FB: Midwest Conference

[bleedpurple]

I completely agree with Blu that a coach can turn around a D3 program. But I admit I laughed out loud at the claim IC will be "feared" in two years. How far you figure that fear to extend, Blu? I follow a difference conference, but just wondering if you think the fear will spread over the entire states of Illinois and Wisconsin. I know fear is one emotion we haven't experienced much of lately in my neck of the woods! 

You're safe for now.  The fear is only extended to the MWC.  3 years from now, you'll be served notice.

+k   

[MWCfan787]

btnt...just saying with all your chatter, nobody's gonna feel sorry for ya if half way through this season after you've seen a couple games you change your mind about coach campbell and your chances at your expectations.

funny stat I'm sure you'll like:   the year before coach campbell came to IC the blueboys took the scots to overtime on the road in a 26-23 loss.  The two years he's been there they've been outscored  122-34 against MC.  I'm sure he didn't mention that one on any recruiting visits.

[Mr. Ypsi]

btnt,

I love your enthusiasm!

I'm becoming a Blue Boys fan (though I have a mentally-impaired niece living near Monmouth College, who is often assisted by Monmouth students or grads, so I can't root for you on that one - sorry ).

But to inject a bit of reality; if IC is a legitimate threat to UWW (or for the Stagg, if UWW should tumble) within three years, I will personally lobby Pat to get you Hall of Fame status!   If IC is even a threat to a mid-level CCIW team in three years, my sincere congratulations.  (And even the CCIW champ has not been a serious Stagg Bowl contender for a couple of decades.)

[doolittledog]

Hey, btnt has this board more active in the past month than it usually is in a whole year.  This is a good thing. 

I have yet to see a parent not think their son made a great choice and is optimistic that his son and his school will see a fair amount of success during their time at school.  I have also not seen any of these parents go and jump off a bridge if this success did not happen.  Most continue to be a supporter of their school and continue to post on here after their kid finishes school.  It doesn't matter if the school is going 8-2 and threatening a playoff run or is going 2-8 and getting beat up more weekends than not. 

We're all still fans of our favorite schools.  It doesn't matter if that team is consistant winning program or a school that struggles on the field.  My Dubuque Spartans have won 27 conference games during the past 20 years...yet every August I am sure that THIS is the year the Spartans rise up and strike fear in the hearts of the rest of the IIAC.  It could happen this year...if it doesn't, there is always next year.  I think btnt is right to encourage his son to dream that with hard work, he and his classmates can achieve great things while they are in school.  They should be going out on the practice field with those thoughts.  That's why we compete and actually play the games.  To see who is the best.  I'm confident that with or without success, btnt will still be travelling north to tailgate and cheer on his son over the coming 4 years. 

[scottie]

funny stat I'm sure you'll like:   the year before coach campbell came to IC the blueboys took the scots to overtime on the road in a 26-23 loss.  The two years he's been there they've been outscored  122-34 against MC.  I'm sure he didn't mention that one on any recruiting visits.

That stat is a little misleading because it includes the 78-17 game in his first year.  You've got to cut the coach a little slack for getting those first year adjustments out of the way.  He knocked 34 points off of the outcome in year two (44-17).  You know what happens if he finds another 34 points to slash in year three???.....17-10 IC!!!  I'm sure that could have been part of the recruiting pitch.  You heard it hear first!   

[blu thru n thru]

btnt...just saying with all your chatter, nobody's gonna feel sorry for ya if half way through this season after you've seen a couple games you change your mind about coach campbell and your chances at your expectations.

funny stat I'm sure you'll like:   the year before coach campbell came to IC the blueboys took the scots to overtime on the road in a 26-23 loss.  The two years he's been there they've been outscored  122-34 against MC.  I'm sure he didn't mention that one on any recruiting visits.

Okay Grasshopper, now it's time for you to try to take the pebble from my hand...

First, I expect more from you than to use those irrelevant results, and/or expect them to have any bearing on what I believe will take place in the next several years.  I mean, c'mon dude.  Raise your game!   There's so many holes that can be shot in your premise (based on the results you, sadly, took the time to present), all which I've covered in the last month, that it's not even worth adressing.

Second, if you've been paying attention,  I've only said that we'll be improved this year.  If I'm more optimistic than the results should bear, no biggie.  I'll just do what I've coached my players to do for 15 years, and what I've taught my son to do his entire life; bow my neck and press on.  But rest assured.  There'll be no quit.  And, even more important, there'll be no expectation of sympathy.  Just as there should be none on your part when I'm ultimately proven correct. 

Oh, and I still hold the pebble!

[blu thru n thru]

btnt,

I love your enthusiasm!

I'm becoming a Blue Boys fan (though I have a mentally-impaired niece living near Monmouth College, who is often assisted by Monmouth students or grads, so I can't root for you on that one - sorry ).

But to inject a bit of reality; if IC is a legitimate threat to UWW (or for the Stagg, if UWW should tumble) within three years, I will personally lobby Pat to get you Hall of Fame status!   If IC is even a threat to a mid-level CCIW team in three years, my sincere congratulations.  (And even the CCIW champ has not been a serious Stagg Bowl contender for a couple of decades.)

Hey Man! Thanks!  You said "should".  Thus you're allowing for a chance!   It's progress. I gotta know though, what kind of money comes with Hall of Fame status?  I'm factoring every potentiality into my retirement planning...

If we're your #3, I'll take it!  Particularly given your reasons for #'s 2 & 3.  Best of luck to your #1 team...

[blu thru n thru]

Dog- Couldn't have said it better, myself.  What's the point of it if you don't believe?  This board would be pretty lame if we limited participation to only last year's champs.  Part of the rant is tongue in cheek, but I truly believe that we'll be runnin' with bigger dogs, and peein' in taller grass in the coming years.  I heard lots of recruiting pitches.  I can separate the BS from what's real.  Coach Campbell is real.  More so than all the others I met.  Without exception. 

We'll see where it goes, but Blueboy Nation will rise.  I am hoping just to carry the flag. 

BTW- Dubuque, eh?  I think they might have actually come to my kids school and met him.  They lacked some follow-thru after, but for a fleeting few days, they were on his list.  Best of luck this season! 

[02 Warhawk]

Dog- Couldn't have said it better, myself.  What's the point of it if you don't believe?  This board would be pretty lame if we limited participation to only last year's champs.  Part of the rant is tongue in cheek, but I truly believe that we'll be runnin' with bigger dogs, and peein' in taller grass in the coming years.  I heard lots of recruiting pitches.  I can separate the BS from what's real.  Coach Campbell is real.  More so than all the others I met.  Without exception.  

We'll see where it goes, but Blueboy Nation will rise.  I am hoping just to carry the flag.  

BTW- Dubuque, eh?  I think they might have actually come to my kids school and met him.  They lacked some follow-thru after, but for a fleeting few days, they were on his list.  Best of luck this season!  

Out of curiosity...what drove your son to enroll at IC? I know there's pleanty of DIII schools in the south that have a strong program than IC. UMHB, HS, Trinity, etc... This is not a knock against IC...i was curious, that's all.

By the way, where is Illinois College. I see it's somewhere in the middle of the state, but what town is it in? I guess i can look it up, but I'm lazy  

[scottie]

By the way, where is Illinois College. I see it's somewhere in the middle of the state, but what town is it in? I guess i can look it up, but I'm lazy  

If you had attended one of the fine institutions in the Midwest Conference, you would not be too lazy to look it up..... Sorry, I couldn't resist!   

Also, if you scroll back several pages (most of which are now dominated by my boy Blu) you can read the entire saga of Junior's recruiting process.....  You'll also get Texa-fied!!! 

[blu thru n thru]

Why IC?  Best coaching connection.  Offensive scheme that optimizes his skill set.  Very nice facitities.  Great academic history.  Just wish it were 700 miles south...

Why not schools in the area? Gotta be careful, here.  The facilites/fields at many of the programs we investigated were not = to his middle school's.  In my opinion (and it's strictly that, and based on our experience through the process) there's not the same enthusiasm/support for D3 ball.  There's so much talent down here that coaches were, frankly, lazy about recruiting.  We had plenty of local interest, just very little enthusiasm.  Rosters are 9 QB's deep.  A lot more juco transfer activity/potential.  He wanted to go somewhere where he felt he could make a difference and have the best opportunity to compete.  And that is not to say that the talent at the institutions further north is not there.  NOT AT ALL!  I am only referencing the obvious.  That is, on sheer volume, Texas is one of the top recruiting hotbeds in the country.  Many would argue it is the most furtile recruiting territory in the country. 

As for IC's location.  Look for a region in south central IL, covered entirely in corn and soy bean fields, with a town named Jacksonville nestled in the middle of it.  There you will find it. 

[02 Warhawk]

Why IC?  Best coaching connection.  Offensive scheme that optimizes his skill set.  Very nice facitities.  Great academic history.  Just wish it were 700 miles south...

Why not schools in the area? Gotta be careful, here.  The facilites/fields at many of the programs we investigated were not = to his middle school's.  In my opinion (and it's strictly that, and based on our experience through the process) there's not the same enthusiasm/support for D3 ball.  There's so much talent down here that coaches were, frankly, lazy about recruiting.  We had plenty of local interest, just very little enthusiasm.  Rosters are 9 QB's deep.  A lot more juco transfer activity/potential.  He wanted to go somewhere where he felt he could make a difference and have the best opportunity to compete.  And that is not to say that the talent at the institutions further north is not there.  NOT AT ALL!  I am only referencing the obvious.  That is, on sheer volume, Texas is one of the top recruiting hotbeds in the country.  Many would argue it is the most furtile recruiting territory in the country.  

As for IC's location.  Look for a region in south central IL, covered entirely in corn and soy bean fields, with a town named Jacksonville nestled in the middle of it.  There you will find it.  

Glad he can make it to the Midwest...home of the best DIII football in the country, no joke  

I see your son may have also targeted schools such as Akron, Bowling Green, NIU, SMU, Toledo and West Michigan....those are some big schools (compared to DIII at least). Looks like he should have some success at IC. Will he play right away or wait his turn?

[blu thru n thru]

Wait his turn.  Returning senior who deserves, and is best suited for, the job.  He'll still have to compete for the job to follow.  I think he's up to the task.

All fatherly bias aside, he has a D1 arm.  D3 hieght (6').  Going into his junior year, rivals had him ranked on the Lone Star 100.  A big deal!  He was invited to UT's and LSU's spring games.  Not very many get those invites.  He was seriously on the radar.  What followed his junior & senior season was very unfortunate.  Not going there other than to say had he not transfered to KHS, things would likely be very different.  But, in the end, knowing what I know today, I truly believe all things happen for a reason.  And that reason is that he was meant to be at IC.  And that's not just my usual banter...

He wants to coach.  He has the mind for it.  He needed the right coaching situation and connection.  He's found it.  

[Redmen09]

Your son could be quite dangerous in the IC offense if hes the drop-back pocket passer.  If he was looking to get 15-25 carries a game and 5-10 passing attempts than he shouldve wandered farther north to a little town called Ripon....

[blu thru n thru]

Your son could be quite dangerous in the IC offense if hes the drop-back pocket passer.  If he was looking to get 15-25 carries a game and 5-10 passing attempts than he shouldve wandered farther north to a little town called Ripon....

No.  If that was his skill set, he'd have been at the right HS.  He's no slouch as a runner, very athletic, but his stock in trade is his arm and mind... 

Which brings me back to the earlier question about how we found IC.  I literally researched every school's stats to determine their need for a pro-style QB.  No disrespect, but Ripon didn't get contacted...  In the MWC, Lake Forest, Monmouth, and IC recieved links to his video.  All replied with significant interest.  LF, just didn't seem to have any mojo.  It came down to the Scots and The Mighty Blueboys!

I'm starting to rethink the selection.  Just learned that IC doesn't allow alcohol at their tailgating.  I don't even drink and I think that's wrong!     WTF?