Editorial: Wins mean gridiron greenbacks

Posted: Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Vince Lombardi, the great football coach, once reportedly asked: "If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?"

In the Texas Panhandle, one can understand why winning is so important at least to one high-profile public institution - West Texas A & M University.

The WT Buffaloes' football team is 6-0. Two weekends ago, the Buffs played before the largest home-field crowd in school history, more than 23,000 at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.

The coffers at WT's athletic department are bulging at the moment with cash, and school officials are trying to figure out the best way to invest the windfall.

And all this makes WT's far-sighted plans for a bigger, better university built significantly on its athletic program all the more attractive.

WT Athletic Director Michael McBroom said he is "thrilled" with the estimated $80,000 the school raked in from its record-setting homecoming game Oct. 13 against Eastern New Mexico University.

He should be. The school has come a long way from just a few years ago when the Buffs were playing before, oh, 600 or so fans. One cannot build a successful program with that level of non-interest in what is supposed to be a university's major money-making endeavor.

Moreover, the Buffs now are setting their sights a good bit higher. McBroom and WT President J. Patrick O'Brien have declared their intention to develop an athletic program that helps lift WT to the next level.

They have an idea of building a new football stadium on campus, along with new softball fields and new training facilities.

WT currently competes as a Division II school. Is a return to Division I in its future? As long as the school is thinking big, let us not rule out anything.

Especially as long as winning puts more people in the seats - which it will.