Many students have set foot upon the Quinnipiac campus wondering why the Bobcats don’t have a football team. A common response that is given is “some woman told Quinnipiac that she’ll never donate money if they had a football team.”

Quinnipiac Athletic Director Jack McDonald shot down that answer on Friday.

“It is a great rumor and legend,” McDonald said. “I have heard it. That’s not true. It’s sort of a good little folklore.”

According to McDonald, it is unrealistic for the Bobcats to ever suit up on the gridiron.

“Everything Quinnipiac does is top shelf,” McDonald said. “To have a top shelf football program, it would require an investment of maybe a quarter billion dollars.”

McDonald said that in order to shell out the kind of money to build a football program that would include a stadium, scholarships for 100 players, and full time staff, the tuition of the university would most likely be raised.

“I don’t think any student wants to see the tuition go up by $50,000 to support that,” McDonald said.

He said that for public universities like University of Connecticut, it is easier to get funding for something like a football program because a private university will not get the financial backing that a public university would get from the state.

Money aside, the growing pains might hurt Quinnipiac a little too much to get to a “top-shelf” competing level. If Quinnipiac were to field a football team without spending the money that McDonald feels is necessary, they would not be able to give out scholarships to most players on the team. If Quinnipiac were to have a football team, the only way they would do it is if they did it right according to McDonald.

“To field a team that is not as nationally competitive like our ice hockey team, basketball teams, or soccer teams, and give no scholarships and to do it just to have football, that is not part of Quinnipiac’s mission,” McDonald said.

Dave Shepard, a junior business management major doesn’t think having a football team at Quinnipiac is a high priority.

“Quinnipiac has been fine without it for so long that there really isn’t much need,” Shepard said. “If we bring a football team in we aren’t going to be good for a while. I think we are just better off with hockey.”

McDonald thinks Quinnipiac thrives well without football as well. He cited Gonzaga University and St. Johns University as universities that have very successful athletic programs without a football team.

“Our football is our ice hockey, and men’s and women’s lacrosse. those are our sports that we consider important for Quinnipiac,” McDonald said.

However, some students think that having a football team at Quinnipiac would be a definite upgrade.

“It would be really fun,” said sophomore public relations major Steph Kruzick. “I feel like a lot of other schools have it, and it has everyone get together.”

When told that there would be a possible tuition spike if Quinnipiac were to field a football team, Kruzick changed her tune.

“Yes, I would be opposed only because it (tuition) is high as it is right now,” Kruzick said. “But I feel like they would be able to do it with all of the money they have. I don’t understand why they would have to raise tuition.”

Sophomore media studies major Hayley Foster agreed that she would like to have a football team at Quinnipiac, but not at the price of raising tuition.

“If the tuition would sky-rocket, I am not that passionate about football to have a team, but if there was a way to manage it and keep tuition about the same, I would want the team,” Foster said.

When asked if she would mind the football team not playing well for the first couple of seasons, Kruzick did not seem to mind.

“I don’t care (if they lose),” Kruzick said. “It would still be fun.”