D3 Championship Belt

[lmitzel]

So with NCC's win this afternoon, we wait one more year for a shot at the Dream Scenario^TM as we're guaranteed to see The Belt^TM go into the CCIW, and thus NCAA, Tournament.

Means I get to announce three more Belt^TM games though regardless of what happens, which is neat. I wasn't sure I'd get more than the one to open the season. I'll have eight for the year by the end of the month.

[Smitty Oom]

So with NCC's win this afternoon, we wait one more year for a shot at the Dream Scenario^TM as we're guaranteed to see The Belt^TM go into the CCIW, and thus NCAA, Tournament.

Means I get to announce three more Belt^TM games though regardless of what happens, which is neat. I wasn't sure I'd get more than the one to open the season. I'll have eight for the year by the end of the month.

I know it is not THE Dream Scenario^TM, but what you just describes sounds like Imitzels Dream ^TM?!

[kiko]

Do you approach things differently when calling a Belt^TM game?  Dress more formally, apply a stronger spf of sunblock, remain conscious not look directly into the Belt^TM, etc.?

[sac]

I picture him staring into a mirror saying "baubles and geegaws" over and over.

[lmitzel]

So with NCC's win this afternoon, we wait one more year for a shot at the Dream Scenario^TM as we're guaranteed to see The Belt^TM go into the CCIW, and thus NCAA, Tournament.

Means I get to announce three more Belt^TM games though regardless of what happens, which is neat. I wasn't sure I'd get more than the one to open the season. I'll have eight for the year by the end of the month.

I know it is not THE Dream Scenario^TM, but what you just describes sounds like Imitzels Dream ^TM?!

You could call it that.

Do you approach things differently when calling a Belt^TM game?  Dress more formally, apply a stronger spf of sunblock, remain conscious not look directly into the Belt^TM, etc.?

Definitely the latter, though I'd like to believe the blue light protective lenses help.

Shh; don't give away the trade secret!
I picture him staring into a mirror saying "baubles and geegaws" over and over.

[Gregory Sager]

I picture him staring into a mirror saying "baubles and geegaws" over and over.

I'd like to hear Lucas holler "Baubles and gewwwwwwwgaws!" into the P.A. mic at the airplane hangar using his "Threeeeee!" voice.

"Geeeeeeeegaws!" is also acceptable.

[lmitzel]

I picture him staring into a mirror saying "baubles and geegaws" over and over.

I'd like to hear Lucas holler "Baubles and gewwwwwwwgaws!" into the P.A. mic at the airplane hangar using his "Threeeeee!" voice.

"Geeeeeeeegaws!" is also acceptable.

That should be my mic check on Wednesday.

[Veni Vidi Vici]

1990
UW-Whitewater (non-champion)

1991
UW-Whitewater
UW-Oshkosh
UW-Whitewater (non-champion)

I guess the part that confuses me is looking at Whitewater's record from those years and seeing them still hold The Belt^TM. The '89-'90 Warhawks went 8-8 in their own conference that year, so was the rest of the Division all non-D3? The '91 records don't make a ton of sense either, since according to both Whitewater and the WIAC, they lost both of their games to Oshkosh that season.

1990
UW-Whitewater (non-champion)

1991
UW-Whitewater
UW-Oshkosh
UW-Whitewater (non-champion)

I guess the part that confuses me is looking at Whitewater's record from those years and seeing them still hold The Belt^TM. The '89-'90 Warhawks went 8-8 in their own conference that year, so was the rest of the Division all non-D3? The '91 records don't make a ton of sense either, since according to both Whitewater and the WIAC, they lost both of their games to Oshkosh that season.

(Sigh.) You're right. I'll go back and correct the path. I hope that it converges pretty quickly with the one I've already laid out.

UWW was for quite some time the only WSUC (that's what the WIAC used to call itself on the men's side) program that was D3. The rest were dual affilaites that annually declared for NAIA. A couple of the schools joined UWW in D3 (UW-Oshkosh and UW-Platteville) before the league as a whole moved over to D3 in 1993-94.

As I'm retracing The Belt^TM path, I'm up to this part in the early 1990s.  There was some confusion about what happened in 1991.  However, I believe that the wrong error was corrected.  Greg Sager missed a UW-Oshkosh loss to UW-Platteville... and UW-Platteville later lost to UW-Whitewater.  So the path is

1991
UW-Whitewater
UW-Oshkosh
UW-Platteville
UW-Whitewater (non-champion)

1992
UW-Whitewater
UW-Platteville
Rochester
Calvin

[Veni Vidi Vici]

Oh and Platteville definitely was D3 in 1991.

[lmitzel]

Yeah, those Map^TM changes weren't too bad. Took a few things out of Iowa and just added a couple dates; nothing too major.

[sac]

Oh and Platteville definitely was D3 in 1991.

Hoo boy, that link.....James Bradley, Otterbein.  Ohio State transfer.
https://hallofchampions.otterbein.edu/node/54

[Veni Vidi Vici]

Next one...

Recorded as:

1995
Lebanon Valley
Widener
Moravian
Widener
Wilkes
Lebanon Valley
Goucher
Wilkes
Trinity (CT)
UW-Platteville

Moravian's schedule in 1994-95 isn't easy to find.  They beat Widener 53-48.  I found this news article account of the game with a date of 1/26/1995.

Lebanon Valley has good records on their website.  They have recorded that they beat Moravian on 1/28/1995.  Feels pretty likely that that was Moravian's next game and that they passed The Belt^TM to Lebanon Valley instead of back to Widener as was recorded.

Now, that leads to a question... The next game that Lebanon Valley had was 1/30/1995 against Franklin & Marshall.  On NCAA website, it's recorded that F&M won the game 72-59.  However, the records on Lebanon Valley's website say that F&M had to forfeit the game and they record the game as a LV win. 

So does The Belt^TM pass on to F&M, or remain in the hands of Lebanon Valley?  Does this fall under this ruling by Just Bill?

I hereby decree...

Whereas the NCAA and their championship hath no purview over the D-III Championship Belt^TM, it so follows that NCAA rules, regulations and violation also hold no sway over the Great Bespangled Cincture.

Whereas the spirit of D-III Championship Belt^TM calls back to the traditions of professional wrestling and boxing, it follows that rules are for losers. The Belt^TM doesn't mind a little underhandedness, a steel chair to the head while the referees back is turned, or a sudden face turn betraying your tag-team partner.

Therefore, regardless of any future vacancies declared by the NCAA, the past paths of the D-III Championship Belt^TM through the hands of all those worthy shall not be changed or altered.

It is written.

[kiko]

From the Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster PA)
October 7, 1995, Page C-1

NCAA Forces F&M to forfeit three men's hoops games

Mike Mehaffey, who will sit out three games this season, played while ineligible

Gordie Jones
Intelligencer Journal Sports Writer

The Franklin & Marshall men's basketball program has gotten a black eye.

And it was apparently inflicted in part by someone on campus.

The NCAA has informed the school that the team must forfeit three of its 1994-95 games because it used an ineligible player -- namely, forward Mike Mehaffey.  Mehaffey must also sit out the first three games of this coming season.

Dr. William Marshall, F&M's athletic director, said at a news conference Friday that the school was guilty of a "technical violation", and that it was the result of an administrative foul-up.

"Nobody could have anticipated this," Marshall said.  "Nobody planned or knew about it.  But it happened."

The 29-year-old Mehaffey, a 1984 Conestoga Valley graduate, did not begin his career until 1991, at Millersville.  He transferred to F&M a year later, and has played there ever since.

The 6-foot-6 senior was second on the team in scoring (14.1) and rebounding (7.3) a year ago, and led it in field goal percentage (59.4) and free-throw percentage (84.7).  One of two returning starters this year, he is projected as an All-America by several preseason publications.

Mehaffey will be eligible to practice with the team when preseason drills begin, but he will not be able to play either of the games in the S. Woodrow Sponaugle Classic, Nov. 17-18, nor in a Nov. 26 non-conference game at FDU-Madison.  He will return on Nov. 30 against Albright at home.

The Dips, 27-2 a year ago, will also be forced to forfeit its victories over Gettysburg, Dickinson, and Lebanon Valley at the beginning of the spring semester a year ago.  A news release quoting policies established by the NCAA Statistics Service said the team's final record will still be recorded as 27-2, but an asterisk will be added to establish that the games were later forfeited.

"I'm very disappointed," Mehaffey said.  "I knew there was going to be a reprimand, but I never expected it to be handed down in this manner."

Neither did coach Glenn Robinson.

"If we had any knowledge of it, it wouldn't have happened," he said.  "There was no intent.  I'm concerned for Mike.  I don't want him to feel badly, or like he did anything wrong.  And I'm concerned about getting ready for the season."

At issue is Mehaffey's registration for last year's second semester.  He could not do that initially because of a debt he owed the college -- his records were on "financial hold", he was told -- even though he had not been previously aware of that debt.

A dean later intervened and allowed him to register, and the debt was eventually satisfied.  In the meantime, Mehaffey was practicing and playing, meaning he was technically ineligible since he wasn't a full-time student.

The NCAA was informed of the situation by letter, and Marshall believes that the letter came from someone on campus.  He believes this because it contains the phrase "financial hold", a term then in vogue in F&M's business office.

But he knows nothing else, and the NCAA is not obligated to reveal its source.

"I'm sad they didn't come to us," Marshall said.  "I've been in this business quite a while.  If they had come at the time it was happening and alerted us we would have dealt with it then and stopped the whole thing.  For whatever reason, they didn't do that."

Marshall also said that "10 or 12 other students" faced a situation similar to that of Mehaffey, and that measures have since been taken to prevent it from happening again.

The NCAA informed F&M of a possible violation in April.

"We were somewhat taken aback," Marshall said.

He launched a month-long in-house investigation, and informed the NCAA of his findings.  They handed down a penalty in late August or early September, by Marshall's recollection.

At first, it was ruled that Mehaffey could not play for F&M again.  But F&M appealed, and the sentence was reduced to three games.

Still, Robinson said, "I really thought the whole thing was too severe.  The NCAA has a very difficult time with grey.  They're good with black and white... I don't think any of us like it, but we understand it."

Said Marshall, "At no time last year was Mehaffey considered anything other than a full-time student.  It was a technicality.  Mike wasn't culpable.  The coach wasn't culpable.  Nobody knew about it until it was reported."

"In the 25 years since I've been here, this is the first time I can remember having any sanctions imposed, and I hope it's the last."

- 30 -

[kiko]

Lebanon Valley has good records on their website.  They have recorded that they beat Moravian on 1/28/1995.  Feels pretty likely that that was Moravian's next game and that they passed The Belt^TM to Lebanon Valley instead of back to Widener as was recorded.

I can confirm from perusing archives of the Morning Call that this was Moravian's next game.  1/28 (Lebanon Valley-Moravian) was a Saturday, and 1/30 (F&M-Lebanon Valley) was a Monday.

The existential question to me is: F&M had already surrendered the Belt^TM when it was taken away from them by the forfeitures.  Can an alternate path exist if the Belt^TM was no longer in their possession when this happened?

[sac]

In more recent times, North Central won again, boring finish no need to recap.

Final regular Belt^Tm season game at Wheaton Saturday.