The 49ers made their biggest football scheduling announcement yet today...but it's eight years away from happening.
Charlotte will open its 2019 season against Virginia Tech in the Hokies' Lane Stadium. It comes on the heels of Charlotte scheduling FCS power Furman in 2014 and '15, as well as three other home games for the program's inaugural season of 2013 (Chowan, UNC Pembroke and North Greenville).
Virginia Tech is the first FBS team Charlotte has scheduled.
The announcement came at the 49ers' football forum on campus. A few other highlights:
-- Athletics director Judy Rose said she has been in contact with the Big South, Southern Conference and Colonial Athletic Association about joining as an associate member for football. Rose said the 49ers' intent to eventually move to FBS from FCS has complicated efforts to join a FCS league on what would be a temporary basis.
Rose wants to keep Charlotte in the Atlantic 10 in all other sports. That makes sense for sports such as men's basketball, because the A-10 has a higher profile than the Big South, SoCon or CAA in that sport (its RPI is higher this season than any of those three) and more likely to get more than one bid to the NCAA tournament on a routine basis.
"I don't want to demean these other conferences, but we don't want to intentionally hurt our basketball program with this move to football," said Rose.
-- Seat license sales for football continue to crawl. The 49ers have sold 3,357, for a total of $4.15 million. Seventeen donors have pledged a total of $1.82 million toward the program. Rose said naming rights will be sold for the stadium, the field and the field house.
-- Rose said she wants to have a coach hired by April 1. Ground-breaking for the on-campus stadium is scheduled for April 28. The stadium won't have lights initially, but they could be added at a cost of about $800,000.
-- There's a chance the stadium will also be used for high school football games (it will have artificial turf). Chancellor Phil Dubois said the school might pursue having the Shrine Bowl played there.
-- Rose said additional women's sports (to comply with football-driven Title IX requirements) will begin to be added in 2016. Look for sports with large rosters -- easier to get the numbers up -- like lacrosse and field hockey to be added.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
49ers' first FBS opponent: The Hokies
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17 comments:
Excited to see this. Can't wait to see what other FBS opponents we schedule down the road. As for short term and FCS, I'm have high hopes to see App St in our stadium.
Nice to know I'll be in Blacksburg on August 31 eight years from now. Can't wait!
I wasn't aware UNCC was so good at basketball. I love how they keep talking about not wanting to "hurt basketball." New flash to UNCC....you are not good at basketball so keep acting like you are some NCAA tournament team year in and year out.
What kind of payout will it take to get ASU to 49er ville?
Don't hold your breath. ASU and ECU is more like it. Good luck working up the ladder.
Hey 9:23, I'd be willing to bet there is lots more stuff you are not aware of. Happy hating to you.
Seriously, the A10 BLOWS!! Given the chance to leave for any of those three conferences - I say take it!
It is important to note that VT will not be the first FBS school to play the 49ers. It is just the first one that has been announced.
This is the best news I have heard in a while. CANNOT WAIT to come back to Blacksburg in 2019 to see my two favorite teams in the world go head-to-head!!
I don't think they should build the fcaility without lights. I think that is ultra-important immediately. How about a Midnight Madness event to kick-off football and welcome teh freshmen class each fall?
I'm not crazy about artificial turf. Lot's of injuries.Also with no light what happens when it rains;clouds & get real dark.I guess all games will be played around 1 PM each Saturday.All the games durring the fall won't work at 3-4PM.It will be dark aftert an hour or 2.Why not put them up to begin with unless they are going to study the sun rising & setting on wet & clear days?
App should play UNCC in football but only if the 49ers agree to a 2 for 1 deal with the first game being in Boone. Also include a large buyout clause of around $200k. This contract would be very similar to the UNCC basketball deals they made with ASU in the past. Turnabout is fair play. Hell the 49ers quit playing the Mountaineers in baseball as soon as Pollard started to turn the corner with the Diamond Apps program.
Turn the corner with the Diamond Apps? I guess that means you will be making your first NCAA appearance since the 80's soon?
I really hope App does move to FBS and get their @$$'s handed to them
panfan1 - I believe you are thinking about AstroTurf. I'm sure they aren't dumb enough to put that down. It's probably the Field Turf that is in Ford Field and the Superdome.
Who in heck wants to play UNCC? They are just a community college.
They have sold what, a little over 3,000 PSL's in two years; who here thinks that there is very little enthusiam for UNCC football. And many of those were sold by ex-Panthers because they wanted to be a coach there.
I live near the 49er campus and wish they would forget about football. If they are as good at football as they are at basketball the last several years it's just going to be embarrassing.
Sthompson where did you go to college if you went to college at all?
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