FB: American Rivers Conference

[Norsedad]

One last thought on Hefty, then I'm ready to put the past behind me and support the new regime. Norsedad, you eluded to it earlier. He did a great job of making everyone on the roster an important part of the team. ( Don't quote my numbers )Of the 28 Seniors this year, roughly half were starting, several more contributed on special teams and several others never played on Saturdays. He never missed a chance to let those players and anyone else that would listen, know how valuable these kids were to the team. It not only speaks to the character of these players, but to Hefty also.

Exactly Thuderbolt.......and that is why Coach Hefty is not only a class act but a top notch man.  He was not just teaching football......he was teaching character.....starter or non-starter...that stays with you for life.  The kids knew this too.

[TheOne89.1]

Da 1- What kind of offense if UW- L run?

Not exactly sure what Off. they had.  It was very well balanced though maybe even a little run heavy this past year with a new QB.  Sounds like the play-action pass Durnin talked about will be huge for them on the Off. side of the ball.

Any Norse fan able to fill us in on what kind of Def. the Norse are running now?  I am sure Durnin will have some helpful Def. strategies to work into the system.

[Pat Coleman]

Did anyone else have a problem with the timing of the Luther announcement. It seemed a little A-Rodesque to me. Could it be that's why D-3 Football has kind of ignored it to this point, I wonder out loud?

We only got a photo, no release, and with D3hoops season in full swing (and my desire to get more than five and a half hours of sleep) tracking down a release was low on my priority list. Sorry.

That was a little tongue in cheek. Great job on the play-by-play Saturday, and thanks for bringing us another great season.

No problem. I didn't take it personally.

[Purple Heys]

thanks for the link Alfred   +k for you

To Heys and Thunderbolt...
If I have said anything to somehow piss you off, ie comments about DB play or the kids choice for coach, it was not my intention.  The 3 kids I talk to regularly get little if any PT and have worked hard to improve their skills and to help the team prepare for games.  All 3 will finish their careers at Luther, for many reasons but for 2 especially.  They all love Luther and all loved playing for Hefty.  And they took very seriously Hefty's parting comment of "Don't any of you transfer after I leave."  However, I know that some kids may choose to transfer....and until they do its just smoke being blown.....because they came to play for Hefty and may go to a school closer to home.  But whatever their reasons, they are their own.  Notice I referred to the players as kids....18 year olds to just barely legal drinking age.  They are kids...making decisions based on their own reasons.

I am a bit disturbed by an undercurrent of belief that the school administration does not value the FB program and sees itself as a music school.  Meaning they are not willing to spend more money of recruiting and coaches.  I know all too well about budgets..and the politics of how they are defined.  Let's hope that that will change if it is true.

As I have said...I did not play college ball...my son is the first in our family to do so.
He could have stayed closer to home and played on lesser teams in lesser conferences. 3 of his HS team mates did and started in in the first or second seasons.  But he choose to come to Luther because of the academics, the facilities, and because of Coach Hefty.  

Enough said.....lets hope that Durnin can whip these guys into shape and bring in some good recruits.  Go Norse!

Pissed off?  Me?  Not at all...just reflecting back on some earlier conversation.  Sounds like those are high character kids you are talking about.  Students first, who wanted to still play some football.

Pretty much the norm of most all the kids I have encountered in my brief experience with IIAC football.

After meeting some of the seniors at Cornell, I am proud to hope that my son turns out as well-adjusted, polite and competitive as those kids.  Their parents, I am sure, are proud.  There is no doubt that every IIAC roster is bidding goodbye to a yet another fine class of young men who also played some great football.

I will name those that I met directly Newmeister (06), Gustafson, Creal, Murray, Youngblood, Kobler, Krogmann, Eaglin, Day.  Wins and losses are not a measurement of character; the fact that these guys and the other seniors I really didn't get a chance to meet directly battled all the way until the end of the Coe game of their senior year demonstrates they are winners when it comes to what is important.

[Wartburg Fan]

thanks for the link Alfred   +k for you

To Heys and Thunderbolt...
If I have said anything to somehow piss you off, ie comments about DB play or the kids choice for coach, it was not my intention.  The 3 kids I talk to regularly get little if any PT and have worked hard to improve their skills and to help the team prepare for games.  All 3 will finish their careers at Luther, for many reasons but for 2 especially.  They all love Luther and all loved playing for Hefty.  And they took very seriously Hefty's parting comment of "Don't any of you transfer after I leave."  However, I know that some kids may choose to transfer....and until they do its just smoke being blown.....because they came to play for Hefty and may go to a school closer to home.  But whatever their reasons, they are their own.  Notice I referred to the players as kids....18 year olds to just barely legal drinking age.  They are kids...making decisions based on their own reasons.

I am a bit disturbed by an undercurrent of belief that the school administration does not value the FB program and sees itself as a music school.  Meaning they are not willing to spend more money of recruiting and coaches.  I know all too well about budgets..and the politics of how they are defined.  Let's hope that that will change if it is true.

As I have said...I did not play college ball...my son is the first in our family to do so.
He could have stayed closer to home and played on lesser teams in lesser conferences. 3 of his HS team mates did and started in in the first or second seasons.  But he choose to come to Luther because of the academics, the facilities, and because of Coach Hefty.  

Enough said.....lets hope that Durnin can whip these guys into shape and bring in some good recruits.  Go Norse!

Pissed off?  Me?  Not at all...just reflecting back on some earlier conversation.  Sounds like those are high character kids you are talking about.  Students first, who wanted to still play some football.

Pretty much the norm of most all the kids I have encountered in my brief experience with IIAC football.

After meeting some of the seniors at Cornell, I am proud to hope that my son turns out as well-adjusted, polite and competitive as those kids.  Their parents, I am sure, are proud.  There is no doubt that every IIAC roster is bidding goodbye to a yet another fine class of young men who also played some great football.

I will name those that I met directly Newmeister (06), Gustafson, Creal, Murray, Youngblood, Kobler, Krogmann, Eaglin, Day.  Wins and losses are not a measurement of character; the fact that these guys and the other seniors I really didn't get a chance to meet directly battled all the way until the end of the Coe game of their senior year demonstrates they are winners when it comes to what is important.

Great post, Heyes, I meet Newmeister when he was being recruit at Warburg the same time my son was. What little time I spent with him, he seem like a very nice young man.

[RFB]

Hello from the SCIAC board. Just saw that Redlands & Dubuque are scheduled to play next year 9/3/08 in Southern California. Nice to see the SCIAC & IIAC hooking up for some non-conference games. Should be a fun game to watch.

[Old Dutch]

Sounds like Durbin is a good choice for the Norse, full of enthusiasm and energy, so I'd guess  he'll keep things going as good or better than Hefty had.  Did I see a promise in there to beat Central??  they've already done that once this decade, thats enough!  

Since we have a Cheesehead moving into the conference, and in honor of the the new NFL career yardage record, here's a little tribute to #4!  Even us Bears fans gotta respect this guy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8HAzI63X8Q&mode=related&search=

[Thunderbolt]

Sounds like Durbin is a good choice for the Norse, full of enthusiasm and energy, so I'd guess  he'll keep things going as good or better than Hefty had.  Did I see a promise in there to beat Central??  they've already done that once this decade, thats enough!  

Since we have a Cheesehead moving into the conference, and in honor of the the new NFL career yardage record, here's a little tribute to #4!  Even us Bears fans gotta respect this guy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8HAzI63X8Q&mode=related&search=

Champions are champians until some one beats them. You have the best part of 270 days left to enjoy this one first. Thanks for the Favre moment, I wish I could love my job that much.

[doolittledog]

Hello from the SCIAC board. Just saw that Redlands & Dubuque are scheduled to play next year 9/3/08 in Southern California. Nice to see the SCIAC & IIAC hooking up for some non-conference games. Should be a fun game to watch.

As a Dubuque fan I like that scheduling.  3 areas Dubuque tries to recruit heavily is Michigan, Florida and Southern California.  Scheduling a team from 1 of those 3 area seems to make sense. 

And I assume you mean 09/13/08 and not the 3rd of september. 

Purple Heys grew up in Redlands and lives in San Diego but has a kid going to Cornell.  I wonder who he will root for in that game??? 

[Klopenhiemer]

I have two friends who's wives are 2nd and 1st grade teachers, with a master degree and about 15 years experiance.  They make in the neighborhood of 65K with I would imagine a lot less of a work schedule than an IIAC head coach...maybe not.  

I guess as a head coach maybe I could be satisfied with that kind of money but I would think it would be real hard to keep coordinators around for a lot less money.  I know the other coaches are part-timers but I thought the coordinators were usually full time university employees as well.  

One could argue that these women are not paid nearly enough.  From what it sounds like they have a true committment to there career and take it very serriously.  In regards to coaching salaries, I heard this from all my coaches:  You do not get into coaching to make money.  Its merely for the love of the game.  Intersting thing to read is the coaches corner on the BVU athletics website.  The head BB coach outlined his week and his allocations of time to his family and the basketball team.  If you have a chance read this. 

I never met Coach Hefty personally but from what I hear he is a class act.  I can say that I did get to place for a class act person in college as well as high school.  In some respects is sad that these people who can be so influential in young peoples lives are not compensated at a higher level. 

One neat thing about the d3 level is the interaction that the head man gets with all the players.  I have friends who played D1 ball and after they signed the letter of intent they never had a real personal conversation with the head man.  These people started and were great players at their respective schools.  I never cared for Llyod Carr but it sounds as though he made this effort. 

In regards to budgets and the sports programs.  You never see a kid coming back for homecoming and hugging a math professor.  But you will see the ex players coming back shaking hands and hugging their old coaches.  This is a fraternity that is something very special.  I do believe that at all levels the bonds that are made no matter what the wins and losses are, can last a life time.  Heys hits on this a lot and its a great point.  Playing on teams like his son does and I did in college you look for more than the wins and losses.  I would not trade a conference championship for the friends I made progessing through the football program at BV.  This is a bit rambling but just a few ideas that I had after reading todays posts. 

[Charlie Kohawk]

I had a chance to talk with Fred Jackson today by telephone and he said something only d3 football players can appreciate. I asked him how he spent his first paycheck and he said, "Paying student loans to attend Coe College!" I thought it was precious. I bet not many -- if any -- of his Buffalo teammates had student loans to pay.

[Klopenhiemer]

Dog,  How are the office conditions today.  I hope you got your HVAC fixed.  I find it interesting that UD is heading out to play the Redlands.  Will anyone be making this trip for a little fun in the CA sun?  Maybe Heys will let you crash at his place. 

[Walston Hoover]

In regards to budgets and the sports programs.  You never see a kid coming back for homecoming and hugging a math professor.  But you will see the ex players coming back shaking hands and hugging their old coaches.  This is a fraternity that is something very special.  I do believe that at all levels the bonds that are made no matter what the wins and losses are, can last a life time.  Heys hits on this a lot and its a great point.  Playing on teams like his son does and I did in college you look for more than the wins and losses.  I would not trade a conference championship for the friends I made progessing through the football program at BV.  This is a bit rambling but just a few ideas that I had after reading todays posts. 

As much as I still communicate with coaches at Wartburg, I also still communicate with old professors. I know what you are saying about the bonds made, but I still have communication and a pretty good relationship with my history prof, my communications adviser, and a pastor. Heck I still exchange various emails with the guy in charge of my music performance venue.

[dutchfan1]

In regards to budgets and the sports programs.  You never see a kid coming back for homecoming and hugging a math professor.  But you will see the ex players coming back shaking hands and hugging their old coaches.  This is a fraternity that is something very special.  I do believe that at all levels the bonds that are made no matter what the wins and losses are, can last a life time.  Heys hits on this a lot and its a great point.  Playing on teams like his son does and I did in college you look for more than the wins and losses.  I would not trade a conference championship for the friends I made progessing through the football program at BV.  This is a bit rambling but just a few ideas that I had after reading todays posts. 

As much as I still communicate with coaches at Wartburg, I also still communicate with old professors. I know what you are saying about the bonds made, but I still have communication and a pretty good relationship with my history prof, my communications adviser, and a pastor. Heck I still exchange various emails with the guy in charge of my music performance venue.

Same here.

[doolittledog]

Klop, great post re: coaches not getting into it for the money and how D-III coaches really get a lot of interaction with their players.  And to Walston and dutchfan1 for noting that at the D-III level in general you have that closer interaction with coaches and faculty.  I know from my sisters attending big schools they never had that. 

Regarding any UD fans attending the Redlands game I am sure the Cali kids on the UD roster will try to have their friends and family at the game.  I don't know how many from Dubuque will make the trip.  I tried to tie the trip to Redlands in with visiting Disneyland since my wife is possibly the most devoted Disney fan out there.  Of course the whole pulling the kids out of school after they had only been back for 2 weeks kind of nixed the whole deal!!!

And for Klop, the HVAC thing appears to be solved.  I no longer need to wear gloves to type on the keyboard.  I now bring our dog in here so maybe her body heat helps heat the place up.  I figured my office needed a mascot/guard dog!!!