Is Mustang football possible?

By Andrew Cross

Everyone at The Master’s University knows the famous T-shirt: Mustang football, undefeated since 1927. TMU boasts some of the best sports teams in the NAIA but is missing the most popular sport nationwide. But why doesn’t The Master’s University have a football team, and could it be possible in the future?  

One of the main reasons against football at TMU is the sheer amount of infrastructure that would be needed to sustain a full-strength football team. A football team alone requires at least 50 players and many more coaches, trainers and managers. That is nearly one-sixth of TMU’s population all focused on one sport. 

“There are pluses and minuses, but it could be a really cool student experience,” TMU athletic director Chris Beck said. “But there are so many costs prohibiting things that we haven’t ventured to think of that as an option yet.” 

The Mustangs would need a playing field, a weight room and just space in general. Space isn’t too plentiful in Placerita Canyon now, either. 

“The difficulty is space. Where do you go to practice, and then where do you play the game? And no matter where you go, it’s going to cost money,” said TMU sports information director Dave Caldwell. 

Three football stadiums in the Santa Clarita Valley can hold spectators: College of the Canyons, Canyon High School and Valencia High School. Several other high schools have fields that can hold practices as well. 

However, on the positive side, there are possibilities for a future football team. Looking to Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) rival Arizona Christian provides a way that could lessen some of these adverse effects. 

Arizona Christian is the only GSAC school to have a football team. This club team is sponsored by the university and allowed the Firestorm to take on several top-15 NAIA opponents. They were able to travel as far as Montana and Oregon to compete. Ottawa University of Arizona is another school in the GSAC that has a football program, and the Spirit have risen to 13th in the final NAIA poll. 

TMU also has no problem attracting a surplus of high-level athletes. The men’s volleyball and swim teams have been able to recruit very well nationwide and have reaped success from it. Also, there are former high school football stars currently attending TMU. Track and field jumper Jayk Kelton rushed for over 1,000 yards in his senior high school season and added 123 tackles. It’s safe to say the Mustangs have the athletes to take to the gridiron. 

While football at The Master’s University may not be a possibility now, the method of a club team is something that could be an option in the future. Until then, Mustang football will always remain undefeated since 1927.