Small Colleges Starting Football

[Pat Coleman]

Catholic isn't in the CAC anymore. No worries.

[HSCTiger74]

Catholic isn't in the CAC anymore. No worries.

Yes, but would they consider rejoining the CAC if there was a schedule in all sports, including football?

[Pat Coleman]

I think if Catholic wanted to be in the CAC at all it would never have left.

[hickory_cornhusker]

Here's the article about a new sports complex at George Fox and the possibility of starting up football.

NCAA News link to George Fox stadium gift


Modified for formatting, but Pat had it sooner.     Thanks for the link!  +1     Ralph Turner  

[Pat Coleman]

Kinda looks like the one we had on July 10:

http://www.d3football.com/notables/2009/07/10/1669/donation-spurs-george-fox-to-consider-football.html

[Ralph Turner]

Updating the Mid-Atlantic Shuffle and the affiliations that have occurred to acquire or maintain access to the AQ.

As colleges are adding football in the East Region, and the region absorbs the changes from the "Mid-Atlantic Shuffle", here are the current alignments of the full conference members and the affiliates playing football in that conference.

Full conference members

E8 (currently 6) Alfred, Hartwick, Ithaca, SJF, Utica

LL (Will be at 7 when Susquehanna moves) Hobart, Rochester, RPI, SLU, Union

MAC (Comprised of 8 football playing members from the Freedom and Commonwealth--Albright, Del. Valley, FDU-Florham, Kings, Leb. Valley, Lycoming, Widener, Wilkes)

NJAC Kean, Montclair, NJCU, Rowan, Wm Paterson (currently at 10).

The NEFC Bogan and Boyd break along the MASCAC and CCC lines nicely.

NEFC Bogan (MASCAC) Bridgewater, Fitchburg, Framingham, Mass Maritime, Westfield, Worcester (plus coast Guard and Maine Maritime) (currently at 8 ).

NEFC Boyd (Commonwealth Coast -- CCC) Curry, Endicott, Nichols, Salve Regina, Western New England (plus MIT, UMass-Dartmouth and Plymouth St). (currently at 8 ).

North Atlantic Conference -- Castleton State and Husson have now reorganized as the ECFC.  Maine Maritime in in the Bogan.

Eastern Collegiate Football Conference -- a single-sport conference that should earn its AQ in 2011.  Members include (by conference) CCC's Anna Marie, GNAC's Mount Ida and Norwich, NAC's Castleton State and Husson; NECC's Becker; Gallaudet from the Capital and then to the NEAC; and Skyline's SUNY-Maritime.


The football "affiliates" belong to the designated conferences.

Capital AC -- Frostburg State, Salisbury (ACFC) move to the E8 in 2011

CCC -- Anna Marie (NAC) now going to the ECFC, Curry, Endicott, Nichols, Salve, WNE (Boyd)

NEWMAC -- Coast Guard (Bogan), MIT (Boyd), Springfield (E8), WPI (LL)

GNAC -- Mt Ida (NAC)and Norwich (NAC) are now going to the ECFC.

LAND -- Merchant Marine (LL), Juniata (CC), Moravian (CC) Susquehanna (CC) Catholic (ODAC).

LEC -- Mass-Dartmouth (Boyd), Plymouth State (Boyd), WCSU (NJAC)

MASCAC -- [Bridgewater, Fitchburg, Framingham, Mass Maritime, Westfield, Worcester- Bogan]

SUNYAC -- Brockport, Buffalo, Cortland, Morrisville (NJAC)

Capital then NEAC -- Gallaudet (NAC) now joining the ECFC

Skyline -- NY Maritime (NAC) now joining the ECFC

As I understand it, a single-sport conference must maintain a certain number of its founding core membership.  The whole NEFC might likely dissolve if either of its divisions split or suffered massive defections.

The Empire 8 has 2009 and 2010 to find a 7th to retain the Pool A bid, and found Frostburg State and Salisbury for 2011.
The Centennial will be at 10 members when Susquehanna joins in 2010.

SUNY-Morrisville is scheduled to become a full D3 member this summer.  It also may join the NEAC.  What that holds for its football affiliation with the NJAC is not known.
Updated 18 July 2009

[Ron Boerger]

With yesterday's announcement that tiny (<900 student) Centenary will be moving from D1 to D3, one wonders if they will start a football program to boost attendance.  The new president comes from LaGrange where he has seen how football has helped their numbers and m/f ratio.

[BTEXPRESS]

With yesterday's announcement that tiny (<900 student) Centenary will be moving from D1 to D3, one wonders if they will start a football program to boost attendance.  The new president comes from LaGrange where he has seen how football has helped their numbers and m/f ratio.

Any word on what D III conference Centenary will try and join in two years?

[Ralph Turner]

With yesterday's announcement that tiny (<900 student) Centenary will be moving from D1 to D3, one wonders if they will start a football program to boost attendance.  The new president comes from LaGrange where he has seen how football has helped their numbers and m/f ratio.

Any word on what D III conference Centenary will try and join in two years?

Centenary was invited to be a charter member of the ASC when the conference moved to the NCAA in 1996.  Centenary also was well-received when they met with the ASC Presidents in late spring.

Centenary is also a member of the Associated Colleges of the South.

www.colleges.edu

That makes me think that Centenary will ultimately land there.

As they are going thru the exploratory process, they can fill the "8th" slot in the ASC-East Division and have a ready-made schedule until they are ready for the extra expense of traveling in the SCAC.  All but one member of the ASC-East is within a 3 hr bus ride from Shreveport.  In this part of the country, that is "just next door".

Personally, I want them in the ASC-East, but I'll bet that they end up in the SCAC.

[Ron Boerger]

As they are going thru the exploratory process, they can fill the "8th" slot in the ASC-East Division and have a ready-made schedule until they are ready for the extra expense of traveling in the SCAC.  All but one member of the ASC-East is within a 3 hr bus ride from Shreveport.  In this part of the country, that is "just next door".

Personally, I want them in the ASC-East, but I'll bet that they end up in the SCAC.

Allegedly (according to the hardly-unbiased local sports reporter) the SCAC turned Centenary down at its recent Presidents' meeting; considering Centenary has two more years of D1 to plow through as a member of their current league, it's not like there's any hurry to join a new conference.   Birmingham-Southern only had one transitional D1 year before they started play in the SCAC.  

One thing in particular working in the ASC's advantage:  Centenary specifically says they want to lower their travel expenses as part of this move, something that would be easier as a member of the ASC than the more dispersed SCAC.    

[Ralph Turner]

Finlandia in 2012

That is aggressive.

I hope that they can offer a sports profile that either the UMAC or the NAthCon will like.

In Finlandia's joining the UMAC, Presentation and Finlandia would give the UMAC 7 full members for the 2014 season.

[hickory_cornhusker]

Finlandia in 2012

That is aggressive.

I hope that they can offer a sports profile that either the UMAC or the NAthCon will like.

In Finlandia's joining the UMAC, Presentation and Finlandia would give the UMAC 7 full members for the 2014 season.

The UMAC might be able to put their paperwork in now and get the 2 year waiting period for the AQ to take place while they are still waiting for Finlandia to start their program. The NAthCon did this with football when their conference started on the gridiron. The rules just state you have to be a conference for 2 years, there is nothing about actually having sponsored the sport for 2 years. They may have to wait until Presentation to start their program so they have the 6 core members.

Even though it is a geographical nightmare (by D3 standards) I think the the UMAC would be a more likely conference for Finlandia to be in than the NathCon. The NathCon prides itself on being geographically small with the farthest road trip in the conference being 180 miles. Finlandia is almost 300 miles north of the currently farthest north school in the conference (Marian in Fond du Lac).

[Ralph Turner]

Finlandia in 2012

That is aggressive.

I hope that they can offer a sports profile that either the UMAC or the NAthCon will like.

In Finlandia's joining the UMAC, Presentation and Finlandia would give the UMAC 7 full members for the 2014 season.

The UMAC might be able to put their paperwork in now and get the 2 year waiting period for the AQ to take place while they are still waiting for Finlandia to start their program. The NAthCon did this with football when their conference started on the gridiron. The rules just state you have to be a conference for 2 years, there is nothing about actually having sponsored the sport for 2 years. They may have to wait until Presentation to start their program so they have the 6 core members.

Even though it is a geographical nightmare (by D3 standards) I think the the UMAC would be a more likely conference for Finlandia to be in than the NathCon. The NathCon prides itself on being geographically small with the farthest road trip in the conference being 180 miles. Finlandia is almost 300 miles north of the currently farthest north school in the conference (Marian in Fond du Lac).

Sorry that I did not clarify myself.

You are correct that they can have their AQ with the help of the SLIAC affiliates for the 2011 season.  (That would take a Pool B bid and move to Pool A).  If they brought in Finlandia as a full member, then they would not need the SLIAC schools to maintain the AQ.

Would the conference wish to move forward without the assistance of (the SLIAC) affiliates to maintain the AQ?  Would they adopt a division format with the championship being played during Dome Day?

Blackburn just "stepped" in it" last spring.  They "zagged" when they should have "zigged".

[The Forgotten Man]

...
Blackburn just "stepped" in it" last spring.  They "zagged" when they should have "zigged".

Hate to be bitter, but I hope all of those sliac-kers who bailed on the conference get burned. They deserve sanctions for the incredibly unprofessional manner with which they handled the situation.

[Ralph Turner]

With yesterday's announcement that tiny (<900 student) Centenary will be moving from D1 to D3, one wonders if they will start a football program to boost attendance.  The new president comes from LaGrange where he has seen how football has helped their numbers and m/f ratio.

Centenary has hired Dave Voskuil as VP for Enrollment Services, as of February 1st.

Mr Voskuil did an outstanding job at McMurry for 5 years.  McMurry got him from NC Wesleyan, where he helped start up football.

Mr Voskuil is brilliant at what he does.  He can recruit qualified student-athletes to the D3 model.

Centenary should succeed in their move to D-III.