UAlbany FCS Football Deserves Regional Support

The Capital Region loves Division I basketball and hockey. As for football, not so much.

University at Albany sports information director/assistant athletic director Brian DePasquale correctly pointed out at today's football media day that area media types, and perhaps fans in general, don't spend much time thinking about what used to be called Division I-AA football.

The Great Danes have produced seven or more victories six times as a Football Championship Series (formerly Division I-AA) program, and they have won the Northeast Conference championship three times, including last season when they were 6-0 in conference play.

Yet football at this level doesn't get its share of publicity.

The closest big-time college football program to the Capital Region is Syracuse University. That's nearly two hours away. Plus, the Orange have struggled in recent years.

True college football fans should jump on the UAlbany bandwagon. The Danes play an incredible schedule, including national runner-up Delaware and NCAA quarterfinalist Massachusetts, this season. They have an exciting tailback in LaSalle Institute graduate Dave McCarty, who ran for more than 1,500 yards, and they have about 25 Capital Region products on their roster.

Perhaps the lack of a true football stadium is one of the reasons this program doesn't catch on, but I've seen enough games to vouch for the quality of play at this level.

It took a while for the UAlbany basketball program to catch on. Now, it's time for its football team to follow suit. The difference is that the basketball team rarely won much in its early Division I years. The football team, under legendary head coach Bob Ford, has been better than a .500 team in four of the last six years.

How about a little love?

By Bob Weiner