FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

wabco · February 15, 2007, 05:22:11 PM

Just read Div III football attendance statistics on a per game basis:

1.St. John's with 8,547
2. Wabash with 5,447
11. MUC with 3,772
19. WOO with 3,419
42. Witt with 2,602
92. OWU with 1,859
104. Denison with 1,730

smedindy · February 15, 2007, 05:37:39 PM

Of course, Wabash was helped a skosh by that one game....still, pretty groovy.

Without the Bell game, they're at 3,892 per game, and that's with a sub-3,000 crowd against OWU.

bashbrother · February 15, 2007, 11:33:38 PM

Not bad attendance numbers for a school that sits in a town of less than 20,000 and enrollment of under 1,000.

Wabash Always Fights!

wabco · February 16, 2007, 08:23:30 AM

Hey ... one game ... spud game. Everyone has a rival and their games count. It is what it is.

(Get it ? ... Spud game?)

Speaking of Spud game ... early "word on the street" is that Danny football and baseball coach will remain Danny football and baseball coach. Now that is a milestone in Greendingle ... holding a football coach for more than one year. Wonder if spring football practice will include fielding ground balls?

INQBScout · February 21, 2007, 09:04:09 PM

QuoteOf course, Wabash was helped a skosh by that one game....still, pretty groovy.

Kudos to Wabash for a program and tradition that really are special...great place to watch a game...

jscwittfan · February 25, 2007, 02:52:22 PM

Good news for the Wittenberg defense, as it was announced that defensive end Serge Thebaud and linebacker Joe Swanson (as well as right guard Brandon Johnson) will return for their 5th year of eligibility.

http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wittenberg/2007/02/22/snssp022307wittfootball.html

fijidoc · February 27, 2007, 10:59:09 AM

Does anybody know when Wabash will release their schedule for this year? Also anybody with info on incoming recruits?

wally_wabash · February 27, 2007, 11:16:11 AM

fijidoc-

I believe the Wabash schedule is a mirror image of last year's schedule. Should look something like this:

9/8 - Franklin
9/15 - @Millikin
9/22 - @OWU
9/29 - Earlham
10/6 - @Allegheny
10/13 - Witt
10/20 - Oberlin
10/27 - @Wooster
11/3 - Denison
11/10 - @Depauw

Tough road draw this year, but we had a similar road schedule in '05. Allegheny is always a tough game for Wabash. The Witt game will be huge as always (and happens to fall right around Homecoming season...nice). Franklin will be strong again this year and again will have the advantage of having already played a game. It's a challenging schedule, but I think Wabash's experienced squad will perform well against it.

Modification note: Forget the Witt for Homecoming business. The 4-year calendar tells me that the Witt game hits during midsemester break. Boo that.

smedindy · February 27, 2007, 03:26:01 PM

But think of the fun the students will have with "Quakers"!

wally_wabash · February 27, 2007, 03:38:43 PM

Quaker-themed homecoming banners are always a good time, but Wabash is beating Earlham whether there is a crowd of 50 or 5,000. I'd like to see the house packed and festive for the biggest conference game of the year and it just isn't going to happen.

jscwittfan · February 28, 2007, 11:58:34 AM

Quote from: wally_wabash on February 27, 2007, 03:38:43 PM
Quaker-themed homecoming banners are always a good time, but Wabash is beating Earlham whether there is a crowd of 50 or 5,000. I'd like to see the house packed and festive for the biggest conference game of the year and it just isn't going to happen.

Same thing happened at Witt last year, as the Witt-Wabash game was over our fall break.

You would think the powers-that-be would stop doing this by now...

WallyFS4 · February 28, 2007, 12:06:46 PM

Couldn't agree more. It would be nice to have the place packed for Witt. It is hard to get excited for Earlham. I put Hiram and Kenyon, in the same catagory as Earlham. Any other team would make a better Homecoming. I know with the way the schedule is, Earlham is the one. It just sucks. I know Smeds. We need to put a positive spin on this years Homecoming.

I really believe the Little Giants will be an improved team for the 2007 season. If we don't play in the post season, it would be very dissapointing. As always.

WABASH ALWAYS FIGHTS!

wally_wabash · February 28, 2007, 01:34:46 PM

Not criticizing anybody here at all, just thinking out loud...

I'm wondering how realistic it would be for institutions that really wanted to to shift their midsemester break around by a week in order to be able to have the community around during a big home game. Really any home game...I think the team gets cheated a little out of a home game when they are scheduled to play at home during the break. Or does this suggestion cross the line between academics and athletics? I think there is a fair compromise somewhere here. Football schedules and academic calendars are both planned out so far in advance that I think they could be easily melded. But that's just me...

wabco · March 01, 2007, 09:00:11 AM

While I have not gone to the trouble to look it up ... I would guess thant since ... oh ... about ... 1832 ... the Wabash mid semester break has been the same time on the school calendar. I suspect the similar facts exist for Witt

... NOW ... also while I have not checked but believe: Witt and 'Bash fall the same week on each NCAC football calendar ... the game simply being switched home and home each year.

What about simply changing this on the schedule to another weekend? If the NCAC is at all interested in image of its athletics ... having a game which it knows will draw attendance numbers ... set up so it doesn't ... seems very bureaucratic ...

Earlham ... homecoming ... it makes me just quake ... great fodder for house decorations though.

wally_wabash · March 01, 2007, 02:40:53 PM

The dates the games get played tend to jump around every third or fourth year or however often it is that the NCAC reorganizes it's "power rankings". When we started in the NCAC, Witt was our first NCAC game of the year. The last few years it has been in mid-October. I think there was some hubbub last year when the NCAC moved the Witt/Woo game to the front of the conference schedule instead of at the end where you'd expect to see traditional rivalry games. I'm really not sure what the reasoning is behind how the NCAC decides on dates.

Agreed 100% on your point about how the league may want to consider more carefully where it puts the premiere matchups...it is better for everybody involved if those games are played under optimal exposure conditions.