FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Col. Partridge]

On some level, I think the school's reputation as a haven for "activist" wackjobs makes it less appealing for many potential athletic recruits, particularly in football.  Also, not that I care for rankings, but it has fallen about 7 spots in the USNWR since I was applying to college, so maybe the academic prestige factor that used to be there just isn't enough to convince some stud LB to spend 4 years with green-haired transgenders.

Without big, strong linemen showing up on campus it is tough to establish a running game.

[BTEXPRESS]

I think you are right about the school not surporting the program. My son is looking at several schools in the NESAC for next year, and he had NO INTEREST in even looking at Wesleyan for Football even with the Belichick connection.

[Col. Partridge]

Fair enough...but explain to me how Bowdoin supports its football program.  Its stats over the same time period have been among the worst in the league (certainly worse than Wesleyan). 

[Uncle Jessie]

Hey everyone. I made a yahoo fantasy football league devoted to D3 fans. Everyone is welcome as I have 7 spots left open. All I ask is that you name your team after your favorite Div. 3 team.

League ID#: 9077
League Name: FANS OF DIVISION 3 FOOTBALL
Password: usasouth

[BTEXPRESS]

Well it is funny you should bring up Bowdoin because that is one of the schools he is interested in. To be honest, the entire coaching staff made a very favorable impression on my son and I. Even though their record is not great, we walked away feeling the program is on the upswing. They are in the process of upgrading their facilities including a new weightroom and field turf for their stadium. To me that shows support from the administration for their athletic programs.

[Col. Partridge]

Well it is funny you should bring up Bowdoin because that is one of the schools he is interested in. To be honest, the entire coaching staff made a very favorable impression on my son and I. Even though their record is not great, we walked away feeling the program is on the upswing. They are in the process of upgrading their facilities including a new weightroom and field turf for their stadium. To me that shows support from the administration for their athletic programs.

I didn't pick Bowdoin out of thin air--I went and read your previous posts   I'm still curious why you visited Bowdoin despite its perennial ineptitude in football while deciding that Wesleyan, which also has a new weightroom/athletic facility, does not support football.  You and your son may have made up your minds, but if there is anyone else out there in a similar situation, I advise you to at least visit Wes and check it out for yourself. 

[Trin9-0]

I'm good friends with several former Cardinal football players and their response to my teasing about the ultra-liberal Wes-Tech student body was that it helped to reinforce the sense of community among the athletes and specifically football players. The football team created almost an 'us vs. them' mentality and used it as a rallying point.

I wonder if Wesleyan's recent struggles can still be traced back to the cheating scandal of 2002 in which several (I believe more than 10) varsity football players were expelled for academic dishonesty. Around that time they also had their starting tailback Young Douglas expelled due to an arrest for robbing a Gap with a starters pistol (you CAN'T make this stuff up).

I would assume that sort of bad press would really hinder a coaches ability to have a good working relationship with the admissions department.

Also, I think it's fair to say that the Hamilton football program has had the least amount of institutional support over the past decade or so. This will be their 4th coach in 7 years, though to be fair Devanney is Trinity's 4th coach since 1998.

[BTEXPRESS]

To answer your question, we really didn't know much about Bowdoin before we visited the campus. However, what we did know was that Wesleyan had a reputation of being a VERY LIBERAL school with some STRANGE students walking around campus as you previously mentioned. That was not appealing to my son. I can honestly say we did not see too many strange folks walking around Brunswick, Maine on our visit.

[BobcatsDad]

Re. Wesleyan and recruiting - a very interesting issue.
My son was recruited two years ago most heavily - meaning lots of phone calls and invitations to come to a game -  by Bates, Tufts, Wesleyan and Hamilton (see a pattern there?) He chose Bates because, losing record notwithstanding, he liked the coaches, the program, the guys on the team, and felt comfortable at the school. Academically, I think he could have handled any of the schools - though he probably would have needed the slot or tip at Wes and Tufts to get in there (high SAT, middling grades from top private school). It probably helped as Bates, as well, for his ED admission.

To be honest, he didn't give Wes much of a chance. We visited briefly the summer after 10th grade, but during the heart of the recruiting season - fall of his senior year, he had pretty much written off Wes because of his perception (accurate or not) of the green-hair anti-globalization-protest factor. The thing is, I'm not sure how much different Bates is on that front, and whether Wes is really as freaky as its reputation would have it. I think probably not - and I think the experience for a football player may not be that much different among the school.

He is very happy at Bates, though of course would love to have a more successful football team. Would he have been just as happy at Wes? Probably. I think Wes probably needs to recognize that there are lots of football types who are put off by the school's far-left reputation, which may or may not matter in the life of the average Wes football player.

[BTEXPRESS]

As I am going through this whole college choice thing for the first time(my son is my oldest) you really find out what makes a kid tick. I think it is appealing to him to go to a school where he can be a part of a REBUILDING program, make his own statement of success. Some kids want to go to a school which is already on top and they help keep the machine going IE Williams(Football, B ball), University of Florida in (Football, B ball), North Carolina in woman's soccer etc. Maybe Wesleyan's reputation is not derserved, but it is the preception out there.

[frank uible]

If one is strictly limiting himself to NESCAC colleges, then my advice is to attend the college which is the best fit academically and socially, and football will fall in place on its own.

[tmerton]

If one is strictly limiting himself to NESCAC colleges, then my advice is to attend the college which is the best fit academically and socially, and football will fall in place on its own.

That's good advice for any school selection.  At the same time, if football is really important to your son and given the the influence that coaches can have, I do think the quality of the coaches and the program (not the same thing as won-loss record) has to be a consideration.  When we made our NESCAC tour two years ago, my favorite was Bowdoin, based on a combination of the school and the head coach (not the won-loss record obviously).  All the other schools and coaches were great, too, but the NESCAC is perhaps lucky in that regard and that's not always the case.  Academics need to be first priority but after that the kids need to feel a fit with the sports program if they intend to play a sport and I don't think that's inconsequential.  My nephew swims at Amherst and I know the team and coaching situation were critical factors, especially since the facilities were not as good as at some other schools.

[bant551]

I agree that won-loss record is a weak way to go about choosing your college.

The same academic year that I went on my recruiting trip, Trinity was 3-5.  Williams was perennially winning the league.  I chose Trin because -- despite truly liking both places very much -- I liked Trin more, on balance.

I came from a high school team that rarely ever lost, and while continuing a tradition like that was a great experience, building a program back up and helping build a dominant program is far more rewarding.  Of course the losing record wasn't a positive factor in Trin's favor... it just wasn't a consideration.

Winning the league is winning the league... but there is something undeniably different if Bates were to win the league in 2 years after first getting back to 4-4 this year, then in the years that follow Bates became a powerhouse... as opposed to Trinity, Williams or Amherst winning it the next three years.

But lets make one thing clear: though I'm a fan of the underdog, that does not apply when Bates plays Trin!

[Trin9-0]

Here are a few links that may have varying levels of interest to those on this board:

An article on the state of small college football in Maine with some quotes from the CBB coaches on their outlook for the coming year.
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/sports/stories/4144940.html

Article from the Boston Globe on Tufts Co-Captains FB Kevin Anderson and TE Kevin Gleason.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/02/anderson_anchors_offense_for_tufts/

Article from ESPN.com on the Directors Cup and the difficulties smaller schools face in trying to maintain a nationally prominent athletic department (mentions Williams, Middlebury).
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2962812

[FootballFanatic]

I'm good friends with several former Cardinal football players and their response to my teasing about the ultra-liberal Wes-Tech student body was that it helped to reinforce the sense of community among the athletes and specifically football players. The football team created almost an 'us vs. them' mentality and used it as a rallying point.

I wonder if Wesleyan's recent struggles can still be traced back to the cheating scandal of 2002 in which several (I believe more than 10) varsity football players were expelled for academic dishonesty. Around that time they also had their starting tailback Young Douglas expelled due to an arrest for robbing a Gap with a starters pistol (you CAN'T make this stuff up).

I would assume that sort of bad press would really hinder a coaches ability to have a good working relationship with the admissions department.

Also, I think it's fair to say that the Hamilton football program has had the least amount of institutional support over the past decade or so. This will be their 4th coach in 7 years, though to be fair Devanney is Trinity's 4th coach since 1998.

If Wes is ultra liberal, which schools would be considered conservative or even moderate? 8)