A speed bump for College of Idaho football

BOISE (KBOI-TV) - When the College of Idaho announced the return of its football program last month, officials said they hoped for an invitation from the Frontier Conference at its June meeting.

That meeting wrapped up June 10 in Whitefish, Montana - without an invitation given to Coyote Football.

"They don't want to go forward until they have their study completed," College of Idaho Athletic Director Marty Holly told KBOI-TV Monday.

That study is a strategic plan for the conference, Frontier Conference spokesman Wally Feldt told me. Considering the pace of change in college athletics recently, the NAIA recently urged its member conferences to create or update strategic plans.

The Frontier Conference had to create one from scratch, and a first draft of that plan was presented for review at the annual meeting in June. Frontier Conference council members have until July 1 to review the plan for changes.

Although the first draft was met with positive feedback, Feldt said the finalization process could still take several months.

"I wouldn't call this a set-back," Holly said. "I'd have some concerns if they hadn't told us what they told us. They want us in the conference."

Once the conference adopts its strategic plan, it will be ready to pursue additional membership, Feldt said. At that point, the Frontier Conference could request an application for membership from the College of Idaho. According to conference bylaws, once a membership application is received, a two-thirds vote of the conference council of presidents and chancellors would approve that school for membership.

Holly is expecting the go-ahead from the conference sometime this fall.

[At the annual conference meeting] "They treated us very warmly," he said. "All indications are they want us in the conference."

NOTES:
The school has received about 50 application for the head coach position. The school won't officially start that hiring process until this fall, and will use a search committee. Holly expects a coach to be in place in January 2013.

Fundraising efforts are steady, but still in the early stages. Holly said the program has already received a $250,000 matching gift. A big fundraising push will center around the football reunion, which is being planned for summer 2013.

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