FB: Empire 8

[Frank Rossi]

When do/did camps officially start for this season?

I think IC kicked theirs off this weekend

As did Cortland based on the release I saw on their site concerning the 2009 incident.

[fisheralum91]

UC got things started this past weekend

[AUSaxons]

Alfred starts on wednesday!

[Cardinal Pride]

SJF opens camp on Saturday.

[AUPepBand]

A quick count , which Pep will admit is NOT completely accurate, as several players whom Pep knows don't intend to play this coming season (recuperating from surgeries, focus on studies, etc.), shows some 260+ young men on AU's football roster.

Good thing for Saxon opponents that Coach Murray can only put eleven of them on the field at one time.

On Saxon Warriors!

[Frank Rossi]

A quick count , which Pep will admit is NOT completely accurate, as several players whom Pep knows don't intend to play this coming season (recuperating from surgeries, focus on studies, etc.), shows some 260+ young men on AU's football roster.

Good thing for Saxon opponents that Coach Murray can only put eleven of them on the field at one time.

On Saxon Warriors!

I think Mount Union would still win if they allowed each team to place their entire roster on the field.  Don't they have in excess of 250 players most years?

[Bombers798891]

A quick count , which Pep will admit is NOT completely accurate, as several players whom Pep knows don't intend to play this coming season (recuperating from surgeries, focus on studies, etc.), shows some 260+ young men on AU's football roster.

Good thing for Saxon opponents that Coach Murray can only put eleven of them on the field at one time.

On Saxon Warriors!

That means, roughly, that one out of every four men on that campus is on the football roster of Alfred (and MUC I guess)...that seems...large, even for d3...

[maxpower]

Ceramics.

[gordonmann]

I think Mount Union would still win if they allowed each team to place their entire roster on the field.  Don't they have in excess of 250 players most years?

When I wrote a piece for Kickoff a couple years ago, I found a strong correlation between successful programs and large rosters.  You can argue which one causes the other but there's definitely a correlation.  Off the top of my head, Mary Hardin-Baylor reported the largest number or participating athletes to the US Department of Education.  Mount Union and Wesley were also toward the very high end of the scale.

[Bombers798891]

I think Mount Union would still win if they allowed each team to place their entire roster on the field.  Don't they have in excess of 250 players most years?

When I wrote a piece for Kickoff a couple years ago, I found a strong correlation between successful programs and large rosters.  You can argue which one causes the other but there's definitely a correlation.  Off the top of my head, Mary Hardin-Baylor reported the largest number or participating athletes to the US Department of Education.  Mount Union and Wesley were also toward the very high end of the scale.

I'd be interested to see a longitudinal study regarding teams. Before Mount became Mount, what was their roster size? Have teams like /ithaca, who have gone the other way in terms of success, also done so in regard to rosters?

[Knightstalker]

Imagine what schools like Rowan in the KC Keeler days and UW Whitewater now could do with 200 man rosters?

[rams1102]

Imagine what schools like Rowan in the KC Keeler days and UW Whitewater now could do with 200 man rosters?

If the NJAC would have JV Football would that open up the 100 roster limit?

[PrideFan1]

Hey Pride!! How's everyone doing? I must say, I'm looking forward to the season but a little sad that this will be the final season for SC in the E8.

[gordonmann]

I'd be interested to see a longitudinal study regarding teams. Before Mount became Mount, what was their roster size? Have teams like /ithaca, who have gone the other way in terms of success, also done so in regard to rosters?

Here's where you can find the data to do that kind of study.

http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/

If you click on "Download Data Sets," the raw data is there to do a study dating back to 2000.  It'll take some time to cull the Division III football numbers from the massive amount of information, but it's possible.

That doesn't go back far enough to capture Mount Union's rise, but it does reflect the relatively smaller rise of other programs (Del Val, Wesley, Mary Hardin-Baylor).

[AlfredSaxon8]

AlfredSaxon8 is back! Wellllll.... sort of- I will be making very brief appearances this season, its a little tougher where I'm at in AZ and my schedule doesn't always permit, but I can assure you that Saxon Pride is strong in the Southwest.

Tomorrow I'm heading to help some fellow Saxon Alum coach some high school football.  It's a great time and the kids are awesome.  It's pretty crazy that out of the roughly 2,000+ student population at Alfred, 3 Alums from the relatively same time frame ended up just an hour drive from each other... in the Southwest.

But it proves that the bound found on the football field is not something that simply ends when the shoulder pads are strapped for the last time.  

Anyways, hope all is well on the board! I dont actually "hear" anything from the Saxon camp anymore, it's mostly what I pick up online.  But I'm pumped and primed to see the Saxons defend their title.

On Saxon Warriors!!!