FB: Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference

[uamusme]

Aurora, Benedictine, Concordia-Ill., Concordia-Wis., Lakeland are remaining

I'm not sure about any of the other schools

Joining the new conference are Maranatha Baptist, Rockport, and Wisconsin Lutheran.

Play begins tenatively in '07

[fishguy]

That's Rockford, not Rockport - as in Rockford College, currently of the NIIC. Play for football begins in 2008 because Wis Lutheran is under contract with their league through 2007. Play in all other sports begins next school year, 2006-07.

The complete lineup for this new conference is: Alverno College, Aurora College, Benedictine University, Concordia-River Forest, Concordia University-Mequon, Dominican University, Edgewood College, Lakeland, Maranatha Baptist Bible College, Marian College, Rockford College and Wisconsin Lutheran.

I have heard talk that Marian has discussed trying to add football in the future.

[fsufan]

They can change the league, change the teams, change the uniforms, change anything, but at CURF if they don't change admin support (and maybe coaching) we are going to keep getting killed. Roster size is decreasing, players are not staying in the program ( many leave the campus), and recruiting is really tough.  The kids that sign up to play need some support (besides fans).  Other schools have fought through tough times and so can CURF. GO COUGS!

[FalconsFootball]

I CANNOT beleive that the residents living near CURF will not let the Football team play music on gamedays.  That is the most rediculous thing I have heard in a while.  Honestly, it is only 5 days out of the year what is the big deal.  If I were the administration, or anyone with authority at the school, I would not let the people living in the area use the facilities.  Im sure the same people bitching about the noise on saturdays are out running on the track or playing on the field with their kids when no one is using it.  I feel bad for CURF there has got to be something they can do. They have beautiful facilities hopefully that can bring in some people.  I have heard before they have trouble keeping kids there.   

[FalconsFootball]

As a fan I can't wait to see how the new conference works out.  I think it is an awesome thing they are doing and hopefully this new conference will start out great and gain the respect many of these teams deserve.

[uamusme]

fsufan

To be honest. I think your weakness is our strength, but not in the way you think.

I would love to see a really strong conference where we would be able to hang with any wiac team or any other team in the nation. It's just not plausable right now.

I think that our conference's greatest weakness is the fact that we are mostly private schools, many with a religious tie. This could lead many student athletes to choose to go somewhere else.

Also the high cost of education at our schools is prohibitive, I think Lakeland is the lowest at just over 19000 a year with fees and such included. CURF must be one of the more expensive, just due to location and other factors, Somewhere close to 26000.

I had a question... what do you mean by admin support? Like a lack of money for recruiting or something? Or do they just want to cut the program all together for lack of production?

[d3fballfan]

Of course the residents near CURF won't let them play music...It's the Oak-Park River Forest area, filled with Richie-Rich high brow snobs that live in Frank LLoyd Wright houses.

[aufb05]

fsufb-

I can't buy into the religious thing. Wheaton is a big time religious campus but is at or near the top each year.  I think some of the problem in the IBFC is the change in coaching. New coach comes in and may or may not the find skill players for the the new O or D he brought with him. It may take years of recruiting to blend that scheme. In the meantime if these appointments are short term or if the support from the Admin. isn't there the coach may leave and the program suffers. In some programs a freshman could got through a number of coaching changes, never perfecting his skill level.

Falcbfan- drives home a good point. When the program is struggling and the fan base is low and the community is not supportive, recruitment becomes difficult. CUR coaches have, I believe, moved on because of these problems. Recruiting top coaches (not to say the CUR doesn't have good coaching) becomes impossible.

It would help recruiting if the local press would give as much attention to DIII sports as they do to local H.S. programs. I could go on for hours on this subject.   

[formerd3db]

aufb05 makes some very good points.  Same thing basically occurred at Olivet in the MIAA.  For years, they changed coaches frequently, small school (although beautiful campus), out in the "middle of nowwhere", administrative and social problems.  It indeed takes years to develop that.  However, they finally got the right administration, right coaching staff to change the direction, improved their community fan base, alumni started donating (big time with new facilities), improved the curriculum, etc.,etc.  They will probably never be a powerhouse, and there are probably better schools academically (doesn't mean students there don't get a good education and of course, what a student gets out of their college experience depends in part on what they are looking for to help them in the future).  Anyway, my point is that I would agree with you that it is not impossible for CURF to do - it, though, indeed can be a long and difficult road.  Hopefully, they can improve it.  I would hate to see them drop the program - no need to really. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

d3fbfan,

The Frank Lloyd Wright homes are in Oak Park (the nearest one to CURF is probably 3 miles away).  The area immediately around CURF is by no means noticeably wealthy (certainly not poor, but not 'Richie-Rich').

I suspect the protest against music at games is a simple matter of being jerks, rather than specifically 'high brow snobs' jerks!  (Of course, they might be Richie-Rich, high brow snobs wanne-bes.  That I can't say either way!)

[baseman201]

Mr. Ypsi said,

The area immediately around CURF is by no means noticeably wealthy (certainly not poor, but not 'Richie-Rich').

Have you ever been to River Forest before?  you said the area around CURF is not noticeably wealthy.  Are you kidding me?  Million dollar homes arent wealthy enough for you?  I mean, Al Capones home is 3 blocks away, (obviously his old home), they just filmed a part of the new fox show "Prison Break", in a huge white house across the street.  I mean, if you have ever been, and driven through River Forest than I apologize for questioning you, but if you haven't, than calling River Forest not "noticeably wealthy" is just a rediculious thing to say.  If half a million to million dollar homes are not wealthy to you, than I really want to see where you live.  And this is definately not tearing down the Oak Park area, and "Frank Lloyd Wright" types of homes, that area is amazing as well.

Back to someones discussion on no music at games.  Ever notice there are no lights at the field either??  That's because the city of River Forest petitioned and said it would bring down the value of their homes surrounding the campus.  That is snobby enough for me.

The facilities are nice yes, they were the first in Illionois to install the new style field turf for football.  I don't know what the problem is, and why they can't get players to stay, and we may never know.  But CURF has to do something in the near future, or else they will keep having the 0-10, 1-9, and 2-8 seasons they have been for the past 3 years.

[Mr. Ypsi]

baseman201,

I can't speak from recent knowlege, but my brother taught at Oak Park-River Forest High School until the mid-90s, and I visited him in his homes in both Oak Park and River Forest (his RF home was only about 6 blocks from CURF).

I don't wish to be argumentative, because I just don't know, but the immediate area of CURF just didn't strike me as all THAT wealthy.   Given the explosion of home prices in desirable areas, I won't contest that houses in that area would go for what you say (though I would GUESS that 3-4 hundred K would be closer).  Lacking info that is less than 10 years old, I will drop out of the discussion!

[Gomer Pyle]

  This week lacks the kind of excitement of last weeks schedule as the winner of the IBFC is pretty much a given.
  Some teams are having a nice season while others have fallen off the radar. One just needs to look at the STANDINGS to see whose where.
  Looking ahead i think there will be  major changes next year in the overall standings of this conference.  IMO
    This week, 11/05
   (1) BU vs Con,Ill: BU is playing well and Con,Ill  while showing up every Saturday  just doesn`t have the talent or numbers to out play anybody.
   BU gets the "W".
   (2) Con,W vs Eureka: Eureka always plays hard
   but CW is to strong talent wise.
   CW gets the "W"
   (3) Mac vs Aurora: AU was man handled by LC last week and they`re looking to whip up on somebody. Mac on the other hand has not lived up to expectations. They have a good QB, a better RB and a up and coming WR but other areas of their offense have come up short.
   AU gets the "W"
   (4) LC vs Greenville: LC will take no chances, they will come to play! Undefeated season on the horizon.....conference play.
    Greenville will not fold,they`ll just get beat.
    LC gets the "W"
 

[aufb05]

Gomer-

No need to post results this week, you nailed it.

I have to agreed with you that the last IBFC season (next year) will show changes in the standings. Which seems to be a good topic of conversation as this season comes to a close.

So "Board" who is takes IBFC Coach and Player of the year.

[uamusme]

So "Board" who is takes IBFC Coach and Player of the year.

You know as much as I'm not for just giving it to the winner of the conference's coach, I'd have to say for what Zebrowski has done for Lakeland, he's brought so much pride back into the program, through alumni, current students, staff, etc. Not to mention turned around a mediocre program.

As for player... Maybe Benton? He's like 2nd in the nation at sacks per game, plus an interception for a touchdown. I'm not too sure about the other teams, even though I did go to all but one of the Lakeland games so far.

Do we have any other statistical leaders? Maybe the CUW guy at 2nd in interceptions? Maybe Maiuri for offensive back?