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  • Sports column Watertown Public Opinion


    Thanks to Jackguy making reference to this column I went to the Public Opinion to check out the column. Here it is, its good news and good thoughts expressed for a change.
    Part 1 of 2


    Thursday, February 5, 2004

    Sports fan thinks SDSU made the right move

    By Roger Merriam, Sports Editor


    Wednesday was the national signing day for college football recruits and much of the discussion for in-state recruits has centered around the effect that South Dakota State University's planned move to Division I athletics (Division I-AA in football) had on the Jackrabbits' bid to land some of the state's best players.

    There has been much criticism about SDSU's move. The Jackrabbit programs will have to undergo a probationary period - four years for most sports and currently 13 for men's and women's basketball - before SDSU will be allowed to compete for national championships in Division I athletics.

    There's no doubt that the switch has caused a change in direction, for both SDSU's recruiting plans and for potential in-state recruits who chose other colleges over SDSU because they wanted their college experience to include a chance to compete for a national title.

    Count me as one who is in favor of SDSU's move. I think it's great that South Dakota finally has a college that is competing at the top level of the collegiate sporting world. It would be ideal if the Jacks are able to continue to secure top in-state talent as well as out-of-state talent in an attempt to build successful Division I programs.

    Sure, it's probably not a real good thing for current SDSU athletes such as Shannon Schlagel of Clark and Marty Kranz of Watertown.

    Schlagel is a key member of the Jackrabbit women's basketball team that won the national NCAA Division II title last spring and could make a run at a repeat title later this year. As a senior next year, she won't get the chance to play for a national title.

    Kranz, a starting linebacker as a redshirt freshman on SDSU's football team last fall, also told me recently that he's disappointed that his college career will no longer include a chance to compete for a national title.

    Fellow Watertown athletes at SDSU - wrestler Nathan Althoff and track/cross country runner Scott Roby - also could miss out on national honors.

    There's also the concern about whether SDSU will financially be able to afford the move and what effect that might have down the road.

    My backing for the move is strictly from the perspective as a fan and former athlete. As an athlete, I preferred to follow the creed that reads "in order to be the best, you have to compete against the best."

    I kind of get a kick about all this talk about national championships, since few South Dakota colleges have a wall full of national championship trophies. Let's face it, a national title comes around only so often.

    What few realize is the change that I believe has diminished the lower levels of college athletics.

    I spent my college years watching or competing for athletic teams at Huron University and Sioux Falls College - both NAIA schools that played in the now defunct S.D. Intercollegiate Conference.

    During my time at Huron, Bruce Carrier built one of most successful NAIA men's basketball programs in the nation. One year, Huron made it to the semifinals of the NAIA tournament - something that I don't think had been done for 30 or 40 years (if ever) by a South Dakota college.

    At Sioux Falls, I followed a USF football team that was trying to secure a rare berth in the NAIA playoffs.

    Nowadays, making the national tournament or getting a playoff berth is an annual occurrence for many South Dakota colleges.

    Sure, some of those programs have improved. Now known as the University of Sioux Falls, the Cougars' football program has become one of the strongest in the NAIA.

    I can't help but think, however, that there may be other factors in that success. Many of the top NAIA schools when I was in college have since moved up to NCAA Division II. Many of the top NCAA Division II programs are now playing Division I.


  • #2
    Re: Sports column Watertown Public Opinion

    Part 2 of 2

    Sports fan thinks SDSU made the right move

    By Roger Merriam, Sports Editor




    Sure, some of those programs have improved. Now known as the University of Sioux Falls, the Cougars' football program has become one of the strongest in the NAIA.

    I can't help but think, however, that there may be other factors in that success. Many of the top NAIA schools when I was in college have since moved up to NCAA Division II. Many of the top NCAA Division II programs are now playing Division I.

    Doesn't it seem odd to you that a playoff berth or a national tournament run that at one time was a once-in-a-lifetime deal for many South Dakota colleges has become somewhat of an annual ritual?

    I know one year, one of the Dakota State basketball teams had a .500 season brightened by a run at the national tournament. In my day, a .500 team in the SDIC likely wasn't even eligible for any postseason competition.

    I don't mean to diminish what these schools or the athletes on those teams accomplished, but the point is that it isn't the same.

    Would we rather have SDSU competing for national titles against schools most of us have never even heard of? Or would we rather some time down the road get the opportunity to beat a Duke or Kansas in men's basketball?

    In the mid-1980s, I remember reading that Duke had about the same enrollment at SDSU. Okay, Duke (based in Durham, N.C.) has a much bigger population base to work with but it just seemed funny to me that Duke was a national power or that some states had 5, 10 or even 20 Division I schools and South Dakota didn't even have one.

    There's a long, bumpy road ahead for the Jacks. They don't even have a collegiate conference and will likely have difficulty piecing together schedules (possibly full of long and expensive road trips) in the coming years. SDSU's recently-released 2004 football schedule includes three trips to California.

    SDSU athletic director Fred Oien spoke at a Watertown Rotary Club luncheon a couple of years back and he said the decision to move up is really "about 20 years from now."

    No one is saying that the Jacks will ever walk through "The Big Dance" in men's basketball. It's also highly possible that many South Dakota athletes who once were a viable part of the rich SDSU tradition will be replaced by out-of-state recruits most of us won't or don't care about.

    But I say, good for SDSU. I think it's a good thing for South Dakota. I can't get excited about being a South Dakotan when we win a national title over Belmont Abbey, Golden Beacon or the well-known Armstrong Atlantic State - all NCAA Division II schools.

    Apparently, that's what we like in sports today. More divisions, more titles, more tourneys, more money. More watered-down championships.

    To be the best, you need to play the best.

    Copyright © 2004 Watertown Public Opinion Company





    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Sports column Watertown Public Opinion

      I remember Roger as I think he is from Huron.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Sports column Watertown Public Opinion

        Thats a good article-He makes lots of good points. Certainly not an FES member!
        On an unrelated note, He brought up a coach (Bruce Carrier) at Huron College-it brought back some memories. My sister went to HC back in the early 80's and was a cheerleader, so I used to go to a number of "TRIBE" (as they were once known) games. We all talk about Nagy's intensity on the sideline. Bruce Carrier was a MADMAN! He made Bobby Knight look like the Pope. Those tribe teams were great! They won a lot of games by only scoring 25-30 points a game-it was before the shot clock and often Huron would hold the ball for 4-5 minututes on a possesion, it was insane. They also had a player Terry DuPree that I think played/tried out for the NBA.
        I'm sure that many of our posters (SDSUFAN) remember Carrier and some of his players. If anyone has any info. on whats become of him or any players from that era I'd be interested in hearing about it.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Sports column Watertown Public Opinion

          Unfortunately, I was living out of state when Currier was coach, but over on the thread under football and Why the Argus does not like SDSU. I posted a message about Al Neuharth and his short lived SODAK SPORTS newspaper.  Neuharth covered the SDIC conference and Huron and Northern were battling a great deal in the 1950's for the SDIC conference title.  Huron has a rich tradition in winning basketball games, and like the sport editor said, getting to the semis in the NAIA was really a big deal and it did not happen very often.

          The NAIA tourney included 64 teams and it took I think 2 days to get the first round completed playing 16 games a day at Kemper Auditorium in KC.  Lots of teams would pack their bags and head for home after getting beat. There was no loser bracket  and the final four was a big big deal. Now the NAIA  have maybe a tourney of 16 teams, and not a big deal any more.
          Huron has always been somewhat of question in their recruiting as they some times had a very out of state roster and very goodplayers and gifted athletes who probably did not understand a great deal about academics.

          So I am not surprised about Currier era, it had to be a good time to be following Huron College.  Bob Wachs at Northern was another maniac during games and I dont know if he was still around when Currier came on the scene.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Sports column Watertown Public Opinion

            Academics were kind of a "fringe benefit" that athletes could take advantage of-if they wanted to. IMO. The old Huron College wasnt much on academics, their wrestling team was also incredible. You really only went to HC for sports. Their enrollment was like 350 and probably 300 participated in sports. This is probably part of the reason the school doesnt exist anymore-at least not as HC.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Sports column Watertown Public Opinion

              Yes Roger went to Huron High School, I graduated with him in 1981. That year Huron won boys state A basketball tourney. Roger was not on the team, he either got cut or quit or something happened his senior year. He was a great person, too bad he could not be on the floor when we won.

              His brother was a better player, Rod Merriam. He was Mr. Basketball for South Dakota in 1980. He ended up playing for UND, Fighting Sioux.

              I recently started reading this board earlier this week and was quite suprised to read Roger's article. He mentioned Huron College and it did strike a cord with me because the person writing the article sounded like he went to the games personally as I did living in Huron. I had to go to the top of the article and see who wrote the article and was plesantly suprised to Roger's name attached.

              I do recall Roger being at those games at Huron College, they were great to see. I use to sit behind the bench so I could hear everything that Carrier us to say. He was hilarious. He use to grab his tie and act like he was choking himself running down the sidelines yelling at the ref that he choked on the call.

              Terry DuPree is from South Dakota and was the starting Point Guard for Huron College and was drafted by the Piston in the 5th round I believe. He did not make the team.

              The best story of Bruce Carrier is when he was yelling at a ref and ended up following him to the free throw line. The ref turned and told Bruce if he took one more step on the court he was going to get a techincal called on him. Bruce stood there and called the biggest man on his team over to him and Bruce told him to pick him up and to carry him back to the bench. Bruce got a standing ovation for being carried off the court and then sat on the bench and never argued another call all night.

              Sorry for not talking Jacks basketball, but reading that article brought back some good memories that I wanted to share.

              P.S. I'll be at the Fresno Tourney in December.

              Go Jacks!!!
              (\__/)
              (='.'=)
              (")_(") Feed the Rabbit!!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Sports column Watertown Public Opinion

                NorthernCalJack:
                Welcome aboard and hey the "other can include just about anything including Bruce Currier and Huron College.  Did Currier ever go up against the Jacks and how did we do?

                I curious how did you find out about this message board?  This board just got started last summer based on a request of Tony Crawford, a NDSU grad that has his own Bisonville.com message board.  So the new members seem to find a way here mostly by telling another friend, but we are glad you found it and have started to post. If you know any more SDSU alums out there in Northern Call, tell them about this message board.

                I would love to be at the Fresno tourney too, but will have to wait and see how the finances are at that point.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Sports column Watertown Public Opinion

                  No, Huron College did not play SDSU during the Carrier era. I wish they had, I think it would have been a good low scoring game.

                  I have a brother that is also an alumn and he lives in SD. Since I live in Northern Cal. I was having a hard time getting any information about SDSU moving to Division 1. In fact if my brother did not tell me that SDSU was moving to D-1, I would have never know. I was getting frustrated at the inconsistent information my brother was providing, so I decided to search for a message board on yahoo. The top of the list said "Division 1-AA.org". I've been reading the board nearly every day since.

                  Since reading this board I have been able to confirm some of the inconsistent information my bro was telling me. He kept saying that SDSU was going join a new conference with 3 California schools. I just thought this was crazy and he had to be misinformed. Then, thanks to this site, I read where SDSU wants to make a football only conference with St. Mary's (20 min. away), UC Davis (40 mins. away) and Cal Poly (4 Hrs. away). I nearly fell off my chair when I read that. I have not seen a Jacks football game in 15 years! Next year I get to see them play 3 times.

                  The men's basketball team is playing Fresno in Dec. I will also go to those games. But the games I really want to see is State playing in Bakersfield this year for the D-2 men's BB tourney.

                  Go Jacks!!
                  (\__/)
                  (='.'=)
                  (")_(") Feed the Rabbit!!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Sports column Watertown Public Opinion

                    texas_jacks_fan not sue if you'll still see this. I was bored and surfing the net for old basketball photos of Bruce Carrier, when I came across this posting. The stories I have read here (about Carrier)are hillarious. I am Bruce Carriers son-inlaw. He is currently the Superintendant, Principal, and Athletic Director of Lyman Schools in Central SD. If his coaches did even half of the stories I've heard they would probably not be around long. Any other good one? my e-mail Roy@RoyKotzRealtor.com

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