MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Pat Coleman]

For those wondering, the site was launched (relaunched, really) in November 1997. The board launched a year later.

[Gregory Sager]

If I remember the story correctly, Pat, didn't this all come out of a user group for the CAC that was run off of the Catholic computer system back in the mid-'90s? Somehow you inherited it, and developed it from there back in '97. Or something like that.

This particular room originated in the fall of '98, when I started a message thread on one of the topic trees (yes, back then d3hoops.com was an old-fashioned message board with topic trees) entitled, "Has the CCIW Declined In Strength In Recent Seasons?" Bob was one of the first few people to post as part of what at that point was a relatively narrow topic, and the late Wheaton C and Jim Matson (aka "Hiker Jim") were two other regulars from very early on. I seem to remember augiefan being a poster from a very early point in the room's history as well. Wheaton C (Dave Lawrenz) was absolutely full-on in his enthusiasm for Wheaton star forward Rob Hamann back in those days, I remember. Back then my bete noire wasn't Dennis Prikkel (who first appeared on this site many years later), it was some Bosko acolyte who called himself "Beer Nut Denny". He liked to come on the message board and goad me, because he was ticked off at NPU for getting rid of Bosko, and ticked off at me because I still insisted upon rooting for the Vikings in spite of the Bosko thing. He felt that my loyalty should've stayed with the coach and not the school. I'm pretty sure that I actually saw this guy at one or two Carthage sporting events, as I've never observed anyone else at a Carthage game who wore a red Beer Nuts windbreaker. I avoided him like the plague, for obvious reasons.

At one point, during one of Pat's periodic site facelifts, the tree format disappeared and the name of the "Has the CCIW Declined" thread (which by then was far more than just a single-topic thread) was changed to CCIW Chat. That's the name it kept for a long time, thru several of Pat's facelifts, until he standardized all the room names about two or three years ago. I still call it "CCIW Chat", because I like the name and I'm used to it.

(I remember that one of Pat's site facelifts led to the message board, or what is now called d3boards.com, utilizing blue and orange graphics. Pat hastily posted in several rooms that he had done this because the software was designed by a Hope grad. I think that he did it to forestall any protests on my part that he was showing favoritism towards Wheaton. )

[NCF]

For those wondering, the site was launched (relaunched, really) in November 1997. The board launched a year later.

Any original posters still around?

[Gregory Sager]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO not another Sageristic poster!!

Okay, so true story, and it's been long enough from the fact that I can probably share this without people freaking out since everyone knows I actually like them and actually ended up caring about basketball. (Until now I think I've only told 1-2 people)...

I originally joined D3hoops.com posting world in Jan 2002 with the intention of writing an anthropology paper on the CCIW chat room. It was an assignment in preparation for my trip to Africa in the summer and fall semesters of that year. The idea was that you were supposed to observe and adapt to a culture and go through the various stages of acceptance into the inner circle, and then write a paper about it. Back in the day there was relatively little published about online communities, and I still think it would have made an excellent paper, but the teacher made me do one where I was actually there in person and he didn't think meeting people at game counted, so I did it about a local coffee shop instead. Since I am pretty much the only student people these guys have ever liked (not to mention how I've been hit on, stalked, treated like a celebrity, gotten angry messages from coaches, etc), I ironically probably succeeded at my original goal, but it stopped being an actual goal after like, two weeks.

I've actually never heard this story before, April. I'm not freaked out by it at all. In fact, I think it's interesting. I agree with you that your anthro professor was wrong. We would've made much better term-paper fodder than a bunch of coffee-shop denizens.

So anyway, if I post a little bit like Greg it is probably subconscious at this point. However, it may have actually been intentional at one point. Hahaha...

You obviously didn't work hard enough at it, since Dennis still likes you.

[Hoosier Titan]

Hi April,
I don't think I've said "welcome back," so I'll say it now.  Welcome back!

I wonder if the professor would allow an online community project now.  I agree that it sounds at least as interesting as a lot of in-person communities.  I'd never heard that story before either and I think it's very interesting.

[NCF]

Thanks for the history lesson.Very interesting.

[Pat Coleman]

For those wondering, the site was launched (relaunched, really) in November 1997. The board launched a year later.

Any original posters still around?

If you hover over a poster's name on the left side, you'll see a number at the end (u=xxxxxx). The lower the number, the more original the poster. My admin handle is 1, my regular posting handle is 6, Warren Thompson is 7, Greg Sager is 27, hopefan is 62.

Greg's story is pretty close. There was a CAC basketball site, which I developed and then sold off to the conference. Meanwhile, there was a Division III Basketball Online site which was being run by the Centennial Conference, and I acquired that in November 1997.

The original message board software was Discus, which was created by Hope College. But the blue and orange color scheme and graphics (2000?) was actually the brainchild of Martin Wondergem, a Calvin grad, in a rare moment of Hope-Calvin solidarity.

Greg -- Bob is poster 310. He might have had a previous handle?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Funny story... Pat had one of my "posts" used as the quote on the front of the message boards for several years! Back then, we were more rivals then colleagues!

And wow - I am #325!

[NCF]

For those wondering, the site was launched (relaunched, really) in November 1997. The board launched a year later.

Any original posters still around?

If you hover over a poster's name on the left side, you'll see a number at the end (u=xxxxxx). The lower the number, the more original the poster. My admin handle is 1, my regular posting handle is 6, Warren Thompson is 7, Greg Sager is 27, hopefan is 62.

Greg's story is pretty close. There was a CAC basketball site, which I developed and then sold off to the conference. Meanwhile, there was a Division III Basketball Online site which was being run by the Centennial Conference, and I acquired that in November 1997.

The original message board software was Discus, which was created by Hope College. But the blue and orange color scheme and graphics (2000?) was actually the brainchild of Martin Wondergem, a Calvin grad, in a rare moment of Hope-Calvin solidarity.

Greg -- Bob is poster 310. He might have had a previous handle?

Great info, did you ever think the boards would take off like they did? Or D3 sports for that matter?

[Dennis_Prikkel]

Dennis, it never fails to crack me up that a former SID is so laissez-faire about spelling.

speeling was always my strong suit - remember I had a boatload of serbian names for quite a few years.

[Dennis_Prikkel]

DP, I feel your pain.  Perhaps you weren't an English major, right?  For me, it's usually Q who provides my spell-check, grammar check and "Greenie Weenie" corrections.  He even corrects my wayward opinions. Guess that says something about these two "Gurus of the Board."  Earlier in the year, I had trouble with "Gonzalez", and I don't even try on Kman, even now.  I've improved over the season, though, as practice makes perfect.  At least in future we just have Anderson and Davis and Dortch and Rose and Overstreet . . . alot easier.  I sound them out carefully before typing.  These guys coming up, on the deep bench of the Titans, are really going to make some noise in the future.  Mark my words (even if they are sometimes spelled incorrectly!).

Great to have FIVE CCIW teams in the second weekend, in the Sweet Sixteen.  Go CCIW, go GREENies.

Watch the Titan women go . . . they really have a good chance for the Final Four again, IMHO.  Plus, very easy to spell "Lett."   Watch the Titans "run and jump."  Great pressure, great defense. 

IWU70

if you thimk i don't know how 2 speel spell you're in a spell.  Speeling was actually my strong suite - i just due it 2 p*ss certain peeple oft.

[Gregory Sager]

For those wondering, the site was launched (relaunched, really) in November 1997. The board launched a year later.

Any original posters still around?

If you hover over a poster's name on the left side, you'll see a number at the end (u=xxxxxx). The lower the number, the more original the poster. My admin handle is 1, my regular posting handle is 6, Warren Thompson is 7, Greg Sager is 27, hopefan is 62.

Greg -- Bob is poster 310. He might have had a previous handle?

He might have. But if he did, I don't remember it.

Perhaps you gave him some demerits, or docked him a few places for some infraction or other.

Funny story... Pat had one of my "posts" used as the quote on the front of the message boards for several years! Back then, we were more rivals then colleagues!

And wow - I am #325!

I'm surprised you're that low, D-Mac, although, if my demerits theory holds up, it would make perfect sense that you're not in the elite double-digits category.

Other long-time CCIW posters:

Jim Matson - 15
74impala - 65 (sorry I didn't mention ya, Rodney!)
WheatonC - 67
dennis_prikkel - 100 (he's much lower than I thought he'd be; did you just lurk at first, Dennis?)
tjcummingsfan -125 (possibly our first-ever student poster ... hey, EH! You're a celebrity!)
mr_b - 290 (now mostly seen in the CCIW baseball room)
iwu70 - 312 (which means that I've had to hear about that 1970 chicken game approximately 4,000 times by now )
Mr. ypsi - 394
rknuppel - 402 (our first All-American poster)
augiefan - 453
iwufans -477
titanhammer - 482
mwunder - 487
iwumichigander -495
robberki - 527
veterancciwfan - 542
wheels81 - 565 (formerly known as bgbully)
mactitan -618
markerickson - 666 (hahahahahahahahaha!)
kenoshamark - 669

Another early poster was Stat Jack, who was Jason Wiertel's father, Jack Wiertel. Every year he and K-Mark used to bet a case of beer over which one of them would finish higher in the CCIW pick'ems.

[Titan Q]

Greg -- Bob is poster 310. He might have had a previous handle?

I'm almost positive I've been "Titan Q" since day 1...not sure what the deal is there!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I am not sure I knew about the site right away... though I do know I used to read and never post because I didn't think message boards were my thing. Little did I know (though, I still don't post a ton).

[Gregory Sager]

In hunting for other original posters with single- or double-digit numbers, it's no surprise that sac is #9 and Ralph Turner is #17.