The 2015-16 school year is quickly approaching, which means football season is right around the corner. The Colonials will look to forget about a nightmare season, which included a 1-10 record. Robert Morris was in full rebuild mode last year, and it certainly showed on the field. The Colonials' defense allowed 50 points three times and only scored double digits in five games.

Andrew Chiappazzi of the Beaver County Times wrote an article on why he feels Robert Morris should cut their football program. You can read his story here:

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/college/football/chiappazzi-robert-morris-should-be-bold-and-cut-football/article_d56f1204-24d0-11e5-97b6-b72f05e5208a.html

Before I go any further, I have the utmost respect for Mr. Chiappazzi. He is the founder of ColonialsCorner and without him, I wouldn't be in the position I am today. He is a very talented journalist who will without a doubt, have a very successful career. He is certainly entitled to his opinion.

With that being said, when it comes to his article, I could not disagree more.

It is incredibly difficult to understand and appreciate the rich history that Robert Morris football has. The football program was started from scratch in 1993 by a man named Joe Walton. Walton's resume speaks for itself. He played in the National Football League for eight seasons before getting into coaching. Walton was the head coach of the New York Jets for seven years(1983-1989), and also served as their offensive coordinator in 1981 and 1982. As head coach, he led the Jets to two postseason appearances. In addition to the New York Jets, Walton has worked with three other NFL organizations. Even though Robert Morris was a brand new program, they turned into an instant contender with Walton at the helm. The Colonials have an all time record of 106-79-1, which equates to a .573 winning percentage. They won six Northeast Conference championships, and two Mid-major I-AA titles.

So why would Robert Morris consider cutting their football program?

Just because last season was really, really bad doesn't mean anyone should panic. I understand that the basketball program has been the face of the university over the last few years, but that doesn't mean we should forget what the football team has done for the school as a whole.

As Chiappazzi said in his column, the football program was initially started to create more activity and entertainment on campus. However, a lot more came out of it then just entertainment. For some, it was new opportunity and a way out. Take former strong safety Raymond Thomas for example.

"I came into Robert Morris as a non qualifier (Prop 48) and had to prove myself in the classroom before I was able to prove myself on the field," Thomas said. Prop 48 is when a player comes into college, but must meet a certain standard of academic requirements before being allowed to play. Raymond Thomas hails from Jamaica, New York, where he says the schooling does not prepare you well for college.

"The football program gave me an opportunity to further my education. With that opportunity, it made me concentrate on being eligible to play, but most of all get what I wanted to out of college," Thomas added.

The 2012 Robert Morris football Hall of Fame inductee ranks 10th all-time in tackles. Like Thomas said, education was important to him. He received his masters and doctorate from RMU, and has been very successful over the course of his career. Dr. Thomas is currently the director of Child and Family Services at A Second Chance, a non-profit corporation who's mission is to provide a safe, secure and nurturing environment to area children. Instead of giving up after high school, Raymond Thomas took advantage of an opportunity, and made a name for himself.

That's a credit to him, and it's also a credit to Joe Walton. When the program was introduced, Walton was frowned upon because not everybody was sold on his vision. Walton took a chance on a lot of young teens that other programs didn't want because they didn't feel like they were good enough to play on a high level.

"He turned boys into men. Coach Walton and his coaching staff made sure that he got to know our families and our background from which we came from," Thomas stated.

It's not just Raymond Thomas that feels that way, just ask Sam Dorsett. Dorsett was the program's all-time leading rusher from 2003-2010.

According to rmucolonials.com, Dorsett finished with 3,847 rushing yards on 724 carries, an average of 5.3 per attempt.

"Coach Walton was/is a mentor of mine. He taught me football, but the lessons he taught me were life lessons. And back when I was a wide eyed freshman I looked up to him, and still do," Dorsett said.

Dorsett, currently the running backs coach at Monmouth University, went on to say that if he went to another school, he could have only hoped his experience would have been the same. Coach Joe Walton changed the culture at Robert Morris. He gave kids who other coaches gave up on, an opportunity.

The football program brought positive attention to the school. Not only did it bring excitement within the student body, but the college (formerly Robert Morris College), instantly became more attractive. News articles around Pittsburgh spoke more highly of Robert Morris football than Pitt and Duquesne.

"Duquesne removed us from their schedule during our glory years because they didn't want to deal with losing to a football team nobody's ever heard of," Thomas said.

Joe Walton is entering his second season removed as head coach, but still works within the program. People need to be patient and allow new head coach, John Banaszak to establish his values, morals and beliefs. Walton has been the main guy since 1993, and with brand new systems on both sides of the ball, there is going to be an adjustment period. It happens all the time in sports.

In his column, Andrew Chiappazzi referred to FCS perennial powerhouse North Dakota State and their four straight national titles.

"It's won four straight national titles and consistently beaten FBS opponents. Yet in 2013, NDSU lost coach Craig Bohl to that noted FBS powerhouse Wyoming. That's what Robert Morris has to aspire to? No thanks," Chiappazzi said.

First of all, it's ridiculous to say that winning four straight national titles isn't something to aspire to. Robert Morris University would be better in every way possible if they won even one national title; heck if we won an FCS playoff game that would be huge. Not only would it help grow revenue, but it would attract better recruits and help establish a positive reputation for the university.

Look what our basketball team has done.

Robert Morris basketball has had multiple nationally televised games over the last couple of years; and that does not include postseason play. How, you might ask? Patience. Robert Morris (basketball) made the NCAA tournament in 1992, but after that did not return to the big dance until 2009.

Nobody wanted to cut our basketball team during that long drought. And during those bad basketball seasons, our football team was leading the school. It just so happens to be the opposite right now. But what people keep forgetting is that Robert Morris has less than 5,000 students. Do you know how rare it is for a school with the enrollment size of RMU to have great teams in multiple sports at the same time? Find me one school with the same capacity as Robert Morris that has had that kind of success.

Robert Morris is not North Dakota State, and will never be North Dakota State. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

NDSU has an enrollment of over 12,000 students; obviously a significantly higher number than Robert Morris. You can't compare the two. Cutting the football program to redistribute the money towards the basketball program is risky and does not guarantee that Robert Morris basketball will be any more successful than they are now. Collegiate sports are not professional organizations. They are programs built within universities. Cutting teams that bring in less revenue (like Robert Morris did last year) may be a better route. But to cut a program that put the school on the map? Not only would it be disrespectful, but it would show a lack of loyalty.

All this talk about the new basketball arena is great and I fully support what we are doing, but hypothetically speaking, say we cut football. In a few years, Andy Toole is going to be off to bigger and better things (I'm surprised he isn't already) and without the football program, a new coach in a potentially more competitive conference will be forced to carry the athletic program. When Andy Toole leaves, Robert Morris will go through an adjustment period. A new coach will have to come in and establish his offense, defense etc. We are in the middle of that with the football team. So what's going to happen when the basketball program struggles and football is back on top? Are people going to want to cut the basketball team? Colleges make this mistake all the time. Their basketball team gets really good and they move to a bigger conference and find themselves at the bottom of the standings (Davidson is an exception).

While a bigger conference will draw bigger recruits, so should eight NCAA tournament appearances and a win in the NIT over arguably the best basketball program in the history of college basketball. Moving to a conference like the Horizon League (which has gone 19-14 in the NCAA tournament over the last 12 years) would be nice and beneficial, but it would take years for RMU to compete. Not having a football team would put more pressure on the basketball team to produce right away. Youngstown State has beaten Robert Morris in the previous two seasons, and they are the worst team in the Horizon League.

Understand your niche.

Yes, a new arena is needed, but the Northeast Conference is just fine for Robert Morris. Show me that you can get past the round of 64 and maybe we can have a discussion about changing conferences.

UAB is currently working on bringing back their football program after only six months of shutting it down. Yes, UAB was an FBS program, and have had some really successful NFL players (Roddy White and Bryan Thomas).

But you know what? Robert Morris has done a damn good job of putting players and coaches in the NFL.

Hank Fraley is the assistant offensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings. He started at center for the Philadelphia Eagles for five seasons and was a huge part of an offensive line that helped accumulate the third most passing yards in franchise history. Fraley also played for the Cleveland Browns for three seasons and in 2006, had a fantastic year and earned high praise from his teammates.

Mike Miller started as a graduate assistant with the Colonials and eventually worked his way up to offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals. Jason Vrable was the quarterbacks coach in 2008 and is currently entering his third season as offensive quality control coach for the Buffalo Bills.

And most recently, former offensive lineman AJ Dalton. Dalton is one of the best to ever put on a Colonials' uniform. He spent last season with the Detroit Lions, and was recently invited by the Bills to training camp, but declined.

The former All-American is currently the offensive line coach for Shaler Area High School. When asked about the people who say the football program should be cut, AJ didn't hold back.

"I think it's pretty ignorant for people to say that," he said.

Kyle Cooper, former linebacker and senior captain, sees both sides. "Chiappazzi did make some valid points, but it can apply to every single school besides the 20 making money," he said.

When RMU lost 52-0 to the number one ranked NDSU in 2012, most people would look at the score and laugh at the whooping the Colonials received. However, NDSU did pay and take care of the Colonials travel and hospitality arrangements.

Why is that good? Because Robert Morris got an opportunity to play against the best FCS program in the country, and it didn't cost them a dime. They had absolutely nothing to lose.

While RMU may not be generating overwhelming numbers on the field, the program puts in tremendous effort off the field to help their cause. Coach Joe Walton holds an annual golf outing to raise money for the program. This past spring, an estimated $30,000 was raised according to two former players.

Additionally, Kyle Cooper made a very good point. He pointed out that football is unique because it's the only sport at the school that consistently brings back alumni (homecoming weekend).

"No other sport does that," he said.

And he's right.

Furthermore, Chiappazzi points out the rise of Xavier and Gonzaga. He makes a valid point when he mentions that both of those schools do not have football teams.

While both of these schools have very similar enrollment numbers as RMU, I think it's unfair to compare them. Gonzaga's basketball program has been to 18 NCAA tournaments, including six sweet sixteens and two elite eights. Xavier has been to the NCAA tournament 25 times, with seven sweet sixteen appearances and two elite eights. Xavier hasn't had a football program since 1973 and Gonzaga hasn't had one in 74 years. Both have always been basketball schools and each have had multiple players selected in the first round of NBA drafts. Robert Morris has only been known for their basketball program as of recent, and to ask them to model a plan after Xavier and Gonzaga doesn't make any sense because those schools never really had football teams to begin with.

In conclusion, Robert Morris isn't cutting football any time soon. Brand new turf was just put on Joe Walton Stadium and many are optimistic about the upcoming season. Coach Banaszak has a full year under his belt and there is no way they can be as bad as they were last year. The notion that our basketball program can become a powerhouse by cutting football isn't easy or realistic. Following another school's platform does not guarantee success. You must play and plan with the chips you have. You have to have your own vision and build within yourself.

Nobody said it was going to be easy.

College teams have been successful because they have stuck with what got them there. And what's gotten the RMU athletic program to where they are today? Football. RMU athletics would be nothing today it wasn't for the football team and the Joe Walton brand. The teams that are there today were made possible because of the inception of the football program.

Here's a message for you: "When things were good you had our backs, so stick in there with us during the hard times as well. 'Finish Finish Finish what we set out to do' in my Joe Walton Voice!"- Dr. Ray 'Smoke' Thomas HOF Class of 2012

Don't be fooled, while RMU may currently be a basketball school, football has, and ALWAYS will be a very important part of the athletic landscape at Robert Morris University.

To the fans, student body and RMU employees: When the school needed help in 1993, Colonials football was there. Joe Walton was there. If it ever comes to a point where the football team needs help, will you be there?