Chicago - Chicago State University is convening an exploratory committee to explore the addition of what would be Chicago's first Division I football program on the city's South Side.
Members of the Exploratory Committee will include University faculty, staff, students, partners, community leaders, and long-standing stakeholders across all levels of football in and around Chicago.
Over the coming months, the committee will study the impact of a football program and deliver their recommendations to the university president.
"The convening of the Exploratory Committee captures the momentum and progress of Chicago State University's athletics program," said Zaldwaynaka (Z) Scott, President of Chicago State University. "We are focused on strategies that will both enhance the student experience and support economic development for our community."
Kennesaw State University (Georgia) is the most recent university to add a Division I football program, and in September 2022 the University of New Orleans announced it will add football by the Fall of 2025. Between 2004 - 2014, 38 institutions have either added or are planning to add football, eight institutions at the Division I level.
"Chicago's South Side has a rich history, and is an integral part of a city proud to be the home of the NFL's charter franchise," Chicago State University Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Monique Carroll commented. "Football remains overwhelmingly popular in America, and we are ready to take the necessary steps to usher in a new era in Chicago State athletics. We look forward to the work of the Committee as it considers sports expansion for our university,"
About Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State University Athletics is home to 15 intercollegiate Division 1 teams with over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. Previously CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. In 1991, the Chicago State women's tennis team became the first all-black college team to amass an unbeaten season at the NCAA level. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title, also making an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet. Chicago State volleyball recorded a historic season in 2021, with Yanlis Feliz becoming CSU's first volleyball All-American and head coach Tony Trifonov earning selection as WAC Coach of the Year. During that same season, three different CSU teams earned victories over Big Ten opponents with men's soccer beating Northwestern, women's basketball upending Wisconsin and women's volleyball, which established a school record 17 wins and hosted a post-season volleyball tournament for the first time in program history, swept Indiana in Bloomington.
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