Furman cuts two sports, including baseball, amid coronavirus budget hits
Furman University announced several moves Monday to address the financial impact of the coronavirus. The biggest two: The school is discontinuing its baseball and men’s lacrosse programs.
Furman is also cutting the salaries of the president and senior administrators and implementing furloughs and budget reductions, the school announced. The university is planning to have classes in person this fall.
“As we all know from our shared experience, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust us into a global crisis we could not have imagined six months ago,” Furman President Elizabeth Davis said in a statement issued by the school. “We are taking these steps to ensure that our university can thrive and continue to carry out its academic mission at the highest level of quality and engagement.”
The college, located in Greenville, is believed to be the first in South Carolina to make a decision to cut athletics programs in response to the coronavirus’ impact on school finances.
Furman is a member of the Southern Conference. The Paladins finished the virus-shortened 2020 baseball season with an 8-9 record.
“Today has been tough to say the least! First off, I’m thankful for all of those who have been supportive of Furman Baseball! I am heartbroken for all my boys, and for the families,” Furman assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator Taylor Harbin posted on Twitter. “I am grateful to all of the coaching staff. I can’t begin to express what these three guys mean to me and my family! All of us will land on our feet, we just have to put our trust in God and know that he has a plan for all of us! I love all of you!”
Furman won four regular season Southern Conference titles and two SoCon tournament titles during its history. It appeared in the NCAA Tournament five times — 1965, 1969, 1976, 1991 and 2005. The Furman baseball program played its first games in 1896.
The men’s lacrosse team went 1-6 in 2020 before its season was cut short. Furman is “discontinuing the baseball and men’s lacrosse programs immediately, and reducing the total number of athletics scholarships by 45 over the next five years, with the reductions spread across multiple sports.”
In addition to Furman, Bowling Green University has also cut its baseball program due to the financial impact of the coronavirus. East Carolina University announced in a board meeting Monday that it is planning to cut at least one sport as well.
Furman will honor the scholarships of current and incoming student-athletes in baseball and men’s lacrosse, according to a statement. The college also said it will assist student-athletes in transferring to another school if that’s what they choose to do.
”This is a difficult day for Furman Athletics,” AD Jason Donnelly said in a statement. “We are proud of Furman’s athletics history and tradition and the student-athletes and coaches who have competed as Paladins. Moving forward, Furman Athletics will operate as an 18-sport varsity program that supports academic and athletic excellence, financial stability, gender equity and sustainable competitive success with an emphasis on revenue generation and philanthropy. Our immediate focus is on supporting our student-athletes and coaches impacted by today’s decisions, as well as our alumni and fans who so passionately support our programs.”
Furman pointed to dramatic reductions in revenue as the reason for the changes. The university is anticipating having a multimillion-dollar deficit in the coming fiscal year, according to the school’s statement.
Furman had previously announced that it was “freezing open positions, placing construction projects on hold and limiting expenditures to those that are absolutely essential for educating, supporting and recruiting students and for maintaining basic business operations.”
This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 4:12 PM.
