A university known for losing is betting football can change everything

Notably, a university known for losing is betting football can change everything Three years ago, this seemed impossible.

Key points

• In 2012, he joined the Moscow Patriots, a powerhouse in the Eastern European Super League.
• Plus, he can say "I am the Chicago State University football coach" in Russian.
• It's going to be a historic achievement when the Cougars play fellow Chicago school, Division II Roosevelt Lakers in its inaugural game.
• In just a few years, Chicago State football has gone from possibility to reality, kicking off its inaugural season Saturday, Aug.
• While it promotes it as such, Northwestern isn't actually in Chicago; it's just north in nearby Evanston.

Those are the words that continuously echoed in Monique Carroll's ears. Just a few months after becoming Chicago State athletic director in July 2022, she embarked on an ambitious quest: Bring Division I football to the South Side.

While it's nothing new for universities nationwide, it's a peculiar one for Chicago State. A predominantly Black university with a historically low graduation rate according to the U.S. Department of Education, athletics has never been a solid suit for the Cougars. Most sports have tremendous all-time losing records. In practice, the few bright spots have been in women's tennis, with an undefeated 1991-92 season and in 2024, becoming the first Chicago State team to create the NCAA tournament.

That wasn't going to stop Carroll from trying – and running full speed at it.

"I promised to our president and our board of trustees, if we ever looked up and it did not make sense or something in the landscape shifted that we would make the right decision (to stop), " Carroll informed USA TODAY Sports. "Thank God we didn't have to."

In just a few years, Chicago State football has gone from possibility to reality, kicking off its inaugural season Saturday, Aug. 29. The Cougars are starting in the FCS level, becoming the only Division I football team in the Windy City.

It's an exciting time for a university trying to turn the corner in its athletic resume, all while undertaking an enormous challenge to start up a program from scratch – and keep it going in one of the U.S.' major markets all while trying to change the school's narrative of losing.

While it promotes it as such, Northwestern isn't actually in Chicago; it's just north in nearby Evanston. When Major Ten founding member University of Chicago dropped its program, the last time the city actually had a Division I football team was 1939.

It was pondered for years, but football wasn't viewed as a necessity for Chicago State. Carroll admitted she "wouldn't say it was important" for football to happen. But again, it felt like the right thing to do.

Notably, the start of 2023 was when it officially explored the idea of adding football, forming a committee and launching fundraising efforts to support with the strenuous cost. A year afterwards, Chicago State joined the Northeast Conference and went on women's triathlon in positive steps.

There was real movement, but nothing officially set in stone. Still, the administration opened up a coaching search. More than 300 individuals applied, and in April 2025 it officially hired someone with one of the most unique backgrounds you'll find in the sport. A coach with experience in. Russia?

Meanwhile, a former North Carolina fullback with some stints in the NFL, Bobby Rome II had some stops nationwide before it took him to an unexpected spot: Russia.

In 2012, he joined the Moscow Patriots, a powerhouse in the Eastern European Super League. The after year, he was a coach for Saint Petersburg State. Then in 2014, he was hired to launch American football at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, a Pacific port city roughly 80 miles from the border of North Korea and China.

Rome coached the Wild Panda for three years, only since that's how long his visa would allow, literally building a program from scratch and teaching residents how to play football.

"It was particularly humbling. Getting overseas, getting to a place where football wasn't particularly popular, and it taught me how to build. It taught me how to service others. It taught me how to see something through, " Rome remarked. "My experience in Russia was amazing. It's taught me how to do a lot with a little."

He didn't have any idea it would be his distinct mark, and while it was fun and rewarding, Rome didn't figure it would support him in his coaching journey. His father informed him "this is gonna help you one day."

Rome brushed it off, but after a few stints at small colleges in the National Christian College Athletic Association (Virginia-Lynchburg), Division II (Central State) and NAIA (Florida Memorial), he was out of coaching at the end of the 2024 season when he saw Chicago State was hiring.

"The moment Chicago State decided they wanted to start football, I wanted to be a part of it, " he remarked. "It's something regarding the South Side that I wanted to be a part of. It's something regarding Chicago State in general."

After a pool the university remarked included coaches with NFL and college experience, Chicago State introduced Rome as its first coach in April 2025, putting him in a position of building something from the ground up once again.

Guess dad was right after all. Plus, he can say "I am the Chicago State University football coach" in Russian.

Rome was hired to a four-year accord that kicked off off at $90, 000 and rose to $180, 000 once football was officially went on, according to his contract obtained by USA TODAY Sports. There are additionally incentives for fundraising.

For Rome, it wasn't built in a day. The first couple of months on the job was mostly generating community backing, trying to secure what was needed to create football actually happen.

There were a number of moving parts all trying to produce it happen. Carroll described it as an intense and stressful time since "you don't want to add programs on top of an unstable foundation."

Then on Dec. After trying to fundraise $4 million, the university board of trustees unanimously approved football, 18.

"While everyone was celebrating – that's when a lot of the external excitement – we were like, 'OK, now it's finally time to get to work, '" Carroll remarked.

Rome and Carroll had to work together to obtain everything sorted in less than a year. There wasn't any other coach, player, a schedule, housing or even a stadium. It was like Chicago State was building the Titanic on water, and the iceberg was rapidly approaching.

Carroll and Rome worked together and on their own to obtain the pieces aligned. As its home, they were able to obtain an 11-game schedule by February, and secure SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, concerning a 40-minute drive west. Uniforms, equipment and everything else came to place. The practice field was painted on the old baseball field.

Rome then assembled a staff and roster – though most of it remains a mystery. He touted a top-10 recruiting class in FCS, with a number of three-star recruits committing to the Cougars over Power conference FBS schools, pitching how "it was very enticing to be the guy to start this thing." He additionally received a $5, 000 bonus for the first signing class.

"We all were looking for bringing in young men that understood what the mission was here, and to lay the foundation for Chicago State football, " he remarked. "We wanted young men to understand that they were here to pour the concrete for the foundation for something that's going to last a particularly long time. They were going to have an opportunity to set the culture."

In practice, the roster is intriguing. Most of it comes from its own backyard, with 20 players coming from Chicago, but there are multiple freshmen from throughout the country, from California all the way to the nation's capital.

Most transfers come from outside of Division I, but it does feature some players from FBS schools. While most didn't play much at their previous stops, notable individuals include Tre Residents from LSU. This person was a three-star recruit in high school, and running back Tre Hartwell from Western Michigan. One of the most experienced guys is receiver Kyrmari Gray. This person has played in 32 games during three seasons at Hampton and one at Norfolk State.

Kaymen Coleman, a Chicago-born receiver who was with NAIA Judson University in 2025, was in the transfer portal and reaching out to schools when he saw Chicago State was starting a team. It immediately intrigued him, having grown up down the street from the university, and when he connected with the staff, it was a clear decision. He not only felt like wanting to represent his hometown, but is one of plenty of looking to produce a statement.

"I always felt like I had a chip on my shoulder, something to prove, " Coleman remarked. "I feel like there's no better situation to go into where everybody is coming in the same way."

Regardless, Rome notes he likes what he has seen from his roster. He believes he has a number of quarterbacks capable of starting, a deep running back and receiver room and well-rounded unit in the trenches, "where we invested most of our money at, " he stated.

It's going to be a historic achievement when the Cougars play fellow Chicago school, Division II Roosevelt Lakers in its inaugural game. Yet, the challenge doesn't end there. 'No one's gonna backing a loser'.

You don't need anyone to tell you how expensive it is to fund a program, let alone from scratch. Chicago State relied on a fundraising goal of $4 million to obtain it kicked off, and it's going to take a lot more to keep it going.

That can be more challenging when it's a university like Chicago State, where sports aren't generating revenue or succeeding much. Carroll is aware of what has long been the view of her university, but she's out to change that – believing football is the key to turning it around.

"Our other sports are ready to rise to the occasion and show that we are building a really comprehensive athletic program at Chicago State and looking to erase the reputation, " Carroll remarked. "The numbers are the numbers. The history doesn't lie, but that's why I'm here."

Notably, the goal isn't to just have a flash in a pan, but for Carroll and Rome to look way down the line from now and reminiscence what they were able to start. While keeping a close eye on what unfolds in the ever changing landscape of college sports, the administration still intends to fundraise and generate resources. Chicago State has not opted into the House settlement, according to the College Sports Commission, something Carroll remarked can change.

It's anyone's guess how good Chicago State is, and if it can obtain hot out of the gate.

In short, a university known for losing is betting football can change everything is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.