There has been a great of recent discussion in these boards regarding Wofford’s support for its football program. Reviewing a number of financial factors from the 2019 Department of Education Equity in Athletics Data Analysis, it appears Wofford College has a high level of financial support for its Football program. (I used 2019 to avoid the Covid related issues in the 2020 numbers. Numbers are not yet available for 2021).
Wofford had the 20th highest expenditures for football in the FCS. Expenses include “all expenses attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities. This includes appearance guarantees and options, athletically related student aid, contract services, equipment, fundraising activities, operating expenses, promotional activities, recruiting expenses, salaries and benefits, supplies, travel, and any other expenses attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities.” Only Furman and Mercer had higher expenses in the SoCon.
Top 25 FCS Schools by Football Expenses (2019)
| Institution Name | State CD | Total Undergraduates | Expenses | |
| 1 | James Madison University | VA | 18772 | $11,319,596 |
| 2 | William & Mary | VA | 6187 | $8,235,749 |
| 3 | Montana State University | MT | 12275 | $8,159,296 |
| 4 | University of Delaware | DE | 18352 | $7,727,682 |
| 5 | Fordham University | NY | 9141 | $7,336,478 |
| 6 | Stony Brook University | NY | 16579 | $7,222,673 |
| 7 | University of Richmond | VA | 2937 | $7,112,748 |
| 8 | Villanova University | PA | 6525 | $6,957,648 |
| 9 | Lafayette College | PA | 2633 | $6,942,985 |
| 10 | The University of Montana | MT | 6123 | $6,908,880 |
| 11 | Furman University | SC | 2599 | $6,830,231 |
| 12 | Colgate University | NY | 2960 | $6,674,764 |
| 13 | Monmouth University | NJ | 4301 | $6,319,319 |
| 14 | Lehigh University | PA | 5098 | $6,094,755 |
| 15 | Bucknell University | PA | 3602 | $5,938,686 |
| 16 | Elon University | NC | 6079 | $5,922,650 |
| 17 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | ND | 9598 | $5,914,804 |
| 18 | Mercer University | GA | 4253 | $5,741,125 |
| 19 | Abilene Christian University | TX | 3344 | $5,713,528 |
| 20 | Wofford College | SC | 1709 | $5,702,523 |
| 21 | University of Idaho | ID | 6718 | $5,662,737 |
| 22 | University of California-Davis | CA | 30151 | $5,646,927 |
| 23 | College of the Holy Cross | MA | 2931 | $5,640,013 |
| 24 | Samford University | AL | 3508 | $5,608,538 |
| 25 | California State University-Sacramento | CA | 24074 | $5,608,421 |
When Wofford’s size is considered, the support for the football program is without peers. Wofford spends the most per student for football in all of FCS ($3,336.76). That is 26.5% more than the nearest school (Lafayette) and nearly 27% more per student than Furman. In fact, only 10 FBS schools spend more per student for football expenses than Wofford (Notre Dame, Wake Forest, University of Miami, Texas Christian, Vanderbilt, Tulsa, Northwestern, Stanford, Duke, and Rice).
FCS Football Expense Per Undergraduate Student (2019)
| Institution Name | State CD | Total Undergraduates | Expenses | ||
| 1 | Wofford College | SC | 1709 | $5,702,523 | $3,336.76 |
| 2 | Lafayette College | PA | 2633 | $6,942,985 | $2,636.91 |
| 3 | Furman University | SC | 2599 | $6,830,231 | $2,628.02 |
| 4 | University of Richmond | VA | 2937 | $7,112,748 | $2,421.77 |
| 5 | Wagner College | NY | 1659 | $3,836,260 | $2,312.39 |
| 6 | Colgate University | NY | 2960 | $6,674,764 | $2,254.99 |
| 7 | Virginia Military Institute | VA | 1698 | $3,823,064 | $2,251.51 |
| 8 | Saint Francis University | PA | 1447 | $3,131,171 | $2,163.91 |
| 9 | Houston Baptist University | TX | 2067 | $4,463,849 | $2,159.58 |
| 10 | Gardner-Webb University | NC | 1632 | $3,295,756 | $2,019.46 |
| 11 | College of the Holy Cross | MA | 2931 | $5,640,013 | $1,924.26 |
| 12 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | SC | 2688 | $4,916,711 | $1,829.13 |
| 13 | Abilene Christian University | TX | 3344 | $5,713,528 | $1,708.59 |
| 14 | Bucknell University | PA | 3602 | $5,938,686 | $1,648.72 |
| 15 | Samford University | AL | 3508 | $5,608,538 | $1,598.79 |
| 16 | Campbell University | NC | 3255 | $5,138,410 | $1,578.62 |
| 17 | Monmouth University | NJ | 4301 | $6,319,319 | $1,469.27 |
| 18 | Charleston Southern University | SC | 2555 | $3,573,174 | $1,398.50 |
| 19 | Mercer University | GA | 4253 | $5,741,125 | $1,349.90 |
| 20 | William & Mary | VA | 6187 | $8,235,749 | $1,331.14 |
Wofford spends more on football than most of the Southern Conference. The key divide is between the private schools (all spending more than $5.5 million on football) and the public schools (all spending less than $5 million on football)
Southern Conference Football Expenses
| Institution Name | State CD | Total Undergraduates | Expenses | |
| 11 | Furman University | SC | 2599 | $6,830,231 |
| 18 | Mercer University | GA | 4253 | $5,741,125 |
| 20 | Wofford College | SC | 1709 | $5,702,523 |
| 24 | Samford University | AL | 3508 | $5,608,538 |
| 37 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | SC | 2688 | $4,916,711 |
| 45 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | TN | 9212 | $4,501,093 |
| 66 | Virginia Military Institute | VA | 1698 | $3,823,064 |
| 67 | East Tennessee State University | TN | 9194 | $3,791,270 |
| 93 | Western Carolina University | NC | 8892 | $3,135,056 |
While the Department of Education does not break down the cost of scholarships by sport, the cost of scholarships had a major impact on athletic spending by private schools. The total expenses of each sports include all athletically related student aid related to the sport. Considering all sports, Wofford gives more scholarship aid to its athletes than all but 15 FCS schools.
FCS Student Aid (2019)
| Institution Name | State CD | Total Aid | |
| 1 | Bucknell University | PA | $14,935,432 |
| 2 | Fordham University | NY | $14,785,706 |
| 3 | Villanova University | PA | $14,568,423 |
| 4 | Colgate University | NY | $14,297,691 |
| 5 | Long Island University | NY | $13,977,047 |
| 6 | Lehigh University | PA | $13,946,036 |
| 7 | University of Delaware | DE | $13,506,521 |
| 8 | Merrimack College | MA | $12,973,620 |
| 9 | Furman University | SC | $12,828,362 |
| 10 | Monmouth University | NJ | $12,146,912 |
| 11 | University of Richmond | VA | $12,111,259 |
| 12 | College of the Holy Cross | MA | $11,824,900 |
| 13 | Lafayette College | PA | $11,287,928 |
| 14 | Sacred Heart University | CT | $11,088,722 |
| 15 | University of the Incarnate Word | TX | $10,909,901 |
| 16 | Wofford College | SC | $10,488,087 |
| 17 | Georgetown University | DC | $10,422,548 |
| 18 | Elon University | NC | $10,402,441 |
| 19 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | NH | $10,331,600 |
| 20 | Wagner College | NY | $9,868,614 |
| 21 | William & Mary | VA | $9,812,046 |
| 22 | University of Rhode Island | RI | $9,580,449 |
| 23 | Campbell University | NC | $9,514,468 |
| 24 | Mercer University | GA | $9,494,477 |
| 25 | Abilene Christian University | TX | $9,361,760 |
With tuition and fees of $47,650 (in 2019) which is five to ten times higher than a public school like Western Carolina, it costs Wofford (and other private schools in the SoCon) significantly more to fully fund scholarships. This is reflected in the football expenses. Without accounting for scholarships, football spending far more equal across the SoCon schools.
Edited to better explain the relationship of scholarships to football expenses.
Therefore it is not money but dedication and poor coaching. Five or more years ago we were at the top. And money and coaching paid off. Let’s get there again
One little response to this: I can’t give you the source because I can’t find it (there’s a title IX website that will have this somewhere): though Wofford spend similar amounts on athletics relative to, say, Montana, about 2/3 of it goes to financial and 1/3 to coaches, facilities, etc, while for Montana, it’s the inverse. So, yes, I think we are underinvesting in football and athletics relative to other programs, simply because coaches are what make and break it at this level (and our facilities are already top tier for the FCS)
I could not find data that broke out the football expenses between scholarships and operating expenses (salaries, overhead, etc.) That information is available on the NCAA Membership Financial Reporting System. Those reports are easy to get from state schools in a FOIA request, but relatively unavailable from private schools.
The ratio of 2/3 scholarships and 1/3 operating for Wofford Football does not seem too far away from the likely calculation. That is the concern voiced in the last paragraph.
On the other hand, I cannot agree that “we are underinvesting in football and athletics relative to other programs.” That is the point of the article. Wofford’s financial investment in football is in the top 15% of all FCS programs and is by far the highest per student in the FCS. The irony is that if we ultimately want to see Wofford increase its financial investment, we need to make more donations for that purpose. It only takes $1.1 million annually to close the gap with Furman or $2.5 million to close the gap with William & Mary.
This is thought-provoking (and sometimes surprising) information. Thank you James K for putting it together.