I have been following Blackburn football for a few years, and Division III football for a lot more. Last year Blackburn did bring in 80 plus players at the beginning of camp, but by the start of the season this number had dwindled to approximately 60 players. The problem was not necessarily due to injuries but for other reasons. The major problem that I see with Blackburn is retention of players. Of the 55 players who were underclassmen on last year's roster, only 26 are on this year's roster. With constant turnover, there is no way a program can be built into a respectable program. If I were a new coach coming in, the reason for attrition would be the first thing I would look into.
Some would say the reason for the low return of last year's players was due to change of coaches, but go back to previous years and the same observation could be made. Players were leaving because they were disinchanted with the program. Seemed like last year Blackburn tried to take a page out of the CCIW conference and load up the roster with numbers. Sorry, but when a team has 100 plus players there is no way everyone is going to get a chance to play at one time or another. But do the math, and the tuition money/fees that these extra players bring in, this begins to cover some of the cost of the program. There is no intent to play the extras, so the extras finally get frustrated and quit. Unlike Division I, these players do not receive athletic scholarships regardless if they play or not. In my college days at a major university, there were players on scholarship that never set foot in an actual game, but they received their college education paid in full. Did they want to play, yes. But in the end they still had something to show for after putting in the practice time and off season conditioning. At Division III the players are out for the team because they want a chance to compete on the field. This was not happening at Blackburn, and it is the case at most Division III schools.
It will be interesting to see how the future plays out with a new coach, but the attrition rate needs to be addressed. However, the attrition rate at Blackburn not only pertains to the football program. The student population in general is hit with this dilemna. The Blackburn administration needs to resolve this problem. Finally, the administration needs to provide the financial and morale support to the football program. There is no doubt the facilities are terrible. Looking around at other D III schools facilities are being upgraded if not already upgraded. These facilities attract not only athletes, but also students.
Some would say the reason for the low return of last year's players was due to change of coaches, but go back to previous years and the same observation could be made. Players were leaving because they were disinchanted with the program. Seemed like last year Blackburn tried to take a page out of the CCIW conference and load up the roster with numbers. Sorry, but when a team has 100 plus players there is no way everyone is going to get a chance to play at one time or another. But do the math, and the tuition money/fees that these extra players bring in, this begins to cover some of the cost of the program. There is no intent to play the extras, so the extras finally get frustrated and quit. Unlike Division I, these players do not receive athletic scholarships regardless if they play or not. In my college days at a major university, there were players on scholarship that never set foot in an actual game, but they received their college education paid in full. Did they want to play, yes. But in the end they still had something to show for after putting in the practice time and off season conditioning. At Division III the players are out for the team because they want a chance to compete on the field. This was not happening at Blackburn, and it is the case at most Division III schools.
It will be interesting to see how the future plays out with a new coach, but the attrition rate needs to be addressed. However, the attrition rate at Blackburn not only pertains to the football program. The student population in general is hit with this dilemna. The Blackburn administration needs to resolve this problem. Finally, the administration needs to provide the financial and morale support to the football program. There is no doubt the facilities are terrible. Looking around at other D III schools facilities are being upgraded if not already upgraded. These facilities attract not only athletes, but also students.