St. Thomas Cancels 1st Football Game Of Season Due To COVID
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The University of St. Thomas has canceled its first football game of the season due to COVID-19 protocols.
The matchup against the University of St. Francis was set to be UST's first as a Division I football program, and its first game since the start of the pandemic.
"Our players and coaches have a 100-percent vaccination rate as a team," Vice President and Director of Athletics Phil Esten said in a statement. "They continue to do everything they can to prepare and put themselves in a position to have a successful fall season."
The school said it is "searching for a replacement opponent to play at O'Shaughnessy Stadium on Sept. 4, or on a date later in the season."
The Tommies left the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference involuntarily in 2019 and jumped straight to Division I, joining the Pioneer Football League. Their 2020 football season was a casualty of COVID-19.
UST's next scheduled game is Sept. 11 at Michigan Tech.
The university has announced it will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all students, faculty and staff returning in-person this fall.