10 defunct faculty soccer groups that needs to be reborn

Despite the hovering value of doing enterprise within the faculty soccer world, increasingly groups need to be part of the highest tier of the game.

In the previous 5 years, no fewer than eight colleges (James Madison, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston, Kennesaw State, Delaware, Missouri State, North Dakota State and Sacramento State) have moved as much as the Football Bowl Subdivision. That raises the entire membership within the sport’s highest classification to a whopping 138 groups.

What’s just a few extra?

With that in thoughts, we propose 10 defunct faculty soccer packages that needs to be revived beneath.

In 1997, Boston University’s soccer program, taking part in in Division I-AA (now referred to as the Football Championship Subdivision), got here to a controversial, ugly finish. After college officers introduced this system could be shuttered on the finish of the season, gamers wore plain white jerseys throughout their subsequent recreation in protest.

“Most of the players wore white socks, used adhesive tape to cover the small B.U. logo near their left hip, and limited the scarlet to their helmets,” the New York Times reported.

The subsequent week, following the final dwelling recreation in program historical past — a 33-8 win over Massachusetts — campus police pepper-sprayed followers who had congregated close to a set of purpose posts.

The Terriers had performed intercollegiate soccer for greater than a century on the time of the workforce’s dissolution, boasting 5 Yankee Conference championships within the Nineteen Eighties and ’90s.

Denver’s soccer workforce existed from 1885 to 1960 earlier than then-chancellor Chester Alter and the varsity’s trustees eradicated it attributable to prohibitive prices.

“It is not feasible to continue a single intercollegiate athletic activity which produces an annual deficit of about $100,000,” Alter mentioned on the time, per the Associated Press.

Angry DU college students burned Alter in effigy on the varsity’s soccer discipline after the trustees’ choice grew to become remaining.

Denver U. is greatest recognized for males’s hockey, the place it is gained a file 11 nationwide titles, together with three prior to now 5 seasons as a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

Colorado is dwelling to solely three main faculty soccer groups (Colorado, Colorado State and Air Force). How about including a fourth within the state’s largest metropolis?

A Southern Conference member from 1941 to 1966, George Washington boasts Pro Football Hall of Famer Tuffy Leemans (we will not go a day with out his title arising in conversations), considered one of two gamers in NFL historical past with a minimum of 3,000 speeding yards, 2,000 passing yards and 4 interceptions. 

With a rich alumni base that features Washington Nationals proprietor Mark Lerner, Peloton co-founder Tom Cortese and several other lawmakers throughout the political spectrum, GW has sufficient folks to hunt help in reconstructing the soccer workforce from the bottom up.

And years from now, when convention realignment has left the ACC with Air Force and Hawai’i as its solely members, the Colonials can deliver the league again to its roots alongside the Eastern seaboard.

Gonzaga, a males’s basketball powerhouse for many years, has been absent from the soccer discipline since 1941. The college’s most well-known NFLer, Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Green Bay Packers working again Tony Canadeo, was simply the third participant in NFL historical past to hurry for 1,000 yards in a single season (1949).

Already a Pac-12 member, Gonzaga might have instantaneous entry to the FBS stage. Who is aware of? One day, Gonzaga could also be the very best faculty program with out a nationwide title in two sports activities.

Super Bowl-winning coaches Pete Carroll and Tom Flores performed for Pacific, which dropped its storied soccer program following the 1995 season after seven years within the Big West.

Despite being the springboard to a number of former NFL professionals, together with 9 Pro Bowlers, two All-Pros and the 1960 draft’s No. 2 general decide, working again Dick Bass, this system fell on laborious instances starting within the late Seventies. Over Pacific’s remaining 18 seasons earlier than the workforce disbanded (1978-95), it posted only one successful file, going 6-5 in 1994.

With a complete enrollment of simply 4,396 at its Stockton campus, it might be one of many smaller FBS colleges, however the University of Tulsa, which competes within the American Conference, is even smaller with 4,154 complete college students. So, it is doable. And with its spectacular array of former NFL stars, it might be nice to revive that pipeline within the twenty first century.

This is for all these wanting faculty soccer to get again to its roots. Let’s deliver Sewanee again to the Southeastern Conference. So what if it solely has 1,590 college students?

After taking part in as an unbiased from 1902-21, The University of the South joined the mega 21-team Southern Conference forward of the 1922 season, and 12 years later, it spun off with 12 others to type the SEC.

There, the Tigers had been Vanderbilt earlier than the Commodores grew to become the convention’s laughingstock, going 13-46-1 general and never successful a single SEC recreation in seven seasons (0-36).

These days, Sewanee competes in Division III as a member of the Southern Athletic Association.

In January 2026, Indiana grew to become the primary top-level faculty soccer program to win 16 video games because the University of Chicago, which did so when the Wright brothers had been constructing kites, not planes. 

Formerly within the Big Ten (when it was known as the Western Conference), the Maroons had been a juggernaut on the flip of the twentieth century, successful 79.5 % of their video games with 9 10-win seasons from 1895-1909.

The Maroons’ Jay Berwanger gained the primary Heisman Trophy in 1935, however the college halted play in 1940. Chicago revived its soccer program in 1969 and joined the NCAA’s Division III 4 years later. They stay Division III members of the Midwest Conference immediately.

Tampa Spartans

The Spartans had a quick however productive stint in main faculty soccer, successful 10 video games and the Tangerine Bowl beneath future Ohio State coach Earle Bruce in 1972. The following offseason, the Houston Oilers chosen Tampa defensive lineman John Matuszak with the No. 1 general decide within the 1973 NFL Draft.

The program lasted just one yr extra earlier than college officers canceled the workforce forward of the 1975 season, citing monetary pressure.

In the years since, Tampa has change into the highest D-II baseball program. This previous season, the Spartans gained their file eleventh nationwide title whereas changing into the primary D-II workforce to win three consecutive championships.

Like Denver in hockey, if Tampa might bottle that success right into a soccer revival, it might be one of many hottest tickets on the town. Watch out, USF.

Situated within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, UT Arlington’s lack of a soccer program may be stunning for a state that may’t get sufficient pigskin. One can think about a number of conferences could be keen so as to add that giant media market to its assortment.

UTA is the fifth-largest college within the Lone Star State and already sponsors 16 D-I sports activities, all as a WAC member. In spring 2027, the college will change into the primary within the state to supply D-I girls’s flag soccer. 

“Football is king in Texas; we all know that,” college president Jennifer Cowley mentioned when saying flag soccer in May 2025. Next, it is time to deliver again Mavericks sort out soccer for the primary time in over 40 years.

Wichita State is the American Conference’s solely member with out a soccer program. The Shockers joined the convention in 2017 however have not fielded a soccer workforce since 1986. More just lately, it is change into higher recognized for males’s basketball, receiving seven consecutive NCAA Tournament bids from 2012-18.

But again within the day, the Shockers gained 5 Missouri Valley Conference titles, and helped launch the teaching profession of NFL legend Bill Parcells.

Yardbarker editor Thomas Neumann contributed to this text.