College Football: 6 defunct programs we’d like to see reborn
By John Scimeca
1. Wichita State Shockers
Year started: 1897
Last active season: 1986
The Shockers have conducted numerous feasibility studies since dropping the football program in 1986. Most recently, in 2016, university president John Bardo tweeted a picture that raised enough eyebrows:
Wichita State was finalizing a move to the American Athletic Conference at the time in all sports except football. The AAC is a 12-member football league with the inclusion of Navy, who competes as a football-only member.
The Shockers’ feasibility study ultimately concluded “no” to reviving the program, but the chatter has not abated. Imagine the black Wichita State helmet joining the Big 12 and forming another Big 12 North Division against the likes of Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State. Or, the Shockers could join the AAC and give Tulsa and SMU a closer regional rival than, say, their current conference opponents like East Carolina and South Florida.
Given the men’s basketball team’s success on the national stage — including a 2013 Final Four appearance and a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed in 2014 — a successful football program should be just as enticing for WSU supporters.