Simon Fraser University has cut its football program after concluding it is “no longer a feasible sport” for the university, SFU President Joy Johnson announced Tuesday, April 4.
The decision comes on the heels of a Feb. 1 announcement that SFU would not be invited back to the Lone Star Conference (LSC), the league it has competed in alongside Great Northwest Athletic Conference member schools Central Washington University and Western Oregon University since 2021 — the final three remaining NCAA Division II football programs west of Colorado.
SFU, Canada’s only NCAA football program, would not have a conference to play in beginning in 2024, leading to the decision.
“The ongoing uncertainty creates an unacceptable experience for students,” Johnson said in an April 4 statement. “The university has carefully considered all available options and as a leadership team we concluded that football is no longer a feasible sport for SFU.”
Six of the Red Leafs’ 10 games during the 2022 season were played in either Texas or New Mexico, posing a difficult travel situation for the team given the distance and miles between schools.
Johnson said the university was making the decision now to “give students time to make other plans for their athletic careers if they so choose.”
The university originally planned to play through the 2023 season in the LSC before making a decision on next steps. SFU head coach Mike Rigell noted playing in the LSC had not been an ideal arrangement for a “host of reasons” in February’s announcement.
“Over the past few years, we have been working diligently to find a conference for football, and while we were pleased to find a place to compete, participating in the LSC has resulted in a challenging situation for athletes, largely due to extensive travel required and the need to cross the border,” Rigell said.
SFU played two “home” games at Blaine High School during the 2022 season due to “ongoing, often convoluted pandemic border rules.”
SFU football was 18-99 overall since moving from the Canada West Universities Athletics Athletic Association to NCAA Division II in 2010 and 4-61 since 2015. The Red Leafs were governed by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics from the team’s inception in 1965 to 2001.
