FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mugsy]

"Mugsy barf - it's not just for breakfast anymore^TM."

Hmm... bonus week!  I'm making NCC fans lose their dinners outside of Bell week.

[CardinalAlum]

Fair enough, GS, I couldn't care less if North Park wins a game or not BUT, for the good of the conference, it would be great to field a competitive team on Foster Ave.   it is a very tough place to Coach.  Rucks did a great job when he was there.   I'll say this for Pethtel, his teams played hard.   And in a no win situation, getting your team to play hard and not be total jerkoffs on the field and on campus is a huge positive.   Good luck to him.

[Gregory Sager]

Oh, how about Ron Ellett?

Now there's a man who knows his CCIW history.

To answer your question ... yeah, Ellett was a disaster both on and off the field. But he was only at the Park for one season. His predecessor, Goose Anderson, left him precious little material with which to work (the Vikes were 0-9 and 2-7 in Goose's last two seasons). And Ellett's successor, Craig Fouhy, went 0-9 and 1-8 in the two years after Ellett. His successor, Tim Rucks -- the last North Park coach to get the team up to the level of mediocrity -- started off 1-8, 0-9, and 1-6-2 after he took over from Fouhy. Therefore, Ellett was just one link in an eight-year chain that saw the Vikes go 5-65-2 during that span.

And, to Ellett's credit, he at least came close on one occasion, losing the opener of his one and only season at the Park by a single touchdown, 21-14 to North Central. Unfortunately, this year's Vikings didn't even get one into the horseshoes-and-hand-grenades category.

[Mugsy]

Mugsy barf......those two words flow so well together........

Go ahead Mugsy....here comes the "I'll barf in the Bell....." blah blah blah.....

Lol.  Nice choice of words!   

[CardinalAlum]

Oh, how about Ron Ellett?

Now there's a man who knows his CCIW history.

To answer your question ... yeah, Ellett was a disaster both on and off the field. But he was only at the Park for one season. His predecessor, Goose Anderson, left him precious little material with which to work (the Vikes were 0-9 and 2-7 in Goose's last two seasons). And Ellett's successor, Craig Fouhy, went 0-9 and 1-8 in the two years after Ellett. His successor, Tim Rucks -- the last North Park coach to get the team up to the level of mediocrity -- started off 1-8, 0-9, and 1-6-2 after he took over from Fouhy. Therefore, Ellett was just one link in an eight-year chain that saw the Vikes go 5-65-2 during that span.

And, to Ellett's credit, he at least came close on one occasion, losing the opener of his one and only season at the Park by a single touchdown, 21-14 to North Central. Unfortunately, this year's Vikings didn't even get one into the horseshoes-and-hand-grenades category.

Yes, I was a freshman on that NCC team.  That game was the first of the year at the Park and it was about 100 degrees!  Standing on the dirt portion of the field, it was much hotter than that!

[Mugsy]

I wonder if given the budget and right coach if they took a more national recruiting objective and sold those very points that they could have more success.

Budget? Let's be realistic. NPU is, as I said, a tuition-driven school with the second-smallest endowment in the league. The budget is very limited in every sport, not just football. And it takes big bucks (cough Wheaton cough) to be able to recruit via plane rather than car.

GS, I first must say I respect the heck out of your perspective and insights (especially on all things North Park), but I must offer a few disagreements, which may be more of steeped generalization.

I will NOT dispute the size of Wheaton's endowment.  It is public knowledge.  But I will dispute that the Wheaton coaching staff has carte blanche with financial resources.  You know the intimate details of the situation at North Park, but do not assume that because Wheaton College has ample endowment resources, it applies to every aspect of the school - including the sports programs.

I know for a fact this has been a significant source of frustration for Coach Swider.  If you compare the coach staff at Wheaton, you will NOT see vast numbers of full time coaches.  In fact you will see 2 or 3 full-time coaches and a more prominent number of assistants who are paid a "stipend" during the season.  This is not a gripe at all, as I absolutely loved the experience of coaching at Wheaton and would do it again in a heartbeat, but when I coached at Wheaton I poured in at least 40 hours a week for 3 months for a $3-4K stipend.  Wheaton's athletic budget does not support a large volume of full-time staff.  It depends on a few full-time coaches who spend an incredible amount of time, and a number of dedicated assistants who "work for peanuts".

Wheaton's recruitment is not supported by vast expense on airfare to jet coaches across the country on a whim to look at potential prospects.  Wheaton depends heavily on alum who know the type of student athlete and players that will excel at Wheaton and do the ground work for the staff - to find prospects so that the coaches can use the limited recruiting budget to make extremely targeted trips and see as many players as possible.  No doubt Wheaton may have more budget than some schools, but don't assume because the school has a large endowment, the football program has a ton of cash.  It is not true.

Living in the west suburbs does have detrimental aspects as well.  It is not all bliss and so simple.  How many outstanding coaches & coordinators has Wheaton lost because a coach can not raise a family in the "posh" western suburbs on $30K a year.  I know for a fact several recent coaching departures were due to inability to support a family in Wheaton on limited coaching salaries. They loved the school, the players and the program, but they just couldn't do it unless a spouse was a doctor, lawyer, or other well paid professional.

[Gregory Sager]

Oh, I know that the Wheaton Board of Trustees doesn't actually hand a blank check to the football program. That's why I put a winky emoticon in there.

I've had a tough evening on d3boards.com, having to deal with all of the Pethtel fallout and the demeaning self-flagellation involved in admitting that NPU really isn't ever likely to make a go of it on the gridiron. You certainly can't deny me the opportunity for some comic relief by rattling your orange-colored cage, can you?

[Mugsy]

Oh, I know that the Wheaton Board of Trustees doesn't actually hand a blank check to the football program. That's why I put a winky emoticon in there.

I've had a tough evening on d3boards.com, having to deal with all of the Pethtel fallout and the demeaning self-flagellation involved in admitting that NPU really isn't ever likely to make a go of it on the gridiron. You certainly can't deny me the opportunity for some comic relief by rattling your orange-colored cage, can you?

Duly noted... stepping off my "come on man, just because it's Wheaton doesn't mean it is easy" box.   

[Gregory Sager]

... except in the picking-on-you-people sense. I'm sure that CardinalAlum will agree with me that, when it comes to rivalry gibes, just because it's Wheaton means that it is always easy.

[Mugsy]

... except in the picking-on-you-people sense. I'm sure that CardinalAlum will agree with me that, when it comes to rivalry gibes, just because it's Wheaton means that it is always easy.

Lol.  With me it only takes saying one word.

[CardinalAlum]

... except in the picking-on-you-people sense. I'm sure that CardinalAlum will agree with me that, when it comes to rivalry gibes, just because it's Wheaton means that it is always easy.

Amen!

[CardinalAlum]

... except in the picking-on-you-people sense. I'm sure that CardinalAlum will agree with me that, when it comes to rivalry gibes, just because it's Wheaton means that it is always easy.

Lol.  With me it only takes saying one word.

WHEATIE!!!

[USee]

Pethtel was let go? Are you kidding me? Who does NPU think they are Alabama? I am appalled by that. Where do they think they are going to find someone better? When is the last time NPU had double digit senior class and more than a couple returning starters?

And I take exception at your interpretation of my post GS.  I know progress when I see it. Better students, more retention, more seniors than I don't know when and much more discipline on the field.  Lack of talent, yes, bad coaching no.  I agree with your conclusion, NPU is doomed if they are now firing coaches.  I can't imagine who wants that job.  I am sure someone will take it but that's disappointing to see them fire Pethtel.

[Mugsy]

 "Tale of the Tape" – North Central vs. Cal Lutheran

Records:
   North Central:       8-2, 6-1
   Cal Lutheran:        8-1, 7-0

Statistical Category	North Central	Cal Lutheran	Comment
Offense Scoring	39.2	45.6
Defense Scoring	14.7	24.2
Off Pass Efficiency	154.0	163.8
Off Pass Completion %	64.0	65.5
Off Pass YPG	217.6	308.3
Off Pass TD's	17	34
Off INT's	7	9
Def Pass Efficiency	92.2	116.0
Def Pass Completion %	52.0	53.9
Def Pass YPG	161.8	229.7
Pass TD's Allowed	6	11
Def INT's	18	10
Kick Return Ave	22.5	16.9
Punt Return Ave	18.5	15.1
Punting Net	36.1	34.8	NCC 38 punts, CLU 34
Turnover Margin	+4	+3
Off Rush YPG	208.6	217.9
Off Yards Per Carry	5.2	5.5
Off Rush TD's	31	19
Def Rush YPG	97.3	195.4
Def Yards Per Carry	2.8	4.8
Def Rush TD's Allowed	7	16
Total Offense	426.2	526.2
Total Defense	259.1	425.1
Sacks By	32	16
Sacks Allowed	12	12	NCC: 250 pass attempts, CLU: 333
1st Downs	214	243
1st Downs Allowed	151	196
Penalty YPG	59.6	91.8
Red Zone Offense	86.5	82.7	NCC 38 TDs, 7 FG's : CLU 35 TDs, 8 FG's
Red Zone Defense	59.3	76.5
Off 3rd Down Conv %	44.1	46.4
Opp 3rd Down Conv %	26.4	33.3
Field Goals	11 of 18	9 of 10
PAT's	51 of 51	53 of 55
Time of Pos	29:54	28:47

[D O.C.]

+ Mugsy

Home field +6