In a short release that went out last night, Fort Scott announced that they have decided to drop their football program.
Fort Scott was 2-7 on the year, and had been outscored 210-45 in their four losses over the last six games, which also included a win over RPA College and a 1-0 forfeit win over Butler CC (JC - KS).
This is a complete 180 from the stance that athletic director Tom Havorn took back in April, after they announced that they would not play a season in the spring as so many other schools had opted to do after COVID, he shared that there were zero plans to shut down the football program.
"We are not shutting down the football program and do not intend to look into doing so. Football is a huge part of FSCC and we fully intend on collectively investing in the program in an effort to positively represent the KJCCC and community of Fort Scott," he shared, via the Butler County Times-Gazette earlier this year
In the school's most recent release, they state that fielding a competitive football program is no longer sustainable due to "the cumulative effect of limited resources, changes in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) football eligibility rules in 2016, and the changing ethos of football in general."
That 2016 rule change was to allow unlimited out of conference scholarships, and in 2019 the conference voted for the new rule to go into effect in 2021, according to the Butler County Times-Gazette, once again.
Fort Scott's president voted in favor of those changes at the time.
"We simply do not have the resources to maintain a football team that would be competitive in the Jayhawk Conference," the school added.
The number of Junior College's playing football has shrunk significantly since 2015, when there were 65 schools playing football. This past season, that number was just 53.
The program has been led by Carson Hunter the last few seasons, and Fort Scott previously played for a national championship under the leadership of Jeff Simms back in 2009.
Fort Scott will continue to honor scholarships to all football student athletes who opt to stay at the school.