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Sports
April 27, 2011
Price tag for football at GRCC
Sports Analysis by Ariel Christy
Sports Editor
Deshawn Byrd wears his Grand Rapids
Community College football uniform proudly,
despite the schools lack of commitment to stand
behind and support him.
Byrd is a freshman who plays left tackle out of
Dayton, Ohio. Without any junior college football
teams in Ohio, GRCC remained Byrds best option
to further his education while continuing to play
football. Although GRCC offers a nationally ranked
football team and the number one offense in the
nation out of junior colleges, they do not offer
football players scholarships.
With such a successful team on the eld and
players coming from all over the country to play,
one would assume these players live extravagant
privileged lives even without scholarships.
However that is anything but the case.
Byrd is one of over 40 players from out of state
paying out of state tuition costs at GRCC that rival
that of some four year universities.
An estimated cost worksheet for out of state
students concluded that students with out of state
residency can expect to pay $4,702.00 for tuition
and books at full time status per semester at GRCC.
Even with maximum grant and loan qualication
the most a student can receive still leaves them
over $800 short in covering tuition expenses per
semester.
Forced to pay for not only tuition but also
housing with his own money and resources, Byrd
and three other football players moved into an
apartment they could afford. The apartment they
could afford greeted them with shared rooms, mice,
broken windows and a less than helpful landlord.
Living less then a ve minute drive from campus,
Byrd took the city bus to class everyday. That
necessary bus ride cost him three dollars a day out
of his own pocket.
When the weather turned colder and heat
became a necessity, Byrds landlord placed a lock
on the heat and shut it off. Byrd and his roommates
were unable to deal with the living conditions and
were forced to move.
It was such a mental thing, Byrd said of
his housing difculties. I always had to make
adjustments there like going out and buying a
heater and stuff.
Byrd and his roommates now stay in an
apartment that costs them each over $100 more per
month and is further away from campus.
GRCC captain and running back Korey Ringer,
also from Ohio, has experienced difculty covering
his expenses as well.
When Ringer was originally recruited it was
expected that he would qualify for loans, leaving
him with very little to pay out of pocket for housing
and tuition.
At rst I was told Id only have to pay $600-
700 out of pocket max; I ended up paying $2000,
Ringer said. Then I had to take out a parent plus
loan with my parents to cover my rent and still had
to pay $500.
Although Byrd tries to pay for tuition and
expenses with grants and loans as well as with help
from his parents, he is still left to come up with
money that he has to earn on his own.
Byrd maintains full time status and currently
carries 16 credit hours, and is busy nearly all year
round with some sort of football activity through
morning workouts, study table, spring ball, summer
classes, summer practice and regular season games
and practices.
A schedule like this leaves him very little if any
time to work and earn money on his own.
It is like a job without pay, Byrd said. The
hard part is to work hard in class and in practice
then come home and do more work when youre
so wore out.
Barely being able to cover their tuition and rent,
players have little money to cover other necessities
like groceries, gas money, cell phones and clothing.
Luckily Byrd and other players know they can
turn to their coaches and each other for support
even when the school leaves them in a difcult
situation.
Dave Browne a defensive lineman from
Cleveland, Ohio not only looks to the coaches for
help, but also relies on his roommates when things
get difcult.
We are going through the same things
together, Browne said. We are all trying to be
successful student athletes, so they recognize what
its like.
With a supportive coaching staff working long
hours day in and day out to assist players with any
sort of problem such as housing, transportation,
tutoring, books and advising, the coaches know
their players are taken care of to the best of their
ability with what little resources they do have.
The coaches are a big help for everything,
Byrd said. I know if I need anything I can go to
any one of them.
GRCC offered me the best chance to succeed,
Browne said. They offer some of the best coaches
you can have at a junior college.
The coaches at GRCC not only bring support to
the players in times of need but also many years of
success and experience which contributes to their
impressive record and national ranking.
Throughout the football teams history at
GRCC they have made 15 bowl game appearances.
The National Junior College Athletic Association
(NJCAA) named GRCC a top ten program from
2000-2009. The Raiders were voted top non-
scholarship team in 2005 and 2009 by the NJCAA.
Current Head Coach Tony Annese has a 20-3 record
at GRCC with four NJCAA All-Americans on the
2009 football team and in 2010 three members
of the GRCC team were NJCAA First Team All-
Americans. The Raiders nished the 2010 season
ranked number one in total offense, and enter the
2011 season ranked eighth overall.
Football players come to GRCC knowing they
have a chance to further their education, play a
game they love and surround themselves with great
coaches willing to do whatever it takes to get them
to the next level and be successful.
There is a price tag to play at GRCC consisting
of tuition, rent, books, gas, etc in addition to all
the time away from home, early morning workouts,
hot summer practice days, late nights at study table
and attendance in class.
All GRCC can offer football players like Byrd,
Ringer and Browne is the opportunity to win.
Which they do.
Facts and administrations response to the price players pay for football
Ariel Christy/Collegiate
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Freshman Left TackIe Deshawn Byrd has faced
adversity and diffcult times while playing for GRCC yet
Byrd and his teamates continue to put in hour after hour
of hard work at practice and in the classroom.
GRCC competes in Division I
Football. Division I status allows
schools to offer scholarships covering
all expenses such as tuition, books
and housing.
Although GRCC does not offer
scholarships for football they continue
to compete at this level and remain
successful
GRCCs other eight sports
on campus such as Baseball and
Volleyball compete at a Division II
level and offer scholarships for tuition
and books.
Numerous proposals over the
years have been brought to the
administration to offer scholarships
for football through private/individual
fundraising but have been denied.
Athletic Director Doug Wabeke:
It would be an advantage to have
Dean of Student Affairs, Tina
Hoxies responses:
On scholarships: There are two
things necessary when considering
scholarships for football. One, we
would need to comply with title nine.
And two, we need to look to build
a sustainable plan for maintaining
scholarship funds.
When asked about players such
as Byrd and difcult situations they
face without nancial support from
the school: We have not been a
scholarship school for football. We
have not said we have them or will
get them. The student makes the
decision to play here. Students and
their families should pre-plan and
look at the expenses a student would
incur to attend GRCC.
Response to previous scholarship
proposals through private fundraising
that would not cost the school
money: The issue is whether the
plan is sustainable and where the
money would come from every year.
Previous proposed ideas were given
a very short time frame in terms of
decisions.
On scholarships, changes and
budget constraints within the Athletic
Department: We are in difcult
times and remain in difcult times.
We look at everything in terms of
reductions and cuts. Students made
a commitment to us and we have to
scholarships and I dont see any
negatives coming from them. There
are always budget constraints and it
would be tough to get money from
the school. It would be practical to
get money where it wouldnt cost the
school money and rasie funds from
outside sources.
Extra Information:
Despite numerous attempts and
appointments to contact and speak
with GRCC President Dr. Steven
Ender, his ofce concluded that it was
best to channel questions through
Dean of Student Affairs Tina Hoxie
and Director of Communication Raul
Alvarez.
Although Director of
Communications Raul Alvarez sat in
on one of the interviews with Dean
of Student Affairs Tina Hoxie his
comments remained off the record.
GRCC Head Football Coach Tony
Annese and his coaching staff have
declined to comment on football
being the only non-scholarship sport
at GRCC and its effects.
make a commitment to them and we
have to honor them.
By Ariel Christy