• E-Edition
• Home
• News
• Sports
• AP
• Obituaries
• Classifieds
• Jobs
• Autos
• Homes
• Garage Sales
• Coupons
• Subscribe
• Archive
• Services
• Contribute
• Blogs

Northeastern ditches football after 74 seasons

E-mail Story    |    Print Story    |    Comments    |   

BOSTON -- Northeastern University is ending its football program after 74 seasons because the investment required to make it competitive was too high.

The school announced the decision Monday after president Joseph Aoun and the board of trustees endorsed on Friday the recommendation by athletic director Peter Roby after a two-year review of the Boston school's sports programs.

Roby said an investment of "tens of millions of dollars" to replace or upgrade Parsons Field would be required to help make the football program competitive with others in the Colonial Athletic Association.

"I think everybody in higher education is faced with the dilemma of competing priorities and investments," Roby said in an interview with The Associated Press. "So this wasn't about what we were already spending. This was about what we were going to really need to spend going forward if we were really going to be fair about allowing people to compete equally. The status quo was not an option."

The school spends more than $4 million annually on the football program while an average of 1,500 to 2,000 people attend home games, Roby said, but the size of the crowds was not a factor in the decision. The program's 87 players and 10 coaches learned the news Sunday night at a meeting on campus with Roby, a day after the Football Championship Subdivision team won its final game 33-27 at Rhode Island. The Huskies won their last two games to finish 3-8, their sixth consecutive losing season.

Northeastern began playing football in 1933 and took three years off from 1943-45 because of World War II. Its all-time record was 289-364-17.

* Football

Lions sellout: The Detroit Lions have sold out the Thanksgiving game against Green Bay, avoiding a local TV blackout.

Lions spokesman Bill Keenist confirmed the sellout Monday, one day after Detroit won its second game of the season on the final play for a 38-37 victory over the Browns.

Batch injured: Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch injured his left wrist after replacing Ben Roethlisberger during an overtime loss in Kansas City and could miss the rest of the regular season.

Maxwell Award finalists: Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy are set for at least one showdown off the field. The quarterbacks for No. 1 Florida and third-ranked Texas were chosen finalists Monday for two of the biggest postseason awards outside the Heisman Trophy. Tebow, McCoy and Alabama running back Mark Ingram are the finalists for the Maxwell Award that goes to the best all-around player in college football.

Pike to start: Barring a problem in practice, quarterback Tony Pike will start for fifth-ranked Cincinnati against Illinois on Friday. Coach Brian Kelly said Monday that the Bearcats' bye week helped Pike get ready to start his first game since damaging a plate in his non-throwing arm during a win at South Florida on Oct. 15. Pike needed to have the plate replaced and doctors made a foot-long incision for the surgery.

* Basketball

Remains No. 1: Connecticut remains a unanimous No. 1 in the AP women's college basketball poll. The Huskies received all 40 first-place votes Monday from the national media panel. Stanford was second in the poll, with Ohio State third and North Carolina fourth. The Irish were again followed by Tennessee, LSU, Baylor and Xavier. Duke was 10th.

Charges dropped: Prosecutors have dropped attempted aggravated robbery charges against Tennessee freshman safety Janzen Jackson. The Knox County District Attorney's office said Monday that charges would be dropped against the 18-year-old.

Hopes to return: Shaquille O'Neal asked for a shot. The Cavaliers gave him 10 days off instead. The team wouldn't comply when O'Neal asked for a cortisone injection to make his ailing shoulder feel better, choosing to treat it with rest and rehab. O'Neal returned to practice with the Cavaliers on Monday and is hopeful he can play in Cleveland's game at Detroit on Wednesday.

* Elsewhere

Pleads not guilty: An Illinois insurance executive accused of secretly making nude videos of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews pleaded not guilty Monday to interstate stalking. Michael Barrett, 48, entered the plea in in Los Angeles.

Vizquel inks deal: Omar Vizquel has agreed to $1,375,000, one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox. The 42-year-old Vizquel is an 11-time Gold Glove winner and has played mostly shortstop during 21 major league seasons.