FB: American Rivers Conference

[doolittledog]

Let me get this straight.  There are drink specials during the coaches show in Pella, but not in Waverly?!?!  I'm not sure my brain can process that.  Unless, they figure those Wartburg types will drink, no matter what the price is

5WOL/5WOM...awesome post, loved it.

Floyd, I get what you're saying.  Sometimes I get the impression the Luther admin likes winning the all-sports trophy as long as they are winning it by having great swimming/cross country/non-neanderthal sports like football scoring them points.  We shall see.  Luther was the conference power in football for the 1st 50 years of this conference...now they seem mired in mediocracy...but they aren't a bottom feeder!!!

[Floyd in Iowa City]

Let me get this straight.  There are drink specials during the coaches show in Pella, but not in Waverly?!?!  I'm not sure my brain can process that.  Unless, they figure those Wartburg types will drink, no matter what the price is

5WOL/5WOM...awesome post, loved it.

Floyd, I get what you're saying.  Sometimes I get the impression the Luther admin likes winning the all-sports trophy as long as they are winning it by having great swimming/cross country/non-neanderthal sports like football scoring them points.  We shall see.  Luther was the conference power in football for the 1st 50 years of this conference...now they seem mired in mediocracy...but they aren't a bottom feeder!!!

The Men's Basketball program was by far the worst on the Luther campus over this past decade, so I guess if they can win the regular season and postseason IIAC titles this past year anything is possible.

Wrestling dropped off these last couple years, so anything is possible from the negative as well.

Luther Football does need to get some luck to get the program back to being a legit contender on a yearly basis.  They don't show any signs of getting there by spending more resources on coaching salaries or other main football budget numbers (compared to other upper division teams).

[Willie University]

Super!  I think if the Norse athletic department wanted to start with the Oles, a stronger Billy Penn, and Central, they should have hired Zweifel instead of passing on him.  I think the Norse have been solid in coaching and development over the past few years, but Zweifel and the Spartans are running circles around the Norse in recruiting (or so it appears).

Hopefully Iowa Wesleyan is down a bit.

This is a big week for Luther.  Hopefully they can break the Groundhog Day feeling in a positive way.  They also could be looking at 0-3 and a bad way to snap the streak of 5-5 seasons.

To be fair to Coach Durnin, Zweifel is 1-1 vs Luther with both games being hard fought contests.

Doolittledog,

I didn't mean anything towards Coach Durnin, but rather the Luther Athletic Department and the College as this is still to me about commitment and resources.

The school does a lot of things the right way, but I just think the Division III priorities stuff gets taken too far in Decorah at times over the years as it pertains to admissions, recruiting budgets, coaching salaries, etc.

Why was Coach Durnin hired instead of Coach Zweifel at the time (after the 2007 season)?  Both had credentials, but Durnin actually worked for or under Zweifel twice (Yankton College, Mankato State).  Zweifel had more head coaching experience, more experience, and Whitewater (Zweifel ran the offense) had been better than LaCrosse (Durnin ran the defense) in recent years.  National playoff success is usually a good thing!

They both were good candidates though.

It just feels like the school went with Coach Durnin or broke the tie at the time for reasons other than coaching credentials.  It felt like it was more about not wanting Zweifel than wanting Coach Durnin.  It also sounded like Zweifel wanted a financial/resource commitment from the school towards improving Norse Football.  It also sounded like at least one older assistant at the time had reservations about potential work weeks during football under Zweifel.  It even sounded like some players got scared during the interviews, but that happens to some extent during coaching changes as there is a lot of unknown.

I liked Zweifel at the time because he actually won a conference title at Minnesota-Morris (how hard is that!)!  The Whitewater and Division II (Mankato, Northern Colorado) work as an assistant also was a plus.

They are both good at what they do, but it is frustrating to see Dubuque taking a recruiting jump on paper with a guy who was talking to Luther players about jumping the recruiting in the Norse program back in late 2007.  I wonder if the difference between the two schools right now is the priorities of the schools themselves (more than the priorities and talent of the head coaches).

Hopefully I will feel better about some of this after the game on Saturday!  I want Chris Reynolds to have a good senior year in football and baseball and hope the roster is up to the challenge this year to make that happen.

All I can say is I am happy it turned out the way it did. UD got an excellent recruiter and coach and there is a commitment by the university that will aid and support Coach Zweifel in his commitment to building a competitive program. From my experience with Coach Z, I will agree that he has high expectations of his assistant coaches and his players. But isn't that what builds championship teams??

I cannot wait to kick off this season!! GO SPARTANS!!! Let's start the IIAC season off right with a WIN at Augustana!!

Willie U

[Floyd in Iowa City]

I'm looking forward to the start of another season of football.  There's always a sense of renewed optimism that accompanies the start of any season and this year is no different than any other in that regard.  Luther is something of a sleeping giant here in NE Iowa, just waiting for that elusive combination of talent and luck necessary to awaken and smite the devils of the southern realms. 

Wouldn't it be interesting if some team from the middle of the alphabet won the IIAC?  Wouldn't it be surprising if the largest school in the conference wouldn't have to wait four decades between outright conference titles?  Wouldn't it be great to top off the susquicentennial with a trophy?  But that would be looking at the glass completely full rather than the half-full / half-empty state that we have experienced for the past decade.  With the exception of the 2006 season, when the wheels fell off the bus and the Norse went 2-8, the boys in blue have been a model of consistency being at or just above 0.500.  Thus, I've assembled a tongue in cheek analysis of Luther's season depending on how you look at the glass.   

Sincerely yours, 5 Words or More

DATE	OPPONENT	GLASS 1/2 FULL	GLASS 1/2 EMPTY
Sept. 3	@ St. Olaf	Luther wins on grass	... except in Northfield (0.125 since 2001)
Sept. 10	William Penn	Norse maintain 26-12 series advantage	Statesmen curriculum excludes ancient history
Sept. 17	@ Central	Norse upend Dutch in Pella 28-20	... in 1978 (Luther's last victory in Pella)
Sept. 24	bye	HOORAY – we're 3-0!	CRAP – we're 0-3
Oct. 1	Loras	Luther fares well at homecoming	It's not homecoming
Oct. 8	@ Coe	Luther's rushing D leads IIAC	Coe's passing dissects rookie DB's
Oct. 15	Buena Vista	We're fine, stay the course.	Mayday! Mayday!  It's 2006 again
Oct. 22	Simpson	Large home crowds inspire Norse	It's fall break
Oct. 29	@ Dubuque	Luther wins! – Stan's canned	UD wins – please can Stan
Nov. 5	@ Cornell	Zero.  Cornell's victories in November (since 2005)	Zero.  Luther's November road wins since 1997
Nov. 12	Wartburg	Conference rivalries excite Norse	NCAA post season excite Knights

Great post!  Playing good teams on the road with experienced successful QBs (Coe and St. Olaf as examples) is always tough.  Front loading the schedule with a 90-man roster also seems like a tough way to map out a successful season.

On the November road game thing, I did remember Luther winning at Simpson in November of 2004 as Tyler Sherden ran 51 times  for 240 yards while Kyle Pearson had 6 catches for 100 yards.

Luther also won at Cornell in November of 2005.  That was a bad day for me as the Norse almost blew a 29-0 lead as they won 29-23 over the Rams.  Pearson had 13 catches for 208 yards.  Iowa blew a lead late at Northwestern to start a bad trend against the Wildcats.

Luther also won at Cornell in November of 2003.  I did think the Norse program was really getting ready to take off as Mike Jefferson ran 30 times for 220 yards.  That was the first of three straight 6-4 seasons.

[Floyd in Iowa City]

Super!  I think if the Norse athletic department wanted to start with the Oles, a stronger Billy Penn, and Central, they should have hired Zweifel instead of passing on him.  I think the Norse have been solid in coaching and development over the past few years, but Zweifel and the Spartans are running circles around the Norse in recruiting (or so it appears).

Hopefully Iowa Wesleyan is down a bit.

This is a big week for Luther.  Hopefully they can break the Groundhog Day feeling in a positive way.  They also could be looking at 0-3 and a bad way to snap the streak of 5-5 seasons.

To be fair to Coach Durnin, Zweifel is 1-1 vs Luther with both games being hard fought contests.

Doolittledog,

I didn't mean anything towards Coach Durnin, but rather the Luther Athletic Department and the College as this is still to me about commitment and resources.

The school does a lot of things the right way, but I just think the Division III priorities stuff gets taken too far in Decorah at times over the years as it pertains to admissions, recruiting budgets, coaching salaries, etc.

Why was Coach Durnin hired instead of Coach Zweifel at the time (after the 2007 season)?  Both had credentials, but Durnin actually worked for or under Zweifel twice (Yankton College, Mankato State).  Zweifel had more head coaching experience, more experience, and Whitewater (Zweifel ran the offense) had been better than LaCrosse (Durnin ran the defense) in recent years.  National playoff success is usually a good thing!

They both were good candidates though.

It just feels like the school went with Coach Durnin or broke the tie at the time for reasons other than coaching credentials.  It felt like it was more about not wanting Zweifel than wanting Coach Durnin.  It also sounded like Zweifel wanted a financial/resource commitment from the school towards improving Norse Football.  It also sounded like at least one older assistant at the time had reservations about potential work weeks during football under Zweifel.  It even sounded like some players got scared during the interviews, but that happens to some extent during coaching changes as there is a lot of unknown.

I liked Zweifel at the time because he actually won a conference title at Minnesota-Morris (how hard is that!)!  The Whitewater and Division II (Mankato, Northern Colorado) work as an assistant also was a plus.

They are both good at what they do, but it is frustrating to see Dubuque taking a recruiting jump on paper with a guy who was talking to Luther players about jumping the recruiting in the Norse program back in late 2007.  I wonder if the difference between the two schools right now is the priorities of the schools themselves (more than the priorities and talent of the head coaches).

Hopefully I will feel better about some of this after the game on Saturday!  I want Chris Reynolds to have a good senior year in football and baseball and hope the roster is up to the challenge this year to make that happen.

All I can say is I am happy it turned out the way it did. UD got an excellent recruiter and coach and there is a commitment by the university that will aid and support Coach Zweifel in his commitment to building a competitive program. From my experience with Coach Z, I will agree that he has high expectations of his assistant coaches and his players. But isn't that what builds championship teams??
I cannot wait to kick off this season!! GO SPARTANS!!! Let's start the IIAC season off right with a WIN at Augustana!!

Willie U

Yes, high expectations and hard work should be embraced. 

Good luck against Augustana.  I liked playing them in baseball and I remember the wrestlers having a meet down there.  I don't know if Luther has played them ever in football, but I remember some Central-Augustana games to start seasons (that is a good series to have).  I see the Dutch have them in week 2.

[hazzben]

I wasn't sure this was allowed but just to let the Wartburg fans know, every Wednesday night throughout the season, the Knights are featured on "the Locker Room" live from the Pizza Ranch in Waverly.  From 7-7:30 its Waverly-Shell Rock coaches and players but from 7:30-8 its all about the Knights.  Locally it is heard on KWAY 99.3 FM but anyone can listen online at kwayradio.com.

No drink specials but the chicken is awesome!?!

Mmmmmm, Pizza Ranch. I just got really hungry and really motivated to eat some broasted chicken and cactus bread. Now if only the nearest one wasn't 3 hours away 

[AZDutchman]

Let me get this straight.  There are drink specials during the coaches show in Pella, but not in Waverly?!?!  I'm not sure my brain can process that.  Unless, they figure those Wartburg types will drink, no matter what the price is

Doolittledog,

I think it would be very safe to assume that there is a drink special and it goes from 4 to 4.
That's 4pm. all the way back around to 4pm. 

[5 Words or Less]

Super!  I think if the Norse athletic department wanted to start with the Oles, a stronger Billy Penn, and Central, they should have hired Zweifel instead of passing on him.  I think the Norse have been solid in coaching and development over the past few years, but Zweifel and the Spartans are running circles around the Norse in recruiting (or so it appears).

Hopefully Iowa Wesleyan is down a bit.

This is a big week for Luther.  Hopefully they can break the Groundhog Day feeling in a positive way.  They also could be looking at 0-3 and a bad way to snap the streak of 5-5 seasons.

To be fair to Coach Durnin, Zweifel is 1-1 vs Luther with both games being hard fought contests.

Doolittledog,

I didn't mean anything towards Coach Durnin, but rather the Luther Athletic Department and the College as this is still to me about commitment and resources.

The school does a lot of things the right way, but I just think the Division III priorities stuff gets taken too far in Decorah at times over the years as it pertains to admissions, recruiting budgets, coaching salaries, etc.

Why was Coach Durnin hired instead of Coach Zweifel at the time (after the 2007 season)?  Both had credentials, but Durnin actually worked for or under Zweifel twice (Yankton College, Mankato State).  Zweifel had more head coaching experience, more experience, and Whitewater (Zweifel ran the offense) had been better than LaCrosse (Durnin ran the defense) in recent years.  National playoff success is usually a good thing!

They both were good candidates though.

It just feels like the school went with Coach Durnin or broke the tie at the time for reasons other than coaching credentials.  It felt like it was more about not wanting Zweifel than wanting Coach Durnin.  It also sounded like Zweifel wanted a financial/resource commitment from the school towards improving Norse Football.  It also sounded like at least one older assistant at the time had reservations about potential work weeks during football under Zweifel.  It even sounded like some players got scared during the interviews, but that happens to some extent during coaching changes as there is a lot of unknown.

I liked Zweifel at the time because he actually won a conference title at Minnesota-Morris (how hard is that!)!  The Whitewater and Division II (Mankato, Northern Colorado) work as an assistant also was a plus.

They are both good at what they do, but it is frustrating to see Dubuque taking a recruiting jump on paper with a guy who was talking to Luther players about jumping the recruiting in the Norse program back in late 2007.  I wonder if the difference between the two schools right now is the priorities of the schools themselves (more than the priorities and talent of the head coaches).

Hopefully I will feel better about some of this after the game on Saturday!  I want Chris Reynolds to have a good senior year in football and baseball and hope the roster is up to the challenge this year to make that happen.

All I can say is I am happy it turned out the way it did. UD got an excellent recruiter and coach and there is a commitment by the university that will aid and support Coach Zweifel in his commitment to building a competitive program. From my experience with Coach Z, I will agree that he has high expectations of his assistant coaches and his players. But isn't that what builds championship teams??

I cannot wait to kick off this season!! GO SPARTANS!!! Let's start the IIAC season off right with a WIN at Augustana!!

Willie U

... Willie sez UD buys athletes!!!   

[frank]

Any predictions on the Augustana  vs Dubuque game

[doolittledog]

Any predictions on the Augustana  vs Dubuque game

Dubuque lost all their close games last year...this year they win all their close games.

Dubuque offense will put up lots of points...UD defense will give up some points early in the season.

Dubuque 42-28 over Augustana 

WillieU and warthog will bury the hatchet and drink beers together

I will be at the office with live stats up on my computer screen as I try to catch up on all the work that came in this week.  I suspect we might have had a number of old appraisers retire right before the new forms come into being on 09/01

Hey Frank, can you get the person responsible for the UD football facebook page to do some updating???  Us old farts like to see updates and pictures posted on there. 

[Willie University]

Any predictions on the Augustana  vs Dubuque game

Dubuque lost all their close games last year...this year they win all their close games.

Dubuque offense will put up lots of points...UD defense will give up some points early in the season.

Dubuque 42-28 over Augustana 

WillieU and warthog will bury the hatchet and drink beers together

I will be at the office with live stats up on my computer screen as I try to catch up on all the work that came in this week.  I suspect we might have had a number of old appraisers retire right before the new forms come into being on 09/01

Hey Frank, can you get the person responsible for the UD football facebook page to do some updating???  Us old farts like to see updates and pictures posted on there.

I've never had a problem with Warthog...I just like the royal blue and white side of him MUCH better 

5 words.....great post- +Karma....however, the resources for which I was speaking about where "investment" in facilities (stadium, offices, meeting rooms, etc..)

[frank]

Hey Doolittledog i dont know much about facebook     on   Augustanas web page (http://www.augustana.edu/x36482.xml) has a list two deep for the game n thursday

[warthog]

Dubuque 42-28 over Augustana 

WillieU and warthog will bury the hatchet and drink beers together

I will be at the office with live stats up on my computer screen as I try to catch up on all the work that came in this week.  I suspect we might have had a number of old appraisers retire right before the new forms come into being on 09/01

So does this mean the 50-50 odds of Doolittle's appearance in Rock Island drops to 1-99?  Ouch that hurts!

Bring a laptop and do your work enroute and at halftime.  Better a live game and work than live stats and work.

[Purple Heys]

Curious? What happened to taking questions from the on line listeners? I didn't hear one?

They learned from this...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YKxf3OkpJc    (Caution: Salty)   

[Purple Heys]

Here's hoisting one to another great IIAC season!