UNC Charlotte Football

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Tell that to Hugh McColl, metro. I saw him at Home Depot on Wendover last week wearing a UNC cap. It is very clear that UNCC is suffering because of no alumi support. It has a dismal endowment when compared to other UNC-system schools.

It's 4th among the UNC Schools, the list goes:

Chapel Hill (1.4x billion)

NC State (3xx mil)

UNC Greensboro ( 13x mil)

UNC Charlotte (100 mil)

I think that the new CRI should really help boost those numbers.

Edited September 10, 2006 by moonshield

[DanRNC]

Actually, UNC-Chapel Hill's is currently $1.8+ billion (Link). NCSU is on its way to $1 billion I believe. I am not surprised to see McColl wearing UNC clothing as he is an alumni.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

http://www.nacubo.org/documents/about/FY05...TotalAssets.pdf

That's where I received my numbers.

Edited September 10, 2006 by moonshield

[Miesian Corners]

I am not surprised to see McColl wearing UNC clothing as he is an alumni.

That was my point. He's arguably the most successful business person in this city and he proudly wears the colors of his alma mater. Why don't UNCC grads to the same?

[monsoon]

That was my point. He's arguably the most successful business person in this city and he proudly wears the colors of his alma mater. Why don't UNCC grads to the same?

I note that Hugh has given a huge amount of money to other schools in this city as there is even a school of business named after him. The fact that Queens University doesn't have a football team has not hurt them so I think the point that you saw him wearing a UNC cap is irrelevant. I stand by what I said that the vast majority of people who go to college go to get an education and football is a moot point as the vast majority of people don't walk around town draped in college paraphanelia. In that link that was posted above by moonshield I note that UNCC's endowment grew by 15% in one year which I think is pretty good for a university that is 45 years old. Comparing it to the endowment of the 225 year old UNC doesn't really seem fair and I doubt it got to the size it has gotten because of football.

[dubone]

Actually, UNC-Chapel Hill's is currently $1.8+ billion (Link). NCSU is on its way to $1 billion I believe. I am not surprised to see McColl wearing UNC clothing as he is an alumni.

The $1.8b is the number for the proceeds of the "Carolina First" giving campaign. Much of that money is for direct expenditure, such as to match funds with the Y2000 Bond money to build higher quality buildings, fund scholarships and professorships, etc. Only $.73b of that $1.8b was used to increase the endowment, with a goal of $.8b. Here is the breakdown of the money (which shows that they have in the last 7 years DOUBLED the value of their endowment to $1.49b by this campaign): http://carolinafirst.unc.edu/factfinders/progress_report.pdf

Perhaps metro's sentiments are common among UNCC grads, that they are done with the school after the educational transaction. I know that is far from the culture among UNC grads. They consider it a lifelong mission to give back to the school, support the athletics, and ingrain it in every infant that they should covet to go there.

It still keeps coming back to money for me. UNCC had a recent fundraising campaign. They pursued $100m in the "It Takes A Gift" campaign and were really excited to have surpassed it to take in $116m. Contrast that to UNC's "Carolina First" campaign which was $1.8b and changed to $2b due to success. That campaign has made far more than UNCC's campaign in 2006 alone.

This isn't a vs thing. This is simply that I often hear comments on what is built in Chapel Hill and why can't that be built in Charlotte. But look at the billions of dollars in private giving that goes into Chapel Hill from its alumni.

Bringing it back to the point, football is almost always a reason for alumni to return to their alma mater and maintain a connection. It would not be for metro. It would not be for many people. (Even I have never gone back to Chapel Hill for football, but rather basketball). But it is conventional wisdom that football programs keep alumni involved and giving back to the university. But metro might also be right, that football is just a small factor in alumni giving.

Maybe the non-giving culture is both the reason that football hasn't come to UNCC, and perhaps wouldn't even work well to change it. But in my view, something must change to get giving to quadruple. I'm not joking, I think UNCC should be actively pursuing an endowment of at least $500m. The interest proceeds from a $100m endowment are not going to cover much at a university as big as UNCC.

[Vern9r]

The reason that UNC Charlotte grads (many, not all) do not supports the University is the same reason that many of the students don't - school pride, and no sense of connection. Athletics are what most universities in this nation are known for. I personally don't know what degrees Notre Dame, Syracuse, Cincinnati, etc, etc, specialize in, but I do know what sports they excel in. That's what gives people pride and encourages them to give back to their school.

Sure, we can wait another 200 years to get a larger endowment and raise 1000 dollars a year until we have a football team in the year 2250, but there is no reason why UNC Charlotte alumni need to wait and play it safe. Every other football school in this state could surely use more money for education, but they are not shutting down their athletics programs to improve their degrees.

As alumni build pride and establish a connection to the University, guess what...they are likely to give back to the University in general. At least then they would actually go back to the university after graduation and realize what is going on on campus.

How many college football fans do you think there are on the UNCC campus? I'll throw out a random number - 8,000. When football season comes around, these 8,000 people pick another team, buy their merchandise, watch them on TV. It really does break the tie to your school when you are pulling for a completely different school for several months out of the year.

Starting a college football program is of course expensive, but Charlotte is a wealthy city and the area has over 75,000 UNC Charlotte alumni, in addition to the 22,000 current students. Add in the million-plus people in the area, and there's no reason why a football program shouldn't be a success.

Edited September 10, 2006 by Vern9r

[Vern9r]

Or could it be that most of them have gotten their education and have moved on in their lives and don't need to wave around their school colors for the rest of their lives?

The fact that UNC Charlotte grads "move on..." as you say puts us in a sad tier of higher education. I work with graduates for many schools - Wake Forest, FSU, UNC Chapel Hill, Boston College, and every one of them has a huge amount of pride in their school, especially when football season comes around. Our boss and co-workers makes small bets with each other when their two teams play each other.

What I'm saying is that I don't think most people find anything wrong with waving your school colors after you're done with college. I wish that UNCC grads could do the same.

Edited September 10, 2006 by Vern9r

[Miesian Corners]

The fact that UNC Charlotte grads "move on..." as you say puts us in a sad tier of higher education. I work with graduates for many schools - Wake Forest, FSU, UNC Chapel Hill, Boston College, and every one of them has a huge amount of pride in their school, especially when football season comes around. Our boss and co-workers makes small bets with each other when their two teams play each other.

What I'm saying is that I don't think most people find anything wrong with waving your school colors after you're done with college. I wish that UNCC grads could do the same.

I couldn't agree more. For birthdays this year, I have given all of my friends who are grads of UNCC a long sleeve t shirt with the words "UNC Charlotte Alum" on the front. That amounts to four people this year. None of them had any UNCC items untill I tried to sling a little 49er pride on them. I actually think they all really liked their gifts.

I want to have pride in the school I attend. I want there to be more to UNCC than 8:30 to 5 Mon-Thu (we don't have Fri classes anymore). By no means am I disparaging the educational quality of the university, but it would be nice to see excitement built up around 49ers, rather than ennui. It would be nice to see alumni visit the campus and see what's new or changed. Maybe its just me. I'm a 40 year old returning to college. I guess it could be I'm searching for what I missed 20 years ago. Even so, I don't think a little boosterism is a bad thing. I'd rather have boosterism and pride over an idiotic new entrance and a bricked up library any day of the week. I say bring on the pigskin...and I don't even really care about football.

[monsoon]

Starting a college football program is of course expensive, but Charlotte is a wealthy city and the area has over 75,000 UNC Charlotte alumni, in addition to the 22,000 current students. Add in the million-plus people in the area, and there's no reason why a football program shouldn't be a success.

You are making the assumption that people donate based on a football team. I still have not see where anyone has proved that connection. Several of the schools listed on Moonshields which have bigger endowments than UNC are not known for their football teams. My guess is someone walking around with a MIT or Harvard shirt on isn't doing it for football.

[AlabamaGuy2007]

You are making the assumption that people donate based on a football team. I still have not see where anyone has proved that connection. Several of the schools listed on Moonshields which have bigger endowments than UNC are not known for their football teams. My guess is someone walking around with a MIT or Harvard shirt on isn't doing it for football.

That is very true, universities in Alabama are confusing in this subject.

Most of UAB's funding is made because of medical research not because the football team, or the basketball team. Both are pretty good IMO, but they are a big attraction for funding.

A lot of the University of Alabama's comes because of its football history, but of course it also has great academics.

Auburn is as endowed as the University of Alabama yet it still has a great football team.

A lot of universities don't get funding based on their football teams, yet some do. Some ar just "that good" and funding just isn't really a problem. Of course, you can get a lot of funding and still not have a good team.

[dubone]

I do agree with metro that football will not solve the problem of low giving rate. Or perhaps it is low income rates for UNCC grads, I don't know.

Football would be part of the solution, but then again, many schools have their football programs mostly funded by ticket sales and private giving.

So it is chicken and egg. Football will not solve giving problems, but school pride might, and football might help with school pride, but not with people who don't like sports.

I think UNCC should have a football program simply because it is normal. I mean, if high schools can have football, why can a major university.

But the giving problem must be solved regardless of having a football program.

Also, maybe school pride would be improved by having a team name after something other than a North Carolina highway number. I mean, 1849 is when gold hunters LEFT North Carolina to go to California!

[AuLukey]

Met, you have to be the most anti-alumni, if there were a thing, person I have ever seen. It almost seems to me like you hated UNCC. You're always pointing out that UNCC isn't that important when it comes to community identity. Sure, football may not bring in money. I agree with you on that point, there is not a drop of evidence to prove otherwise. That's not the issue.

The issue is whether UNCC can support a football team. As pointed out, 100k alumni and students. That's a heck of a lot of people in a city to have attended a single school. And yes, a LOT of people run around wearing Tar Heels, Blue Devils, Gamecocks, Wolfpack, etc. clothing. Maybe not in prim and proper downtown, but everywhere else in the state. Come winter, I might have to stroll around uptown with all my friends who also have 49er's hoodies. That way we can remind people that, hey, that school's actually in Charlotte. Charlotte (as in the school) is lacking that identity. While football is one step towards gaining an identity, it is not a guarantee it will happen. However, when looking at the event itself. You are going to have a weekly flow all through the Fall and Winter of people out on the town going to the game. Those people spend money. Whether for concessions, parking, gas, the future light rail, or that go shopping while in the UC area. It's a stimulus. Heck, for all of you so excited about the idea behind mass transit. The largest college football stadiums have over 100k capacity. Let's assume for a second that Charlotte goes very mild and only has say 35k capacity. That's 35k people running around UC branching out to Concord Mills and downtown. That's an economic boost.

Bank of America Stadium hosts 73,248 people. About two hours after the Panthers game today I was driving up N-85 towards Concord and the interstate was packed with fans. That means they were in Charlotte city limits for two hours after the game. Whether sitting in traffic, dining, or shopping, they were here. I went to both lunch and dinner in the Concord Mills area (to avoid the crowds in UC) and even still they were busy, full of fans with Panthers and Falcons jerseys alike. Fans wear their colors. Simple fact. Thus, when I see a person wearing Carolina, Duke, NCSU, ASU, USC, and Wake jerseys and hats, I assume they are fans. On a daily basis, how many times do I see Charlotte written on a person that isn't a student? Including the days I'm on campus, maybe once. It's a shame how little our alumni care about our school. If UNCC is supposed to be one of Charlotte's "best kept secrets," how bout not making it so secret. You may not care, but the students do.

Oh, and quick little fact here. Met, you mentioned Harvard and Yale. The crowd of 73,300 which attended the Yale-Harvard showdown at the Yale Bowl in 1981 was the largest at a sporting event in New England in more than 50 years. Built in 1903, Harvard Stadium is the oldest stadium in the nation. Apparently football used to be important to them too. You may be one of those people that say "there are better things to do with my time than watch football," while that's fine and nobody has a problem with it, it's no reason to belittle the ideas of others just because you don't like it. I could be wrong, you could be a huge football buff. But wearing your school colors doesn't mean you're proud of the sports teams, it means you're proud of your school, of your education, of the experience you had. So wear a little green.

[Skyline49er]

I do agree with metro that football will not solve the problem of low giving rate. Or perhaps it is low income rates for UNCC grads, I don't know.

Football would be part of the solution, but then again, many schools have their football programs mostly funded by ticket sales and private giving.

So it is chicken and egg. Football will not solve giving problems, but school pride might, and football might help with school pride, but not with people who don't like sports.

I think UNCC should have a football program simply because it is normal. I mean, if high schools can have football, why can a major university.

But the giving problem must be solved regardless of having a football program.

Also, maybe school pride would be improved by having a team name after something other than a North Carolina highway number. I mean, 1849 is when gold hunters LEFT North Carolina to go to California!

The name 49ers comes from the year it was actually founded, 1949 (it was called Charlotte College back then). It is just a coincidence that it sits right off of highway 49.

[AuLukey]

The name 49ers comes from the year it was actually founded, 1949 (it was called Charlotte College back then). It is just a coincidence that it sits right off of highway 49.

You're half right. For those curious, an accurate listing on the myths and facts of the origins of the 49er's was listed on the Observer a couple weeks ago:

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news...ty/15403293.htm

[dubone]

It is still a little lame. But much less lame than the road name. I'm glad to have that fact straight.

[monsoon]

Met, you have to be the most anti-alumni, if there were a thing, person I have ever seen. It almost seems to me like you hated UNCC. You're always pointing out that UNCC isn't that important when it comes to community identity. Sure, football may not bring in money. I agree with you on that point, there is not a drop of evidence to prove otherwise. That's not the issue. eans you're proud of your school, of your education, of the experience you had. So wear a little green.

I would take care not to call people names on this forum. To make me out as anti-UNCC really means you no longer have any message to convey and instead decide to attack the messager instead. Nevermind you didn't really read what I posted above.

I believe it was you who said that you would have nothing to do with the school at one time simply because they had no football team, which really means you have dismissed the school of being unworthy of your time. It's a triffling excuse to choose a school if you ask me and means you have not done your homework on what the school has to offer. On the other hand, I said the school represented good value for the education received and because of the education I got there, I received job offers from many places. And once I entered industry, the fact that I had a UNCC degree vs someone with a MIT or NC State degree made not one iota difference in how my career as gone. A university degree, especially an undergraduate one, opens doors for people and not much else. Football is irrelevant to that.

Personally I think you ought to re-examine your reasons for going to a university. Since you have stated that a football program is important enough to you that you will choose a school based on it, then I highly recommend that you go and go find a school that offers that. It "ain't happening" at UNCC. (thank goodness) Get back to me in 20 years and let me know how that worked out for you.

[Miesian Corners]

Can we just cut to the chase here? Going to a school with football is simply fun. The vast majority of college students are between the ages of 18 and 22. They like to have fun. Hell, I'm 40 and I like to have fun! The comraderie of a football game is a great thing. And as others have said, it brings alumni back to the campus they otherwise would never see.

I'm obviously not there to party, but I do support events at UNC Charlotte. I go to basketball games, I've been to track meets, and have enjoyed many speakers the University brought in. Football would simply enhance what is currently available.

[atlrvr]

Beyond helping schools, football helps out the entire city......Clemson played Boston College this past weekend. I saw hundreds if not thousands of people dressed in orange in this city coming out of every hotel, on every guided tour, in every restaurant....in fact, I coincidentally ran into a co-worker from many years ago that was here with 7 other friends....they spent 4 days here just to see a 3.5 hour football game, staying at the Hilton, watching a Red Sox game, he was pretty drunk, so I assume dropping several hundreds of dollars at local bars.....the point being, Boston College hosting a 1 game probably added $5-$10M to the local economy......add that 5 times a year, and it becomes as important as the Nextel All-Star NASCAR race.

[monsoon]

Can we just cut to the chase here? Going to a school with football is simply fun. ....

Now that we have finally cut to the chase, then its really a question of if the residents of this county are going to pay the big bills just so that some university students can have some..... "fun". It's not going to happen, especially in a city such as Charlotte.

[Miesian Corners]

Now that we have finally cut to the chase, then its really a question of if the residents of this county are going to pay the big bills just so that some university students can have some..... "fun". It's not going to happen, especially in a city such as Charlotte.

yeah, God forbid we have any fun in Charlotte.

[AuLukey]

yeah, God forbid we have any fun in Charlotte.

here here

[AuLukey]

And met, you're wrong about what I said. I never actually said I didn't want to go to Charlotte because it didn't have a football team. That was never my intention. I said I didn't want to go to Charlotte because it had the reputation for being a commuter school without any life on campus. Football=more life. To me, before I got to visit, it felt like a community college. My opinion has since changed, why do you think I'm still there? If football was THAT important to me, don't you think I would've transferred to FSU, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, or any of the other huge-on-football colleges? Believe me, I have considered it for other reasons than football, but ultimately decided that Charlotte is the best choice for me where I am in my life right now. I have moved seven times in the past four years, so it's not like I can't stomach the move to another state, that doesn't bother me in the least. I genuinely like Charlotte and I

[monsoon]

Most people that live in this city will never go to UNCC. If you don't go to a school then there is no reason to believe there is going to be "this spirit" that you refer too. If tax money is going to be spent for something, I would rather it be something for ALL residents and not just those interested in sports and much less, sports at a specific university. But I do have a thought for those who think that UNCC needs an image improvement. Why don't we let the people who want it show their support by pulling out their checkbooks and credit cards to actually pay for it. Of course you see the support magically disappear when you ask people to do that.

And I do get what you are saying. I simply have experience that proves otherwise. You are not going to win any arguments by putting down people who disagree with you by saying they "just don't understand". Had I gone to a school with a football team I certainly would not be deriving my happiness from waving around a flag. If your best days are your college days, then life really did treat you unfairly. For me there are simply too many other things that are much more important to my life.

[jednc]

If the 49ers ever made it to the Final Four, I would think that the city would fall behind them during that. If they were to ever get a football team, and they made it into a Bowl game, would Charlotte not support them then? Heck, look how crazy some people got over the Stanley Cup this year, and that wasn't even in Charlotte. Having pride is a virtue. That's the fact.

Luke...UNCC made it to the Final Four back in the '70's. I think '74, but I didn't look it up. As for Football at UNCC...BRING IT ON! Of course school spirit and pride matter. It builds a college community and it also builds a city community. Many people with no affiliation to a college are drawn to local college sports. Some people just prefer college sports to professional sports. I think it's short sighted to not think college sports matter to people...whether they matter to you or not. I personally wish it were UNCC's top priority (and yes, I realize this will get booed by some). I get the importance of education, since I deal with it everyday. I also would like UNCC to have Football. I'd be willing to buy season tix as my financial support. I think that should be enough.