FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Dr. Acula]

Riddle me this:

Heidelberg was obviously quite woeful in the mid-00's and got it going. I still remember reason the article on D3football.com's main page when they broke the 30-plus-game losing streak. A few years later they rose to near the top of the conference (no shows in big games the last 2 years aside).

Was this a case of Heidelberg being a sleeping giant (good location, school, facilities) that was underachieving and is just now doing what it really should be? Or was Heidi no better than anyone else, just got off the mat through blood, sweat and tears? Are the other down schools (Musky and Wilma) capable of the same transition? Or is there something inherent about the schools (small size, poor facilities, remote locale) that makes it especially difficult to draw talent?

No, no and no to those, IMO.  The biggest reason is the coach.  Hallett is a good coach and a very good recruiter.  They didn't even have a stadium.  And Tiffin is a dump (so is Alliance, but Mount is way beyond that hurdle).  AD Matt Palm has done a good job raising money and getting a brand new on campus facility built.  They're in a pretty good spot from that aspect.  It will be interesting to see how the Berg does in 2015 after losing a ton of multi-year starters.

[flaballcoach]

Skunks, I'm with you on the weather...

I live in Pittsburgh and my GF teaches at Central Michigan U, so I've become a regular road visitor to NE Ohio (I've driven from Pittsburgh to Toledo and then up north eleven times in the past 8 months). I thought we were finally free of this nonsense last week with a couple of nice 50 degree days...and then it snowed again. Ugh.

From Pittsburgh too!.....A former coaching friend of mine, had a great relationship with the Carnegie Mellon staff. They would come down to his High School and put on a 3 day camp every summer for his team. He since has moved on to coaching in GA.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Dr. Acula:

Thanks for the response. I'm always intrigued by questions like this - why is one school able to get "off the mat" while another continues to struggle, and what obstacles need be overcome.

I'm not sure that Heidelberg will sustain an .800 winning percentage sans Mees and Brooks, plus I'm sure a few other solid players I just don't know as much about. But their recent bubble shows that even the most once-downtrodden program can get off the decks and make it to respectability. I guess what I wondered is whether Wilmington, Muskingum, Marietta have some particular disadvantage that would make a Heidi-like transition impossible, or if it's just a matter of landing the right coach and few stud recruits all at the right time like Heidelberg did.

[Dr. Acula]

I don't think any of those schools face any challenges that are markedly larger than anything Berg faces.  Honestly, I think Musky is the hardest place to win.  In any sport, let alone football.  Outside of softball they just don't seem to have a lot of recent success in anything.

I'd say the success of Etta's baseball and basketball programs combined with the recent renovation of Don Drumm Stadium might make Marietta the best positioned out of that group to have some growth.  Success in football with its roster requirements is a different animal than those other sports, but it at least shows me that Marietta is capable of running highly successful programs in their athletics department.  The thing that hurts them is geography.

[SaintsFAN]

Riddle me this:

Heidelberg was obviously quite woeful in the mid-00's and got it going. I still remember reason the article on D3football.com's main page when they broke the 30-plus-game losing streak. A few years later they rose to near the top of the conference (no shows in big games the last 2 years aside).

Was this a case of Heidelberg being a sleeping giant (good location, school, facilities) that was underachieving and is just now doing what it really should be? Or was Heidi no better than anyone else, just got off the mat through blood, sweat and tears? Are the other down schools (Musky and Wilma) capable of the same transition? Or is there something inherent about the schools (small size, poor facilities, remote locale) that makes it especially difficult to draw talent?

'Berg also decided as an institution to prioritize football and as a result they sank money into the program.  But none of this would've been possible without Coach Hallett and his staff.

[SaintsFAN]

2000 exactly.  Hiram was swapped out after the 1999 season.  Wilma came in after being near the top of the HCAC and was actually decent the first couple years in the OAC.  We were happy to unload a woeful Hiram football program on some other conference.  But the Quakers haven't sniffed .500 since their second year in the OAC (2001) and have 4 ZERO-win seasons in that time.

Wilmington was the Fighting Adam Ryan's when they joined the OAC.  When he graduated, they went <poof> and that was that. 

They actually had a couple "dudes" on those teams.  Adam Ryan at QB and Antonio Broadnax at DB. 

As a sidenote, I know Adam's uncle pretty well -- his wife is really close with Lyndsey.  I like to remind him that his nephew torpedo'ed a program by leaving it.

[Dr. Acula]

You're exactly right, SF.  Those Quaker teams had some players aside from Ryan at QB.  Back then they seemed to have a WR and a D linemen or two that were guys you would have wanted on any D3 team to go along with Broadnax. 

Hypothetical question:  Wilmington had never left the HCAC and, for the sake of argument, was relatively more successful in terms of wins and losses from year to year.  I'm not saying 8-2 or anything, but let's say win 4 games a year with a winning season sprinkled in here and there.  Would that level be enough that they'd be getting better players than they do currently?  I imagine it's difficult to recruit to a losing program.  But is it significantly easier to recruit to a middle of the road one?  Or do you need to be a top program for wins and losses to really help you in recruiting? 

[wally_wabash]

2000 exactly.  Hiram was swapped out after the 1999 season.  Wilma came in after being near the top of the HCAC and was actually decent the first couple years in the OAC.  We were happy to unload a woeful Hiram football program on some other conference.  But the Quakers haven't sniffed .500 since their second year in the OAC (2001) and have 4 ZERO-win seasons in that time.

Wilmington was the Fighting Adam Ryan's when they joined the OAC.  When he graduated, they went <poof> and that was that. 

They actually had a couple "dudes" on those teams.  Adam Ryan at QB and Antonio Broadnax at DB. 

As a sidenote, I know Adam's uncle pretty well -- his wife is really close with Lyndsey.  I like to remind him that his nephew torpedo'ed a program by leaving it.

This was also the same time Wabash transitioned from the HCAC to the NCAC, so I got to see those Adam Ryan Quaker teams.  They were real good.  I think we knew that they wouldn't sustain 7/8 win seasons in the OAC, but the degree to which that outfit cratered has been a bit surprising.  2-58 in the last six seasons.  Yikes. 

[reality check]

It all went downhill at Wilma with Busta99.  Most of the guys in here weren't even around to witness that.

[reality check]

In addition to Broadnax and Ryan, Brandon Tisdale was an absolute monster up front.  But that was 2001 and seems like a lifetime ago too.

They had a dude named Jim Ballard that threw pretty well for them for one season too back in 1990.  Ballard.  That name sounds familiar...

[reality check]

Brandon Tisdale: 89.5 career tackles for loss!  44 career sacks.  He has 44.5 more career TFL's than the guy in second place on the Wilma list.  That dude was a monster.

[SaintsFAN]

In addition to Broadnax and Ryan, Brandon Tisdale was an absolute monster up front.  But that was 2001 and seems like a lifetime ago too.

They had a dude named Jim Ballard that threw pretty well for them for one season too back in 1990.  Ballard.  That name sounds familiar...

He was a tremendous PK holder

[SaintsFAN]

You're exactly right, SF.  Those Quaker teams had some players aside from Ryan at QB.  Back then they seemed to have a WR and a D linemen or two that were guys you would have wanted on any D3 team to go along with Broadnax. 

Hypothetical question:  Wilmington had never left the HCAC and, for the sake of argument, was relatively more successful in terms of wins and losses from year to year.  I'm not saying 8-2 or anything, but let's say win 4 games a year with a winning season sprinkled in here and there.  Would that level be enough that they'd be getting better players than they do currently?  I imagine it's difficult to recruit to a losing program.  But is it significantly easier to recruit to a middle of the road one?  Or do you need to be a top program for wins and losses to really help you in recruiting?

I really feel like they'd be in much better shape than they are now. 

[ohiofan1954]

I don't think any of those schools face any challenges that are markedly larger than anything Berg faces.  Honestly, I think Musky is the hardest place to win.  In any sport, let alone football.  Outside of softball they just don't seem to have a lot of recent success in anything.

I'd say the success of Etta's baseball and basketball programs combined with the recent renovation of Don Drumm Stadium might make Marietta the best positioned out of that group to have some growth.  Success in football with its roster requirements is a different animal than those other sports, but it at least shows me that Marietta is capable of running highly successful programs in their athletics department.  The thing that hurts them is geography.

isn't it amazing that just about every sport has one school that stands out when you think of it. Football-Mt. Union, Baseball-Marietta, Basketball-Wooster, and last but not least Kenyon-Swimming.

[pradierguy]

OAC Recruiting News:

John Carroll landed St. Thomas Aquinas QB Anthony Moeglin. St. Thomas is in Louisville, Ohio, just outside of Alliance. Anthony had a stellar career and has some of the best career statistics in Stark County history.

This article makes note his older brother is Tyler Moeglin, BW's starting QB last year. It also says he would be competing for the starting job at JCU if it weren't for upcoming shoulder surgery (non-throwing arm) http://www.fridaynightohio.com/news/st-thomas-aquinas-qb-anthony-moeglin-verbally-commits-john-carroll

UMU contingent has to hate seeing him leave Stark County!