FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[washdupcard]

Just want to point out for the third consecutive year, the remarkable strides that the current NCC coaching staff has made with the program.  When I played at NCC, we were an afterthought.  If we went .500 it was a good season...and anything that was a winning record was a great season.

Now, it is going to be a dissappointment if the Cards fail to win the conference, or fail to make the playoffs.

I don't think anyone other than someone who was firsthand witness to the debacle that the program used to be...can fully appreciate the success that NCC has achieved. I don't mean to indicate that the prior coaching staffs were poor...there were many very good coaches and players at NCC in the past...but however the current combination of players and coaches was achieved...there is no arguing with their success.

As an alum, I am very proud of the results that NCC has achieved.  I just hope that the coaching staff is doing it the right way.  I have heard a few rumors about question marks with the program.

[fightintitan]

Congratulations to Coach Eash for being named COY and to all the Titans for rising up to grab a share of the CCIW title!

You did a fantastic job proving the doubters throughout the conference and B-N wrong and you deserve this.  Congrats again!

[Tailgater]

I am glad the CCIW gave the COY award to Eash.  This is not a knock on Thorne, he is a great coach and well deserving, however what Eash did this year is not easy.  He took a team that was picked in no man's land in the CCIW and brought them to the top.  That's COY material and a well deserved honor for Normy.

Congratulations to the All-Conference Selections and to the Bluejays! That made the lists. 

While I understand the logic behind this sentiment (which many have raised on this board discussing this topic), I do not find it entirely logical.  Just because a coach defied other people's expectations of what his team should accomplish, doesn't in and of its self mean that he was dealing with a poor team and that it was simply his coaching brilliance that caused them to win.

Could a more plausible explanation be that the other coaches,  the D3football.com staff, and posters on this website didn't realize how much talent IWU really had on their team?

There could also be some popularity issues that we don't see... Lets be honest, as much as everyone bashes Norm on here, is that same way that Barnes, Swider, Rucks, etc. feel about him?  I don't know, because I am not them.  I do know he has been around a while and JT has not.   

The Cardinals have defeated IWU the last 5 seasons.

Wheaton lost the brass bell for the 1st time in a while a few years ago, shared a conference title last year with us and lost it to us this year.

When Thorne came to NC, he made the lamented cards that stated: (most of you alum will remember this)  "What have you done to beat Augie?"  From what I understand, this fired Barnes up a little.    We have also beat them 3 of the last 4 years.

Its very possible that Thorne is not a well-liked guy among the CCIW coaches because of the resurgence of the program and maybe the attitude that he portrays.

Any thoughts?

last thing... Good for IWU "coming out of nowhere" but if you ask any of those players...did they think they would finish 7th?  I highly doubt it and it was quite a motivator for them.  They had talent and the CCIW coaches helped put a chip on the shoulder.

For Coach Rucks to give Eash his vote for COY (which I'd bet he did) hell must have froze over. There is no love lost at Carthage for IWU and stormin Normin.

[usee]

For Coach Rucks to give Eash his vote for COY (which I'd bet he did) hell must have froze over. There is no love lost at Carthage for IWU and stormin Normin.

I think that is true pretty much around the league. If the coaches voted for Norm, it isn't because they like him, its because he deserved it.

[burly]

My HS Football Coach used to tell us this acronym:

TEAM
T- TOGETHER
E- EVERYONE
A- ACCOMPLISHES
M- MORE

And this is what I preach when I coach the youth hockey teams.

I always heard: TEAM!
T - TOGETHER
E - EACH
A - ACHIEVES
M - MORE

I think I like accomplishes better though.

[Titan Q]

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/11/14/sports/doc473b4abe789a9679034112.txt


"You don't win a championship without all-conference performers. Our players have handled success all year and been very humble, but at the same time they have been hungry to have more success."

Eash, who has a 21-year record of 126-73-1 at his alma mater, also earned CCIW Coach of the Year honors in 1992 and 1996.

"Coach of the Year is not an individual award. It's a staff award," Eash said. "The reason why we've had so much success is the coaching staff we had this year. It's their award. It has nothing to do with Norm Eash. It had everything to do with team.

"It's recognition of a lot of people working very hard to achieve a goal. I'm just very honored my name is associated with them."

[Tailgater]

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/11/14/sports/doc473b4abe789a9679034112.txt


"You don't win a championship without all-conference performers. Our players have handled success all year and been very humble, but at the same time they have been hungry to have more success."

Eash, who has a 21-year record of 126-73-1 at his alma mater, also earned CCIW Coach of the Year honors in 1992 and 1996.

"Coach of the Year is not an individual award. It's a staff award," Eash said. "The reason why we've had so much success is the coaching staff we had this year. It's their award. It has nothing to do with Norm Eash. It had everything to do with team.

"It's recognition of a lot of people working very hard to achieve a goal. I'm just very honored my name is associated with them."

Pretty classy statement.

[FormerCard]

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/11/14/sports/doc473b4abe789a9679034112.txt


“You don’t win a championship without all-conference performers. Our players have handled success all year and been very humble, but at the same time they have been hungry to have more success.”

Eash, who has a 21-year record of 126-73-1 at his alma mater, also earned CCIW Coach of the Year honors in 1992 and 1996.

“Coach of the Year is not an individual award. It’s a staff award,” Eash said. “The reason why we’ve had so much success is the coaching staff we had this year. It’s their award. It has nothing to do with Norm Eash. It had everything to do with team.

“It’s recognition of a lot of people working very hard to achieve a goal. I’m just very honored my name is associated with them.”

Pretty classy statement.

I dont think there are many coaches who would have answered any different in this league, or any sport for that matter. 

But yes...he chose his words well.

[Gregory Sager]

Congrats to NPU wide receiver Chris Durr upon making the All-CCIW first team, and to QB Shelby Wood and RB Kelvyn West upon making the All-CCIW second team. Getting three sophomore skill-position players onto the All-CCIW team is a nice accomplishment, and it's one that bodes well for the future.

Now NPU needs to clear the big hurdle that has always proved insurmountable for the Vikings: Getting a good O-line put together.

[burly]

Congrats to NPU wide receiver Chris Durr upon making the All-CCIW first team, and to QB Shelby Wood and RB Kelvyn West upon making the All-CCIW second team. Getting three sophomore skill-position players onto the All-CCIW team is a nice accomplishment, and it's one that bodes well for the future.

Now NPU needs to clear the big hurdle that has always proved insurmountable for the Vikings: Getting a good O-line put together.

Said it at the beginning of the year, this trio is very good.  As long as they stay healthy, they will win a CCIW game before they graduate.

[burly]

Tailgater, in preparation for Saturday - http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3109598[/url]

I know this is a CCIW board not Big Ten, but I thought everybody would get a kick out of this:

"If Michigan had won in Madison, it would have brought a nine-game winning streak into the Big House, continuing a remarkable turnaround from the devastation of consecutive losses to Division I-AA Appalachian State and Oregon in the season's first two weeks.

If Ohio State had survived the Illini, it would have been playing to defend the nation's No. 1 ranking and to advance to the BCS championship game for a second straight year.

Instead, OSU-Michigan has become "Rocky VI" -- still with the original stars, but not with much compelling allure."

[Gregory Sager]

Congrats to NPU wide receiver Chris Durr upon making the All-CCIW first team, and to QB Shelby Wood and RB Kelvyn West upon making the All-CCIW second team. Getting three sophomore skill-position players onto the All-CCIW team is a nice accomplishment, and it's one that bodes well for the future.

Now NPU needs to clear the big hurdle that has always proved insurmountable for the Vikings: Getting a good O-line put together.

Said it at the beginning of the year, this trio is very good.  As long as they stay healthy, they will win a CCIW game before they graduate.

That's not the most flattering tribute I've ever read, BP. While NPU is definitely still in "win one first, then worry about the next step" mode, if Scott Pethtel can only win one CCIW game in four years then it will not have been a successful journey for either him or his sophomore trio.

I certainly hope that Durr, Wood, and West have set their sights higher than winning a solitary CCIW game over their four-year careers.

[fightintitan]

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/11/14/sports/doc473b4abe789a9679034112.txt


"You don't win a championship without all-conference performers. Our players have handled success all year and been very humble, but at the same time they have been hungry to have more success."

Eash, who has a 21-year record of 126-73-1 at his alma mater, also earned CCIW Coach of the Year honors in 1992 and 1996.
"Coach of the Year is not an individual award. It's a staff award," Eash said. "The reason why we've had so much success is the coaching staff we had this year. It's their award. It has nothing to do with Norm Eash. It had everything to do with team.

"It's recognition of a lot of people working very hard to achieve a goal. I'm just very honored my name is associated with them."

Wasn't Coach Eash awarded COY in 2001 also?

[FormerCard]

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/11/14/sports/doc473b4abe789a9679034112.txt


"You don't win a championship without all-conference performers. Our players have handled success all year and been very humble, but at the same time they have been hungry to have more success."

Eash, who has a 21-year record of 126-73-1 at his alma mater, also earned CCIW Coach of the Year honors in 1992 and 1996.
"Coach of the Year is not an individual award. It's a staff award," Eash said. "The reason why we've had so much success is the coaching staff we had this year. It's their award. It has nothing to do with Norm Eash. It had everything to do with team.

"It's recognition of a lot of people working very hard to achieve a goal. I'm just very honored my name is associated with them."

Wasn't Coach Eash awarded COY in 2001 also?

That is correct

http://www.cciw.org/fall_football/2001cciwfootballallconference.php

[fightintitan]

I apologize if this has been discussed before, but in perusing the CCIW website I noticed that the 2000 Defensive Player of the Year was J.D. Leman.  I assume since they both went to Champaign Central h.s., that he is related to current Illini linebacker J Leman?