 In 1986, the school chose not to award athletic scholarships ("grants-in-aid") to football players.It was unclear if Drake football would survive until Des Moines, Iowa native Rob Ash was introduced as coach in 1989.Ash rejuvenated the program during his eighteen seasons at Drake and played a crucial role in the founding of the Pioneer Football League, a football-only league run out of the Missouri Valley Conference offices in St. Louis, Missouri.