FB: American Southwest Conference

[Warren Thompson]

kickhoe or anyone ...

Why did Hardin-Simmons drop football after the 1963-64 season?

[kickhoe]

kickhoe or anyone ...

Why did Hardin-Simmons drop football after the 1963-64 season?

Warren,
It was mainly a money issue...the football team had not been very competitive for several years and they had accrued over a million dollars in debt.  The Board of Trustees thought it was best to disband the program.

[Warren Thompson]

Thanks, kickhoe. I figured it was primarily a matter of money.

[Ron Boerger]

And now, ironically, adding Division III football is done by many schools because it is a net revenue generator.  Who woulda thunkit?   

[Warren Thompson]

And now, ironically, adding Division III football is done by many schools because it is a net revenue generator.  Who woulda thunkit?   

And here in the east, many D3 venues have added men's and women's lacrosse and even men's and women's ice hockey.* Indeed, whodathunkit?

----------------------------------------------------

* Ice hockey is one way to boost an institution's foreign-student index. Neumann College, near Philly, has 23 -- count 'em -- 23 Canadians on its men's team. 

[Ralph Turner]

kickhoe or anyone ...
Why did Hardin-Simmons drop football after the 1963-64 season?

Warren,
It was mainly a money issue...the football team had not been very competitive for several years and they had accrued over a million dollars in debt.  The Board of Trustees thought it was best to disband the program.

Let's also remind everyone that HSU was "major" college at that time as opposed to McMurry and Abilene Christian playing "small" college.

( I will invite everyone over to the D3hoops message board to discuss how small college McMurry (NAIA non-scholarship) would hold their own vs NCAA D-1 HSU ,with Harvey Catchings and Stedman Graham, in basketball in the 1970's.      

As I understand it, HSU stays D1 until their move to add football and join the TIAA about 1990.  Josh or Chad or Kickhoe may jump in here on that one.)

[Josh Bowerman]

That sounds about right to me, Ralph, though I'm sure the attendance and seating requirements imposed by the NCAA helped get that decision done, too.

Just my opinion, but we never had any business messing around with that DI stuff in the first place.  HSU is in a good spot, athletics-wise right now.  Now, if we could just boost the 'ol annual participation rate in the contributions category...

[SR97]

I got the word from our QB, Austin Davidson, this morning in accounting that he possible has torn a piece of his achilles away from his heel bone.  Likely out this Saturday and possibly for the rest of the year.  Very tough blow to our offense.

[kickhoe]

As I understand it, HSU stays D1 until their move to add football and join the TIAA about 1990.  Josh or Chad or Kickhoe may jump in here on that one.)

Ralph, you are correct...HSU stayed a D1 school until football was brought back....the NCAA did have a rule where if you dropped to D3 or NAIA you could keep 1 sport D1....at the time HSU decided to keep baseball as D1....there were very few non-scholarship baseball programs in Texas, and HSU had the #1 ranked small college baseball facility in the US....thus it was recommended that HSU baseball remain D1....

The move was also good for HSU because the TAAC (consisting of HSU, Centenary, Mercer, Georgia State, Samford, Stetson, UTSA, and UArkansas Little Rock) had moved away from HSU geographically....the costs were sky rocketing and this move to the TIAA would be much better financially for the school.

[kickhoe]

I got the word from our QB, Austin Davidson, this morning in accounting that he possible has torn a piece of his achilles away from his heel bone.  Likely out this Saturday and possibly for the rest of the year.  Very tough blow to our offense.

That is to bad!!!  It is never a good thing seeing a player go down like he did.....your body is just not supposed to bend like that!!!!

[minni]

I got the word from our QB, Austin Davidson, this morning in accounting that he possible has torn a piece of his achilles away from his heel bone.  Likely out this Saturday and possibly for the rest of the year.  Very tough blow to our offense.

That is to bad!!!  It is never a good thing seeing a player go down like he did.....your body is just not supposed to bend like that!!!!

That is extremely terrible.  A former HSU Player playing in arena league tore his achilles and has taken him months to recover.  He is working hard and he will get back out on the field and start wreckin fools again and will do HSU a good job.  I dont see Davidson back out on the field this year.  Nothing really to gain by coming back.  I would rehab it and let it heal and get ready to make a run at it again next year.

[minni]

Ralph what would happen IF Trinity doesnt win the SCAC??  The whole Texas Championship could have a kink in the hose.  Would the commitee fly two teams to Texas or would they try and split us up again??  Just something my brain was chewing on!!

[Toby Taff]

SR97,

I'm sorry to hear that.  I saw the hit, and it looked pretty bad, but I thought it was a knee.  Tell him we are wishing the best for him and for the rest of ya'lls season.

[Ron Boerger]

Ralph what would happen IF Trinity doesnt win the SCAC??  The whole Texas Championship could have a kink in the hose.  Would the commitee fly two teams to Texas or would they try and split us up again??  Just something my brain was chewing on!!

Given their past stupidity and penny-pinching habits they would probably make the two teams play in the first round. 

[Bill McCabe]

Oh no!! Many negative karmas for such a thought.     You're probably right, Ron.