FB: American Rivers Conference

[Spurrier]

Vince and his staff took a program that was on the verge of imploding and made it competitive in the iiac in just four seasons, that's a fact.  After losing a group of seniors that had bought in to vince's  program and won more games in two seasons than the spartans had won in the previous decade, the spartans dropped to 2-8 in a rebuilding year.  what was vince's reward for reviving one of the worst programs in all of college football?. . .a pink slip. . .while the new coach might be a good one, his ties to the athletic director make this look like a railroad job for vince. . .there were rumors three seasons ago that this move was about to happen. . .luckily for vince and his staff, they had winning seasons and the move to release them was delayed.  Vince and his staff recruited Florida hard and brought some impact players north in the rebuilding process. . .will the next staff do the same?  Here is my take. . .the university has invested millions in upgrading the facility which was sorely needed.  The university would rather attract midwest kids to fill that facility with family members on saturday afternoons. . .will local kids pick ud over wartburg and central to meet that objective. . .history says they will not. . .in the 70's and 80's when ud was competitive in the iiac the players came from the chicagoland area. . .recently, the players came from florida. . .i think vince got a raw deal and had earned the right to continue to build the program. . .

[DBQ1965]

We probably never will know the full story of what happened at UD re: the firing of Brautigam and the hiring of Zweifel ... and it makes for great conspiracy theories, behind-the-scenes plotting, etc.

But this hire makes me wonder ... and perhaps Pat knows the answer:

How many black head coaches are there in D3?

And I wonder ... who will be the first IIAC school to break that barrier ... and how long will it take?

[Spurrier]

dbq1965,

here's a better question. . .did ud hire the best candidate available? or did ud hire the best candidate that the ad had ties with?

[Walston Hoover]

SOme local media reporting this morning that Phil Fulmer has inquired about the vacant ISU position.

[Willie University]

dbq1965,

here's a better question. . .did ud hire the best candidate available? or did ud hire the best candidate that the ad had ties with?

Here's your answer, why don't you give him a call when he gets to campus and talk to him yourself and you be the judge.

But, look at all the evidence provided to this point about his character, work ethic, football knowledge, and his track record of success.

As for Coach B, all Spartan fans acknowledge and agree with you on what he and his staff accomplished and definitely appreciate their tireless efforts and accomplishments. No one is debating that. But none of us can reverse a decision that was made and must move on. I am sure all of them already have  and are preparing to continue their coaching career. I was fired from my very first professional job when the company decided to downsize the division in half. I didn't think I deserved it, I was one of the top salespeople in the division but also having a type A personality, I wasn't afraid to speak my mind and my youth and immaturity definitely led to my being a part of that downsizing. It hit me hard for a day or so, then I got over it and realized when one door closes, another one opens and I enjoyed my unemployment wages for a while and got another great job not too long after. I also think I learned from mistakes I made and didn't dwell on things I couldn't control.

I am sure Coach B and staff have moved on so maybe you should too.

Willie U

[badgerwarhawk]

dbq1965,

here's a better question. . .did ud hire the best candidate available? or did ud hire the best candidate that the ad had ties with?

I don't have a clue as to what candidates applied for the job but I can tell you that UD has hired a very good coach.

[Klopenhiemer]

dbq1965,

here's a better question. . .did ud hire the best candidate available? or did ud hire the best candidate that the ad had ties with?

Here's your answer, why don't you give him a call when he gets to campus and talk to him yourself and you be the judge.

But, look at all the evidence provided to this point about his character, work ethic, football knowledge, and his track record of success.

As for Coach B, all Spartan fans acknowledge and agree with you on what he and his staff accomplished and definitely appreciate their tireless efforts and accomplishments. No one is debating that. But none of us can reverse a decision that was made and must move on. I am sure all of them already have  and are preparing to continue their coaching career. I was fired from my very first professional job when the company decided to downsize the division in half. I didn't think I deserved it, I was one of the top salespeople in the division but also having a type A personality, I wasn't afraid to speak my mind and my youth and immaturity definitely led to my being a part of that downsizing. It hit me hard for a day or so, then I got over it and realized when one door closes, another one opens and I enjoyed my unemployment wages for a while and got another great job not too long after. I also think I learned from mistakes I made and didn't dwell on things I couldn't control.

I am sure Coach B and staff have moved on so maybe you should too.

Willie U

Willie U laying the smack down this morning.  That type A personality is in full force that or the Starbucks has just kicked in.  

Believe me brother I know all about being a type A because I am one myself.  I sell for a living and have had great success and opened my mouth when I smelled a rat.  Thank god our business has kept going or I might have gotten the axe myself due to epxressing my frustrations regarding the company and the direction we are heading at times.  I guess being young means your stupid and those people with all the experience know everything right

[sportsknight]

dbq1965,

here's a better question. . .did ud hire the best candidate available? or did ud hire the best candidate that the ad had ties with?

If there is a better candidate out there I think a lot of us would be very interested to know who that is.

[Willie University]

dbq1965,

here's a better question. . .did ud hire the best candidate available? or did ud hire the best candidate that the ad had ties with?

If there is a better candidate out there I think a lot of us would be very interested to know who that is.

That is EXACTLY what I was thinking. There was a little luck and timing involved to be able to get such a quality candidate as Stan Zweifel and I, for one, couldn't be more excited about the possibilities.

Like I said earlier, we have to put the past in the past and focus on the future. It will do no one any good to dwell on things that can't be changed.

Willie U

[Purple Heys]

I have compassion for Coach B, just as I have compassion for Coach Bentz and Coach Waldstein who no longer coach for the Rams...I don't reckon any of them are looking backward, but rather they are all looking forward.

So am I.  It makes no sense to worry about the why's and how's.

This is the nature of the business.  When teams lose, shakeups occur.  When teams wins, guys move on to bigger and better things.

The Gagliardi's and JoePa's are a rare breed.

[DBQ1965]

Here is a link to another newspaper story about Zweifel.

http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=226536

GO SPARTANS!

[doolittledog]

A whole day on here devoted to the Spartans...this is fun

[doolittledog]

Here is a link to another newspaper story about Zweifel.

http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=226536

GO SPARTANS!

A couple of things about that article and another one I read earlier.  Zweifel says he wants to make Dubuque a balanced attack and take them away from being a passing team.  Dubuque really hasn't been a passing team since the 2005 season IMO.  He also states UD wants to recruit Iowa kids because they are more likely to stay for 4 years.  Do we really think that is the case?  It does sound like they think more local kids would mean more butts in seats.  Would that really make that much of a difference in the schools coffers?  At 6 bucks per ticket I doubt it. 

I feel bad for coach Brautigam and feel he got a raw deal.  Still, I am excited for the future at UD and look forward to see how they do next season.  And I feel pretty good about their basketball teams as well!!!  That is a lot of optimism

[DBQ1965]

A whole day on here devoted to the Spartans...this is fun

AMEN!

[sportsknight]

He also states UD wants to recruit Iowa kids because they are more likely to stay for 4 years.  Do we really think that is the case?  It does sound like they think more local kids would mean more butts in seats.  Would that really make that much of a difference in the schools coffers?  At 6 bucks per ticket I doubt it. 

Based solely on game admissions, then no it won't make much of a difference.  But when you consider the secondary income that the families of student-athletes can create (booster club memberships, game program sponsorships, merchandise sales, etc.), there might be more there than meets the eye.

I doubt it is really that much of a monetary issue.  After all, of all the schools in the Iowa Conference, Dubuque is probably the one in the best financial shape after the large donations of the past 4-5 years.  To me, it is more of a local interest and publicity issue.  UD has always fought a losing battle for the hearts of the citizens of Dubuque, since anyone connected with Loras still gets treated like their sh!t don't stink, where as Spartans just plain get treated like sh!t.  But if more local kids start making up the rosters of the Spartan athletic teams, specifically the football squad, that could begin to change.  Having a consistant winner will help in that fight as well.

I think the "they'll stay for four years" thinking has some legitimacy too.  When you look at successful programs like Wartburg and Central, there is a bit of "they don't rebuild...they reload" there.  Part of that has to do with recruiting, but just as much with retention.  Dubuque has never seemed to have problems bringing kids in, its been the keeping them that I think has kept the Spartans from being as good as they could have been in the past couple seasons.