Small colleges are starting football programs, hoping to boost enrollment as student shortage looms
A bagpiper in a kilt led hundreds of Azusa Pacific University students and the school president into the Cougars' stadium before kickoff against Whittier College earlier this season, a sun-splashed celebration of what once were two of the biggest brands in California small-college football. Azusa Pacific had dropped the sport in 2020 after 55 years and Whittier in 2022 after 115 years, mainly for financial reasons. The two schools are among 10 four-year colleges and universities that started or re-started programs this season, the most in a single year since 2013, according to the National Football Foundation. Seven schools have announced plans to start programs in 2027 or later. Azusa Pacific won the 1998 NAIA Division I championship and became a full NCAA Division II member in 2013. The Cougars made playoff appearances in 2016 and ’18, but a decline in the number of West Coast…






















































