FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[The Forgotten Man]

No joke and no "official source" except a very disappointed son who called last night. He pretty much has the right attitude: "Coach is going to take care of it."

...

Huntingdon and LaGrange colleges may have to replace four games each now that the SLIAC has decided to drop football THIS year. They are waiting to see which teams are still going to honor their commitment to play this season.

Link to this, please?  I saw nothing on the SLIAC, Huntingdon, or LaGrange athletic sites, and a google news search on "SLIAC football" returned only a story on Huntingdon's 2009 schedule.    

Or was this a very late April Fools joke, in which case you got me hook, line, & sinker?

[Ron Boerger]

Some of the supporters of Colorado College football have put together a website devoted to restoring the program. 

Here's an interview with NFL Films' Steve Sabol, former CC fullback, Class of 1965.

[Ron Boerger]

Colorado College President Celeste claims a $16-$20M endowment would be required to "support these programs [fb, women's water polo and softball] forever".  You wonder if he is totally ignoring the salutatory effect that 50+ male students who would otherwise attend other colleges have on the annual bottom line. 

[Ralph Turner]

This is almost heretical, but the student-athlete experience is valid in many scenarios.  If the isolation of Colorado College relative to the rest of D-III, and the travel expense therein is really a problem for Colorado College, then has CC explored D-II?

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference offers everything that the CC needs, and all of the member universities are closer than the nearest SCAC opponent.

Half of the schools in the RMAC are on the Front Range, less than a 90-minute drive from the Springs.

[Hawks88]

This looks like a bit of good news. Huntingdon's site hasn't been updated yet but Birmingham-Southern(http://www.bscsports.net/schedule.aspx?path=football&) is now showing HC @ BSC on 11/7.

[Ron Boerger]

This is almost heretical, but the student-athlete experience is valid in many scenarios.  If the isolation of Colorado College relative to the rest of D-III, and the travel expense therein is really a problem for Colorado College, then has CC explored D-II?

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference offers everything that the CC needs, and all of the member universities are closer than the nearest SCAC opponent.

I'd think the cost of 100-200 (?) athletic scholarships across all sports (plus increased cost of coaching staffs) for a school as small as CC would outweigh the travel savings realized by such a move.

[D3_DPUFan]

Some of the supporters of Colorado College football have put together a website devoted to restoring the program. 

Here's an interview with NFL Films' Steve Sabol, former CC fullback, Class of 1965.

This is outstanding, Ron...great find. I had no idea Sabol played football at CC.

[Ralph Turner]

Here is the D-II simulation model that has been developed for D-II re-classification.

[Ralph Turner]

This is almost heretical, but the student-athlete experience is valid in many scenarios.  If the isolation of Colorado College relative to the rest of D-III, and the travel expense therein is really a problem for Colorado College, then has CC explored D-II?

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference offers everything that the CC needs, and all of the member universities are closer than the nearest SCAC opponent.

I'd think the cost of 100-200 (?) athletic scholarships across all sports (plus increased cost of coaching staffs) for a school as small as CC would outweigh the travel savings realized by such a move.

The school has already built the discount rate into the financial aid packages of the students who are competing for CC under the D3 model.

Honest question...

How much difference will there be in general financial aid under the D-III model and the partial athletic scholarships that will be given to D-2 athletes?  The difference in travel expenses?

[Warren Thompson]

This is almost heretical, but the student-athlete experience is valid in many scenarios.  If the isolation of Colorado College relative to the rest of D-III, and the travel expense therein is really a problem for Colorado College, then has CC explored D-II?

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference offers everything that the CC needs, and all of the member universities are closer than the nearest SCAC opponent.

I'd think the cost of 100-200 (?) athletic scholarships across all sports (plus increased cost of coaching staffs) for a school as small as CC would outweigh the travel savings realized by such a move.

The school has already built the discount rate into the financial aid packages of the students who are competing for CC under the D3 model.

Honest question...

How much difference will there be in general financial aid under the D-III model and the partial athletic scholarships that will be given to D-2 athletes?  The difference in travel expenses?

Just out of curiosity, how much does Colorado College spend on their D1 ice hockey program (including travel expenses)?

[D3_DPUFan]

For my 400th post...kudos and many thanks to Pat and everyone else who makes this website possible. I don't know how it is put together, who owns it, etc...but it is an incredible resource created by some people with a real passion for DIII sports and the student-athletes, coaches and parents who are a part of it all. Thank you!

[Ron Boerger]

Just out of curiosity, how much does Colorado College spend on their D1 ice hockey program (including travel expenses)?

From the front page:

Ice hockey's operating expenses were a little more than $1,000,000 in 2007-08, according to figures the school filed with the U.S. Department of Education.

And to that you should add the cost (whatever it is) for the Title IX-mandated scholarship sport, women's soccer.

[Ron Boerger]

On another note, if you don't regularly hop on d3hoops.com, you should, because one of the stories there is about the NCAA trying to do for D3 what it recently has done for D2, e.g. promote what makes it unique and why it works.

To be honest, I'm not sure the "I Chose Division II" campaign accomplished that much, but the story itself is well worth your time.

[OxyBob]

Article from the Colorado Springs Gazette about the demise of Colorado College football:

Carle crushed by CC's decision on football

When the president of Colorado College arrived along with the athletic director, Jerry Carle knew the conversation would be about the state of the football program.

Carle, 85, coached the Tigers 33 seasons. He fought to keep the program alive in 1960. He knows the team's perilous recent history.

"I thought maybe they were going to ask me to raise funds for the football team," Carle said.

What he didn't know, what he couldn't have imagined, was what he heard next.

Dick Celeste, CC's president, told Carle the football program had been dropped. The team Carle kept alive for decades was gone.

Celeste and CC athletic director Ken Ralph made the trip to Carle's Colorado Springs home last Tuesday. They wanted to personally deliver the bad news. They believed they owed Carle (pronounced car-lee) that much.

"It was painful for us as well," Ralph said. "I felt, personally, I was letting him down."

"I owed him an opportunity to hear about the decision directly from me," Celeste said. "No one better embodies the values of our college more than Jerry Carle."

Carle spent an hour talking with Celeste and Ralph. After the men departed, Carle spent hours sitting in his favorite rocking chair. Kit, his faithful German shepherd, relaxed by his side.

Eileen, Carle's wife, left him alone.

...

The news hit him, and still hits him, with enormous force. Carle said it was similar to waking up and hearing your father had died.

He thought of all those great Saturday afternoons at Washburn Field. Those memories made him smile.

But he kept returning to the present, and this made him frown.

Carle is hurting for himself, but mostly he hurts for the current Tigers.

They had made a commitment to play football for a school that no longer has a football team.

OxyBob

[D3_DPUFan]

To any and all SCAC posters...any news/updates concerning spring practice or  recruiting? Outlook for '09 season?

Here in Indianapolis, it's cold, overcast and spitting snow...it's football weather!