FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[Llamaguy]

You are all Welcome!

The beauty of Stone Station is it is just an extention of the Bridgewater Football experience. What you were apart of is how we typically spend every football Saturaday with our team.

I will have to agree with you Theaprof. Salem needs to keep the Stagg Bowl! They do a great job and boy is it nice to only have an hour and a half drive to see two of the best D3 teams in the nation play each December.

I'm sure I can speak for "Mr Tailgate" aka Skoaltrain and say: As long as we can still walk and the Stagg is in Salem, I will continue to cook it up and Skoal will breakdance it up in that hallowed parkinglot.

Like my team, I have already begun to think of ways to make it an even better experience next year. Hell if we could get another BC vs. MUC StaggBowl we might have to bring a semi full of food to share with the masses and that would be fine with me.

[Jeremybozz]

www.dnronline.com//

[Olinemom]

www.dnronline.com//

I guess we can breathe easily for at least a nanosecond.   But I'll take what I can get!!  Thanks for the link!

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

Yes, great time had by all at the Stagg Bowl.

It was nice to see the Bridgewater, UW-Whitewater and Mount Union fans come together.  Llama and Skoal put on quite a tailgate!

Congrats to "Stone Station" for winning the 94.1 Star Country Tailgate of the Day!  How funny ... 4000+ MUC and UWW fans in attendance, and a couple of Bridgewater fans win best tailgate honors.

Bridgewater's Jeff Highfill (QB) and Brandon Copeland (WR) were in the Roanoke/Salem area for a charity event and came by to watch the Stagg Bowl.  Hopefully they had the feeling that the players who attended in 2000 had ... the "why can't we be here next year?" one.  It worked out for the 2001 team ... why not the 2006 one?

[Jeremybozz]

Marcus also had 2 receptions for 29 yards.

[skunk]

Skoaltrain, Llamaguy, Kid, and Olinemom
Thank you very much for the hospitality you extended to our group of Raider Fans. It was nice talking with you, and the chicken and brownies were outstanding!!! What a great Stagg Experience this was. Thanks again

[patcummings]

If you listen to the Nate Kmic touchdown run, link listed on the home page...after my touchdown call, Keith McMillan references Chuck Moore's 95-yard run against Bridgewater in SB29...and the way he described..."Shades of Chuck Moore anyone?  If you watched that Bridgewater game back in 2001..."

Stagg Bowl 29 has become "that Bridgewater game" - just picked up on that and literally, LOL.

[Gal]

Just sat down to enjoy a nice, quiet, 3rd grade free lunch period of checking pp, news, etc when my world was shattered with the article in the DNR about a possibility of Coach Clark leaving Bridgewater. (See what happens when you go MIA from d3football.com for a few days?!?!) The good news is that Coach said no to the VMI job. The bad news was the line that read that Coach Clark is still open to pursuing another coaching job. Although I want to wish him well, I want more do pull a third grade tantrum, kicking and screaming while I hold on to his waist, begging him not to leave! 

[skoaltrain]

You are all Welcome!

The beauty of Stone Station is it is just an extention of the Bridgewater Football experience. What you were apart of is how we typically spend every football Saturaday with our team.

I will have to agree with you Theaprof. Salem needs to keep the Stagg Bowl! They do a great job and boy is it nice to only have an hour and a half drive to see two of the best D3 teams in the nation play each December.

I'm sure I can speak for "Mr Tailgate" aka Skoaltrain and say: As long as we can still walk and the Stagg is in Salem, I will continue to cook it up and Skoal will breakdance it up in that hallowed parkinglot.

Like my team, I have already begun to think of ways to make it an even better experience next year. Hell if we could get another BC vs. MUC StaggBowl we might have to bring a semi full of food to share with the masses and that would be fine with me.

SkoalTrain ditto's Llamaguys thoughts.  Man, what a fun time.  One of the best tailgates on the D3 level that I have been a part of.  I really enjoyed meeting everyone!

I thought we would have gotten some bad "vibes" from Mt. Union and UW-Whitewater since Bridgewater wasn't playing.  On the contrary.  It's funny how free food and beverage will do that.  Real Class demonstrated by both groups of fans. 

All in All, a great way to go out with a bang!  Thanks to Pat Cummings, Keith McMillian, Ryan and Pat Coleman for bringing us all together like this.  It's what makes the D3 Football experience so enjoyable.

As for football, well, Mt. Union won again.  One day hopeful in my lifetime it will be Bridgewater. 

SkoalTrain pulling into his home Station for a long winter's nap.  See/talk to you next August!  O.K. Maybe sooner!!

[Pat Coleman]

Stagg Bowl 29 has become "that Bridgewater game" - just picked up on that and literally, LOL.

Well, you could say, "that Mount Union game" and people would still be asking, "which one?"

[hasanova]

Just sat down to enjoy a nice, quiet, 3rd grade free lunch period of checking pp, news, etc when my world was shattered with the article in the DNR about a possibility of Coach Clark leaving Bridgewater. (See what happens when you go MIA from d3football.com for a few days?!?!) The good news is that Coach said no to the VMI job. The bad news was the line that read that Coach Clark is still open to pursuing another coaching job. Although I want to wish him well, I want more do pull a third grade tantrum, kicking and screaming while I hold on to his waist, begging him not to leave! 

VMI may not be the right step up at this time for Coach Clark (VMI will be a tough place to win, honestly), but this should give BC fans reason for pause.  I do not know Coach Clark personally, so I do not pretend to know what he wants from his career, but I can see a lot of compelling reasons to grasp the right opportunity to move up.  

First, he has dominated the ODAC for about seven years, which is a remarkable run for which he should be congratulated.  There are rumblings on the horizon, however, that several other ODAC teams are saying "enough is enough" and are taking positive steps to challenge this dominance.  That does not mean BC won't be the champion for another seven years, it just means everyone else is tired of losing by 40 and are beginning to build more competitive programs.  For BC, the standard has now been set that anything short of winning all your ODAC games and/or making the DIII playoffs is an unsuccessful season.  No one can sustain that forever, however, so the zenith has probably already been attained.

Second, short of winning the DIII title, what else can Coach Clark accomplish at BC?  Of the top 32 teams in DIII, 31 end the season with a loss.  Only one team wins its last game.  To me, DIII is the toughest division to be the champ.  The statistical odds say BC will never be the champ in Coach Clark's tenure.  In the DI bowl format, 28 of the top 56 teams selected (out of 119) for a bowl win their last game.  To their fans and AD's, then, there was a successful end to the season.   In DI-AA, the national champion had three losses.  In DIII, a three-loss team wouldn't even make the playoffs!

Third, no matter how good your DIII program is, the salary they can offer a coach is not comparable to a program at a higher level.

Sorry to say it BC fans, but I see Coach Clark leaving.  Maybe not this year, but soon.  Granted, he may be one of those rare DIII coaches that has unparalleled success at the same DIII school for 30 years, but I frankly don't see it happening that way.    Whether you agree or disagree, I'd be interested to hear other thoughts.

[skunks_sidekick]

I wanted to thank the Stone Station crew again, by doing it on your "home turf."  Your hospitality is only exceeded by the great taste of the chicken and brownies.  If another MUC/Bridgewater Stagg should come to pass, it would be an event for the DIII ages.

On another note, don't automatically assume that Clark's success will ensure him a DI coaching gig.  I have had to opportunity to talk to Coach Kehres a few times about his opportunities, or lack thereof at that level.  You would think that someone with his record, continued success, and all the kudos he has received from many DI coaching peers, would have landed him a viable DI job by now.  That fact remains, other than getting offered the Kent State job (less than desireable), he hasn't been approached that often.  He was in the running for the Princeton job a while back, but ended up not getting offered the job. 

He has been offered OC jobs in the past, but he has indicated that he wants to run the complete show if he is going to move up.  He has a great situation at Mount, and I would guess that his window of opportunity has passed. 

The bad news for a lot of DIII football teams is that it looks like he will be at MUC for years to come.    

[Jeremybozz]

Sure. How many times can you turn down a $50,000 a year raise? This is the year to move up to Division I with 31 Seniors graduating. (Lewis may return).
  I wish Mike Clark would stay at BC forever but he has to do what is best for him.

[wrighthall220]

Congrats to BC for finishing 12th this season! Although  I would have enjoyed seeing a top 10 finish, finishing behind the list of 11 teams above you is nothing to hang your head about!     

Congrats to HSC for picking up a few votes! 

[Jeremybozz]

   I am trying to purchase copies of those 2 games.