Quote from: MUC57 on December 11, 2020, 07:47:05 PM
Hey, football fans

Tomorrow night, at 8:00 PM, the 1993 semifinal playoff game between Mount Union and St. John's will be shown on selected TV channels and online in the Alliance, Ohio area (only).

St. John's entered the game undefeated after averaging 61+points a game in the regular season., which is still a record. Their QB (Willie Seiler?) made the cover of Sports Illustrated as their athlete of the year (or QB of the year, not positive). Their coach had some different (strange?) ideas on how to run a football team. All it did was produce winners.

Mount Union was looking to finally win a national championship on their 100th year of football. They had been close before but, you know, that only counts in horseshoes. The roster was full of standout players who would have to play their best against this Johnnie team.

No artificial turf here! Grass. Real grass. As John Madden used to say, grass is "real" football.
Nothing like grass to: run on, run receiving routes, return kicks. Grass gives the players the footing they're probably most used to! Great for a Saturday afternoon.

But when it rains. When it rains hard and long, the field is probably better suited for some other sport or some other form of entertainment than football.

But both Mount Union and St. John's were composed of tough, well disciplined athletes. It would take much more than a "little" moisture in the air and on the ground to stop this game.

So they played 60 minutes of this game we all love so well. We cheered. Sometimes we groaned. But always, our eyes were fixed on the floor at Mount Union Stadium. Someone would finally win. One team would go on to Salem, Virginia with a chance at a National Championship. One team would return home to reflect on the season with thoughts of "wait till next year".

Damn, I love this game of football. Play your best. You'll win some , you'll lose some. But no matter what, our memories span the months and the years. Some even last a lifetime.

What a game.

By the way, I was there. Were any of my Johnnie friends?

If you are talking about the "Massacre in the Mud", I was there.  Miserable experience.  Our bus was late so we had to sit in the middle of a bunch of MUC fans.  Some idiot student behind us kept screaming "why do they try to pass on us" after every incompletion and "why do they try to run on us" after every stuffed running play (which were most of them as I recall).  At halftime the lady next to me asked "what will it take to get back in this game and I responded "ma'am it will take Macalester coming out of that tunnel to get back in this game."

The highlight of the trip was Willie Seilers mother coming up to us on the flight home and thanking us for our support.

I was in Salem in 2003 and out yelled that kid that was behind us in '93.

Quote from: OzJohnnie on February 25, 2020, 04:21:38 PM

Quote from: SagatagSam on February 25, 2020, 10:10:24 AM
Friend of mine in St. Paul indicated that there are rumors swirling that UST is going to drop football as part of the (prospective) D1 jump and build an ice arena on the site of O-Shag Hennessy.

Developing...

The supreme irony would be if Caruso moves on down to Northfield and builds St. Olaf into a football juggernaut. 

Quote from: SagatagSam on February 25, 2020, 10:10:24 AM
Friend of mine in St. Paul indicated that there are rumors swirling that UST is going to drop football as part of the (prospective) D1 jump and build an ice arena on the site of O-Shag Hennessy.

Developing...

May be the only way to afford a move to D1. I think O'Shag would stay pretty much as is for Track and Field, Soccer and LaCrosse, as well as general students rec. usage.  And quite possibly be remodeled to allow an inflated dome in winter.

Quote from: SUMMIT? on February 15, 2020, 08:24:18 PM

Quote from: jamtod on February 15, 2020, 04:42:02 PM
I get to eat my pessimistic words in advance of this UST SJU game.

need mustard for on them? 


God what a fun game! Packed house in Johnnyville, the Pack was loud and enthusiastic but UST came out firing the trey...draining 6 of their first 8 to race off to a 23-10 lead.....the Js fought back and even tied it, but UST quickly ran the gap to 9. The Toms held their own on the board and shot 55% from the floor and 57.9% for 3 pt range (and held SJU to 21.1% on threes.

I hear VOJ was carping forever after the game that a 3-seconds in lane violation cost SJU the game. VOJ-- if the kid had been in the lane any longer, he'd owe property tax on the land.

So now the Toms need to take care of  business at Olaf Wednesday and at home v SMU Sat and hope for either a Bethel win over SJU or luck in the draw 

VOJ and his buddy were obsessed with that call and talked about it several times as the game unwound.  There is no way either of them was watching the lane at the time so they couldn't really comment on the accuracy of the call. 

Instead they complained about a "non-consequential" action been called a foul, taking away 3 points and stopping momentum at a crucial point in the game.  In other words a foul away from the action should not be called when the game is on the line.  Problem is that it was consequential if the 3-point shot was missed and had to be rebounded. 

Also, I don't understand why the primary camera operator wasn't fired at half-time.  Lost track of the number of times he/she didn't follow the action up the floor, in a couple of cases missing the entire action at the other end.  Somebody in the booth was trying to cover up for the inattention problem by switching to the corner camera occasionally.  From a broadcast quality perspective, this game sucked. 

Quote from: jamtod on October 30, 2019, 12:09:56 PM

Quote from: 57Johnnie on October 30, 2019, 11:09:49 AM
Some 35 years ago I regularly had business at a couple of facilities in Nordeast. While not strictly a steakhouse, I found Jax Cafe had good food including steaks and walleye at a reasonable price.
Anybody been there lately?

I've been to Jax a few times. Food is decent enough but the business side has... had it's troubles, let's just say. Probably needs a Tommie to come in and help him sort some things out.

Went there a few months ago with our dining out group.  Prices were so high most ordered sandwiches, which is very atypical for this group.  Food was OK at best.  Presention non-existent.  Big drop off from the last time I was there 40 years ago.

Quote from: hazzben on October 04, 2019, 12:11:30 PM
UST backers can speak better to this, but I see almost zero likelihood UST drops FB as a result of this. They could compete in the Pioneer right now with zero budget effect save travel costs. My understanding is D1 FB is in the works with MVFC as the long term goal/plan.

My expectation would be that, without a big influx in donor money, the current expenses for football would need to be used to offset increased costs in the other sports; travel, facility upgrades, more salaried and full time coaches and administrators etc.

It might be a bit presumptuous to assume that an excellent D3 program like St. John's will continue to be competitive with St. Thomas in football once they jump to D1 (assuming football is even continued at St. Thomas, which is not a certainty).  So, even if the best rivalry game in D3 were to continue, attendance would decline, probably proportionality to the margin of victory, as St. Thomas builds its program.

On the other hand, if St Thomas finds deep enough pockets to continue football, St. John's deep pockets may respond in kind and in a few short years make the move to the same D1 conference St. Thomas ultimately joins.  Rivalry renewed.

Quote from: repete on September 28, 2019, 02:16:36 PM
They have the original internet cabling from when Laird was built.

The problem is with Stretch.  Tried 6 games on Stretch.  The only one that even had a partial stream is the SJU / Carleton.  GAC, Aug, GAC soccer won't even load.

Quote from: Reverend MIAC, PhD on May 24, 2019, 03:27:26 PM

Quote from: ScoutTeamTommie2 on May 24, 2019, 03:15:41 PM

Quote from: Reverend MIAC, PhD on May 24, 2019, 03:02:53 PM

Quote from: ScoutTeamTommie2 on May 24, 2019, 02:59:19 PM

Quote from: Reverend MIAC, PhD on May 24, 2019, 12:30:43 PM
Let's say UST attracts some major donors to fund its athletic endeavors, gets the NCAA to waive the DII requirement, and makes a move to DI (FCS) in two years. Minnesota now has two DI football programs, the media coverage is huge, and plenty of Minnesotans are happy.

Would a DI UST draw fans away from the Gophers? If UST is successful in DI, would that diminish public interest in the Gophers?

Would it draw fans away from the MIAC? If SJ2 returns to form and dominates the MIAC, will they garner much attention outside the current fanbase?

I was around here quite a bit about a decade as ScoutTeamTommie - time has removed all memory of that login or email, so here I am!

To me, the UST -> Division I has always been and will always be fantasy for one reason alone, that reason being the athletic facilities. Even if they were somehow able to turn O'Shaughnessy Stadium into a 20,000+ seat facility, they would still have to go through massive renovations on  literally every single sports facility on campus to get them to a DI level. Even if the money was there, the land just isn't. I'm personally hoping for UST to join the WIAC so we can at least keep Tommie-Johnnie going.

What about Allianz Field? There's plenty of space on and around UST's Minneapolis campus.

Allianz Field would definitely be an interesting option. But at 20,000 seats it's probably about the bare minimum they would need to satisfy a DI program.

As for the Minneapolis campus... it's in the heart of downtown. I'm not sure I could think of a place with less room to expand.

There's open space on UST's Minneapolis campus, which is surrounded by parking lots. I'm sure some of these parcels could be acquired. Plus UST owns other vacant property downtown.

Anyone know the financial situation for Town and Country Club golf course on Marshall and Cretin?  There is all the land you would need for a major campus expansion.

Quote from: jknezek on May 24, 2019, 10:33:46 AM
The MIAC furor is just about over. Today is the end of the news cycle with a holiday weekend on tap. Did the MIAC have a bad 48 hours in the media? Absolutely. By the end of the weekend it will all be a distant memory to anyone not directly interested in DIII. Anyone thinking this story has legs, or any kind of long term national ripple, is simply delusional. It's just about over and will be quickly forgotten. The remaining MIAC members, by basically staying silent, give no reason for this to be pursued or kept in the spotlight.

I know it's fun to bash these guys, but I bet they knew they'd take some lumps. By staying quiet and essentially forming a wall, they kept the lumps to a minimum. They got what they wanted, UST is gone. UST got what they could, leaving with a good reputation, in good standing, and without having been smeared, helping them find a new home wherever that may be, possibly helping with the case for bending the rules for a DI move.

Anyone who didn't think that was the compromise is deluding themselves.

It would have been nice if the compromise included a parting gift of a small fleet of luxury coaches for those long road trips that lay ahead.

Quote from: Walter Eagle on November 09, 2015, 12:38:17 PM

Quote from: nkwest on November 09, 2015, 10:04:41 AM

Quote from: OzJohnnie on November 09, 2015, 12:26:03 AM
This, however, is completely different and I don't think we bear the stain of hypocrisy. Turning a game into trick-play practice is something all together different. Particularly when that novelty practice is against a perennial cellar dweller and after the game is well, well in hand. Check out that YouTube clip and have another think.

The two point conversion featured on ESPN was executed when the game was 6-3 in favor of UST. Some may argue that the game was, in fact, well in hand at that point, but Carleton had also just opened the game by eating up half of the first quarter against a UST defense largely devoid of passion. The conversion changed the energy level on the UST sideline and in the crowd.

The other two conversions were attempted because Carleton is a fundamentally unsound football team. On the second two point conversion, the holder running the ball in from the swinging gate formation was possible because Carleton didn't line up to properly defend the point of attack. On the third, they left a UST player split out wide completely undefended. The receiver could have ordered a pizza for delivery from Davanni's and finished half of it by the time the closest Carleton player came close to making a play. It would have been irresponsible of UST to not convert that pass.

As art76 astutely mentioned, teams trade film from the three previous games. UST's potential first & second round NCAA opponents won't see the (failed) first half onside kick attempt against Bethel, but they will see the (successful) first half attempt against Carleton, and the same goes for the two point conversions. Whether or not future opponents practice against these specific plays/formations is somewhat irrelevant because it pays dividends either way. Communicating the threat of exploiting fundamentally unsound football is the goal.

I realize it's popular to find any opportunity to rip the UST coaching staff on this forum, but there's a point where it betrays an ignorance, willing or otherwise, I don't expect from fans of a team with a rich tradition of championship caliber football.

I have been off this board for a long time and am a long time Tommie fan, season ticket holder and financial supporter.  I was so upset with the lack of respect these plays represented that I left the game before halftime.  I have spent a lot of time trying to rationalize why these "ultra" trick plays were done and I can't come up with anything that would be justified.  You explanation is a load of BS.  BTW you did not throw in the drop kicked extra point that I heard about but did not see.

I don't know what is going on with this program and why we at St. Thomas would want it run this way but things have gone from suspicious to completely shocking, starting with the end of the Mount Union game, continuing with the photo at the end of the Johnnie game and now this ridiculous display of what?  Immaturity, hubris, megalomania?

Even beyond the mocking and bullying aspect of Saturday's behavior you are putting your players in jeopardy for retaliation that could result in a severe injury.  I JUST DON'T GET IT.

One last thing re the trading of game video.  There are many ways to get way more video than the last three games.  Any game that is web-cast can be live copied as it is broadcast or later archived and coaches will often freely trade video among themselves.

I thought I would dig out this post of mine from the "iconic" Carleton game with all the trick platys. 

As I left this game at half time I complained to Steve Fritz and said that I was not coming to a Tommie Football game as long as this issue with Caruso went unaddressed.  I have held true to my boycott since; not renewing my $30 veranda seats or setting foot in the stadium (I will admit that I went to the Target Field game). 

In the last couple of years I have seen Caruso make attempts to hold down the score and was thinking about ending the boycott last year; until I looked at the crappy home game schedule which all looked like they would be double-monkey stomps. 

I see no point in staying in a conference that has this many bad teams and I'm hoping for the WIAC or NSIC

As a possible new conference for UST, what about the University Athletic Association with Emory, Rochester, Wash U, Chicago, Brandeis, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western and NYU?  Seven of these schools have undergraduate enrollments between 3,700 and 6,600 with an average of 5,250.  NYU is an extreme outlier with an enrollment of 20,950 (not included in above average).

No conference football though, so UST might have to drop football.  Lot's of air travel and hotel stays, but the savings from football would possibly offset the increased travel costs.

Loss of prestige from "no football", but very prestigious schools.  Positive impact on endowment?

Would the UAA even accept UST?

Edit:  5 of the 8 UAA schools play football in other conferences closer to home.  (Liberty, MWC, CCIW, and the PAC.)

With St. Thomas gone, will St. John's spend less on football and slightly narrow the gap with the  COL?

Quote from: Reverend MIAC, PhD on April 26, 2019, 06:07:04 PM
St. Olaf's Music Department supports 16+ on-campus musical groups and offers performance facilities that put most other private Minnesota schools to shame. Administrators see music as something that differentiates St. Olaf from its competitors, so they spend a disproportionate amount of resources in this area and recruit large numbers of talented student musicians. St. Olaf has promoted musical excellence so aggressively that it's now viewed as "the place to be" for aspiring student musicians who want to attend a private school in Minnesota. In fact, St. Olaf has been so successful that other private schools are finding it difficult to compete with them in the world of music. Perhaps there should be a cap on the number of students--especially student musicians--allowed to matriculate at St. Olaf. Maybe St. Olaf should be required to share its resources with other private schools in Minnesota to heighten their musical excellence. Another option is to level the playing field by forcing St. Olaf out of Minnesota, where it can compete against schools with similar musical prowess. I don't necessarily have a solution, but something needs to be done. Music at St. Olaf is getting out of hand...

Link: https://wp.stolaf.edu/music/

Maybe the STO music department could do a bunch of benefit concerts to help the football team out.

Quote from: sjusection105 on April 13, 2019, 07:07:33 AM

Quote from: USTBench on April 11, 2019, 07:55:47 PM

Quote from: faunch on April 11, 2019, 07:16:45 PM

Quote from: Reverend MIAC, PhD on April 11, 2019, 06:55:36 PM
How do we know that UST actually wants to stay in the MIAC? They've made major investments in athletic facilities, struck deals with WCCO and Allianz Field, dramatically expanded recruiting across most sports, and hired a D1 AD. They're also in the quiet phase of a giant fundraiser that likely includes money for athletics. Nothing opens those checkbooks like a perceived emergency...

Allianz Field will not be solution for D1 football or soccer. The Loons ownership paid for that facility so that they could have their own field. I doubt they want a college football team tearing up the pitch 4 or 5 Saturdays each fall. Maybe U$T could pay them enough $$$ to make it happen but I doubt it.

It's plenty big enough for FCS football, and I'm also certain that the folks that paid $250 million for it would like to have someone else kick in for the bill. That said, any "deal" with Loons ownership that I'm aware of is limited to the one game against the Johnnies.

Taking this point to be true, where does UST play football with a move to D2 and eventually D1? I don't see O'Shaughnessy Stadium being the answer without removing the track. Would UST eliminate it's fine track & field program? Not very likely. Being landlocked has it's disadvantages. I don't know enough about real estate law to know if eminent domain would fall into UST's favor,but I hardly doubt that a private university's land issues would hold any favor in the eyes of the courts. I'm sure there are contingency plans in the works for UST because the current football facilities don't appear the be the answer in a move from D3 eventually to D1.

Why do you assume a move to D2 or even D1 would result in attendance gains that cannot be accommodated by the present stadium?  There is no "Tommie Nation" now or in the foreseeable future.