Does anyone know about this. I was shock to see how nice their arena was. https://www.gocsucougars.com/sports/2008/4/13/GEN_0413080224.aspx?id=15
Chicago State University athletics ?
- Thread starter JAGSC
- Start date
In_The_662
Deeeeep In The Delta.....
Yet their athletic budget is smaller than Valley. They really got the brunt of the budget issues in IL getting their athletic budget slashed. The right basketball hire would help them a lot but the pandemic really hurt them
Dynamite
Active Member
I wouldn't be surprised if Chicago State ended up in the MEAC if they are trying to stay D1 when they leave the WAC in 2022. They are a predominantly black college located in the south side of Chicago. They would have to travel since they are outside the current MEAC footprint.
EagleWing
Active Member
That amount travel would kill their budget and the other MEAC institutions.
atl hornet
Well-Known Member
Are they a HBCU?
No, but most of the students are Black.
TexasTerror
Well-Known Member
Word is that they are going to be adding a D1 non-scholarship football team to their athletic department portfolio.
They recently got rid of their baseball program and added men's soccer.
Football is an interesting route to explore particularly since a football team could represent a 5-10% enrollment growth with a non-scholarship roster of 100 young men. Could also generate more sponsorship dollars, alumni interest, etc. that would be advantageous while also playing a role in maintaining the school as a Division I university.... though still remains to be seen if they park in football in the Pioneer, where do the rest of their sports live?
They recently got rid of their baseball program and added men's soccer.
Football is an interesting route to explore particularly since a football team could represent a 5-10% enrollment growth with a non-scholarship roster of 100 young men. Could also generate more sponsorship dollars, alumni interest, etc. that would be advantageous while also playing a role in maintaining the school as a Division I university.... though still remains to be seen if they park in football in the Pioneer, where do the rest of their sports live?
Dynamite
Active Member
Chicago State did a tour of the MEAC and applied for membership back around the time that Savannah State and Winston-Salem State entered the conference, but withdrew their application when they realized that they would not receive enough votes for admittance.
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EagleWing
Active Member
As much as I would love to have access to that Midwest market (especially for enrollment purposes) that move would put the conference so outside its footprint it wouldn’t be funny. I get the move for being a buffer for maintaining AQ’s for sports but, the expense of going to Chicago a couple times of the year would be ridiculous.
EagleWing
Active Member
I always wondered that myself.
But also with a large percentage of Hispanic students...correct? I remember visiting their web page 2-3 years ago when JSU played them in a Baseball series in Chicago if I'm not mistaken.
Yeah, lots of Hispanic students go there as well as the other colleges in Chicago.
Dynamite
Active Member
They are not listed as a HBCU but they are a PBI. Predominately black institution with the majority of their students being African American.
JayThomas
Well-Known Member
Chicago State does not have a football team and adding them to the meac would be pointless. It would be like adding another Coppin State OR UMES to the MEAC. No football teams and you still only have 6 football teams in the conference altho the total members is 8 in the meac. There enrollment is also small for a D1 school: just under 3,000.
purplerush
Well-Known Member
They just started a marching band program.
Source: MEAC, Chicago State weighing options
A year after our initial report, sources indicate that the MEAC and Chicago State are continuing to feel each other out.
hbcugameday.com
Everett Pulliam Jr
Active Member
they were also outside the WAC footprint.
The Professor
Well-Known Member
MEAC needs baseball schools to get to 6 so they retain their AQ for the college world series
Basebone1898
Well-Known Member
If Chicago State isn’t serious about bringing in football, then the MEAC is wasting their time. I am not a fan of bringing in non HBCU’s to the table. It would be a step into giving “them” something else that we started and belongs to us. It would be sickening to watch a Non-HBCU win a Black College National Championship in the Celebration Bowl! 
westcoastaggie
Well-Known Member
Per a contract with FloSports, they got to start football by 7/1/2023.If Chicago State isn’t serious about bringing in football, then the MEAC is wasting their time. I am not a fan of bringing in non HBCU’s to the table. It would be a step into giving “them” something else that we started and belongs to us. It would be sickening to watch a Non-HBCU win a Black College National Championship in the Celebration Bowl!
Olde Hornet
Well-Known Member
The Professor
Well-Known Member
Tennessee State is 7 hrs away from Chicago State