FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[runyr]

Thought this story was interesting in regards to splitting D3 Athletics in half (scholarship & non-scholarship)...I picked it up from JJ Huddle:

http://www.northcoast.org/news/bennettchronicle6-8-07.pdf

Thanks, crusader26.
Who do they imagine the scholarship and non-scholarship D3 teams to be?  Do they envision relatively larger public institutions offering scholarships or what?  Why wouldn't Division II be better for scholarship teams?  Who knows their rationale?   

[Pat Coleman]

There is no envisioning of D-III schools offering scholarships.

[JK]

There isn't any mention of offering scholarships in the article.  In fact, what Earlham President Bennet proposes for the NCAA is two divisions that offer scholarships (which he points out already exist with D1 and D2) and two divisions that, in his exact words, "forbid scholarships."

It is actually an interesting article and a good, quick, easily understood summary of the philosophical divide within D3 and the nature of athletics at those institutions.  There has been debate on this for years, and Pat and the rest on this site have reported about it before.  If you didn't understand it then, read the article.  It will help you. 

What I find interesting is that this article is written by a President of an NCAC college.  If you were around when Witt, Woo, Denison, OWU, etc. left the OAC to form the NCAC, it is nearly the same argument that they used to justify the move.  The NCAC has been singing this same song for almost 20 years now.  It seems that the recent growth of D3 has brought in some people finally willing to listen.

[Pat Coleman]

Actually, I don't think the new schools are the ones that are most likely to join the NCAC in its quest. It's more likely the growth has pushed more schools who were already here to leave.

[HScoach]

Interesting article, but I think he has it all backwards.  The schools with lots of athletes should be the ones focused on maximizing the athletic events.  Not minimizing them.  If 25% of the men on campus play football, doesn't it seem logical that you should cater your approach to maximize their participation in their sport?   And if there are so many schools that don't want the season lengthened with playoffs, then do what the NECSAC (?) does by not participating the championship tournament, but leave the rest of the division alone.

In my opinion, splitting the division into 2 parts that each crown a "champion" would completely destroy the meaning of a national championship.  Might as well just go back to the pre-playoff days if they're going to do that.  This just reeks of the current thinking that "everyone is winners".  Maybe we should just quit keeping score like they do in T-ball and play sport just for the excerise.  Keeping score just makes half the kids upset that they lost.

The only way I would support a split is if they cut D3 into one division that plays for a national championship and one division that doesn't compete in any season ending tournament.  This way there's a very clear line between the champion and those that are just playing to play.

[reality check]

Sad day today with the announcement that Coach Hoeppner passed away at 59 and an asst. coach at Muskingum dies in an automobile accident yesterday.  The auto accident involving Joe Torrens (Wittenberg alumni in his first year coaching with the Muskies) is reported on the d3football homepage. 

Sad news.

[kcreds]

What I'm about to comment on is definitely less important than what reality check reported. There are a lot more important issues in life than DIII athletics. With that said, IMHO, DIII athletic decision makers are kidding themselves that an athlete will focus more on education if less emphasis was put on sports. I believe sports is an education that prepares an individual athlete for life as much as if not more than music, the arts, and any other non sports related activities. If a coach is concerned about his athletes welfare and eligbility, then won't he do his part by assisting that athlete with his academics? The ones I have been around do. I think the way DIII handles each sport is a joke. During the off-season I have known baseball and basketball teams participate in a scrimmage. They are away from the campus much longer than any football team, due to their schedules. It is actually dangerous to have Spring practice without pads and helmet due to accidental contact.  I'm okay with the nonscholarship part but they need to recognize that sports are important to a student-athletes well being. Some wouldn't even stay in college if it weren't for sports. I say extend the playoff format so more teams can experience it and let them have full contact Spring practices with a scrimmage if they so desire. I am in a managerial position and I contribute a lot of my success as a professional and a Dad to sports. Am I the only one who feels that way? 

[joelmama]

This guy couldn't more wrong in my opinion.  he thinks a focus on sports hurts other activities?  I think it is safe to say that MUC certainly has a higher ephasis on sports in general than the majority of D3 schools.  I certainly see lots of activities that are not sports related doing very well and I do not think that these things suffer at MCU.  In fact I think sports brings the MUC community together and helps other activities there in a significant way.

A college with few student athletes is exactly the kind of school that is not going to emphasize spoerts toallow for all of the non season training events.

As for post season play the proportion of schools making the post season is higher now than when d3 was established.

Also why does he think redshirting is something that good athletics requires.  I think four years of eiligibility for d3 works just fine as it is.  Is there an outcry that isn't being answered to add non-mmedical redshirting?

[runyr]

Geek Patrol:
I'm trying to hold back, but some of this cr*p about deemphasizing sports and particularly football makes my blood boil.  It usually originates with some geek who got sand kicked in his face at the beach when he was young and he never got over it.  Football is always the sport they love to hate because football is the most male team sport there is (I'm sure to get negative karma from lurkers in other sports).
There are many great schools that owe a huge debt to their football teams.  Over the past 138 years, alumni and friends have donated umpteen millions because of football to just about every top university in the country.  What is wrong with an attitude that encourages excellence in all areas of student life even at the small college level?
My office is one mile from a prestigious, national liberal arts college that has no intercollegiate sports teams.  They may have ultimate frisbee, but that's all.  This is a wonderful college in many ways.  This college produces more PhD's per capita than probably any college in the country.
However, the students for the most part look like your ultimate geeks.  There is no diversity in look or dress.  Every one of them look like pan-handling hippies and the guys are dominated by the female majority.  There's a word for such guys, but I won't go there.
I am forever wondering how much better the school could be with sports and a football team to add some diversity to the campus.
I also can't help but compare this college to the college my son just graduated from, which will remain nameless as well, because I'd get negative karma for mentioning it.  But I will say this about it because it's such a contrast to this liberal arts college.
Football has meant all the difference at this nameless university.  They have a five billion dollar endowment, students from all 50 states and many foreign countries, 70% of their students graduate in the top FIVE percent of their high school class and their graduates go on to be leaders in every field.
Without a football team, this nameless school would be nothing close to what it is.  Heck, it's located in a rundown medium size Midwestern town that holds absolutely zero appeal.  So, they ain't going there for the weather and the beach!
I gotta go.  Hail to college football on every level.  8)

[SaintsFAN]

Shake Down the Thunder, Runyr!!

[JK]

On Coach Hoeppner's passing...

Realized yesterday when I was talking to my father in law that Miami (OH) has now lost three former coaches in the last year, two very abruptly in Coach Hep and Randy Walker.  The third was Bo Schembechler.

[WittFan]

I don't think this has already been posted. My apologies if it has.

NCAA on Demand is now selling DVDs of the '93, '96 and '97 Stagg Bowls. I have no idea of the quality of these DVDs, but they have to be better than my old VHS tapes, right?

Now if I can just find a copy of the '96 and '97 Allegheny at Mount Union games my Great D-III Games of the '90s collection will be complete...

[JK]

Is everyone on vacation right now or what?  It's been several full days without a post.  What the heck am I supposed to do at work when there is nothing new to read/ discuss?  Actually work?

[e_lee]

JK,

I was in Lexington over the weekend.  We took our team via bus from Chester, SC to Lexington, KY for UK's 7 on 7 tournament and Big Man Challenge.

We were disappointed with how both competitions finished for us.  Our 7 on 7 team went 3-0 in pool play but lost int he first round of the tournament.  The UK coaches thought it was gonna come down to us and Lexington Catholic.  Then again, I think our kids were the only team to sleep on the floor of a HS cafeteria(Tates Creek HS).  Many didnt have anything but a few blankets on the hard floor.  Gotta think the lack of sleep hurt them.  In the Big Man Challenge my team took two firsts.  As a five man team we combined for 111 reps at 185 pounds and we also had the fastest combined time in the Pro Shuttle. 

It wasn't a total loss as Kentucky offered our WR who committed on the spot who committed to become their first commit in the class of 08.  Happy for him.  His brother was offered early by Kentucky last year and sat on it and ended up getting his offer pulled right before his official visit and he ended up at UAB.  He was not gonna make the same mistake as his brother.

I also had a great time when a few of us coaches snuck away and made it into town.  Really had a blast at Atomic Cafe.  I really miss college.

[seventiesraider]

Is everyone on vacation right now or what?  It's been several full days without a post.  What the heck am I supposed to do at work when there is nothing new to read/ discuss?  Actually work?

I, for one am hiding out in Jackson Hole Wyoming for a few weeks.

The official LOL of this trip came when passing the Whitewater Wisconsin exit on I-90 when my 10 year old looked up from his Nintendo DX and yelled, "You guys suck" and went back to his game. Guess he's going to Mount 8)