The move, which will save the school an estimated $1 million annually, came as a shock to its players and coaches

On Thursday night, if you had asked Malone football coach Fred Thomas to name the three worst days of his life, he would have listed the death of his parents and the day his wife lost her volleyball coaching job at Hoover High School.

He woke up Friday morning to his fourth.

At 5:45 a.m., just before a mandatory team meeting, Malone President Dr. David King took Thomas aside and said, “This is the hardest decision I’ve had to make in 25 years in higher education. We’re disbanding the football program immediately.” Malone’s players got the news 15 minutes later.

The move, estimated to save the university about $1 million annually, comes amid a campuswide restructuring designed to eliminate a $2.5 million deficit over the next two years.

"We love our students and recognize that this will change elements of the student experience for our football players," said King, who has been Malone’s president for seven years.

The university said it has taken several steps to help current and future student-athletes, starting with the timing of the announcement. Originally scheduled for Feb. 8, the Malone board's meeting was pushed forward so that should trustees vote in favor of the recommendation of a working group studying athletics to discontinue football, that vote would occur before national signing day, which is Feb. 6.

Friday’s news stunned Thomas — “I had no clue,” he said — and left him scrambling to find a home for between 75-80 players who were two weeks into the spring semester. Representatives from about 15 teams were on campus Friday and Thomas said more are coming next week.

Malone said it will honor the athletic scholarships of current football players who choose to stay at the university, and it will maintain the same level of financial aid offered to non-scholarship players. Both commitments will stay in place up to four years for each player.

Staff members from the Financial Aid, Student Life and the Center for Student Success offices attended Friday's meeting to begin working with the players to help them with their decisions.

When asked how many players wanted to remain at Malone, Thomas said, “None of them want to. Some of them might have to because of academics because they’re so far into their career, but they all want out.”

No other athletic programs were affected as part of Friday's announcement. Teams will continue to participate in NCAA Division II as members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC).

“We needed to right-size athletics,” Pioneers athletic director Charlie Grimes. “The way to do that was to repurpose resources, not only to cut about $1 million but also position our programs more strongly and more competitively in Division II.”

Malone launched its football program in 1993 and has had just seven winning seasons over that span, with the last coming in 2008. But Friday’s news came during a positive stretch for the program, which finished 2-8 last fall but was more competitive on the field than it had been in recent years. The Pioneers are also poised to place their first player in the NFL, with graduating wide receiver Ashton Dulin invited to compete at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis later this month.

“I had no idea (it was coming),” Dulin said. “It’s a really hard time for the guys, who are trying to figure out the next step in their lives. I’m going to help in whatever way I can to help them finish out their careers and finish their education.

“It comes down to the fact that there are guys there right now who put in a lot of work and time and money to play for that program. They came there to play football, they want to play football and this is hard to cope with.”

Dulin’s younger brother, Arrington, was a standout defensive lineman for the Pioneers the past two years and still has two years of eligibility remaining. He plans to transfer.

“Oh yes,” Ashton Dulin said Friday evening. “He’s going through the process and talking to coaches, figuring out what to do. Hopefully he finds the right place for him.”

Lake football coach Dan DeGeorge, a former Malone running back who is a member of the school's athletic hall of fame, called the decision "unfortunate."

"It's a sad thing," said DeGeorge, who played from 1992-96 and still holds the school's career rushing record. "I understand there's a reason why people have to do what they did, but I feel bad for the coaches there and the kids there. I had a great experience playing there and I was able to meet some great coaches and great teammates and find a way to start my career. It was very rewarding.

"I got about 30 texts this morning from the guys I played with and the kids I coached who went there and most people were wondering what was going on and sharing their disappointment."

One of DeGeorge's former Blue Streak players, RB Matt Blasiole, just finished a five-year career with the Pioneers and another, RB Cam Martin, was set to sign with Malone next week.

"This affects a lot of current kids and I hope something happens (football-wise) for all of them," DeGeorge said. "It was nice to have two small (Division II) colleges in Stark County and we've had a lot of Lake kids go there and have success. That shortens that well for us in that matter."

Friday’s decision also put Malone’s football coaches out of a job, something that weighed heavily on Thomas when he talked on Friday evening.

“The timing is terrible,” said Thomas, who has been Malone's head coach for three seasons after one year as an assistant. “I’ve got some pretty doggone good coaches and they need a place to work.”

When asked what might be the next chapter for him, Thomas said, "I'll think about that after everyone else is taken care of. I'm in a little different situation than most of these other guys.

"I did this mostly for fun and the love of coaching."

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