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SHAWNEE, Okla. —
Oklahoma Baptist University officials announced Thursday that the university will soon add three sports to its lineup, including a Sooner State staple — football.
Men’s and women’s swimming, as well as women’s lacrosse, will make their first-ever appearance at the university, beginning with swimming in 2011-12. Football, which is expected to begin in the fall of 2013, will be a part of OBU athletics for the first time in 70 years.
“Today, after many months of study, I am pleased to announce that Oklahoma Baptist University is resuming a varsity football program,” OBU president Dr. David Whitlock said at a press conference Thursday in the university’s Noble Complex.
Whitlock said steps are being taken to build the program “immediately,” and the team is expected to play a full schedule in 2013. Lacrosse is expected to begin in 2012.
An extensive study was conducted by OBU’s Athletics Committee, Whitlock said. The 10-member committee, made up of faculty members, administrators and students, voted earlier in the week to introduce football, swimming and lacrosse.
This brings to 21 the total of sports at Oklahoma Baptist University — 10 men’s sports and 11 women’s sports.
Dr. Norris Russell, OBU’s athletic director, said the university began studying in 2006 the possibility of bringing back football. Officials decided to postpone the idea then, but revisited the possibility this year. Officials studied a number of variables during the process, including start-up and annual costs, housing and the impact on academics.
“We looked at some sister institutions to see what we could learn from them,” Russell said. “Several small Christian colleges have added football in the last 10 years, and it has been a sport that brings in a large number of male students and has a very positive impact on student life.”
Russell said the estimated start-up costs — including the construction of a stadium — would be between $1.5 million and $1.8 million. Swimming events can begin as early as the fall of 2011 because the university already has an adequate aquatics facility.
Lacrosse competitions will also require a playing field, Russell said, and officials are currently exploring a number of options for placement of the field.
OBU’s current track will be the site of the football stadium, and the gridiron will be placed on the track’s infield, Russell said. When the track was constructed, room for future expansion was allotted.
Russell said it is estimated that the new sports will bring as many as 170 more student athletes to OBU each year, and the sports will generate more than $750,000 in revenue each year.
Whitlock said the timetable for implementing football will consist of stages; the first being the establishment of a coaching staff and the recruitment of future players. Randy Smith, the university’s executive vice president of Business and Academic Services, said OBU has already received a number of inquiries from prospective coaches.
“Even the fact that we were studying football” was enough to generate the interest, Smith said.
Oklahoma Baptist is a member of the Sooner Athletic Conference, which consists of 11 other teams from Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. University officials say there are no plans at this time to change conference affiliation.
Russell said OBU will apply for membership in the Central States Football League, which currently includes Langston University, Bacone College, Texas College, Southwestern Assemblies of God and Oklahoma Panhandle State, along with SAC members Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southern Nazarene. SAC member Wayland Baptist will become a member of the league in 2012.
Russell said swimming is similar to track and field events, in that no conference affiliation is necessary. Swimmers qualify for the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) meet by meeting time standards.
Oklahoma Baptist will currently have the only varsity swim team in the state, Russell said. The 24 additional NAIA members schools to offer swimming are in Texas, Kansas, Arkansas and Colorado.
“We would be the only varsity collegiate program in Oklahoma and we could be a trend-setter in that regard,” Russell said. “People we’ve talked to about swimming have encouraged us. There are a lot of good swimmers in Oklahoma who have to leave the state to continue their careers.”
Russell said the NAIA does not compete in lacrosse, and the sport is currently played at only 10 NAIA member schools. OBU’s players will play a mixed schedule against varsity teams and club teams.
“It’s novel, but from what we’ve learned in talking to people, it’s doable,” Russell said. “It would be a hybrid sport. We look at colleges like Lindenwood as an example of how to make that work.”
Russell said lacrosse has been identified as a growing sport in Oklahoma.
The last time OBU added a sport was in 2008, when volleyball was introduced. The last time OBU played a football game was in 1940.
OBU’s football program went 8-2-1 that year, and was the All-Oklahoma Collegiate Conference champion. OBU’s all-time football record was 109-71, and that record — which spanned 21 seasons — included two conference titles.
“Our vision for athletics is a means of teaching the virtues of competition and discipline and teamwork,” Whitlock said. “We believe that character development and diligent preparation in athletics within a framework of a rigorous liberal arts education is both noble and consistent with our mission.
“Athletics play a great role on our campus. They add to our sense of community, provide a rallying point for students and alumni and offer a point of connection for the local community. Our history of athletic success has contributed to the overall success of our mission in Christian higher education. We are confident that these new teams will contribute to that story of success.”
Oklahoma Baptist University officials announced Thursday that the university will soon add three sports to its lineup, including a Sooner State staple — football.
Men’s and women’s swimming, as well as women’s lacrosse, will make their first-ever appearance at the university, beginning with swimming in 2011-12. Football, which is expected to begin in the fall of 2013, will be a part of OBU athletics for the first time in 70 years.
“Today, after many months of study, I am pleased to announce that Oklahoma Baptist University is resuming a varsity football program,” OBU president Dr. David Whitlock said at a press conference Thursday in the university’s Noble Complex.
Whitlock said steps are being taken to build the program “immediately,” and the team is expected to play a full schedule in 2013. Lacrosse is expected to begin in 2012.
An extensive study was conducted by OBU’s Athletics Committee, Whitlock said. The 10-member committee, made up of faculty members, administrators and students, voted earlier in the week to introduce football, swimming and lacrosse.
This brings to 21 the total of sports at Oklahoma Baptist University — 10 men’s sports and 11 women’s sports.
Dr. Norris Russell, OBU’s athletic director, said the university began studying in 2006 the possibility of bringing back football. Officials decided to postpone the idea then, but revisited the possibility this year. Officials studied a number of variables during the process, including start-up and annual costs, housing and the impact on academics.
“We looked at some sister institutions to see what we could learn from them,” Russell said. “Several small Christian colleges have added football in the last 10 years, and it has been a sport that brings in a large number of male students and has a very positive impact on student life.”
Russell said the estimated start-up costs — including the construction of a stadium — would be between $1.5 million and $1.8 million. Swimming events can begin as early as the fall of 2011 because the university already has an adequate aquatics facility.
Lacrosse competitions will also require a playing field, Russell said, and officials are currently exploring a number of options for placement of the field.
OBU’s current track will be the site of the football stadium, and the gridiron will be placed on the track’s infield, Russell said. When the track was constructed, room for future expansion was allotted.
Russell said it is estimated that the new sports will bring as many as 170 more student athletes to OBU each year, and the sports will generate more than $750,000 in revenue each year.
Whitlock said the timetable for implementing football will consist of stages; the first being the establishment of a coaching staff and the recruitment of future players. Randy Smith, the university’s executive vice president of Business and Academic Services, said OBU has already received a number of inquiries from prospective coaches.
“Even the fact that we were studying football” was enough to generate the interest, Smith said.
Oklahoma Baptist is a member of the Sooner Athletic Conference, which consists of 11 other teams from Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. University officials say there are no plans at this time to change conference affiliation.
Russell said OBU will apply for membership in the Central States Football League, which currently includes Langston University, Bacone College, Texas College, Southwestern Assemblies of God and Oklahoma Panhandle State, along with SAC members Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southern Nazarene. SAC member Wayland Baptist will become a member of the league in 2012.
Russell said swimming is similar to track and field events, in that no conference affiliation is necessary. Swimmers qualify for the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) meet by meeting time standards.
Oklahoma Baptist will currently have the only varsity swim team in the state, Russell said. The 24 additional NAIA members schools to offer swimming are in Texas, Kansas, Arkansas and Colorado.
“We would be the only varsity collegiate program in Oklahoma and we could be a trend-setter in that regard,” Russell said. “People we’ve talked to about swimming have encouraged us. There are a lot of good swimmers in Oklahoma who have to leave the state to continue their careers.”
Russell said the NAIA does not compete in lacrosse, and the sport is currently played at only 10 NAIA member schools. OBU’s players will play a mixed schedule against varsity teams and club teams.
“It’s novel, but from what we’ve learned in talking to people, it’s doable,” Russell said. “It would be a hybrid sport. We look at colleges like Lindenwood as an example of how to make that work.”
Russell said lacrosse has been identified as a growing sport in Oklahoma.
The last time OBU added a sport was in 2008, when volleyball was introduced. The last time OBU played a football game was in 1940.
OBU’s football program went 8-2-1 that year, and was the All-Oklahoma Collegiate Conference champion. OBU’s all-time football record was 109-71, and that record — which spanned 21 seasons — included two conference titles.
“Our vision for athletics is a means of teaching the virtues of competition and discipline and teamwork,” Whitlock said. “We believe that character development and diligent preparation in athletics within a framework of a rigorous liberal arts education is both noble and consistent with our mission.
“Athletics play a great role on our campus. They add to our sense of community, provide a rallying point for students and alumni and offer a point of connection for the local community. Our history of athletic success has contributed to the overall success of our mission in Christian higher education. We are confident that these new teams will contribute to that story of success.”
