FB: American Rivers Conference

[sportsknight]

KCRG in Cedar Rapids had a story about the IIAC (specifically Coe) starting spring practice during the news last night.  They haven't put the video on their website yet, or otherwise I'd post a link to it.  The bulk of the story was about what they can and can't do during practices and Staker saying that he's happy to have the workouts, not only so that the IIAC is on par with the rest of the country, but also because it will give his players more of an idea of what he'll be like as the head coach.

[DutchFan2004]

KCRG in Cedar Rapids had a story about the IIAC (specifically Coe) starting spring practice during the news last night.  They haven't put the video on their website yet, or otherwise I'd post a link to it.  The bulk of the story was about what they can and can't do during practices and Staker saying that he's happy to have the workouts, not only so that the IIAC is on par with the rest of the country, but also because it will give his players more of an idea of what he'll be like as the head coach.

That really has to help the new coaches in the IIAC.  I am sure that players will be able to pick up where they left off come August now instead of starting then. 

[oldNorse]

6 the number of former IIAC football champs that are no longer members of the Iowa Conference


Parsons, Iowa Teachers, St Ambrose, William Penn, Upper Iowa, and Iowa Wesleyan.

2 for Iowa Teachers
2 for St Ambrose
3 Iowa Wesleyan
4 William Penn
5 for UIU
6 for Parsons

DF2004:  remind me of the years when St. Ambrose and Iowa Teachers were part of the IIAC football conference.

[doolittledog]

6 the number of former IIAC football champs that are no longer members of the Iowa Conference


Parsons, Iowa Teachers, St Ambrose, William Penn, Upper Iowa, and Iowa Wesleyan.

2 for Iowa Teachers
2 for St Ambrose
3 Iowa Wesleyan
4 William Penn
5 for UIU
6 for Parsons

DF2004:  remind me of the years when St. Ambrose and Iowa Teachers were part of the IIAC football conference.

I believe you were playing against them oldNorse!!!  I kid I kid

Iowa Teachers...known as UNI now, left in the 1920's
St. Ambrose left in the early 50's...for football only along with Loras before dropping out all together a few years later...because, the story goes...they were too good.  I have also heard Loras and St. Ambrose had big ambitions to start a big time all-catholic schools conference but that never came to be. 

[Klopenhiemer]

I thought Martinez kicked 6 a couple times. I swear they won 2 games with 18 points and he accounted for all of them.

I believe that was at SW MN State in the opening game of the 2001 season.  I will need to check my records to confirm the final score. 

2001, Carlos kicked 5 FG's to win the game, 15-14.  But hey, somebody had to get him into range for all of those!!! 

Those holes must have been produced by big number 75 out of WDM Valley 

[The Show]

Actually, if I recall correctly, we moved the ball pretty decent until we hit the red zone.  Once we'd approach the 20, they'd insert their goalline package and we'd kick a FG 3 plays later!  They had some toads that dwarfed big number 75.

[DutchFan2004]

6 the number of former IIAC football champs that are no longer members of the Iowa Conference


Parsons, Iowa Teachers, St Ambrose, William Penn, Upper Iowa, and Iowa Wesleyan.

2 for Iowa Teachers
2 for St Ambrose
3 Iowa Wesleyan
4 William Penn
5 for UIU
6 for Parsons

DF2004:  remind me of the years when St. Ambrose and Iowa Teachers were part of the IIAC football conference.

I do not know when they were in the conference but it is in the IIAC website.  Iowa Teachers won the conference in 1927 and 1928  St Ambrose won in 1950 and 1951

[Klopenhiemer]

Actually, if I recall correctly, we moved the ball pretty decent until we hit the red zone.  Once we'd approach the 20, they'd insert their goalline package and we'd kick a FG 3 plays later!  They had some toads that dwarfed big number 75.

Yeah he was a toad himself!

[Floyd in Iowa City]

6 the number of former IIAC football champs that are no longer members of the Iowa Conference


Parsons, Iowa Teachers, St Ambrose, William Penn, Upper Iowa, and Iowa Wesleyan.

2 for Iowa Teachers
2 for St Ambrose
3 Iowa Wesleyan
4 William Penn
5 for UIU
6 for Parsons

DF2004:  remind me of the years when St. Ambrose and Iowa Teachers were part of the IIAC football conference.

I believe you were playing against them oldNorse!!!  I kid I kid

Iowa Teachers...known as UNI now, left in the 1920's
St. Ambrose left in the early 50's...for football only along with Loras before dropping out all together a few years later...because, the story goes...they were too good.  I have also heard Loras and St. Ambrose had big ambitions to start a big time all-catholic schools conference but that never came to be. 

I also remember reading about how schools like Morningside and St. Ambrose also were not in good standing at times when they were in the Iowa Conference because they did not play enough league games.  I want to say that St. Ambrose played around a total of 30 conference games between 1933-1947 when other schools like Luther were playing 5-6 conference games a year during those years.  I really don't count part of the war years (1942-1945 seasons) though as a lot of interesting things happened in college athletics.

I have also read the things about Loras and St. Ambrose being so good in football and basketball in the early 1950s, but when did Loras win the IIAC title?  It is crazy how they ended up dropping the sport. 

From the Loras website:

But the times were changing in the early 1950s and Loras – who eyed moving on to a more competitive conference (the Missouri Valley and Illinois Conference were possibilities)  -- decided to strike out in another direction. The lack of some major sports (wrestling, swimming and gymnastics) and sub-par facilities blocked entry into a higher-level conference. Under President Loras Lane, along with St. Ambrose, Loras worked to form an all-Catholic Midwest Conference. The short-lived Midlands Conference lasted just two years for football -- 1952-53).
     When Loras petitioned to leave the Iowa Conference, the IC agreed and in part the resolution said: ``....Loras and St. Ambrose respectively have concurred in the feeling that it would make for better balance in the football competition between schools in the conference if Loras and St. Ambrose withdrew from championship consideration in football.''  Loras retained its IC membership for basketball and track.
       As the only schools with all-men enrollments, the Duhawks and Bees were making a mockery of Iowa the Conference. From 1946-51, Loras lost only three games to IC foes – all to St. Ambrose (two playoffs for the IC championship). IC teams slowly dropped Loras from their schedules, and by 1958 only Luther remained.
       The lack of a strong conference (the Midlands had only five football teams), schedule problems (Loras sometimes had to place twice on a weekend), the drop in gate receipts and a growing deficit in the football program (as much $39,053 in 1959 and never less than $20,000 a year in the 1950s) spelled big trouble. The hoped for mega-Catholic conference of 10-12 schools never got off the ground.
    By 1959, President Rev. Msgr. Dorance V.  Foley came to the hard decision to drop football.  On field success had fallen – six consecutive losing season by 1959 – and home game attendance was small at best.  Gate receipts were $32.70 for one game. With no conference there were scheduling problems; Loras had to guarantee some schools  $1,400 to come and play a game on campus.
            From 1960 through 1969 the only touchdowns scored on campus were in 6-man intramural touch football.

The IIAC seemed to never have discussed dropping Central for winning too much in football or Buzz Levick's Wartburg teams in basketball, so this stuff about Loras and St. Ambrose being too good for the rest of the league has never made sense to me within that context.

[5 Words or Less]

Minus 6 - Fewest passing yards allowed

   
• Central, Minus-6 vs. Simpson, 1985
• NCAA D3 Record for a team in one game

[5 Words or Less]

7 -

D3Football.com IIAC Honorees in 2007

• All Americans
• 
  
  • OG Jon Stavast - Luther
  • LB Chris Gustafson - Cornell
  • LB Greg Altmaier - Central
  • CB Guy Dierikx - Central
  
  

• Honorable Mention
• 
  
  • QB Tim Connell - Central
  • RB Tyler Sherden - Luther
  • PR Tommy Breitbach - Coe

[Pat Coleman]

Honorable Mentions are still All-Americans in our book.

[5 Words or Less]

7 - IIAC record, Touchdowns in 1 game

• Guy Leman (Simpson) 7 vs. Luther 11/14/98

7 - IIAC record, Interceptions in 1 game

• Buena Vista (team record) 7 vs. William Penn, 9/30/00

7 - Referees in an IIAC game

'7' - Rock Bowl midfield insignia

[Walston Hoover]

Anyone else get a chuckle when you see that Loras had a president named Loras Lane? His assistant was Superman I think.

7- minimum wins in a season for the last 15 years

Up until this past season, the least wins I had ever been a part of in a football season.

7- Jake Burns, and Mike Woltz as a Freshman

7- Days in a week I visit this site

[doolittledog]

I also remember reading about how schools like Morningside and St. Ambrose also were not in good standing at times when they were in the Iowa Conference because they did not play enough league games.  I want to say that St. Ambrose played around a total of 30 conference games between 1933-1947 when other schools like Luther were playing 5-6 conference games a year during those years.  I really don't count part of the war years (1942-1945 seasons) though as a lot of interesting things happened in college athletics.



From the Loras website:

But the times were changing in the early 1950s and Loras – who eyed moving on to a more competitive conference (the Missouri Valley and Illinois Conference were possibilities)  -- decided to strike out in another direction. The lack of some major sports (wrestling, swimming and gymnastics) and sub-par facilities blocked entry into a higher-level conference. Under President Loras Lane, along with St. Ambrose, Loras worked to form an all-Catholic Midwest Conference. The short-lived Midlands Conference lasted just two years for football -- 1952-53).
     When Loras petitioned to leave the Iowa Conference, the IC agreed and in part the resolution said: ``....Loras and St. Ambrose respectively have concurred in the feeling that it would make for better balance in the football competition between schools in the conference if Loras and St. Ambrose withdrew from championship consideration in football.''  Loras retained its IC membership for basketball and track.
       As the only schools with all-men enrollments, the Duhawks and Bees were making a mockery of Iowa the Conference. From 1946-51, Loras lost only three games to IC foes – all to St. Ambrose (two playoffs for the IC championship). IC teams slowly dropped Loras from their schedules, and by 1958 only Luther remained.
       The lack of a strong conference (the Midlands had only five football teams), schedule problems (Loras sometimes had to place twice on a weekend), the drop in gate receipts and a growing deficit in the football program (as much $39,053 in 1959 and never less than $20,000 a year in the 1950s) spelled big trouble. The hoped for mega-Catholic conference of 10-12 schools never got off the ground.
    By 1959, President Rev. Msgr. Dorance V.  Foley came to the hard decision to drop football.  On field success had fallen – six consecutive losing season by 1959 – and home game attendance was small at best.  Gate receipts were $32.70 for one game. With no conference there were scheduling problems; Loras had to guarantee some schools  $1,400 to come and play a game on campus.
            From 1960 through 1969 the only touchdowns scored on campus were in 6-man intramural touch football.

The IIAC seemed to never have discussed dropping Central for winning too much in football or Buzz Levick's Wartburg teams in basketball, so this stuff about Loras and St. Ambrose being too good for the rest of the league has never made sense to me within that context.

By reading that I think it was more a case of Loras and St. Ambrose thinking they could move up the food chain conference wise and asked to leave and the IIAC just went along with their wording in the press release. 

I also question the scheduling in the IIAC.  It almost seems like they had a conference meeting about the time Loras and St. Ambrose dropped out because after 1950 pretty much everybody played each other every year.  Before that though it was a crap shoot.  Dubuque was in the IIAC since the 1920's and NEVER played Simpson in football before 1950!!!  A lot of the other conference schools Dubuque would only play 4 or 5 times in a decade.