While DU has an incredible athletic program, it’s missing one of the hallmarks of the typical college experience: a football team. DU did not always lack a football team, though.

It was not until 1961 that DU’s football team was removed due to financial issues. The first DU football game was played in 1885 against longtime rival Colorado College. Supposedly, this was the first college football game played west of the Mississippi River. Back then, DU was a solid program that competed in three bowl games in 1946, 1947 and 1951, despite losing all three.

While having a football team on campus would be welcomed, its absence has never been a deal breaker for students and athletes at DU.

For junior club basketball player Stephanie Carr (Albuquerque, New Mexico), DU’s lack of a football team was hardly considered when choosing to attend the university.

“The lack of a football team was never something I really thought about when trying to decide what college I wanted to attend. I’m a bigger college lacrosse fan than I am a college football fan, so it was never a big issue for me,” said Carr.

But for those that are huge football enthusiasts, like junior Shawn Nensey (Orlando, Florida), DU’s lack of a football team was a difficult thing to get over.

“The lack of a football team was absolutely something I considered,” Nensey said. “I love sports, football especially, and I’ve been around it almost my entire life, so it really was a big compromise I had to make when I was making my decision to come here.”

Revitalizing the Pioneer football team would undoubtedly bring some benefits to the DU community.

“I think the biggest pro of having a football team would be increased school spirit. Regardless as to whether the team is playing good or bad, it’s something for the community to rally around,” said junior Greg Davis (Green Bay, Wisconsin).

DU may even get more attention for its athletics with the addition of a football team, argued Nensey.

“Our sports programs are always above and beyond, and with a competitive football team, I can see DU turning into a school that people never stop talking about, nationwide,” Nensey said.

Carr voiced the concern that the addition of a football team could bring some negatives, as well.

“I definitely think that other sports get more support and attention since we don’t have a football team. I think if we did have a football team, we might not have the presence and dominance that we do in other sports,” said Carr.

The opinion that other sports on campus would suffer in the presence of a football team seems to be a common sentiment.

“I think the hockey team especially benefits from the lack of a football team. By being the premier contact sport on campus, they command a lot of attention. And that’s not to say that the other programs don’t benefit from the additional support, but I think the hockey team would be impacted the most,” said Nensey.

While there are definitely benefits and negatives to having a football team, DU students don’t seem to be missing much.

“I think DU’s athletics program is one of the best in the country with or without football, and I still enjoy watching hockey, lacrosse, soccer, etc.,” said Davis. “I think that DU is unique for tailgating hockey and lacrosse games, which is something that we would miss out on with a football program.”

Carr, like many students, is completely satisfied with the sports available to watch at DU. Her favorite college sport is lacrosse and she enjoys going to these games on campus. It helps that DU’s lacrosse team is consistently one of the best in the nation.

Nensey, too, enjoys watching  sports like soccer and lacrosse in place of football.

Undoubtedly, the athletic program at DU is one of the best in the country. In 2016, DU Athletics was awarded the Learfield Sports DI-AAA Directors’ Cup for the fourth year in a row. DU has won this award eight times in the last nine years. This award is given to the best collegiate athletics program in the country based on the university’s finish in 10 men’s sports and 10 women’s sports.

For senior basketball player Duke Douglas (New Orleans, Louisiana), having a football team is far from necessary.

“There is nothing like a football game at a winning program, but I have been to football games at several schools without good programs and the students come for the first few minutes of the game and then they leave,” he said.

In addition to not really needing a football team, instituting one at DU would be a massive undertaking.

“The [football] programs are expensive, even though they can bring in a lot of money,” said Douglas. “Getting a football program on the ground is also probably a two decade project, as well.”

It is a positive that DU students do not seem to be too disappointed in the school’s lack of a football team because it is highly unlikely that DU will ever see a football team again, let alone in the immediate future.

For now, it is enough for DU students to have the option of heading downtown to watch the Broncos or to make their own teams in fantasy leagues with friends. At the end of the day, DU has plenty of winning sports to offer its students who need that athletic fix.