Iowa Wesleyan Football: What Happened to the Program and Where It Stands Today

If you’re searching for Iowa Wesleyan football, the most important thing to know upfront is this: Iowa Wesleyan University closed permanently at the end of the 2022–23 academic year, and its football program closed along with it. The school, located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, closed after 181 years of operation due to serious financial difficulties, leaving no active Iowa Wesleyan football team today.

This article explains what happened to the program, provides some background, and tells people connected to the team—players, alumni, and fans—where to turn for current information.

Quick Answer: Does Iowa Wesleyan Still Have a Football Team?

No. Iowa Wesleyan University closed at the end of the 2022–23 academic year, and with it, the football program ceased to exist. The university’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously in March 2023 to shut down the school due to financial challenges, including a large USDA loan and declining philanthropic support. Since the university no longer operates, there is no current Iowa Wesleyan football roster, schedule, or coaching staff.

Why Did Iowa Wesleyan University Close?

Iowa Wesleyan’s closure wasn’t sudden in the sense that it wasn’t expected by those following the school’s finances, but it did surprise many students, athletes, and community members when it was formally announced. A few key factors contributed to the decision:

• Rising operating costs driven by inflation
• Declining philanthropic giving, which many small private colleges rely on heavily
• A significant USDA loan, reportedly around $26 million, that could have been recalled in full
• Changing enrollment trends across small private institutions nationally
• The rejection of a request for state COVID relief funding, which the university had hoped would help bridge its financial gap

The Board of Trustees made the decision in March 2023, and the university officially closed at the end of that academic year, ending well over a century of operation in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

What This Meant for the Football Program

When a university closes, every athletic program tied to it closes as well — and Iowa Wesleyan football was no exception. This affected several groups of people directly:

Current Players at the Time

Athletes on the roster at the time of the closure had to find new schools if they wanted to continue playing college football. Many student-athletes in this situation transferred to other colleges, sometimes with help from their coaching staff, to complete their playing eligibility elsewhere.

Coaching Staff

Coaches employed by the football program lost their positions when the university shut down, as is the case for all faculty and staff at a closing institution.

Recruits

Prospective players who had committed to Iowa Wesleyan football before the closure announcement needed to reopen their recruitment and find other programs.

Alumni and Former Players

For former Iowa Wesleyan football players, the closure means the program’s history is now permanently in the past. Alumni networks and historical records remain a way to stay connected to the program’s legacy, even though the team itself no longer exists.

A Brief Look Back at Iowa Wesleyan Football

Iowa Wesleyan University fielded athletic teams, including football, for many decades as part of its broader college athletics offerings. Like many small private colleges, Iowa Wesleyan football operated at a smaller scale than major Division I programs, competing instead at a level suited to its size and resources.

Because detailed historical statistics for smaller college programs like this aren’t always widely documented online, anyone researching specific seasons, records, or notable players is often better served by:

• University archives (where accessible)
• Local Mount Pleasant, Iowa newspapers and historical societies
• The Henry County Heritage Trust, which has taken an interest in preserving pieces of the university’s history
• Databases that track college football, program alumni

What Happened to the Iowa Wesleyan Campus?

After the closure, the university’s roughly 60-acre campus became the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, since the school’s land had served as collateral for its outstanding loan. Portions of the campus, including practice fields and central buildings, were later sold, including a purchase by the Mount Pleasant Community School District. Some historically significant buildings on the property, such as Old Main and the Harlan-Lincoln House, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which has influenced how the property has been managed since the closure.

Where to Find Information on Former Iowa Wesleyan Football Players

If you’re trying to track down a former Iowa Wesleyan football player — whether for research, nostalgia, or reconnecting with teammates — a few practical approaches tend to work best:

1. Search alumni-focused sports databases that catalog players by school, even after a program has closed.
2. Check social media groups built around Iowa Wesleyan alumni or athletics, which often persist even after a school shuts down.
3. Reach out through local Mount Pleasant community organizations, which have taken an active interest in preserving the university’s legacy.
4. Look for transfer records if you’re trying to follow where a player continued their college career after the closure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Does Iowa Wesleyan University still have a football team? Answer: No. Iowa Wesleyan University closed permanently at the end of the 2022–23 academic year due to financial difficulties, and its football program closed along with the rest of the school. There is no active Iowa Wesleyan football team, schedule, or roster today.

Question: When did Iowa Wesleyan University close? Answer: The Board of Trustees voted to close the university in March 2023, and the school officially ceased operations at the end of the 2022–23 academic year. This ended 181 years of the university’s operation in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Question: Why did Iowa Wesleyan University close? Answer: The university cited rising operating costs, declining philanthropic support, changing enrollment trends, and a large outstanding USDA loan. A request for state COVID relief funding was also turned down, which the university said contributed to the final decision to close.

Question: What happened to Iowa Wesleyan football players after the closure? Answer: Student-athletes on the roster at the time of closure had to transfer to other colleges to continue their football careers, since the program no longer existed. Many small-college athletes in similar closures relocate with help from coaches or athletic staff.

Question: Where was Iowa Wesleyan University located? Answer: Iowa Wesleyan University was located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, a small city in the southeastern part of the state. The university served the local community and surrounding region for 181 years before its closure in 2023.

Final Thoughts

Iowa Wesleyan football is no longer an active program because Iowa Wesleyan University itself closed permanently in 2023 after 181 years of operation. Financial pressures, including a large outstanding loan and declining support, led to the school’s closure, which ended its football program along with every other part of the institution. For those with ties to the team, players, coaches, or alumni local historical resources and alumni networks remain the best way to stay connected to its legacy.