FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Jonny Utah]

Right.  By the time I was done with college, Hofstra starting being good enough to be one of those I-A practices games for schools like Marshall... quite a buildup considering where they started from.  I think they've had two down years most recently, but were playing tough games against some of the best teams in the conference and were a young team or something.

I hope they play Stony Brook, that would be fun to watch.

Yea, Long Island and New Jersey for that matter are tough places to recruit national and even regional athletes.  Schools like Hofstra, CW Post, Stony Brook, and even a school like the College of New Jersey must rely on instate talent for the most part.

Rutgers is kind of trying to break out of that mold and of course schools like Princeton, Fordham and Columbia are already huge national programs.

[bant551]

True enough, but there is alot of good enough I-AA-type local talent in New York and particularly Long Island.  Long Island doesn't seem to produce that many I-A stars (look out for Jerome Gwaltney though at West Virginia), but it seems to have done pretty well by Hofstra.

I think one thing Priore will be good at is convincing kids to go to Stony Brook instead of better football schools like Hofstra. 

[4u]

Trinity followers...
Is Jeff Behrman staying or going with Priore?
Any info would be helpful,
4u

[First6Ws]

The NEC is perenially one of the two weakest conferences in 1-AA (along with the Metro-Atlantic).  They were non-scholarship schools with lesser academic repuations than NESCACs, anyone that could get in to a NESCAC would go d3 instead (the one exception being finances, good student-athletes can be tempted by these schools with full academic scholarships).  In the past these conferences were not as good as some, if not many, d3 conferences.  Trinity's recent teams would have been very competitive in these conferences.  This will change with the introduction of scholarships but it will probably be at least a few years before any teams from the NEC are considered for the playoffs.  But obviously there are different ideas of success.  Winning the conference and knocking off a few out-of-conference opponents is a very successful season in the NEC.  I have no doubt in Chuck's ability to do that at Stony Brook.  I'd also like to point out that he won't be "turning it around" at Stony Brook, they had a solid 6-4 year in which they won a share of the conference at 5-2 and got their first W over a Patriot League team (albeit a horrendous 1-10 Bucknell team).  Also, Coach Kornhauser was named NEC Coach of the Year. Chuck returns to his native Long Island at the right time.  With the introduction of scholarships, he can take Stony Brook and his own career to the next level.  

[Jonny Utah]

I also believe that the Central Conn coach (from the NEC) took the head job at Fordham, (a patriot league, and better conference than the NEC).

Showing that a winner from that conference can go to bigger and better things.  And stonybrook was second in that conference as well.

[frank uible]

Over Stony Brook's full football history of 22 years it has lost more games than it has won.

[downbythebeach]

I know the NEC quite well

Last year they were not exactly non scholly, they had 30 financial aid packages to give, but in two years they will give 30 scholarships and keep increasing from there.

SBU has awesome facilities (check out their stadium, its pretty big)
American East I believe in most other sports

20,000+ enrollment, a top 100 research university

The NEC had a down year, but is usually the best in low scholly I-AA of 3 conferences (usually a lot better).
Co Champ Central Connecticut beat Patriot League Champ and Playoff qualifier Colgate

Only one vs. D3 game this year
Rowan 35
Robert Morris 28

[speedy]

Trinity followers...
Is Jeff Behrman staying or going with Priore?
Any info would be helpful,
4u

Behrman is leaving Trinity. Here's the skinny on who is leaving the Trinity coaching staff (according to the Trinity student newspaper):

"The Bantams will see a lot of new changes among their coaching staff next season, with offensive coordinator Jeff Behrman following Priore to coach the Seawolves. Outside linebacker coach James Pio will be leaving the staff as well and wide receivers coach Mike Darr is retiring."

[Longtooth]

I heard that The DC's name from tuftf in the mix for the Macalester job, any truth or any word on that?  why would he go there?

[4u]

Thanks, Speedy.
4u

[dewcrew88]

1,000th post on the NESCAC board... thanks, and see ya later.

[bant551]

The new millenium actually starts at 1,001

[Pat Coleman]

I heard that The DC's name from tuftf in the mix for the Macalester job, any truth or any word on that?  why would he go there?

He is one of four finalists for that job, yes.

[Nescacfan05]

Who are the other candidates??

[mariner75]

Glenn Caruso, asst at So Dakota (Div II), was named head coach for Macalaster today.
Glad to see Walsh staying at Tufts but he will get his chance someday.......definitely head coach material.