2008 Woodie Awards
Athletics to drop men's golf
Courtesy of ISU Athletics Press Release
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: Sports
Idaho State University officials, in conjunction with acting Director of Athletics Jeff Tingey, have announced that the sport of men's golf will no longer be sponsored at Idaho State, reducing the number of intercollegiate sports at the university to 15.
Idaho State will now sponsor six sports for men: football, basketball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, cross country and tennis. ISU sponsors nine women's sports: soccer, volleyball, basketball, softball, cross country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, golf and tennis. Dave Molitor, the Director of Golf overseeing both programs, will continue as the head coach for the women's golf program, which competes in the Big Sky Championships starting next Monday.
Per NCAA regulations, since the program has been dropped, the current members of the team can transfer to another Division I school and be immediately eligible. Under normal circumstances, a student-athlete would have to sit out a year. The scholarships of those student-athletes who wish to continue to attend Idaho State will also be honored through the duration of their competitive clock.
Dropping men's golf does several things for the athletic department. The department will eventually realize a savings of $84,570 per year, and the university will be closer to compliance with Title IX, the 1972 law that requires federally funded universities to provide equitable opportunities for women. The monies saved will be reallocated throughout the various athletic programs.
"Obviously this was a difficult decision, but it's a necessary step for the betterment of our athletic program as a whole," said acting Athletic Director Jeff Tingey. "However, we want to make sure we do the right thing, especially for the team members, whether that is finding them a university to continue their golf careers, or by honoring their scholarships to continue their education here at Idaho State."
The men's golf program has been through this scenario before. The program started in 1964, and was dropped after the 1974 season. It was then revived in 1977 and carried on through the 1986 season, before being dropped a second time. It was again reinstated in 1993. The Bengals played as part of the Big Sky Conference in men's golf until the 2002 season, when the sport was dropped as a conference sport. Idaho State competed as an independent from 2003-2007. It competed last season in the America Sky Golf Conference, which was made up of eight independent teams from across the nation.
The team will compete in their final event on Friday and Saturday at the Brigham Young Cougar Invitational in Provo to end their season.
Idaho State will now sponsor six sports for men: football, basketball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, cross country and tennis. ISU sponsors nine women's sports: soccer, volleyball, basketball, softball, cross country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, golf and tennis. Dave Molitor, the Director of Golf overseeing both programs, will continue as the head coach for the women's golf program, which competes in the Big Sky Championships starting next Monday.
Per NCAA regulations, since the program has been dropped, the current members of the team can transfer to another Division I school and be immediately eligible. Under normal circumstances, a student-athlete would have to sit out a year. The scholarships of those student-athletes who wish to continue to attend Idaho State will also be honored through the duration of their competitive clock.
Dropping men's golf does several things for the athletic department. The department will eventually realize a savings of $84,570 per year, and the university will be closer to compliance with Title IX, the 1972 law that requires federally funded universities to provide equitable opportunities for women. The monies saved will be reallocated throughout the various athletic programs.
"Obviously this was a difficult decision, but it's a necessary step for the betterment of our athletic program as a whole," said acting Athletic Director Jeff Tingey. "However, we want to make sure we do the right thing, especially for the team members, whether that is finding them a university to continue their golf careers, or by honoring their scholarships to continue their education here at Idaho State."
The men's golf program has been through this scenario before. The program started in 1964, and was dropped after the 1974 season. It was then revived in 1977 and carried on through the 1986 season, before being dropped a second time. It was again reinstated in 1993. The Bengals played as part of the Big Sky Conference in men's golf until the 2002 season, when the sport was dropped as a conference sport. Idaho State competed as an independent from 2003-2007. It competed last season in the America Sky Golf Conference, which was made up of eight independent teams from across the nation.
The team will compete in their final event on Friday and Saturday at the Brigham Young Cougar Invitational in Provo to end their season.
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