Governor Kay Ivey has signed House Joint Resolution 17 into law, paving the way for junior college football to make a comeback in Alabama after more than three decades.
into law, paving the way for junior college football to make a comeback in Alabama after more than three decades. The last time a junior college in Alabama fielded a football team was Marion Military Institute in 1990.
Now, Republican Representative Chris Blackshear is trying bring the sport back to community colleges statewide. “Maybe we’ve got a kid that thinks they’ve run their course as far as being able to play football, well now you know what? Let’s take that career path, let’s now give you an opportunity to play football at a two-year and at the same time well now you’re gonna continue your education when you never thought that was possible,” Blackshear said. Blackshear’s legislative resolution establishes the Alabama Community College Football Study Commission, made up of members from the Alabama House and Senate, along with high school, junior college, and four-year university athletic directors and coaches. The commission will hold its first meeting in May and deliver its findings by Nov. 1. The study will examine everything from infrastructure and funding to implementation timelines. “What’s the feasibility? And the feasibility starts with, what’s the cost? You know that’s the number one thing. My particular opinion is, we start maybe with 6-10 schools, a couple of divisions. I think you really have to dig in and analyze what we already have in the junior college ecosystem in the state,” Blackshear explained. The Alabama Community College System already supports 15 different sports across more than 180 teams, serving over 2,200 student-athletes. A junior college football program could open new doors for high school athletes looking to continue their football careers while pursuing higher education. “The community college system is really open to sitting down and having the conversation. Because it hasn’t been had in so many years. We’ve had college coaches, college ADs, high school coaches and ADs have reach out saying ‘Thank you for looking at this... Y’all aren’t promising anything, but at least we now see that there is a group that truly is trying to understand what opportunities are still there,’” Blackshear said. With the study commission now in motion, Alabama could potentially see junior college football return within the next year.Mom of 3 who was found alive after going missing 24 years ago taken into custodyUnleash your inner athlete at the Alabama State Games
WFSA Alabama Montgomery Gov. Kay Ivey House Joint Resolution 17 Chris Blackshear Football Junior College Football Alabama Community College Football Study Commissio Junior College Alabama Community College System Sports College Sports
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