St. Thomas football begins conference play as college is set to be removed from MIAC
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Saturday marked the start of conference play for St. Thomas University's football squad as the St. Paul, Minnesota college began what will be one of its final seasons in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
St. Thomas was involuntarily removed from the conference in May with the MIAC President's council citing an "athletic competitive parity" for the justification behind the decision.
Saturday's contest at Hamline University served as an example of that disparity. St. Thomas crushed Hamline, 74 to 14. The team's offense gained an impressive 720 yards to Hamline's 284 yards.
According to the conference, that sort of dominance isn't uncommon for the St. Thomas football team and for the college's other athletic squads. In May, the college was ordered out as other schools threatened to leave.
St. Thomas was one of the founding members of the MIAC when the conference formed in the 1920s. While the college has been ordered out, St. Thomas is eligible to compete in the MIAC through Spring 2021.