[h2]Hofstra dropping football program[/h2]
Comment Email Print By Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com
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Hofstra University is dropping its football team, citing high costs and low interest from the college community.
The university, which has fielded a football team for the last 69 years, told its coaching staff Thursday morning that it is dropping the sport, sources told ESPN.com.
The Pride, which has competed in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision since 1991, is the second member of the Colonial Athletic Association to drop its football program in the last 10 days. Northeastern University in Boston announced it was dropping its football program after 74 seasons on Nov. 23.
In a statement obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, university president Stuart Rabinowitz says "the choice was painful but clear."
He says factors include the cost of running the football program and the team's inability to generate significant interest, financial support or attendance.
The decision follows a two-year review of sports spending at Hofstra. Rabinowitz says there are no plans to cut any other sports at the Long Island school.
Hofstra has an enrollment of 12,400 students and is located in Hempstead, N.Y., on Long Island.
School officials told ESPN.com that athletics director Jack Hayes and football coach Dave Cohen were unavailable for comment Thursday morning.
CAA commissioner Thomas Yeager was unavailable for comment, conference spokesman Scott Meyer said.
The Pride went 5-6 this past season, tying for third with a 3-5 record in the CAA North. Hofstra has produced five NFL draft picks since 1991, including
New Orleans Saints star receiver
Marques Colston and
Pittsburgh Steelers tackle
Willie Colon. Former Pride quarterback
Giovanni Carmazzi was a third-round choice of the
San Francisco 49ers in 2000, and former
New York Jets receiver
Wayne Chrebet played there.
Mark Schlabach covers college football for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report