Students anticipate football’s return to campus after the club team was cut in 2013

By Ben Dickison, Sports Editor

Photo cap: Xavier Football Club (pictured above in a 2006 game) is being rebooted after the team was scrapped due to budget cuts after the 2013 season. A group of students enthusiastic about football will hold tryouts for the team in the upcoming spring semester.

Fifty years ago on Nov. 24, 1973, Xavier University’s football program triumphed over Toledo 35-31 in its last-ever contest. Less than a month after Xavier football   snapped its four-year streak of losing seasons, Xavier’s Board of Trustees voted nearly unanimously to dissolve the football program due to its consistency in producing debt for the institution. 

Now, in 2023, a new faction of Musketeers will seek to strap on their helmets and compete as part of the Xavier Football Club (XUFBC).

This club team is a separate venture from the previously proposed NCAA Division I non-scholarship football program. While the addition of such a program administered by the Athletic Department remains “a definite maybe,” according to Xavier Athletic Director and Vice President for Institutional Strategy Greg Christopher, the “reality is the College of Medicine is the higher priority for the university right now.”

XUFBC is not governed by the NCAA but instead the National Club Football Association (NCFA). Instead of being facilitated through the Athletics Office, XUFBC will be operated by the University’s Club Sports Office, and Assistant Director of Club Sports Travis Rawe will oversee administrative procedures along with XUFBC President Christian Barbour, Vice President Jeff Atwood and Treasurer Eddie Murray, all members of the Class of 2027. In addition, junior Michele Mcnulty will serve as Events Manager when the team begins competing in fall of 2024.

Barbour played quarterback at perennial football powerhouse Trinity High School in Louisville prior to partially tearing his hip flexor while training for a promising junior season. His plans to found a football club at Xavier were ignited during his college admissions process.

“When I was applying to colleges, I knew wherever I went would have to have some type of football. It’s just been that important in my life,” Barbour said.

After starting regular practices in the upcoming spring semester, XUFBC will begin competing as a member of the Great Lakes Conference in Fall 2024. The Great Lakes Conference is the largest collegiate club football conference in the nation, featuring opponents from institutions such as Ohio State, Wright State, Toledo, Michigan State and Pittsburgh. 

Barbour believes that the Ohio State team represents the gold standard of club football and are favorites to earn a bid in this year’s national championship contest, which will be held at Chatham University in Pittsburgh this postseason.

Home games for the Musketeers will be played just minutes away at Marx Stadium on the campus of Walnut Hills High School (WHHS), which holds a capacity of 2300 WHHS faithful on Friday nights in fall. Because of a policy by the City of Cincinnati that allows local higher education institutions to rent venues for the same price as Cincinnati Public Schools. 

Barbour hopes to generate buzz for the return of football to campus through an exciting play style and partnerships with local businesses.

“We have a deal with Krispy Kreme to get a percentage of earnings off sales of dozens of donuts and deals with various social media platforms such as Fizz,” said Barbour.

NCFA regulations establish a cap for roster spots at 50. According to Barbour, XUFCB has already filled 45 of those spots.

“Surprisingly, kicker was the easiest position for us to fill,” Barbour remarked. “We definitely could use the help of a few more linemen and linebackers, though.”

For those interested in trying their hand at club football, XUFCB plans to hold open tryouts the week before Spring Break in order to budget time to build a quality coaching staff before spring practice. There are no requirements as far as weight or stature of players, and experience ranges from high school stars to “guys who have never touched a football before,” according to Barbour. 

Xavier’s Club Sports office last sponsored football in 2013, after which the program was cut for budgeting issues. Since then, Xavier has offered intramural flag football as the only football opportunity for students on campus.

“Only having flag football is like placing basketball hoops without backboards all around campus,” said Barbour. “11 vs 11 full contact football is expensive, but we as an institution need to have it,” he emphasized.