Run to title game can polish UR reputation

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Nothing makes the phone ring or brings in the e-mail quite like winning.

The University of Richmond Spiders have won big on the football field this year, and the phones are ringing all over campus.

"A lot of people are calling, old friends who suddenly have become Spider fans," said Richmond president Dr. Edward L. Ayers. "It's such an extraordinary story for a school of our size and selectivity to play at this level. It's a remarkable accomplishment by our coaches and student athletes."

The Spiders play in the championship game of the Football Championship Subdivision against the University of Montana here tonight.

Playing in this game provides more intangible than tangible benefits. The game will be on national television, which is good for the Spiders. The results will be published across the country, which is good for Richmond coach Mike London.

"I've been inundated with e-mails from alumni, business people, politicians, well-wishers," London said. "In the sports venue, this brings instant recognition to the university

"When you're playing for a national championship, the national media exposure brings back people who haven't been in contact with the school for a while. That's what sports does on a lot of occasions. It can galvanize, get people to reinvest and be part of the school once again."

London, a Richmond graduate in his first year as the Spiders head coach, must constantly replenish the talent pool on his team. Playing for the national title gives London and his staff a chance to do that.

"We've had one of the better recruiting opportunities we've had here in a long time," London said. "When you get to this game, it gives you credibility when you talk about the family relationships and the fun we have as a team. People see it on TV. Parents see it when they come to games."

The Spiders play in the Colonial Athletic Association, and this is the fifth time in six years the CAA has had a team in the FCS title game. James Madison University, also a CAA school, won the national title in 2004. The Spiders hope to become champions tonight.

That does not mean the Spiders and the CAA will reap financial rewards for all the success they have enjoyed.

"There is no big check here," said Tom Yeager, commissioner of the CAA. "The NCAA provides expenses for travel parties, and the teams are hoping to break even."

Yeager notes, however, that there is a benefit that extends beyond the campus to the Richmond area in general. "The name of the city is on their jerseys," he said. "There will be an ancillary spillover from that."

Former UR athletic director Chuck Boone said he has already seen the team's success light a spark in Richmond-area residents.

"Every time I went in a store," he said, "people were telling me they were going to party with the game on TV. There's a lot of excitement among the non-alumni people about the university, and that's kind of special."

Like Yeager, Ayers casts doubt on the widely held belief that playing in a national championship game provides a boost in applications and alumni giving.

"I've been studying that," Ayers said. "Despite a lot of folklore, schools don't see more than a temporary increase in those kinds of things. We're coming off a record year of applications. Almost 8,000 applied for 750 slots at Richmond. We're not really expecting this is going to push us much above that."

An excited alumni base, however, never is a bad thing.

"We can't always be on ESPN. This is a chance for people all around the United States to see a game," Ayers said. "There will be alumni gatherings all around the country. Getting together and cheering the Spiders is a great thing."

Reaching the championship game highlights the emphasis Richmond places on education. NCAA statistics released in October show that 65 percent of FCS football players who started college in 2001 earned college degrees. The number at Richmond is 89 percent.

To have that mentioned on national television heightens a school's reputation as a place where athletes not only excel on the field but in the classroom.

"Winning on top of that is gravy," Ayers said. "The good news is our players and coaches know that. We are an academic institution first and foremost."
Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or .