Bob Ford on Division I:

Community and Campus Pride

Editor's Note: Coach Bob Ford has led the University at Albany football program from its days as a club sport in 1970 to Division I-AA this fall, compiling an NCAA record of 158-100-0. He shares his perspective on Albany's move to Division 1.

What has happened at Albany to make Division I athletics a reality?

Ford: When I walked onto this campus nearly 30 years ago, I remember thinking to myself, 'What is this institution doing, playing only on the (Division III) level?' We were a relatively good-sized public institution, located in the state capital, and we had the makings of a pretty good research center. We had a very positive academic reputation. When you looked at all of those things, those are the characteristics of Division I institutions. However, the (State University of New York) Board of Trustees at that time had a ruling that Division III was the level on which (SUNY schools) participated.

Times changed. The Board of Trustees relaxed the decision-making process of whether to be Division III, II or I. Here at Albany, we studied the issue and decided to move up. Our faculty has changed dramatically over the years. A large percentage now come out of Big Ten backgrounds- Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois-where they have been exposed to a high level of athletics. We have also continued to achieve distinction in many of our academic programs. So it seemed only fitting that athletics should also reach the highest level of competition, which is Division I.

Historically, the marriage, if you will, of academics and competitive athletics in this country has centered around educational institutions. I think some schools have gotten into trouble when they have reduced the entrance requirements far below the normal student admission process, to the point where the student-athlete does not reflect the composition of the student body. Here on this campus, that has not happened. Our student-athletes represent a cross-section of our collegiate population.

What impact do you think Division I athletics will have on the University's relationship with the community?

Ford: It provides the University with an opportunity to reach out to the community and to achieve far greater visibility, in this area and beyond. A community as a whole becomes identified with a college or a university that exists within its boundaries. Penn State, as an example, has a community that identifies with that institution. So I think that the City of Albany will eventually identify with the University at Albany, and our intercollegiate athletics program will probably be a source of pride for the city.

How will the move to Division I affect student life?

Ford: I think a well-balanced intercollegiate program builds school pride and provides entertainment for students. Some sports are more conducive to crowds- football and basketball immediately come to mind-but there are students and adults who support lacrosse and tennis and soccer and baseball, and come to watch those activities as well. We have never had what I would call the total support of the student body here. Part of the reason may be the size of the institution and the teams we are playing. I think at a large public institution, you probably need to play above the Division III level to get total student support. So I'm hoping that will change.

What kind of growing pains will we experience?

Ford: It's hard to believe that we will continue to have the same level of success that we've had (at Division II), because we're moving up to teams that have been at the Division I level longer. And we're moving up, probably, without all of the resources that we need, but the process must start somewhere. I think becoming affiliated with some type of conference down the line is critical. There are only a handful of independent Division I basketball teams in this country. It doesn't have to happen immediately, but it needs to happen.

How do you respond to those who have expressed concerns about Albany's academic program possibly suffering with the move to Division I?

Ford: As we have moved from Division III to Division II, our academics have not suffered whatsoever. We have statistics, and we've done extremely well. I hope that will continue. To safeguard that, the University has put together an academic support team to help student-athletes. We have a mandatory study hall for freshmen. Tutors are available for any student-athlete. Some people say that's coddling the student-athletes. But many of our teams miss classes due to contests on the road. It's important that we support them and their academic challenges.

What are your expectations for Albany as a Division I school?

Ford: If you said, do you see us playing Kentucky, UCLA, Connecticut, in basketball on a regular basis in the near future, the answer is no. It may happen in time, but we need to take this process one step at a time. During my tenure here on this campus, we have gone from a club football team to Division I-AA. In basketball, we'll be playing Syracuse in December. That's a tremendous advance in a relatively short period!

It's important that we have some success. It isn't just enough to play on that level. We want to be successful, as we are in other programs. If we get into a conference, hopefully it will be in the northeastern part of the country and one in which we have a fighting chance of being successful. We'll experience some pain, but there will be exciting times.