SALEM, Va. – Football, cheerleading, and marching band could soon be coming to Roanoke College.
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The school’s board of trustees voted on a proposal by President Frank Shushok Jr. to reinstate football as a varsity sport and add varsity cheerleading. A marching band program was also listed in the proposal.
“Over the academic year, I have had many individual conversations with students, faculty and staff about the potential addition of a football team and associated programs,” Shushok said. “Cultivating a successful football program, along with a marching band and competitive cheer, can breathe life into a college campus, bringing together our faculty, staff, students, alumni and the community in a unified spirit of passion and pride.”
Roanoke College has not had a football team since 1942, when it was discontinued because of constraints of WWII.
The three new programs will launch only if the school can raise $1.2 million needed.
Roanoke College officials said the school has set a June 1 deadline to raise the initial investment, but the timeline will be adjusted if funding isn’t obtained by then.
The college said their goal is to start the programs by 2024.