FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[02 Warhawk]

Bleed's D3 Top 25

www.uwwfootball.blogspot.com

(non-WIAC fans may be VERY skeptical of this week's rankings. But I'm willing to defend them.  )

you weren't exagerating, over half the WIAC is in the top 25.

[badgerwarhawk]

Well, with no Warhawk football this weekend, I might just make the drive down to see the fifth ranked Warhawk volleyball team play on Saturday.

After last night's 3-1 win over Robert Morris (Chicago) the WARHAWKS, ranked 5th in the latest AVCA poll, are on a nine game winning streak.  But there are some incredibly good teams coming to town this weekend.  On Friday night the WARHAWKS will face off against #3 ranked Emory College (7pm) and then on Saturday they will play matches against #14 ranked Carthage College (10am) and #22 ranked University of Chicago (2pm).  U of Chicago is coached by former WARHAWK player and assistant coach Vanessa Walby.  She has really turned their program around.

On Friday night the university will have a ceremony to honor ex-coach Kris Russell by naming the volleyball gym in her honor. 

This is definitely a good weekend to come down BG.  Four very good teams will make every match interesting to watch.  Unfortunately I have a prior committment Friday but I'm hoping to get to the Saturday matches.  I know we've met briefly in the past so if you're there and you spot me please stop by and say hello. 

[badgerwarhawk]

I think I'll just leave the who's better argument alone.  LaCrosse had some really good teams during their run and while I know how they would stack up against our current teams is speculative one thing that isn't is how our teams stacked up against them at the time and that wasn't particularly good. 

Nobody else in the league like to take on RF's wishbone.  It was different than anything else you saw all year so you had to devote a lot of time specifically towards preparing for it and they were very effective in their execution.  I think most of the other coaches in the league were probably glad to learn that they were dropping it. 

[Beyond Prime]

To continue on the RF discussion, I am excited to see what the new AD will do. I think it is sad that the football facilities lack so far behind the rest of the conference. I think facilities do affect where kids want to go. There is a whole lot more in making a decision of where to go (coaching staff, school, degree programs, etc.), but many kids now are of the generation of the quick gratification. So the visual can be a hard thing for kids to get over. As said before, there were a lot of benefits that were gained by KC being there, which I don't think the school or team used very well to promote the school and program. With KC gone, I hope the funding continues to keep the "extra's" going and not let them slip back. One of those being the practice fields. Everyone can praise artificial turf all they want, but there is nothing like a very well taken care of grass field. I would match those practice fields today against any of the game fields. My son has said it is like falling on pillows. Yes, I do understand the benefits of artificial turf, especially with our fall weather. Maybe I am just an old school guy.

I have a son that is not playing this year, but hope to see him on the field next year. He selected the school for the school and the coaching staff. We also have a neighbor that is on the WW track team. Both my son and I heard a lot from him about the poor facilities that RF have, yet my son wanted to play for Coach O'Grady. Now we will have to see what happens after this year. We hope the new AD makes the right decision for the long haul of the program.

Lastly, I agree that being on the border of Minnesota can affect your ability to recruit. I think it helps schools like WW being in the southern, middle part of the state, but that doesn't account for all of their success. They have worked hard to build their program and now with their success it makes it a bit easier, as kids want to come to a successful program. Along those same lines I think the conference as a whole helps to make the WW team what they are by the end of the season. Not being challenged at all makes it difficult to improve.

[UniqueInsight38]

The new idea for Ramer field is this:

Replace the grass with turf.

Tear down the existing Seating and box

Replace with new seating and Box that is open to the backside also--Move soccer field directly behind stands

Put new practice fields on east side of stadium

This AD is the real deal!!!  There will be great changes and soon.  He will raise money quickly.

Along with a change at head coach due to Coach O's retirement.

I know that the #1 reason the team has not been successful is RECRUITING!!!!

They have been very understaffed and underfunded since the early 1990's with no visual support from the old AD.  This makes all the difference. 

Without talented athletes to coach, you can only be so good.

[bleedpurple]

Lastly, I agree that being on the border of Minnesota can affect your ability to recruit. I think it helps schools like WW being in the southern, middle part of the state, but that doesn't account for all of their success. They have worked hard to build their program and now with their success it makes it a bit easier, as kids want to come to a successful program. Along those same lines I think the conference as a whole helps to make the WW team what they are by the end of the season. Not being challenged at all makes it difficult to improve.

I absolutely 1,000% agree with this entire paragraph! Well stated! +k 

The WIAC as a whole should take great pride in the past successes of LaCrosse and the recent successes of UW-W and any national success of any of it's programs.  Most certainly the conference helps the champion (whoever it is) become who they are by the end of the year.  Not without it's bumps and bruises, though! 

[bleedpurple]

Bleed's D3 Top 25

www.uwwfootball.blogspot.com

(non-WIAC fans may be VERY skeptical of this week's rankings. But I'm willing to defend them.  )

you weren't exagerating, over half the WIAC is in the top 25.

And I think supporters of other programs who are indignant about that should call their AD's and Coaches and encourage them to PLAY WIAC TEAMS.  Then they can teach me a lesson.   

[Beyond Prime]

The new idea for Ramer field is this:

Replace the grass with turf.

Tear down the existing Seating and box

Replace with new seating and Box that is open to the backside also--Move soccer field directly behind stands

Put new practice fields on east side of stadium

This AD is the real deal!!!  There will be great changes and soon.  He will raise money quickly.

Along with a change at head coach due to Coach O's retirement.

I know that the #1 reason the team has not been successful is RECRUITING!!!!

They have been very understaffed and underfunded since the early 1990's with no visual support from the old AD.  This makes all the difference. 

Without talented athletes to coach, you can only be so good.

All great things to hear. I look forward to watching the progress and promote that progress!! It should be an exciting next few years in RF!!

[Just Bill]

WIAC schools have played FCS schools a number of times, so that's nothing new.  Drake and Valparaiso are two that I remember being on schedules in recent history.

Ahh Bill, Drake and Valparaiso are non-scholarship FSC, in other words, glorified D3's in FSC clothes - that any top D3 would beat on a regular basis. Valpo last played a WIAC in 1995 (UWW (4th in WIAC) 47 Valpo 0; Drake - 5 or so year ago and Platteville was beating them). Playing those two is probably no better than playing the Campbellsville's of the world. The D2's the WIAC has played recently are considerably stronger than Drake and Valparaiso.     

Spare the condescending tone. I'm well aware of what Drake and Valpo are.

[02 Warhawk]

Comments from posters here about UWL not being a national power are just plain silly. Pull up the WIAC page and see who dominated the conference from 1970-2005; that's about a 35-year heyday, if you ask me...
I'm sure the players on those teams would have loved to play the more recent Warhawks teams...

Last time I checked, UWL also won two NCAA titles in a five-year period; but UWL did it in four, from 1992-95...

And for those who are keeping score at home, UWL still leads in the trophy case hardware, three to two... (But I guess an NAIA one doesn't count, even though UWW was in the conference, too?).

I might have missed it, but I did not read any posts that said UW-L was never a national power. I certainly never said that. I only "speculated" that their best teams were not as good as UW-W is right now. Debatable from different perspectives to be sure, but not exactly far fetched given UW-W's current run of success. The point  was in response to a question as to whether UW-W's current domination of the WIAC could have been "as simple as" the downfall of the western wisconsin programs due to Minnesota D2 recruiting, not just a random shot out of nowhere.

weren't Minnesota D2 programs recruiting in wisconsin before whitewater's current run, though? or is this something new over the past 5 years?

[danimal]

The new idea for Ramer field is this:

Replace the grass with turf.

Tear down the existing Seating and box

Replace with new seating and Box that is open to the backside also--Move soccer field directly behind stands

Put new practice fields on east side of stadium

This AD is the real deal!!!  There will be great changes and soon.  He will raise money quickly.

Along with a change at head coach due to Coach O's retirement.

I know that the #1 reason the team has not been successful is RECRUITING!!!!

They have been very understaffed and underfunded since the early 1990's with no visual support from the old AD.  This makes all the difference. 

Without talented athletes to coach, you can only be so good.

All great things to hear. I look forward to watching the progress and promote that progress!! It should be an exciting next few years in RF!!

RF has at least two '09 all-state players attending school but not playing.  Not only should schools, IMO, hit surrounding JC's and high schools schools hard, but recruiting your own campus, too.

St. Cloud State is also possibly dropping their FB program due to budget cuts.  I'd also keep a close eye on that and hit that campus should it turn out to be true.  

[usee]

Any thoughts on the UWEC-NCC game this weekend? Big game for both teams.

[Beyond Prime]

danimal, I think you bring up a good point. I don't believe there is much campaigning of the new changes being proposed to the students on campus. You need to sell to your student body, as well as, your local community. You never know where that next player or contributor will come from.

[bleedpurple]

danimal, I think you bring up a good point. I don't believe there is much campaigning of the new changes being proposed to the students on campus. You need to sell to your student body, as well as, your local community. You never know where that next player or contributor will come from.

These are good points. Speaking of the local community, I have no idea how hard UW-RF went after him, but  former RF High School standout running back Levi Johnson is on UW-W's team this year.

[Devil Badger Gopher]

In regards to recruiting certain states or areas, Platteville recruiting Illinois is not going to make them a juggernaut (they are recruiting against all the local D3's while UWW can choose which of these solid players to choose from).  
I would also like to say that recruiting the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area might be the most fertile recruiting area available to the WIAC schools (Eau Claire, Stout and River Falls all fight over these players).  Minnesota HS Football is better than Wisconsin HS Football which typically means better players.  The hard part of this is that the best non-blue chippers typically opt for St. John's or another local D2 with the scholarship dollars.

All recruits have certain things they are looking for in a school, but a current winning program that has played on national TV is the best piece of recruiting.