FB: Upper Midwest Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

We have schedules posted for a handful of UMAC teams:

http://www.d3football.com/school_info.php?school=Blackburn
http://www.d3football.com/school_info.php?school=Martin%20Luther
http://www.d3football.com/school_info.php?school=Minnesota-Morris
http://www.d3football.com/school_info.php?school=Northwestern%20(Minn.)

[illinihscoach05]

Nice article about the new "savior" at Blackburn - guy lost his job because a bunch of players at Lewis & Clark in Oregon quit and the Prez cut the program in MID-SEASON (yes-MID SEASON) then told this so called "guru" to take a hike!  Now he is going to be the guy to rebuild a "struggling" Blackburn program.  Yeah right!  The idiot president at what many around here call "Dumb-burn" and the "Bumblin'Beavers" hires this guy who thinks he is some kind of god in the coaching profession without checking up on him - check out the AD she hired too.  What a mess!  This is one of the top three worst programs in North America.  Their wins recently?  Trinity Bible and Principia!  Skip Mathieson was a class guy and a good Illinois connected coach who did well in stints at Millikin in the 60's and 70's, did a great job at a very small Illinois high school which he took to the playoffs numerous times and WON, and this Madam President with the Junior High Gym AND PLAYING FIELD (who has been investigated for questionable use of funds which were donated to this college)runs SKip out and hires a guy who LOSES HIS WHOLE PROGRAM IN TWO SHORT YEARS!  And don't give us the excuse that Lewis & Clark is an "academic" school that can't get football players admitted (tell me what other schools in D3 are located in Oregon besides Linfield and maybe one or two others).  Nice try - Blackburn -put that 2 & 7 up on the board right now (dial a score vs. Principia and Trinity Bible if you play them - 1-8 if you don't).  Oh yes and Coach V you self annointed guru you, KEEP YOUR PLAYERS out of the fights and police blotters they have frequented recently (Madam Prez covered this up for him, baseball team got in real trouble too).  Bye bye Dumb-burn!

[Pat Coleman]

I don't believe "a bunch of players at Lewis & Clark in Oregon quit" -- I don't think they ever had a bunch of players to begin with, even before he got there. The team he inherited only had 40 players and it only takes a few players getting hurt from there to get to the point L&C was at last fall.

VanDeZande is Illinois-connected as well. No, he's not downstate-Illinois connected but North Central is still in Illinois.

Blackburn has some big question marks from last year to deal with as well -- bragging about its 85-man roster that began the season, then ended with 61.

What a mess! This is one of the top three worst programs in North America. Their wins recently? Trinity Bible and Principia!

Skip Mathieson was a class guy and a good Illinois connected coach who did well in stints at Millikin in the 60's and 70's, did a great job at a very small Illinois high school which he took to the playoffs numerous times and WON, and this Madam President with the Junior High Gym AND PLAYING FIELD ... runs SKip out ...

If the only teams he beat were Trinity Bible and Prin, exactly what kind of a job was Mathieson doing? Even the credit for the large recruiting class went to Dom Passolano.

I'm not saying VanDeZande is great and I'm not saying Mathieson deserved to be let go, but you're not connecting the dots very well.

[swede]

I don't believe "a bunch of players at Lewis & Clark in Oregon quit" -- I don't think they ever had a bunch of players to begin with, even before he got there. The team he inherited only had 40 players and it only takes a few players getting hurt from there to get to the point L&C was at last fall.

VanDeZande is Illinois-connected as well. No, he's not downstate-Illinois connected but North Central is still in Illinois.

Blackburn has some big question marks from last year to deal with as well -- bragging about its 85-man roster that began the season, then ended with 61.

What a mess! This is one of the top three worst programs in North America. Their wins recently? Trinity Bible and Principia!

Skip Mathieson was a class guy and a good Illinois connected coach who did well in stints at Millikin in the 60's and 70's, did a great job at a very small Illinois high school which he took to the playoffs numerous times and WON, and this Madam President with the Junior High Gym AND PLAYING FIELD ... runs SKip out ...

If the only teams he beat were Trinity Bible and Prin, exactly what kind of a job was Mathieson doing? Even the credit for the large recruiting class went to Dom Passolano.

I'm not saying VanDeZande is great and I'm not saying Mathieson deserved to be let go, but you're not connecting the dots very well.

Pat is correct on this one. I believe the pios started with 39 players and by the time the last three games rolled around they were closer to 30. It was the President and the board that decided to forego the remainder of the season as not to risk any more injuries and not the players quiting.

[coocooforcoekohawk]

When does the UMAC go legit?

[Ralph Turner]

When does the UMAC go legit?

Today!  For those of you who have not read the front page!

I am so happy for the student-athletes in the UMAC/SLIAC.  This will guarantee a bid for the winner, altho' it might mean a first round trip to Mount Union or St John's.

Nevertheless, this will build all of the programs involved.

[johnnie_esq]

Congrats to the UMAC group on the upcoming autobid!   This will have playoff implications for sure, particularly on the placement of WIAC/MWC teams, as they could be shifted to the North region, or the SLIAC winner to the south region. 

Nevertheless, in 2008, welcome to the big show!

[coocooforcoekohawk]

When does the UMAC go legit?

Today! 

I just had a feeling...

[coocooforcoekohawk]

Will it be called the SLIAC?

[Pat Coleman]

Yes. We ran a story on the front page last month. You can find it in Notables, June 20.

[coocooforcoekohawk]

So, is this board relevent anymore?

Is there a UMAC this year?

[Pat Coleman]

Yes. We ran a story on the front page last month. You can find it in Notables, June 20.

[coocooforcoekohawk]

I did read the article Pat.  You must think I have a comprehension problem.  I was posing the question to any possible UMAC'rs and whether there will be any more chatter on this, soon to be extinct, board. 

[AO]

I don't see why this board would become extinct when games start being played under the SLIAC name.  Not there's anything really worth saving on this board, but 7 of the teams in the upcoming SLIAC currently play in the UMAC.

Is this going to be a conference with teams from the south, north and west regions?  Anyone know if this affects the importance of the north division SLIAC teams' clashes with the MIAC?

[Ralph Turner]

AO, Pat will probably just change the name of the board.  That is how he handled the Lake Michigan/NIIC to Northern Athletics Conference move.

There are several dynamics in place with the UMAC/SLIAC.  The Football Championships Committee will determine into which region each school must be assigned.  SCAC member DePauw is in the South Region, so we might have all of the SLAIC members assigned to one region, either the North or the West probably.

For the sake of the Championship and the In-Region Record, all conference games will be "in-region" anyway, as in the AMCC in basketball, where some members are assigned to the Great Lakes, others to the Mid-Atlantic.