St. Francis College to eliminate entire Division 1 athletic program following 2023 spring season

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St. Francis College in Brooklyn, which boasts the oldest college men’s basketball program in New York City, has announced the end of its entire Division 1 athletic program. 

Denis Salamone, the chair of the St. Francis College Board of Trustees, announced Monday that the private institution founded in 1884 would be undergoing a "a strategic realignment plan" to combat "increased operating expenses, flattening revenue streams, and plateauing enrollment due in part to a shrinking pool of high school graduates in the aftermath of the pandemic." 

Miami guard Isaiah Wong shoots a jump shot over St. Francis guard Roy Clarke on Nov. 23, 2022, at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida. (Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

This included the "elimination" of St. Francis athletic programs.

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"Accordingly, the Board of Trustees recently approved a strategic realignment plan which includes the elimination of the College's NCAA Division I athletics program, effective at the conclusion of the Spring 2023 semester," Salamone said in a statement, via the college’s website. 

"We want to acknowledge that SFC has a rich legacy in competitive athletics, and are proud of our Terriers today and in all years past. This difficult decision was guided by a commitment to preserving the College's 164-year Franciscan mission to provide a high quality and affordable education to working-class and first-generation students."

St. Francis will honor all current academic and athletic scholarships, despite the decision but added that employment for athletic staff and coaches will end at