Saint Xavier University in downtown Chicago was founded as a women’s college in 1846. The school did not become coed until 1969. SXU then began their football program in 1993. The initial results were as expected – the Cougars won a total of eight games in their first six seasons.
All that changed in 1999 when Mike Feminis was named head coach. In 12 seasons at SXU, Feminis has compiled a 102-40 record, back-to-back Mid-State Football Association Championships, and finished 2010 with an overall 13-1 record. Since 2005, Saint Xavier has more wins than any other program in the state of Illinois. The Cougars had 11-0 regular season records in both 2009 and 2010.
After playing high school football for Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights and then at St. Francis in Joliet, Feminis coached at his alma mater before coming back to Chicago. He brought a high-powered offense to SXU and hasn’t looked back since. The Cougars have averaged over 40 points a game over the last three seasons and compile a 62-14 record since 2005. This past year, SXU reached the semifinals of the NAIA National Championship, falling to eventual champion Carroll College.
Feminis’ secret – recruiting in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. “There’s so much talent in the Chicago area, we don’t really need to recruit outside of Chicago,” said Feminis. A total of 72 of the 84 players on the team are from the Chicagoland area. The NAIA school has an enrollment of just over 5,000 with males comprising now 30 percent of the students. Does it get any better than being a football player at Saint Francis?