09/30/2026
Salute to the Chicago State football players and coaching staff. 1-4 isn’t the story — showing up every week for a first-year FCS program with limited facilities, limited housing, and limited coaching salaries and still competing is.
We’ve taken shots at this program, but the target has never been the kids on the field. It’s the institution, the elected officials who greenlit this launch, and the boosters/alumni who’ve gone quiet since kickoff.
Let’s be honest about this next stretch, and honestly, it’s hard to feel good about any of it. October 3 at Tarleton State is a lost cause on paper — they’re 4-0 and No. 3 in the country, and there’s no shame in getting run off the field there. But don’t mistake NC A&T (1-4) and Lindenwood (1-3, unranked) for easy fixes just because they’re unranked. Both teams are further along in roster development, facilities, and program stability than a first-year CSU squad still working out of limited housing and a thin coaching staff. On the road, against teams with more continuity, three straight losses on this trip is the realistic outcome, not the exception.
Here’s the part nobody wants to say out loud: most FCS programs lose millions every year, and Chicago State isn’t an outlier — it’s the national norm. Media/TV revenue is almost nonexistent without a conference-run streaming network, and sponsorship deals are mostly free gear, not cash that pays coaches or covers housing. That means the money has to come from somewhere else: university subsidy, state support, and boosters/donors. And that’s exactly where the silence is loudest — and exactly why a team already fighting an uphill battle keeps facing tougher odds on the road than it should.
No elected official has invited the President, AD, or head coach to a budget hearing or committee meeting to explain funding and long-term sustainability. Plenty have shown up for photo ops at games. The CSU NAA and boosters haven’t organized a fundraising push, a meal train, or real community outreach. Meanwhile CSU knows exactly how to mobilize when accreditation boards or the state board of higher education come calling.
So here’s the ask, plainly:
• Elected officials: hold a public hearing with CSU leadership on how this program is funded now and how it stays funded past year one.
• CSU NAA and boosters: launch a real fundraising campaign — remember the $4 million goal set to launch this program? Time for a public update on where that stands.
• Alumni and supporters: show up with dollars, meals, and outreach, not just Saturday attendance.
• Fans discouraged by the record: point your frustration at the people who built this without a funding plan, not at 18-to-22-year-olds grinding through a brutal first season.
This road trip may not produce a win, and that’s okay to say plainly. The real question isn’t whether CSU beats Tarleton State, NC A&T, or Lindenwood — it’s whether the people who created this program are willing to fund it like they meant it, so next year’s version of this team isn’t still playing catch-up on the road.
