The phones at the UWF rang off the hook. But, like all good satire, there was a method behind the madness caused by that April Fool’s prank: it got people to imagine how great it could be.
UWF played its first football game at Blue Wahoos Stadium in 2016. The inaugural game was on Sept. 10, 2016, against Missouri S&T. And it was great.
To learn more about those who dreamed with me, read Right Idea, Right Time, the Fight for Pensacola’s Maritime Park, available at Amazon.
Here is the April 1, 2008, article:
UWF Football By 2010
by Walker Holmes
The University of West Florida Board of Trustees approved the addition of football to the intercollegiate athletic program at its regularly scheduled meeting on March 15. The decision came after a recommendation from UWF John Cavanaugh based on input from students, faculty, alumni and community groups.
- The intention is that the Argonauts will field a team in 2010 with a full transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision by 2013. In conjunction with the football announcement, the trustees also approved the addition of a 300-member marching band program for the Department of Music.
“This effort is really about the students and alumni, and bringing them closer to the university,” Cavanaugh says. “We also believe this will strengthen our already close relationship with the community.”
Community Support
Recent polls have shown that 75 percent of the citizens of the greater Pensacola area would support a football program at UWF, if they knew where the campus was. The Escambia County Commission has agreed to use its Local Option Sales Tax dollars to buy Humvees for all the players.
The Pensacola City Council and the Emerald Coast Utility Authority agreed to build a 60,000-seat stadium on the site of the former Main Street sewage treatment plant by 2010, which is five years ahead of the completion date set for the Community Maritime Park. The Pensacola News Journal has pledged to add a half-page to its sports section.
“This is a historic day for the University of West Florida and athletics in this community,” Pensacola Sports Association President Ray Palmer says. “With the future of intercollegiate athletics driven by football, we are excited as we enter a new era. College football will have a major impact on UWF, Pensacola and the surrounding communities.”
Price Named First Head Coach
Palmer chaired the search team to find the first head coach for UWF football.
“We will be recommending that Mike Price be named the first Argos head coach,” Palmer tells IN sports reporters. “Coach Price is very familiar with the area. He has committed to keeping the dance team off the goal posts.”
Price is currently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso. He formerly coached at Washington State University, Weber State University, and the University of Alabama. His overall record is 154-145.
“I am excited about the opportunity ahead of me,” Price says when tracked down at a local strip club. “I want to say thanks to UWF for entrusting the football program to me. I am very passionate about getting started. This is a great area for football players, and I want to make sure kids have a hard time leaving Pensacola for other places.”
The Argonauts are scheduled to open their inaugural season in 2010 with a game against the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, followed by games at Auburn and Florida State. Notre Dame has agreed to play the school’s first home game.
2010 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
(* Home Games)
8/28 Alabama
9/4 Auburn
9/11 Florida State
9/18 Open
9/25 Notre Dame *
10/2 Appalachian State *
10/ 9 Louisiana Tech *
10/16 Nebraska
10/23 Open
10/30 Tulane *
11/5 Florida
11/13 Baylor *
11/20 South Alabama *
SEASON TICKETS:
UWF Sports Information Dept.
UWF Field House, Building 54, Room 116
(850)474-2140