Friday, July 9, 2010

FAMU looks to get athletic program out of the red

Florida A&M University president Dr. James H. Ammons.

If indeed it takes a village to raise a child, then Florida A&M President James Ammons might be on to something to help his athletic program get out of the red. While FAMU has made great strides during the past year to reduce its athletic department's deficit by almost $1 million, Ammons believes that if coaches recruit more local athletes they'd eventually help gate receipts that could put more bodies in the Lawson Center and Bragg Stadium on game days.

"I think there is some merit in looking at local athletes, especially when you have a 10,000-seat facility," Ammons said during a recent interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. "The family, the church, the community — I think everybody would come to watch local athletes play." Meanwhile, FAMU's athletic department continues efforts to cut into a budget deficit that totaled $5.3 million a year ago. Ammons said the gap is now at $4.6 million and the goal is to make the department profitable within the next three to five years.



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