire program?
Well, speaking of the stadium, it occurs to me that our wiki has some of the most complete information.
http://wiki.muscoop.com/doku.php/facilities/marquette_stadium
The image links were broken, so I had to go dig for some new ones (and store them locally).
Also, if you really want to geek out about the stadium, this thread is a must read:
http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=3837.0
You have to appreciate the last line...
"It's different with a football. . . versus a basketball game. It's not quite the same. I think (football) generates more interest. I think it generates more contribution dollars for the university."
How true it is.
If I'm reading it right, what killed MU football was the two platoon system and a lack of a decent on campus stadium. And the problems it faced then are the same ones facing the restart. Where do you get a decent sized stadium near campus? Can the budget absorb 85 schollies + coaching salaries + practice facilities? The decision was made 50 years ago after drawing an average of 14.5k per home game that the university couldn't. What has changed?
Rest in peace Marquette Football.
link to the milwaukee sentinel 50 years ago
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LHMxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GxEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7010%2C5529764
good details about the finances
That's awesome groove. I didn't realize you could look stuff like that up. I believe that plaque of footballs in the picture is now hanging at the Annex.
Also nice to see a MU was a solid pick over the Badgers that day!
EDIT: Crap they lost by 4, 51-55. Bad, bad day for MU.