NFL PLAYERS SAVE JUNIOR COLLEGE PROGRAM

Due to budget cuts, Northern Iowa Area Community College announced earlier this week plans to scrap its football program, which dates back to the 1940s.Enter four NFL players.Due to contributions from Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and three other unnamed (for now) NFL players, the program possibly will survive for at least another year.Peterson and others reportedly are donating nearly $150,000 to the cause.An NIACC assistant coach apparently has ties to Peterson from their high school careers in Texas. (The article says Oklahoma, but that’s where Peterson played college football.)“We’re hoping that this is enough to at least save the program for six months and let us play our season and let our players get the tape that they need,” head coach Steve LaLonde said. “It will also give us time to formulate a plan to save the program for the long run, whether it’s going into a Minnesota league if the travel is too much, or going out and raising money.”The school has yet to approve the plan to salvage the team. It is expected to explore the situation in the immediate future.Northern Iowa consists primarily of Vikings fans, given the proximity to the Twin Cities.