FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Ralph Turner]

UMHBalum-n-CenLa,
Good points, well taken.

Bill,
I am speaking from experience here. Taking the Blue Chip recruits out of the equation, if you were to ask the more talented high school players in Wisconsin where they were going to play next year, (with they exception of a few that have the grades to get into Madison and try to walk on, or the few that go D-I out of state) most of them would most likely tell you UW-Whitewater, UW-La Crosse, UW-Eau Claire, etc.; a WIAC school.  I now coach in the south and NONE of my players (talented or not) are talking about going to ANY ASC school. Most of them are planning on going to the local Community College and then trying to get a D-I offer from the Multiple D-I schools (Big XII, SEC, and Conf. USA) in the area. Will some of them end up at an ASC school?, probably, but it sure won't be anyones first choice, like Whitewater or La Crosse is for a lot of Wisconsin players. Again, nor do we have any D-II schools to take away from out D-III programs. Also, you have to look at Whitewater's recruiting area. It sits between Madison and Milwaukee, and is just north of Chicago. It's a great school in a prime location for anyone from those areas who want to keep playing but maybe don't have the quite the talent of D-I. Also, if we took the bottom teams from the ASC and the bottom teams from the WIAC, I'd take River Falls or Platteville over Louisiana College or Howard Payne any day!

Multiple points of LC's post are accurate.

The challenge for the ASC, which is only 12 seasons old, is for the Texas high school coaches to adopt the D3 mindset that D3 is an acceptable option for student-athletes, as it is in Wisconsin.

In the state of Texas, schools that offer "athletic" scholarships are everywhere.

D-1A's -- 10
D-1AA's  -- 3 football
D-1 (non-football) -- 5 more
D-2's  -- 7 football
D-2's non-football  -- 6 more
NAIA - 1 --  2 football and 10 total
JUCO's giving soccer or volleyball or baseball/softball scholarships or any combination more than 50.

Back in the 1970's the Lone Star Conference and the WSUC were comparable entities.  The Lone Star Conference of the 1970's is now:

D-1AA's (FCS) Texas State (SWSTU), Stephen F Austin and Sam Houston State (Southland Conference)
D-2's    Abilene Christian, Angelo State, Texas A&M Commerce (the old E.Texas State), Texas A&M Kingsville (the old Texas A&I) and Tarleton State (all currently of the Lone Star Conference)
D-3's  Howard Payne, McMurry and Sul Ross State (the ASC).

Texas D-3's -- 9 football, 15 total.

Wisconsin and Texas a just different.  When you consider that Texas usually has the most athletes signed to D-1 football scholarships and about half of those are going out of state, the "Athletic Scholarship" mindset is overwhelming!

[voice]

6,000-plus for Saturday's UMHB-UWW game at Perkins Stadium is still a good attendance figure considering the circumstances that BadgerWarhawk alluded to plus a couple of area communities that had high school football playoff games scheduled that day. Their was still a solid turnout by UWW students at the game, many postponing their trip to Freakfest in Madison until after the game.  Whitewater's students that attend football games are member's of the Bleacher Creatures where one of the BCers will win a semester of free tuition at the final home game of the season.  To be eligible, the BCer has to attend at least 4 of the 5 home games this season. 

Whitewater student participation in football games at the Perk is one reason UWW is averaging over 6,000 per game on the season. 

[ScheckDiesel]

The people who talked about attendance earlier hit it on the head... Alot of UWW students were in Madison... I don't understand the logic... there was PLENTY of time to get up to Madison to get drunk...

[crusaderforlife]

About the disrespect of UWW by jumping on the W, I think this debate should rest, every game I have seen UMHB play they congregate at the middle of the field and get hyped regardless of who they play. As for disrespecting the military appreciation day, trust me UMHB is a mere 20 minutes away from the biggest military base in North America and probably the world we understand how improtant the military is to us. About not coming out for the national anthem, UMHB has a routine, and were praying during the national anthem, this is not a tradition unique to UMHB, I am made to understand that the Wisconsin Badgers do not show up for the national anthem. This is not the first time for UMHB to do this and it was not a psychological thing, they usually run onto the field after the national anthem is played EVEN at home games. But congrats to UW-W you were the better team on the day and deserve your number 2 ranking but please don't call us out for disrespecting the military, national anthem and UW-W without all the facts and if you are going to be yelling BULL S**T for everyone to here it kinda doesn't make sense.
I won't make any excuses UW-W beat UMHB 41-14 and that's all that matters, hopefully we will meet again.

[Sakman 1111]

Time to focus on Stout.....they are coming off 2 solid conference wins.....the BlueDevils always play UWW tough up there. Hope to see the running game get going. Need to get out of there with a solid victory, clinch the WIAC, and keep home field for the playoffs.....also get a victory without getting anyone hurt on that billiard table surface.....Pound the Rock........

[BoBo]

You mean we can't talk about those dirty, rotten, disrespectful scoundrels from Texas anymore? {just kidding}

[Sakman 1111]

We can talk about them again if UWW keeps winning and MHB can beat Wesley this year but first comes Stout....Pound the Rock......

[Old Indian]

Have to agree that the WIAC is D3's strongest conference, but as I'm sure Pat C. can tell us, the WIAC school and much much larger (from an enrollment standpoint) than traditional D3 schools. 

Most of D3 is comprised of small East Coast liberal arts colleges.  The WIAC schools are all mid-size universities with five-digit undergraduate enrollments. 

It really isn't a level playing field (or in Stout's case - a level billiard table).  The WIAC schools should really be Division IAA (n/k/a championship subsivision). 

[footballfan413]

Old Indian,
      That arguement has been hashed and re-hashed on these boards for years by posters with a lot of knowledge regarding the subject.  Bottom line is WIAC does not give athletic scholarships and therefore, qualify as a D-3 conference.  In fact, as state schools with very little resources for financial aid, grants, academic money, (wink, wink,)  they have less to give to their athletes in terms of financial incentives than many of the smaller private schools.  If bigger enrollment is such an asset, how do you explain MUC's dominance the last 15 years?

[Just Bill]

I sense a dead horse about to be beaten.

The WIAC schools are all mid-size universities with five-digit undergraduate enrollments. 

Actually, not one WIAC school tops 10,000 undergrads according to D3Football.com.  But, your point is taken.

[Sakman 1111]

Here it is Old Indian starting trouble again.....The big state school vs. the small liberal arts school....Baloney....I remember 7 years ago when we started visiting small liberal arts schools around the Midwest that don't give athletic scholarships I was surprised at the availability of $$$. One school told us that no football player pays over $5000 a year......others assured us that cost for the year would be less than tuition at a state school if he tried to walk on one of those division one schools. When we  commented that tuition/room and board well over $20,000 was a lot we were told that was a starting figure and it could always be worked down. When we visited Whitewater we were told what the out of state tuition was and that's what we would pay. My son chose UWW because of the education department, the Perk, the football program and he did not get a dollar ever for a grant, work study, scholarship,etc. that he could of got from the small private liberal arts programs that you feel are so at a disadvantage. It cost more but it worked out great with two trips to the Stagg Bowl and a degree. Actually Old Indian I really believe that you don't actually believe what you are saying but are just trying to stir it up which you did.....

[BDB]

I sense a dead horse about to be beaten.

[BDB]

It really isn't a level playing field (or in Stout's case - a level billiard table). 

This Saturday's game will be the last time someone will try to make one in the corner pocket, unless Menomonie HS gets another playoff home game.

[57Johnnie]

Have to agree that the WIAC is D3's strongest conference, but as I'm sure Pat C. can tell us, the WIAC school and much much larger (from an enrollment standpoint) than traditional D3 schools. 

Most of D3 is comprised of small East Coast liberal arts colleges.  The WIAC schools are all mid-size universities with five-digit undergraduate enrollments. 

It really isn't a level playing field (or in Stout's case - a level billiard table).  The WIAC schools should really be Division IAA (n/k/a championship subsivision). 

WOW  --  and to think I thought Stout was in the WIAC. 

[badgerwarhawk]

blah, blah, blah.....yawn