Canton’s Malone Universityis dropping football. In announcing the move, school president David King said it will help the private liberal arts institution eliminate an operating deficit.
King’s chief of staff is Tim Bryan. He says with a $2.5 million dollar budget shortfall projected for the university, the million dollar a year football program became a logical cut. “It’s part of a larger restructuring, and we’ve been having budget conversations since late fall in anticipation of a February board meeting.”
Malone Athletic Director Charlie Grimes stresses football is the only cut. “Malone remains absolutely committed to Division II athletics. We are a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, and we are currently not looking at any other program changes.”
Bryan says scholarships and financial assistance plans for current football players will remain available to them until they graduate. “We are eliminating football, we are not eliminating them. We want them to finish their undergraduate academic careers here. And we’re doing what most places won’t do. Most places will grandfather in a scholarship for a year. We had that conversation and we said no. They’re members of our family and we very much want to make sure they know that the people at Malone want them to stay.”
Malone began competing in intercollegiate football in 1993 and in recent years has played its home games in Fawcett--laterTom Benson--stadium at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
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