Xavier University will not be bringing back its football team “in the near term”, according to Director of Athletics Greg Christopher. The school will focus on other campus projects before returning to the idea of football. Xavier is focused on finding a location for the new College of Medicine facility, which impacts a potential stadium for the football program. As of now, the school does not have a location for the new medical building.
In June 2023, it was reported that Xavier was considering the return of football in statements made by Christopher to The Cincinnati Enquirer. Christopher noted that a new building for the College of Medicine was approved, is scheduled to open in 2027, and that it was one of the school’s highest priorities. Christopher also said a decision on football was to be made by the end of 2023. Had Xavier made the decision to add football, it’s likely they would have landed in the Pioneer Football League with the school signaling they wanted to go the non-scholarship route.
While football is not in the short-term future for Xavier, the interest remains high to bring the sport back. A location for a football stadium and its corresponding facilities continues to be a significant hurdle preventing the return of football. Xavier last played football in 1973 as an independent and discontinued the team due to the high costs of running the program.
Photo Credit to Xavier University Athletics
