Xavier happy to pay price for success
The Xavier Saints look like a college football team when their 86-man squad runs onto the field before games each Friday night, but that big squad comes with a big price tag.
It costs Xavier approximately $700 to give each player all the equipment he needs with a helmet, shoulder pads, padded girdle, game pants and practice pants.
That comes to roughly $60,000 to outfit the varsity, but it doesn't end there. The Saints also have 38 sophomores and 38 freshmen in the program, swelling the ranks to 162 players and swelling the investment to more than $100,000 in equipment.
"The numbers are probably going to surprise people," said Stu Ballinger, who has been the equipment manager for the Xavier football program since the school opened in 1998. "The numbers are pretty phenomenal, when it comes down to it.
"We have $100,000 in inventory in our locker room when we're not in season. There's no question about it. It's pretty phenomenal."
