W hile Spokane itself lacks Division I NCAA football, locals also don't have to drive all the way to Pullman to catch some gridiron action.

The closest DI team remains the FCS Eastern Washington Eagles over in Cheney, but even EWU athletic director Tim Collins realizes his teams don't always spring to the mind of Spokanites when they think of their home squads. Since taking over the job in 2023, Collins has strived to make inroads in a Spokane market that's packed with EWU alumni, including by playing a football scrimmage at ONE Spokane Stadium in mid-August.

As the Eastern Eagles prepare to kick off another season, we caught up with Collins to discuss his goals for making the Eags Spokane County's team.

INLANDER : With things like the recent EWU football scrimmage at ONE Spokane S

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