FB: American Rivers Conference

[KCDutch]

Damn those junk bonds!!! I guess Wartburg will go the way of Westmar and Parsons.  Schools that went out of business.  Shut down due to poor management.  Good bye Wartburg, hello Waldorf.  Get rid of one Lutheran school, bring another Lutheran school in.  And they both start with W!!!

Or maybe not.  I am in Waverly a lot due to my work and the Wartburg campus is impressive to look at.  Their enrollment seems to be fine, just so those students get jobs after school and then start giving loads of money to their alma mater!!! 

I think Dubuque almost going under 8 years ago helped pull the alumni together and the giving to UD has been incredible.  Their new wellness center won't be up to Wartburg standards but will be close. 

Good luck to all the IIAC teams this weekend.  I mentioned to my wife that I should take our son up to Waverly this weekend to check out the big game and I was met with a deafening silence.  So we will see if I am able to make it up this weekend.  It should be a good game. 

Seriously Doolittle, seriously.......I make a one sentence, passing comment and you were able to deduce that I think Waverly is going to be a ghost town soon and Wartburg will be closing soon. 

I have family in Waverly, so I get back frequently (side note, not a big fan of the Goat but I'm in the minority), and think Waverly has experienced amazing growth and is a nice place to live.  Wartburg continues to build very, very nice facilities, have good academics, good athletic department, yada yada yada.  Wartburg is a very aggressive univeristy, whether you are referring to recruiting or building new buildings, and it is currently paying off and maybe they will leave every other school in the dust.  I'm sure I will get hammered for this, but I think they have over spent and added a lot of debt compared to their endowment/operating budget.  See the website below, only Loras has a smaller endowment (based on 2006 numbers).  Most schools could do what Wartburg currently is/has recently done, but have chosen to be more prudent in spending.  Wartburg will be around long after I'm gone, but they aren't perfect and they do have a lot of debt.  After some of the diggs WH/Footballdaddy/others have made at Central, I think I'm allowed to give a digg back...no? 



http://www.nacubo.org/documents/research/2006NES_Listing.pdf

[Busch Light]

Walston:  I don't pretend to be a wizard about any sort of defense, but covering bunch with man/man doesn't make a lot of sense...

The rocket screen is a great counter to teams that blitz alot....the trick is to be able to figure out when the other teams are going to blitz.  It also helps to have linemen that are able to get down field to make blocks.   Are Wartburg's linemen this season good enough to get down field and make that block??  

[Walston Hoover]

I don't involve myself a whole lot in the money #'s sorrounding the school, but I do know that some of the newer buildings (1 dorm and the "W") are being paid for with some agreements through the construction company that have to do with leasing and things like that.
This I do know-10 years ago when I visited Wartburg, the facilities probably only lagged behind Coe and Cornell in the IIAC. Now, I would venture to guess the athletic, science, and student union facilities are among the best in the country.
As long as the debt can be handled and paid for, I don't see what the huge deal is.

[Walston Hoover]

Walston:  I don't pretend to be a wizard about any sort of defense, but covering bunch with man/man doesn't make a lot of sense...

The rocket screen is a great counter to teams that blitz alot....the trick is to be able to figure out when the other teams are going to blitz.  It also helps to have linemen that are able to get down field to make blocks.   Are Wartburg's linemen this season good enough to get down field and make that block??  

That's what I was thinking about the bunch, and knowing that if they do stay in '0', they are going to see a ton of the Rocket screen this week. They DB's better be playing tight coverage or it could get ugly. Koehler will run the Rocket until its stopped. I don't mean slowed down, but stopped.
There are some pretty athletic linemen. Surely more athletic than when Velky and I would pull out on the Rocket.

[KCDutch]

I don't involve myself a whole lot in the money #'s sorrounding the school, but I do know that some of the newer buildings (1 dorm and the "W") are being paid for with some agreements through the construction company that have to do with leasing and things like that.
This I do know-10 years ago when I visited Wartburg, the facilities probably only lagged behind Coe and Cornell in the IIAC. Now, I would venture to guess the athletic, science, and student union facilities are among the best in the country.
As long as the debt can be handled and paid for, I don't see what the huge deal is.

I agree w/ debt, but hit can hamstring (read: less flexibility) a company/college/person in the future.  It is working for Wartburg, more power to them.

I think your last comment is a stretch, come on......among the best in the country??  How many schools have you visited outside Iowa?  In regards to the IIAC, yes Wartburg's facitilies, overall, are the best.  But to even venture a guess like this, ridiculous.   

[doolittledog]

Holy cow!!!  I guess I needed to put some smiley faces in my post.  KCDutch, I was just joking around.  I wasn't trying to jump all over your post.  There was a lot of talk on here a year ago about Wartburg being in trouble because of junk bonds and I was just trying to make light of that a bit.  I think Wartburg will need to get their giving up from their alumni in the near future or those bonds could hurt them.  With everything being said, other schools in the conference have probably been a bit more prudent in their spending but in the end I think Wartburg will be allright.  

Again, I was making light of the situation and wasn't trying to run down the post of KCDutch.  

Now, about this weekend.  Should be good games in Cedar Rapids between rivals Coe and Cornell, Waverly for the conference championship between Wartburg and Central, Dubuque for two teams trying to end on a high note with Dubuque and Luther.  And where is the game between Simpson and BV???

[Walston Hoover]

I should have qualified that with Division 3 schools. And yes, when it comes to the combination of those 3 buildings/stadium, I would put them up against probably 80-85% or more of institutions in the same league.

[KCDutch]

I should have qualified that with Division 3 schools. And yes, when it comes to the combination of those 3 buildings/stadium, I would put them up against probably 80-85% or more of institutions in the same league.

OK....quick FOOTBALL question, how many fresh/soph QBs are on the team?  I looked at their roster online, and it seemed every other player was a QB.  Will most quit the team, stay at QB or move to different position in the future?  Any current Wartburg playmakers who started their career at QB?  I'm just curious.

[KCDutch]

Last post was regarding Wartburg.....

[Walston Hoover]

There may be schools with better science halls, there may be schools with a better union. There *may* be a school or 2 with a better PEC. There may be a couple schools with a better stadium (that part can be VERY debatable as everyone has an attachment to their stadium) But with the combination of those 3 things, I doubt many schools can compete at this point.

[DutchHawk]

The Dutch had trouble covering the Rocket 3 years ago but I think Dewaard has figured out a way to stop it in the 3-3 defense now. We have been running that defense now in its 6th year and have the athletes on the edge.

Speaking of cover 0...do the Knights have the speed to stop Huisman? Oh wait I forgot they have national player of the year Weber out there!   (sarcasm...for those of you who cant pick up on it)

[Walston Hoover]

That's a tough question- How many of those guys actually came in as a QB or how many played that position in HS? To be honest I don't know the answer to either.
I imagine a couple of the DB's were QB's in HS. Bauder, last year's QB is now contibuting at WR.
I think Faaborg and maybe Lansing were Qb's in HS, but I have nothing to back that up.
I think the trend in college football the last 10 years or so has been to recruit athletes and fit them in.
If they happen to be a QB to start, probably even better as they *should* have a pretty high football IQ.
Brian McIntire was a great HS RB and turned into an AA safety.
Dave friggen Devine would love to tell you how good of running back he was in HS and his name is plastered all over the walls of Denver HS, and he was an OK safety in college
Dan Hammes I believe was the spin back at Sigourney which I think is the equivalent to their QB.
There's others but those guys come to mind right now.

[Walston Hoover]

The Dutch had trouble covering the Rocket 3 years ago but I think Dewaard has figured out a way to stop it in the 3-3 defense now. We have been running that defense now in its 6th year and have the athletes on the edge.

Speaking of cover 0...do the Knights have the speed to stop Huisman? Oh wait I forgot they have national player of the year Weber out there!   (sarcasm...for those of you who cant pick up on it)

To be honest, I'm not worried about Central scoring points, I'm just worried about making mistakes and scoring points on our own. 2 Offensive TD's wins this game.

[luvd3football]

And where is the game between Simpson and BV???

It's at Simpson. 

[KCDutch]

There may be schools with better science halls, there may be schools with a better union. There *may* be a school or 2 with a better PEC. There may be a couple schools with a better stadium (that part can be VERY debatable as everyone has an attachment to their stadium) But with the combination of those 3 things, I doubt many schools can compete at this point.

The football stadium maybe be a better field/facilities, but I preferred attending games before the renovations.  The 1999 Central-Wartburg game, although I would have preferred a Central victory, had the best atmosphere of any D3 football game I've attended......the students in the endzone and fans were practically down on the playing field.  I think the atmosphere isn't nearly as good as before, but this is just my opinion.