St Cloud Times Writer

[KUlawJack]

Re: St Cloud Times Writer

Let's see, who would I rather want to see on the football schedule over the course of a season.

Northern Iowa, Youngstown State, McNeese State, Cal Poly, Iowa State, Southern Illinois, Western Illinois, Illinois State...

or

St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, Winona State, Nebraska Omaha...

No offense to the NCC, it was a great D2 conference and treated us very, very well. But as an SDSU alumn, I wouldn't have near the interest in SDSU athletics that I do today if we were still playing in the NCC instead of the MVFC/Summit.

This is exactly how I feel. Not saying I wouldn't care about our university if they weren't Div. I or in the MVFC/Summit, and I don't think you are either, but the excitement around the programs and our university has never been higher. I think this guy misses that, considering there is very little excitement in St. Cloud probably.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: St Cloud Times Writer

These schools UMD, St Cloud and Mankato put all their emphasis into hockey and basically ignored the other sports. How many of you recall going to a football or basketball game in St Cloud when the hockey team was playing at the same time and how that effected attendence? In a sense these are large commuter schools for the Twin Cities with little school spirit and tradition.

[Nidaros]

Re: St Cloud Times Writer

These schools UMD, St Cloud and Mankato put all their emphasis into hockey and basically ignored the other sports. How many of you recall going to a football or basketball game in St Cloud when the hockey team was playing at the same time and how that effected attendence? In a sense these are large commuter schools for the Twin Cities with little school spirit and tradition.

Thats what I am saying too. Add UNO to that list. Thats why a metro team is now in the D2 MIAA. I think too the hockey schools thought the NCC would last forever since the D2 membership did not challange the rule that allowed D2 members to have one sport at the D1 level. I dont know about Duluth, but The fact St Cloud and Mankato have on campus facilites helps. UNO pays out for their use of the facility that they use. I dont think its the QUest center or is it. JacksfaninNeb probably knows more about it. Also a member of the SDSU HPER staff who came from Creighton and worked in sports admintration told me that Creighton pays 50k per game for bb games so not having your own campus facilty can get very expensive. If USD is thinking hockey, its a long ways down the road.

[Jacks#1Fan]

Re: St Cloud Times Writer

Maybe I missed seeing it in the discourse above, but when SDSU and NDSU decided to go D-1, the NCC teams got together, and among them, the four schools with D-1 hockey said they were all going to stay in D-II because they "were already D-I in hockey" and that was enough for them.

I had a lively discussion with the UND President at a hockey game there, and he said exactly the same thing..."we don't need to go D-I, we are already a D-I school." At the time, I thought they should be going with us, which might have made the Big Sky look closer at all of us. Thank god, that didn't happen, and we got the Summit and MVFC instead! I also asked a UND friend what would happen if fans and alumni wanted to go D-I, and the president didn't. He said, "we would fire him."

The "hockey pact" fell apart when UND decided to go (and the president "decided" to leave), and that left some bitter feeling on the part of St. Cloud and Mankato...and I'm sure that is why some of them want to look at our (and UND's) D-I move as a "mistake".

[Yote53]

Re: St Cloud Times Writer

Hockey is one factor but I don't think it is the overriding one that keeps the MN schools from moving up. The Big Brother in the Cities, UofM, would rather not have any competition at the D1 level. It is bad enough they have to put up with the other schools in hockey, you know.

Actually, if you know the history of Minnesota hockey, Herb Brooks started the program at SCSU to give more Minnesota born players a chance to stay close to home and play. He was right, the state actually does need MSU and SCSU to have programs along with UM and UMD to provide more homegrown kids the opportunity to play in college.

Where these schools miscalculated is they never thought UND would leave their "hockey cult" (I agree with that term) and they never imagined USD would be able to leave them as well. Now they are just bitter about being stuck with Winona, SWMS, Crookston, Bemidji (God forbid they have to be affiliated with a school not "good enough" for the WCHA), and the like.

Crap kinda rolls downhill, doesn't it?

[launcher46]

Re: St Cloud Times Writer

I sent the writer an e-mail suggesting that he attend the Dakota Marker game so he can see for himself that we are not struggling to find rivalries!

[West-River_Jack]

Re: St Cloud Times Writer

The worst part about this guy and his writing is that it makes Stu look pretty bright. Well, a little bright anyway.

[UTH]

Re: St Cloud Times Writer

My take - the writer is either very stupid and has no business informing the masses, OR he is a simple attention whore. Either way, the article does not deserve any meaningful reaction. To heck with him and his stupid article.





*didn't bother actually reading it. there's no need...

[Nidaros]

Re: St Cloud Times Writer

Hockey is one factor but I don't think it is the overriding one that keeps the MN schools from moving up. The Big Brother in the Cities, UofM, would rather not have any competition at the D1 level. It is bad enough they have to put up with the other schools in hockey, you know.

Actually, if you know the history of Minnesota hockey, Herb Brooks started the program at SCSU to give more Minnesota born players a chance to stay close to home and play. He was right, the state actually does need MSU and SCSU to have programs along with UM and UMD to provide more homegrown kids the opportunity to play in college.

Where these schools miscalculated is they never thought UND would leave their "hockey cult" (I agree with that term) and they never imagined USD would be able to leave them as well. Now they are just bitter about being stuck with Winona, SWMS, Crookston, Bemidji (God forbid they have to be affiliated with a school not "good enough" for the WCHA), and the like.

Crap kinda rolls downhill, doesn't it?

Yes it does.

[jacks nl]

Re: St Cloud Times Writer

for a minute i thought i was reading something written by Stu from 5 years ago.

[JackJD]

Re: St Cloud Times Writer

It is clear the St. Cloud Times writer thinks rivalries are not demonstrated by crowds 14,000 and greater at CAS -- crowds which foreshadow sellouts in just a few years. Similarly, he must discount current season-long sellouts in the Fargodome.

What an oddball. How can he write such drivel? The numbers are irrefutable evidence of people interested in watching great football in great atmospheres with great rivalries.