West Georgia Technical College officials are exploring the possibility of adding football to its growing athletic program. The school is in the early stages of a vetting process, which includes soliciting feedback from the local communities within its seven-county footprint.

“Athletics is a very important part of our college, and we have already seen the benefits of having an athletic program,” noted WGTC President Dr. Skip Sullivan. “We feel that this is just the tip of the iceberg. We are a young program with more than 100 student-athletes who are doing great things in the classroom and on the playing fields. Football is an item that we want to examine closely and we encourage feedback from the community as we move forward.”

West Georgia Tech will host a series of open forums to gauge the level of support from the community and potential athletes.

The first open forum will be held on Thursday, July 12, at 7 p.m., at the Murphy Conference Center on the West Georgia Tech campus in Waco. Subsequent meetings will be held through December at other locations which are yet to be determined. The public is invited to attend the forums.

WGTC Athletic Coordinator Walter Dunson brings a wealth of experience to the table, having played in the NFL. Dunson was a local standout at Central High School before playing collegiately at Middle Tennessee State University.

Dunson said he’d like to reach out to the local communities and get them engaged in the process moving forward.

“Personally, I believe the support is there and I know that we are in an area that supports football. Without question, the level of talent in this area is as good as you will find anywhere. I look forward to talking with coaches, players, community leaders and citizens about how we can work together,” Dunson said.

Dunson said the earliest WGTC would play football is 2014. If the Golden Knights add football, they would initially play in the National Club Football Association with plans to move up to Division I of the National Junior College Athletic Association within a couple of years. That would follow a path similar to that of the WGTC baseball team, which moved to NJCAA Division I status in its second season of competition.

You can go to West Georgia Tech’s new athletics website at www.WGTCAthletics.com for updates on future open forums. Anyone who is unable to attend a forum but would like to provide feedback can do so by emailing athletics@westgatech.edu.

For additional information, contact Dunson at walter.dunson@westgatech.edu.