Seattle U. opts for Division I

SEATTLE – Intent on recapturing some of its storied history, Seattle University is returning to Division I athletics.

University trustees voted unanimously Thursday to apply for a return to NCAA Division I athletics as an independent. The process would begin immediately, with the 2007-08 year being the school’s exploratory year, and a full Division I schedule beginning by the start of the 2009-10 year at the latest.

Making the move without the security of a conference affiliation adds significant obstacles. But university officials are confident they’ve made the right decision.

“This decision represents that intercollegiate athletics be on par with the rest of university in size, location, academic quality, student life and mission,” Seattle U president, the Rev. Stephen Sundborg, said Friday. “Athletics should be on par and equal to and the same in student life and reputation as the rest of the university, and we have not been there.”

Seattle U’s decision comes despite its preferred new home in Division I – the West Coast Conference – telling the school two months ago it does not intend to expand.

It seemed a debilitating blow to Seattle U, which never hid its affection for returning to the conference it belonged to in the 1970s. Men’s basketball coach Joe Callero called it a “mixed bag of emotions,” when the WCC made its announcement. The Redhawks were in the midst of a conference championship and trip to the NCAA Division II tournament when the school received word.

But Sundborg said the school refocused and determined that competing as an independent was possible.

“We would like to aim toward being member of conference of like schools, but for an interim period of time after the exploratory year, we’ll be independent,” Sundborg said.

Seattle U, a member of the WCC from 1971 until 1980, was once a Division I power in men’s basketball, with a heritage that listed a number of NBA players, including Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor. Financial strain and athletic struggles led the school to drop out of Division I after the 1980 school year.

The university competes at the Division II level in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and will do so for the 2007-08 school year.

Seattle U meets NCAA Division I minimums with the 14 sports it offers, but intends to add baseball, and men’s and women’s tennis and golf when the move is made, athletic director Bill Hogan said.

WCC president Michael Gilleran, a Seattle U alum, said that the conference has not closed off the idea of expansion, but it won’t happen in the immediate future.

“Right now our presidents are happy with who we are. We’re just going to stay the course,” Gilleran said. “I never say never. It would be silly. We’ll revisit at some point in time.”

Seattle U is beginning a $47.5 million renovation to its campus athletic and recreation center. Initially, plans are to play men’s basketball games at Seattle’s KeyArena.

“Our situation is unique as far as location and size,” Hogan said. “We think we can be a special competition as an independent for a lot of schools.”

One reason for the renewed interest is the basketball success of Gonzaga University, the other Jesuit-run college in Washington state and a member of the WCC.

Gonzaga has made nine straight trips to the NCAA tournament. All the national exposure has dramatically raised applications and enrollment, and the school built a new 6,000-seat arena that is perpetually sold out.

But Seattle U’s move isn’t without dissension. A survey of university faculty found that more than half were against making the jump, concerned about the effect on academic programs and standards.