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Wanted to open up a thread about FMU and Football, growing up I’ve always heard that FMU would never get a Football team because of a local family that did not want the school to have one. I don’t know if this is just a rumor or is true, does anyone know? Does Florence and the Pee Dee have an appetite for a future team. I know I would love for the University to grow and I believe this would be a great step towards that happening. What are you all’s thoughts?
Why not? Erskine College in the upstate (Due West SC) started a Division II football program a few years back. They play their home games at Greenwood High School for now.
Wanted to open up a thread about FMU and Football, growing up I’ve always heard that FMU would never get a Football team because of a local family that did not want the school to have one. I don’t know if this is just a rumor or is true, does anyone know? Does Florence and the Pee Dee have an appetite for a future team. I know I would love for the University to grow and I believe this would be a great step towards that happening. What are you all’s thoughts?
Thank you for this thread.. As an Alum.. I would love a football team. I remember when FMU was larger than Coastal Carolina. We used to road trip down to the campus and laugh at how boring the campus was with some friends who went to school there.."yes" FMU was not a bastion of on campus of activity either.. but we had more than them at the time.
I have heard the same thing about the "Wallace Gregg" family did not want a football team and they were the ones that provided the land for FMC now FMU. I never read, saw or had someone in an official capacity verify that so I suspect it is an urban legend put out by those who dont want a program at the school.
Football is HUGE in the Pee Dee. I think that if you had a program and recruited heavily from local high schools you could have a solid program... Marlboro, Chesterfield, Dillon, Florence, Marion, Williamsburg, Darlington high schools.. You would not get the top players nor should you try.. but you could 1) continue to provide college educational opportunities for residents of the Pee Dee which could boost the area and 2) I think people from all the little towns/cities whose talent is going to FMU would come to Florence to support them.. just like they do their local town teams which could provide a nice fan base for FMU.
I know that fielding a team is expensive and what not.. but there are enough industries in Florence that could be rallied to support it. As for a stadium..that may be more complicated but maybe the one by the Airport (Memorial Stadium) could be rehabbed for the University? Baseball and Basketball are good and all and our homecomings are better than in the 90s. But a football team, I believe would certainly rally more alumni support. Newberry, Charleston Southern, Benedict College and Allen U. all have teams and I believe are smaller than FMU
Thank you for this thread.. As an Alum.. I would love a football team. I remember when FMU was larger than Coastal Carolina. We used to road trip down to the campus and laugh at how boring the campus was with some friends who went to school there.."yes" FMU was not a bastion of on campus of activity either.. but we had more than them at the time.
I have heard the same thing about the "Wallace Gregg" family did not want a football team and they were the ones that provided the land for FMC now FMU. I never read, saw or had someone in an official capacity verify that so I suspect it is an urban legend put out by those who dont want a program at the school.
Football is HUGE in the Pee Dee. I think that if you had a program and recruited heavily from local high schools you could have a solid program... Marlboro, Chesterfield, Dillon, Florence, Marion, Williamsburg, Darlington high schools.. You would not get the top players nor should you try.. but you could 1) continue to provide college educational opportunities for residents of the Pee Dee which could boost the area and 2) I think people from all the little towns/cities whose talent is going to FMU would come to Florence to support them.. just like they do their local town teams which could provide a nice fan base for FMU.
I know that fielding a team is expensive and what not.. but there are enough industries in Florence that could be rallied to support it. As for a stadium..that may be more complicated but maybe the one by the Airport (Memorial Stadium) could be rehabbed for the University? Baseball and Basketball are good and all and our homecomings are better than in the 90s. But a football team, I believe would certainly rally more alumni support. Newberry, Charleston Southern, Benedict College and Allen U. all have teams and I believe are smaller than FMU
I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said, hopefully one day the school will have a Football team, the Florence area is a growing area and having a team would only entice more people to stop, shop and play in the area. I’m a huge advocate for Florence, let’s hope a team is on the horizon.
I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said, hopefully one day the school will have a Football team, the Florence area is a growing area and having a team would only entice more people to stop, shop and play in the area. I’m a huge advocate for Florence, let’s hope a team is on the horizon.
The alum that I have talked to that are against a team have stated... the cost, the ability to attract talent, and the belief football players "cause trouble" on school campuses. The other thing I "heard" was that the Board of Trustees are all older and conservative (not in the political sense) and want to keep it a nice quiet and small school that can be managed/controlled. They believe if you bring in football you will have way more cooks in the kitchen and suck support from other programs (like Baseball) and they dont want that. I dont know how true that is.. but I can see many of the powers that be.. if they have been around in leadership awhile there thinking that way..
Ironically, when I was there.. it seemed that leadership was obsessed with competing against Lander Univ, USC Aiken, and USC Spartanburg for students but wanted a reputation of Coker (College) University as being a small school.
Last edited by Woodlands; 04-17-2023 at 12:47 PM..
Man, one of the biggest reasons I transfer from FMU was not having a football team. It just kills the vibe of the school on the weekends because most people either go to the beach or Columbia, Charleston or Clemson. The leadership of the school have been so against it. I always thought if another college opened up in Florence (which I doubt will ever happen), they could pursue a football. Football is so big in this region, I feel like it’s robbed of not having a team. Just look at the growth of CCU.
I grew up near Coastal and have always known people involved with its development. The main reason CCU added football was actually as an alumni tool more than a recruiting one. They felt that the school lost touch with its alumni (even local ones) too quickly and that football was the best way to engage them. Since its a weekend sport, a 2-3 hr drive radius would take in a large portion of South & North Carolina and farther flung alumni could treat is as a trip to Myrtle Beach in the off season.
I'm not sure if FMU has all the same ingredients since Florence to Columbia is such a straight shot for fans on a Saturday and Coastal can pull from alumni and fans accross the entire Grands Strand as well as inland. And Florence obviously has much less hospitality than Myrtle Beach to pair with.
Man, one of the biggest reasons I transfer from FMU was not having a football team. It just kills the vibe of the school on the weekends because most people either go to the beach or Columbia, Charleston or Clemson. The leadership of the school have been so against it. I always thought if another college opened up in Florence (which I doubt will ever happen), they could pursue a football. Football is so big in this region, I feel like it’s robbed of not having a team. Just look at the growth of CCU.
FMU.. was founded in like 1970 and was a commuter college,so its stil a very young university. I dont believe it has broken out of that "commuter college" model and since many of the students come from the Pee Dee, South Carolina in general, or at best Georgia or the parts of North Carolina east of I-95. I think many students opt to go home or road trip to other schools or MYR as you mentioned. There just isnt enough to keep people on campus.
When I was there the only people that stayed on campus during the weekends were people that could not travel home, and those were usually students from far out of state, overseas, or ones that were from such a poor dunk town that being on campus was better than going home. Even most of the fraternities and sororities held events not just off campus but WAAAY OFF Campus.. in the City of Florence proper. If FMU was downtown like Coker is in Hartsville or even out by FLorence Darlington Tech on Hwy52 I think it may be a different story.
I do think the leadership is still against it.. Take a look at the Board of Trustees. There is only one person on it that graduated in the 1990s and he is the youngest!! He has likely been co opted into that 'group think' against a team or would get out voted every time assuming it even comes up...
I dont know if the State of SC has to approve the school getting a team. If so, then that is likely the other reason... I cant see them allowing another team in the Pee Dee and it may cause a "what about me" from other schools such as Lander, USC Upstate, USC-A etc.. then its pollution by dilution and all programs would suck and eventually dissolve. That would be worse than not having one to begin with and would have diverted scarce resources from other school programs. But, that just my thought, I have no idea what actually goes into those decisions. FMU Loves baseball now..so that seems to be the focus.. When I was there I only went to one game and it was equivalent to watching the Savannah Bananas and never went again.. They have obviously gotten way better now
Last edited by Woodlands; 04-19-2023 at 07:34 AM..
Thank you for this thread.. As an Alum.. I would love a football team. I remember when FMU was larger than Coastal Carolina. We used to road trip down to the campus and laugh at how boring the campus was with some friends who went to school there.."yes" FMU was not a bastion of on campus of activity either.. but we had more than them at the time.
I have heard the same thing about the "Wallace Gregg" family did not want a football team and they were the ones that provided the land for FMC now FMU. I never read, saw or had someone in an official capacity verify that so I suspect it is an urban legend put out by those who dont want a program at the school.
Football is HUGE in the Pee Dee. I think that if you had a program and recruited heavily from local high schools you could have a solid program... Marlboro, Chesterfield, Dillon, Florence, Marion, Williamsburg, Darlington high schools.. You would not get the top players nor should you try.. but you could 1) continue to provide college educational opportunities for residents of the Pee Dee which could boost the area and 2) I think people from all the little towns/cities whose talent is going to FMU would come to Florence to support them.. just like they do their local town teams which could provide a nice fan base for FMU.
I know that fielding a team is expensive and what not.. but there are enough industries in Florence that could be rallied to support it. As for a stadium..that may be more complicated but maybe the one by the Airport (Memorial Stadium) could be rehabbed for the University? Baseball and Basketball are good and all and our homecomings are better than in the 90s. But a football team, I believe would certainly rally more alumni support. Newberry, Charleston Southern, Benedict College and Allen U. all have teams and I believe are smaller than FMU
I used to feel the same way about Morris College, wishing they would start a program. But it's been made clear, that the administration there don't want anything to do with that. They would get strong support from the community and would be a great way to spend a Saturday evening. And could start play at Sumter High stadium, that place is always packed during the season.
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