FB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[wally_wabash]

CCIW fans will be traveling to Franklin for this weekend's showdown!  How are the facilities at Franklin (especially the visitor's stands)? 

Depending on the size of the NCC travel contingent, you may need to be prepared for an SRO situation.  When Wabash played at Franklin in 2006, the Wabash fans were way, way more than what the Franklin visitor's stands could handle.  I watched that game from field level and I was far from the only one. 

Otherwise it's a pretty good stadium.  Don't stand in front of the cannon.   

[KYGrizzly]

CCIW fans will be traveling to Franklin for this weekend's showdown!  How are the facilities at Franklin (especially the visitor's stands)? 

Visitors stands are not the biggest. Do not know if they are brining in any portable bleachers or not. You will be able to bring in chairs and sit behind the rope in the north end zone and part of the visitors sidelines.

Should get their early because parking on the campus for this game will be hard to come by.  

[Wags]

Hey midwestfb, wally_wabash and KYGrizzly,

Thanks for all the info (especially about the cannon)!

I believe that NCC came out of Concordia with a W this year and hopefully will remember how to play in the grass!

Is KYGrizzly a "slippery bear"??

[Most Known, Unknown.]

I'm not reading in too much on what was said, but with everything in life, we will just have to see on Sat, the guys on the teams are playing the games etc. As I had mention before, if HC offers Leonard a better package, then what FC is offering, and he has tides there at HC, why would he pass that, because as we all know. D-3 coaches are not bringing in the bank, and if you can get a good package for yourself and family, and go somewhere familiar why not. EX. Bob Huggins, he is a West Virginia guy, was offered the job, while at UC, but turned them down, then went to K-state, had a good recruiting class Freshman Beasley is a beast, and they have Bill Walker, then after one year of coaching jump ship, to go back home. I'm sure they offered Huggins a better deal then K-state, and it was home for him. He just got a steal yesterday, from a versatile player, from New York, and he will make a good impression on the team down there, but when you tell me that the former coach is staying on to help with raising funds etc. I laugh, because they are probably out raising coach Leonard future salary, whatever he decides to do, he will be in a great coaching position; he has a good team at Franklin, who have establish themselves, and there at HC he would have to re-establish their program; like he did FC. Hard choices huh??

[Adam Sayer]

FC Stands are tiny, however, there is ample space on either side to set up some chairs (More room away from the scoreboard). FC students usually line the area right behind the scoreboard endzone side...and when I say "right behind" I mean right behind. They are 10 feet from the endzone. To give FC credit, they usually do have a pretty solid game day atmosphere. I will say the last time I was there, the grass was long. According to Coach Mac, they grew it out cause they were afraid of our speed...we then had to remind him this wasn't DI football. Overall a good field surface. It has recovered since Hanover fans poured bleach on it to form a HC.

Is anyone else really depressed and miss playing football. I'm playing Thanksgiving morning, even with my torn up shoulder. It's still not the same as putting the pads on even though we tackle. I really do miss it and think about the fun every night when I go to bed.

I read in the Cincinnati Enquirer today about Eddie George and the OSU-Michigan game in 1995...you know, when Tim Bi"whatever the hell his name is" ran for 3 bills against the #2 ranked Buckeyes with players such as Eddie George, Orlando Pace, Shawn Springs, Terry Glenn (ala Future NFL Stars). Good article, I'll post it if I can find it.

[Mr. Ypsi]

FC Stands are tiny, however, there is ample space on either side to set up some chairs (More room away from the scoreboard). FC students usually line the area right behind the scoreboard endzone side...and when I say "right behind" I mean right behind. They are 10 feet from the endzone. To give FC credit, they usually do have a pretty solid game day atmosphere. I will say the last time I was there, the grass was long. According to Coach Mac, they grew it out cause they were afraid of our speed...we then had to remind him this wasn't DI football. Overall a good field surface. It has recovered since Hanover fans poured bleach on it to form a HC.

Is anyone else really depressed and miss playing football. I'm playing Thanksgiving morning, even with my torn up shoulder. It's still not the same as putting the pads on even though we tackle. I really do miss it and think about the fun every night when I go to bed.

I read in the Cincinnati Enquirer today about Eddie George and the OSU-Michigan game in 1995...you know, when Tim Bi"whatever the hell his name is" ran for 3 bills against the #2 ranked Buckeyes with players such as Eddie George, Orlando Pace, Shawn Springs, Terry Glenn (ala Future NFL Stars). Good article, I'll post it if I can find it.

You mean Tshimanga Biakabatuka!   Not hard once you've practiced it, but I can't blame the announcers for coining "Touchdown Tim"!  (And "3 bills" is cheating him out of about 50 yards - arguably the single greatest performance ever in a Michigan-OSU game.)

[billrt66]

Saints Fan:  You're correct......I was at the UK/LSU game that particular day.  I was also at the Franklin/Wabash game, week 2 of the season, and I did in fact catch an MSJ game during the year so I have seen both teams.  If you read the whole thing, there was no disrespect from me regarding MSJ, in fact I gave them a lot of "props"..... just an opinion based on what I observed watching both teams THIS season.  I hope for the good of the conference that MSJ wins!

[billrt66]

Regarding Mike Leonard........and I realize I look at this through Grizzly coated lenses, but the fact is....he's not finished with the incredible rebuild job he has underway at FC.  Money is not the issue.....FC will meet or exceed anything HC would offer....thats not it.  Knowing the kind of person he is and what's important to him in his life, his word and the commitments he has made to the players he has recruited there really are far more important than making what could only be best described as a lateral move within your conference.....there's no good reason to "start another rebuild" when the one you have is working so well and you're still working on it.  Mike really embraced the tradition and legend of Red Faught and he understands where the program was and how he has returned it to where it should be.  If a D1 opportunity came along as an OC, thats a different story, but to slide sideways for no more $, have to relocate family, move kids out of schools where they are comforatble and established, etc., etc. makes very little sense.  Mike is too smart for that!

[Adam Sayer]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071115/SPT01/711150344/-1/all

I not only remember the games, but I remember the first day of practice/physicals. My buddy drove me to camp cause I didn't have a car. The only thing I had was a bag of a couple shirts, shorts, a towel, and cleats. I was planning on sleeping in the multi-purpose room so the players comming in during the morning would wake me up in time for practice. fortunately, our center told me I could stay with him for camp...I stayed until the end of the semester. We had 2 football players and a wrestler crammed into 1 dorm room...and I had some serious athlete's foot!

[victorybell_57]

bob huggins is a drunk and has no moral compass, he'd leave wvu and miss his kid's graduation to sign somewhere bigger.

if leonard leaves franklin, then nothing is real in football anymore. he is the most real coach i have seen, and most honest. it sounds to me that if hanover is trying to lure him away with some big money, then president at FC needs to step up big for him and the assistants!!! maybe hire another full-time coach, and pay the competitive rates to keep quality people. as jack welch says, you pay for talent. i am praying to god FC doesn't learn that the hard way. we finally let unsworth coach his way out of there to get him, if this happens i'm not watching football for a long time.

look at what he has done for the school in terms of football roster, excitement, fans, the football program being one that is a real football program now, brought regional and national attention to the school: what else does the school want to pay that man his deserved price tag of 92k? you know hanover, if they are trying to lure him away, they are talking 100k money.

hey, i know it's DIII and this shouldn't be a topic of discussion, paying the coach out. but here it is plain and simple: Leonard brings more to that school in football roster size, school attention, and a great college atmosphere than they ever had. if they don't think so, they can go a different route and find out how much they miss him.

[fc_alum_84]

Regarding Mike Leonard........and I realize I look at this through Grizzly coated lenses, but the fact is....he's not finished with the incredible rebuild job he has underway at FC.  Money is not the issue.....FC will meet or exceed anything HC would offer....thats not it.  Knowing the kind of person he is and what's important to him in his life, his word and the commitments he has made to the players he has recruited there really are far more important than making what could only be best described as a lateral move within your conference.....there's no good reason to "start another rebuild" when the one you have is working so well and you're still working on it.  Mike really embraced the tradition and legend of Red Faught and he understands where the program was and how he has returned it to where it should be.  If a D1 opportunity came along as an OC, thats a different story, but to slide sideways for no more $, have to relocate family, move kids out of schools where they are comforatble and established, etc., etc. makes very little sense.  Mike is too smart for that!

[fc_alum_84]

forgot to write my post

BillRT66 is close to the program and FC and you can take the statement that money is not an issue to the bank.  Rumor also has it that that money is there for FieldTurf and lights.  FC has a highpercentage of their top players back next year and should start the season in the top 25. FC is not a one year wonder in the HCAC (and is not a product of a few teams being down as someone suggested a couple weeks ago on this board).

Looking forward to a great game on Saturday. FC appears to be a slight underdog according to the prognosticators here on D3 and some on this board.  That's OK. 

My Predictions:  FC 24  NCC 21.   Also  Wabash 28 MSJ 14.

[KYGrizzly]

Is KYGrizzly a "slippery bear"??

Good one Wags, you can tell I'm getting old it took me awhile to figure it out. You may have given the coaches an idea to lather up the players in jelly so they will slip through the defenders hands.

Have a safe trip over to Franklin and good luck to North Central, I am expecting to see an exciting game.

[M and L]

Ya, Leanord maybe family and all, but how do leave successfull program that you built in just a few short years to go some where else and try to do it all over again. 

I have to agree with KY Grizz on this since Lenord is stillll pretty young in his coaching career to move up the ranks in the NCAA levels to a DII or IAA as a postion coach or coordnator.

Although MKU does bring up a good point,  You go where the dough is!

[tepee]

CCIW fans will be traveling to Franklin for this weekend's showdown!  How are the facilities at Franklin (especially the visitor's stands)? 

One of the best small college football stadiums around.