FB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[ThunderHead]

Hey all - I agree, I can definitely leave the MSU vs U of M thing alone...I can see how you blue bellies want it that way. cough cough 0-3

And by the way fellas, I got your steak dinner if U of M beats the Spartans in the next two years. It isn't gonna happen, and I like my steak medium to medium rare.

Congrats Uncle Rico and LIR on your kids graduations, and yes formerd3er, the old graduation can be bittersweet. Even at the big schools. It was great to see Coach Holtz in Angola, he's a good man and I know he enjoyed the opportunity to share the experience with the 2011 class at Trine. Though it's tough to follow Bobby Knight, he had a great time. He was really impressed with everything Trine's got going on.

Go Trine!!!

[Uncle Rico]

Hey all - I agree, I can definitely leave the MSU vs U of M thing alone...I can see how you blue bellies want it that way. cough cough 0-3

 

[LetItRain]

Raider - I don't have an exact number on Trine graduates but I believe someone told me were were at approximately 375.  Trine's enrollment continues to grow so these numbers should grow also.  It's great to have so many degree choices at Trine.  Our son graduated from the engineering school, but there's also education, business, professional studies and arts and sciences.  Both bachelors and masters degrees also.  Lots of good choices.

Thanks Formerd3db and Thunderhead for the graduation wishes.  It was a very good day.  Coach Holtz was entertaining to be sure and had a good message for the kids.  I'm sure someone caught it all on film and it can be found on YouTube by now.  They had a nice party at my son's frat house for the graduates/families after commencement.  I sure am going to miss the people we've become friends with - coaches, parents, faculty and administrators.  However, we are planning to return for some games next fall.  I can't imagine not watching any Thunder football!!

We heard some encouraging feedback from the coaches on the recruits for next fall.  The coaches are continuing to do a great job building the program and it should be a lot of fun to watch!

[Joe Wally]

Maybe we can divert attention away from UM vs msu and direct it somewhere else...

Coach Lou Holtz delivered the commencement address for my son's graduation at Trine yesterday.  Have to admit it was pretty entertaining.  Coach Bobby Knight did it last year.   

Trine has been pretty good at pulling some characters, that is for sure.

Bob Knight!?!  Really?  How did that go?

[Uncle Rico]

Maybe we can divert attention away from UM vs msu and direct it somewhere else...

Coach Lou Holtz delivered the commencement address for my son's graduation at Trine yesterday.  Have to admit it was pretty entertaining.  Coach Bobby Knight did it last year.   

Trine has been pretty good at pulling some characters, that is for sure.

Bob Knight!?!  Really?  How did that go?

Here is a youtube link...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR0OcBbuWC8

[Raider 68]

formerd3db,

Here is a link to one of your other favorite sports that is growing!

http://athletics.mountunion.edu/sports/mlax/2010-11/releases/start-up

[sac]

had to share.......

[ThunderHead]

Glad everyone had a good graduation day.

LIR I'm also looking forward to the 2011 season, I can't wait to get football back. It seems like it's been a long long long time since the major bowls finished up.

Go Trine!!!

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Interesting article in the Calvin student paper (and some discussion on the men's basketball board) about whether or not Calvin should have a football team:

http://clubs.calvin.edu/chimes/article.php?id=12599

[Flying Dutchman56]

Thanks Flying Dutch Fan - I work with several Calvin grads - it will be nice to share this with them and for me to rub it in how they don't have football!   

[ThunderHead]

Good post, and its a good read. I'm not sure Calvin will ever feild a team until some donor just dumps a large sum of money specifically designated for football.

Even then I'm sure some will not be thrilled with that donors "priorities" with his money donations vs the schools needs.

[formerd3db]

Thanks for sharing the Calvin student newspaper article about considerations a potential football team.  Most of you newcomers to this board obviously have not seen the extensive discussions we've had here about this topic in past years.  There are some/many (Calvin alums, supporters, etc.) who vehemently are opposed to Calvin College adding a football program.  This debate has been going on for years.

The student writer of the article is entitled to his own opinion without question.  That being said, I could certainly counter almost of his points.  It is obvious that he has no inside information regarding recent "behind the scenes" discussions about Calvin adding football.  I will only say that unlike the writer, I have heard this from "inside sources" and...it is a serious discussion with potential reality - much more so than ever before.  I won't reiterate all of what we've discussed before - rather only some brief points. For sure, there have been Calvin alums (big donars and board of trustees who have been opposed to football and always will be).  Some of that may be changing.

Secondly, IMO, the writer is quite mistaken on several of his points.  The EtoH issue is ridiculous - that has nothing to do with football - it occurs anyway, even at our MIAA schools unfortunately.  It won't become worse if Calvin added football. Also, yes, a program costs $, however, it will eventually sustain itself and including the enrollment factor he talks about.  Just ask Adrian - by bringing in lacfrosse and hockey, they no longer have an enrollment issue like they did before and the $ brought in by addditonal students has covered much of those costs - of course, it did help with two huge alumni donars paying for the ice arena.

A fourth factor is that while most new football programs struggle in the W-L column for the first two years, I personally believe that Calvin would become succesful very quick.  They have a ton of potential draw from area/regional Christian high schools in the G.R. area, who now go to other schools for football; they would also draw from the many Chicago area Christian high schools.  I do believe that it would hurt Hope recruiting even more if Calvin added a football program.

As far as facilities, there are enough wealthy Calvin alumns who would donate to make an on campus stadium - it could be done in phases; besides, their outdoor lacrosse field could easily be dressed in new synthentic turf (cost is about $550,000 for the field), bleacher seating would be easily done with more permanent stadium seating in a phased program.  However, I would bet you a steak dinner that they could fund a very nice, adequate but failrly reasonably cost more permanent stadium if they really wanted to.  Besides, there are many nearby area high school stadiums they could use and/or Houseman Field in G.R. which would certainly be a fine choice, at least for awhile.

Obviously, football is not for everyone.  I admit I'm biased (as are most of you here too ), however, football provides a big asset to any school and for any one to say it doesn't contribute in many ways beyond the game itself is ludicrous.  And this despite for only a certain group of student-athletes, it is a legit activity/endeavor.  To go the Swarthemore debacle way of...wow, a decade ago already...is ridiculous (my how time flies .)

Anyway, I could argue several more points about this topic, yet will refrain from doing so.  Again, I will just say that talks about possible Calvin football (from what I've been told from some sources - who will remain anonymous by me for obvious reasons), have been more serious than ever before as I mentioned.  However, like the writer said in his own words, whether that eventually comes to fruition remains to be seen....and that may be a long time, if ever.

P.S. Oh, one more thing.  I also disagree with the writer - a HopeCalvin football game would be extremely highly attended always and a very mean rivalry - perhaps even more than the Hope/Albion football rivalry has always been, even in the most recent lean times for either of those latter two programs.  Besides, you don't hold the record for all-time NCAA single game attendance at any level for basketball (almost 12,000) like Hope/Calvin does for nothing.  Even the Hope/Calvin ice hockey games draw capacity crowds (some over 3,000 at the old Van Andal series games when those were held there) and those are "virtual varsity" programs at present.  Just MO.

[Flying Dutchman56]

Way to go again Hope Athletics!

Hope Retains MIAA Commissioner's Cup in Dramatic Way

FINAL STANDINGS
Here is the tally for the MIAA Commissioner's Cup:

School    Total
Hope    206
Calvin    202
Albion    132
Adrian    125
Alma    113
Kalamazoo    98
Olivet    95
Trine    91

Comebacks are part of the excitement of athletic competitions. The comeback staged by the six Hope College teams this spring was simply amazing in leading the Flying Dutch and Flying Dutchmen to an unprecedented 11th consecutive MIAA Commissioner's Cup.

The Commissioner's Cup is presented annually to the MIAA-member
college that has the best cumulative peformance in the league's 18
sports for men and women.


Hope's string of Cups was in jeopardy after the fall and winter sports seasons as rival Calvin maintained what appeared to be an
insurmountable eight-point advantage in the standings.


Hope spring teams led the rally call claiming a league co-championship in men's track and field, finishing second in women's track and field, second in both baseball and softball, second in women's tennis and third in men's tennis. The spring teams garnered 77 out of a possible 90 all-sports points.

The result was Hope gaining a four-point advantage over Calvin in the final standings, 206-202. For the year Calvin had a 96-94 edge on the men's sports side of the standings while Hope owned a 112-106 advantage in women's sports.

The closeness of the Hope/Calvin Rivalry goes beyond a single sport. A year ago Calvin made a run at Hope for the Cup only to lose by a single point, 209-208. In 2007-08 the schools ended in a deadheat at 202 all-sports points apiece. This year four of Hope's MIAA championships were shared with Calvin -- men's soccer, volleyball, women's basketball and men's track & field.

This is Hope's 33rd Commissioner's Cup, the 26th over the last 32
years. Next is Albion with 14 followed by Kalamazoo 13, Calvin 9 and Alma 5.

[sflzman]

If Alma finished 5th overall, I really want to see what the standings would be like with just fall and springs sports since we were dead last in every single winter sport.

[Raider 68]

Quite an honor for Hope! Congrats to them and I  am sure formerd3db and all Hope supporters is very proud!