FB: Empire 8

[AUPepBand]

Hey pep...how is Julio doing?..I noticed your "prayers for Julio" caption and realized that I had not heard much about him recently...

I still get an awful feeling when I think about what has happened to the poor kid..

Pep is thinking maybe there will be an update at Saturday's banquet on his progress at the spinal cord rehab center in Atlanta. Bed sores had set him back on his rehab...the last Pep heard. Word was he remains in good spirits, however.

In AU's 110+ years of intercollegiate fooball, Julio's critical injury probably the second worst, definitely the worst since upgraded helmets. A Saxon back in 1921(?) actually died several months after suffering complications associated with injuries sustained in a Thanksgiving Day football game played in Greenville, PA against .....believe it or not, Thiel.

It will be a day of rejoicing when Julio returns to campus, hopefully for fall semester.

[AUPepBand]

Pep has just finished reading Austin Murphy's "The Sweet Season," about the SI writer's sabbatical as an embedded journalist with the St. John's University football team and its legendary coach, John Gagliardi....incredible! The Alfred Sun gives a two thumbs up and declares it a "must read" for D3 football fans.

[JQV]

A trip to Alabama as a season opener in early September is not a "cool" way to begin the season for a team from the North, if you ask Pep. AU opened in southern Virginia in 2005 and it was over 90 degrees in the stands at game time. Heat was even worse down on the field. Pep was under the impression the Huntingdon-IC game was a one-year contract but could be mistaken.

I was thinking more along the lines of an out of region team...A test of how you are against teams that you do not see every day...You are correct, playing in Alabama in September would not be so much fun...

I'll check but I am 90 percent positive we are not headed to Alabama to open the season.  As cool as it was to play Huntingdon to open the season (it did after all, win us the BCS Championship), it could have hurt us.  If we had beaten Alfred and the three-way-tie QOW tiebreaker had come into play, Fisher's win over Mount Ida (or Husson, can't remember) would have helped them more than our win over Huntingdon since out of region wins apparently do not help your QOW.  Not sure why it is built that way but, I think including those wins in QOW would encourage more inter-regional matchups.

[realistic]

Pep has just finished reading Austin Murphy's "The Sweet Season," about the SI writer's sabbatical as an embedded journalist with the St. John's University football team and its legendary coach, John Gagliardi....incredible! The Alfred Sun gives a two thumbs up and declares it a "must read" for D3 football fans.

Pep - thats great that you enjoyed the book.  After spending a year in Minnesota covering St Johns (among others) I can tell you that the book was spot on.  An amazing, man, school, program and people in general.  That year cemented the Johnnies as my second favorite D-III football team.

No pepband for the Johnnies .....but a great Men's Choir.

[AUPepBand]

Yes, Pep would like to take in a Johnnies game in Collegeville some day. Posted that over on the MIAC and was almost immediately invited to "come on out."

Pep, of course, would like to first become acquainted with some of the Johnnies posters, particularly any of the characters who made it into Murphy's book.

You see, Pep grew up in Alfred when the entire town and student body showed up for football games... because Coach Alex Yunevich (177-85-12), no matter what kind of talent he had (and his recruiting budget amounted to some postage stamps), put on a show with his Saxons. Pep fondly remembers some of the "big" games at the old Merrill Field, back when Pep's grandfather, as director of buildings and grounds, oversaw the maintenance of arguably the most beautiful natural grass football field in the country. "Bepa" built the original press box and, given his knack for tinkering with sound equipment, was the "Well Hello Dere" announcer at Merrill Field. The "stadium," sandwiched between the Kanakadea Creek and the base of Pine Hill, had an odd dial-type clock that made it difficult to know for sure when time had expired.....

Heck, Pep's rambling (again)....perhaps Pep should just write a book. Suffice it to say, there's a similar heritage of football at Alfred that's fodder for a book much like "The Sweet Season." But for now, AU Pep Band has been invited to strike up the fight song before the highlight film at Saturday's football banquet...so Pep needs to pass the word along to get the band ready!

[superman57]

honestly I'm thinking that I might one day put pen to paper and either write a book on DIII football in NYS, the E8, or just fisher

[realistic]

Pep - the most important invite has been leveled.  Johnnie Red is the godfather of the MIAC board and one of the most popular people at SJU games.  Check out http://stiftungsfestivities.com/default.aspx they aren't messing around with the tailgate.  Take him up on the offer of of the game, you couldn't be in better hands in Central Minnesota.  Duffman - I believe - was on the the team in the book, but might have only been on the 2000 team in the epilouge.

A couple people mentioned in the book post infrequently but not many.  Kilted Rat is one of the "Rat Pack" that is talked about. 

[AUPepBand]

Looks like one incredible experience....perhaps Pep will leave the band in the hands of a real band director for AUPepBand Camp '07 on Sept. 1 and high-tail-it out to Collegeville for the Johnnies' home opener against Marietta.

Meanwhile, it appears Alfred led the E8 in attendance at football games in 2006 with 16,434 for six games, avg. 2,739 (Certainly helped having Hobart, Ithaca, Fisher all at Merrill.) NYS leader was Cortland State with an average attendance of 3,453 (no doubt boosted by Cortaca, which accounted for nearly half the year's total of 20,722).

St. John's led the D3 nation with 51,284 at six games for an average of 8,547.

[labart96]

TGP occasionally wonders about attendance stats at the D3 level. 

Certainly some schools benefit from long standing tradition, solid student body and community support. 

However, does anyone else think that some programs may simply benefit from being "the only game in town" due to the "remoteness" of the campus?

[realistic]

I think you have to question the numbers themsleves.  IC Students/Faculty/Staff are let in with just ID, no tix.  Are these ppl counted?  I know Cortaca adds a ton of people, but did IC really come in #2 in '05 and drop to the 150's in '06?

I think the numbers themselves are meaningless if only because it is so hard to track at D-III stadiums.

[labart96]

I think you have to question the numbers themsleves.  IC Students/Faculty/Staff are let in with just ID, no tix.  Are these ppl counted?  I know Cortaca adds a ton of people, but did IC really come in #2 in '05 and drop to the 150's in '06?

I think the numbers themselves are meaningless if only because it is so hard to track at D-III stadiums.

TGP agrees with this statement.  TGP guesses that it's possible people checking ID's at the gates are keeping tabs with a "counter", but is somewhat doubtful. 

[superman57]

real, while I agree with the fact that I think the numbers are skewed...remember you were away for the two biggest games of the year that produce your best attendance numbers Fisher and Cortaca

[JQV]

real, while I agree with the fact that I think the numbers are skewed...remember you were away for the two biggest games of the year that produce your best attendance numbers Fisher and Cortaca

Cortaca skews the numbers some but I don't think Fisher brings any bigger crowd than any other home game at Butterfield.  The only thing that thins the "regular" crowd appears to be weather.

[realistic]

real, while I agree with the fact that I think the numbers are skewed...remember you were away for the two biggest games of the year that produce your best attendance numbers Fisher and Cortaca

Yeah - But I was speaking to the validity of the numbers past and present.  Dropping that far (6,152 in '06 from 23,194 in '05) regardless of who played who and where makes it seem like the numbers are less than solid.

[AUPepBand]

TGP occasionally wonders about attendance stats at the D3 level. 

Certainly some schools benefit from long standing tradition, solid student body and community support. 

However, does anyone else think that some programs may simply benefit from being "the only game in town" due to the "remoteness" of the campus?

Could you be referring to the three of us out here in Mayberry?