FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[jknezek]

I don't personally have a problem with someone choosing to do it. My parents would have looked at me like I had a third arm if I told them I wanted that much more in student loans. They probably would have questioned the value of my degree as well, because clearly I hadn't learned any long term financial concepts or logic. But to each his/her own. At say 50K per year for tuition, room and board, that's 25K roughly for one more semester. So paying $2500 per game to get on the field. Now add in the opportunity cost of say a decent paying $45K a year job, starting after a spring graduation so you would earn $22,500 dollars. Even accounting for taxes and everything else, that's another roughly 7K you are foregoing (housing costs are a wash, so they need to be deducted). Total cost per game, just under $3200. Certainly there is a better way to play a bit more football than that? Maybe not quite the same intensity, but I've seen quite a few adult leagues in places.

[ADL70]

I believe that a medical year could be used for a student athlete enrolled in graduate school.

[jknezek]

I believe that a medical year could be used for a student athlete enrolled in graduate school.

If your school has graduate school and you intend to continue on, I agree. Mentioned that in the beginning. It does change the calculation. However, Wooster, as far as I know, does not have graduate programs attached to it, so in this case, that is irrelevant.

[nike]

D3 football players have the same love of the game as D1 players.  College years are irreplaceable.  If a medical redshirt is there and the money end of things can be worked out, go for it.  Besides, a good portion of the tuition at Wooster is made up of grants and scholarship money, as we are all aware.  There are D1 players who get six years.  The key point here seems to be that Richard Barnes is going to graduate.
He has earned the right to do whatever he wants.     

[ADL70]

Since eligibility is a player issue, I don't believe the additional year has to be at the same institution.  May be irrelevant to Barnes continuing at Wooster, but the discussion has included more general comment on redshirting.

[Bishopleftiesdad]

I am not thrilled with the idea of redshirts (even medical ones) in D-III, on principle.

Care to elaborate on this principle, fantastic50?  I would actually like to see more non-scholarship student-athletes at the DIII use medical redshirts as a way to prolong their playing careers and continue to be a part of their college communities for an extra semester or two.

Redshirts are great when you are on scholarship. When you aren't, it just means paying a boatload of money for one more shot at school glory while taking classes you didn't need in order to get your degree. Unless you have moved on to getting a graduate degree at the same school, this is the absolute essence of "pay to play" with no academic upside. Not exactly what is intended for DIII's student athlete model.

I do not believe you can go to graduate school at your current university and continue to play. I believe you have to start Grad school at another university and that university needs to be a D1. Many of these schools turn out teachers and in the case of football another semester of eligibility, might not be at full cost. Some of the schools offer an extra semester to get a teaching certificate. I have seen athletes use this to still be in school and still be eligible. I am not sure all schools or conferences allow this, I know OWU does. We had a Baseball player get hurt his senior year, and had not played Football since HS so he still had football eligibility left. He graduated at the end of his senior year and came back in the fall to complete a teaching certificate. He played Football while getting his teaching cert.
So depending on what Barnes is studying, and whether Wooster allows students getting their teaching cert to compete in Athletics, if they have graduated and are working on a teaching cert, He may be able to play next fall and not need to pay full price.
I am not sure of all the details. I think you must be considered a full time student, but I know it happens

[fantastic50]

I am not thrilled with the idea of redshirts (even medical ones) in D-III, on principle.

Care to elaborate on this principle, fantastic50?  I would actually like to see more non-scholarship student-athletes at the DIII use medical redshirts as a way to prolong their playing careers and continue to be a part of their college communities for an extra semester or two.

At many selective colleges and small universities, there is a clear focus (and expectation) of students graduating in four years, alongside the classmates with whom they entered.  The members of the NESCAC, the NCAC, the smaller institutions, and a decent number of other D-III schools fall into that category.  At the D-I FCS level, the same is true within the Ivies and the Patriot League; also, the three service academies in D-I FBS work this way (although the associated prep schools could be considered a redshirting process.)

Some academic programs (engineering, student teaching, etc.) may routinely lead to a 9th semester or even a full 5th year.  However, I hope that (in the NCAC, with high 4-year graduation rates and few/no graduate programs on our campuses), we don't get to the point where student-athletes are routinely staying for an extra year, without academic reasons, to play sports as redshirt seniors.  If such a practice became commonplace, I don't think that would fit well with the academic missions of our institutions and the principles of our conference.  I am unsure of the 5th-year financial aid policies NCAC schools (Wooster included), but wonder whether financial issues will keep this a relatively uncommon phenomenon.

[ADL70]

I am not thrilled with the idea of redshirts (even medical ones) in D-III, on principle.

Care to elaborate on this principle, fantastic50?  I would actually like to see more non-scholarship student-athletes at the DIII use medical redshirts as a way to prolong their playing careers and continue to be a part of their college communities for an extra semester or two.

Redshirts are great when you are on scholarship. When you aren't, it just means paying a boatload of money for one more shot at school glory while taking classes you didn't need in order to get your degree. Unless you have moved on to getting a graduate degree at the same school, this is the absolute essence of "pay to play" with no academic upside. Not exactly what is intended for DIII's student athlete model.

I do not believe you can go to graduate school at your current university and continue to play. I believe you have to start Grad school at another university and that university needs to be a D1. Many of these schools turn out teachers and in the case of football another semester of eligibility, might not be at full cost. Some of the schools offer an extra semester to get a teaching certificate. I have seen athletes use this to still be in school and still be eligible. I am not sure all schools or conferences allow this, I know OWU does. We had a Baseball player get hurt his senior year, and had not played Football since HS so he still had football eligibility left. He graduated at the end of his senior year and came back in the fall to complete a teaching certificate. He played Football while getting his teaching cert.
So depending on what Barnes is studying, and whether Wooster allows students getting their teaching cert to compete in Athletics, if they have graduated and are working on a teaching cert, He may be able to play next fall and not need to pay full price.
I am not sure of all the details. I think you must be considered a full time student, but I know it happens

The DI rule lets you transfer for grad school and not have to sit a year, I don't believe it limits playing while at grad school at the same institution, nor why it would in D3. 

[wabndy]

I can think of several legitmate reasons why a medical redshirt is a very legitimate option for some - not the least of which is needing an extra semester to get over whatever injury sidelined the athlete in the first place. 

Back in the day, I remember Jamie Bowers took a medical redshirt and led Wabash to a conference championship in 1998.  I believe he stayed in school a semester after graduation to complete a teacher licensure certification.  Wabash has a program that allows lab science majors to stay on campus an extra semester or two at no cost to complete required teacher ed courses.  That's not to say everyone who misses a season due to injury is going to use their medical redshirt - but its common enough that I'm glad there is an exception for those who are still on campus that extra semester and can use all of their eligiblity.

On a side note about Bowers - Wabash's athletic training room has (or had) on display a game-worn Bowers facemask - nearly folded in half like a taco.  He was one tough football player.

[smedindy]

Student teaching and other such programs typically go nine semesters for eight, now. Perhaps that's what is up with Barnes. We don't know. If he has the means, motive and opportunity, let him have his year.

[ADL70]

Per Wooster's website his major is philosophy.

[wally_wabash]

I can think of several legitmate reasons why a medical redshirt is a very legitimate option for some - not the least of which is needing an extra semester to get over whatever injury sidelined the athlete in the first place. 

Back in the day, I remember Jamie Bowers took a medical redshirt and led Wabash to a conference championship in 1998.  I believe he stayed in school a semester after graduation to complete a teacher licensure certification.  Wabash has a program that allows lab science majors to stay on campus an extra semester or two at no cost to complete required teacher ed courses.  That's not to say everyone who misses a season due to injury is going to use their medical redshirt - but its common enough that I'm glad there is an exception for those who are still on campus that extra semester and can use all of their eligiblity.

On a side note about Bowers - Wabash's athletic training room has (or had) on display a game-worn Bowers facemask - nearly folded in half like a taco.  He was one tough football player.

Could be totally wrong, but I thought Bowers had the 9th semester eligiblity because he took a year of football off to study abroad.  Either way, the point stands-  Jamie Bowers was a beast. 

[nike]

Russell Wilson.
Do not see this as anything more than an individual situation with Barnes.  Who wouldn't want to play again with all the fun the Scots had this year.  Did not Wes Chamblee come back for a fifth year?  I am guessing no regrets.

[fantastic50]

I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other about this particular situation, or that of any isolated case.  My concern is that if 5th-year athletes become more common, it could start off an "arms race" in which redshirting is necessary to be competitive, as is the case in major college football.

[skunks_sidekick]

I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other about this particular situation, or that of any isolated case.  My concern is that if 5th-year athletes become more common, it could start off an "arms race" in which redshirting is necessary to be competitive, as is the case in major college football.

That would never become the case due to the stringent criteria the NCAA uses to determine medical redshirts.  It's not like a kid/school can fake a "hammy" and get another year.  If the kid/family wants to fork out the cash to do it, more power to them.  It's D-III for goodness sakes.