COD keeping football program

College of DuPage football isn’t going anywhere.

“That’s what we’re telling people,” COD athletic diretor Paul Zakowski said Thursday.

The question arose after Midwest Football Conference rivals Harper College in Palatine and Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community College followed the lead of Joliet Junior College in eliminating their football programs. That leaves the conference with five football schools, none in Illinois.

COD budgets about $250,000 a year for football, and Zakowski expects “no big jump in expenses” as he looks for new opponents. He already has added Robert Morris College’s JV team and North Central College’s JV to the schedule, leaving just one more game needed.

While football brings in very little direct revenue at COD, it does help generate tuition money by attracting about 150-180 new students, not all of whom will stick it out with the football team, he said.

The football team also is a big component of school spirit, another reason Zakowski said, “I feel pretty confident nothing will happen.”