UND cancels Summit Site visit...

[JackJD]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

See the Big Sky thread under "College Athletics" for developing news? [Or, developing speculation?] It's being written there's breaking news tonight that the journalists are trying to get confirmed.

[jackmd]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

USD has scheduled a press conference for noon tomorrow (Thursday) and I believe we can assume that it will be to announce they are accepting the Big Sky invitation.

Not what I'm hearing down here.

[Prairiehaas]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

Issue with the buyout?

[yoteforever]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

usd has scheduled a press conference for noon tomorrow (thursday) and i believe we can assume that it will be to announce they are accepting the big sky invitation.

wrong

[tjbison]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

Just to bump my speculation from last week!

Anyone else think maybe the Valley might have had a secret talk with USD about hanging in there and they will be in the Valley? UND is too far to go and USD really sits in a nice location? Pure speculation but it could be interesting

[Hammersmith]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

And Douple gets a bit of revenge:

Source: UND pushed early resolution on nickname

The University of North Dakota asked an athletic conference it once considered joining to publicly come out against accepting the Fighting Sioux as a member until the controversial nickname and logo issue was resolved, according to Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple.

No big surprise, UND is denying the story.


Quite frankly, this was something some of us have suspected for some time, but boy is there some hollerin' from up north. If I had to put money down on a scenario, I bet that Kelley/Faison had been complaining to Douple about how they couldn't make any progress on nickname situation. It was probably coming up in the small-talk parts of their conversations. Douple comes up with the idea of being the bad guy to speed up the process, and Kelley says something like, "we wouldn't be adverse to that," which is politician-speak for, "that's a great idea; do it!"

It also explains a mistake Gene Taylor made a couple years back. Seemingly out of nowhere, GT claimed during an interview that the Summit had a scheduling policy against UND because of the nickname. When asked about it, Douple basically said, "Huh, what?" I bet that Douple got approval for his plan from the presidents, and somewhere in the chain from Douple -> Chapman -> Taylor, the message got garbled.

Now that UND has spurned the Summit for the Big Sky, Douple is getting a bit of revenge. This was likely leaked to the media by someone in the ND legislature who is unhappy with Kelley/Faison's stance on the nickname issue and is trying to use this as a lever to oust them. There are no fewer than three bills in the house trying to force UND/SBoHE to keep the name. I guess this is what happens when you're one of the only states with a budget surplus. <bigsigh>

[JackJD]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

I’ve just finished reading the articles in the Fargo and Grand Forks papers along with the threads on the subject on SiouxSports and Bisonville, the UND and NDSU fan message boards.

Not much of a story outside North Dakota but inside ND, it appears it’s a hot story. The ND legislature has three bills pending which address UND shedding the Sioux nickname/logo. There’s a serious state constitutional question (the universities in ND are under the control of the State Board of Higher Education – so, can the legislature pass a law requiring UND to retain the Sioux nickname when the SboHE has already made a deal with the NCAA?). And, of course, the story generates some interest because there’s a debate about who’s not being truthful: the Summit-League Commissioner, Tom Douple (I've met Tom and I like him), or UND administrators (the Pres. and the AD).

How did the story about events 18-24 months ago get in the news today? Some speculate a legislator talked to the press, informing the press that UND’s administrators asked Douple to enter the fray a couple years ago with his comment that the Summit League would not invite UND to join the Summit until UND resolved the nickname issue (one way or the other – it had to be worked out with the NCAA, tribes, etc.).

I don’t know a lot about UND. Pre-Nickname-fight, if I had to list what I know or think about UND I’d list two things: 1) good school academically, possibly a notch above SDSU, NDSU and USD; and 2) good hockey school – but I don’t care about a sport that can end in a tie (seems un-American). Post-nickname fight, my impression of UND has been damaged.

The school needs to put the nickname problem in the past. With today’s news, UND looks like a drunk stumbling down the sidewalk. The drunk had been sober recently but the legislature just bought him a new bottle and encouraged him to drink it down. I’m a bystander nearby, a little fascinated with what may be an awful scene unfolding in front of me.

[joeboo22]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

Has any other school changed their name or fought it? I remember when it came out that you had to change or get the tribe to accept it. I believe the Ute's of Utah and the Illini of Illinois got the tribes to sign off.

(I know Yankton High School changed from the "Buck" Indians to Buck's and Gazelles, which I believe they did in 93/94)

[mitchellrabbit]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

Has any other school changed their name or fought it? I remember when it came out that you had to change or get the tribe to accept it. I believe the Ute's of Utah and the Illini of Illinois got the tribes to sign off.

(I know Yankton High School changed from the "Buck" Indians to Buck's and Gazelles, which I believe they did in 93/94)

St Johns changed their name from the Redmen to the Red Storm. Marquette was the Warriors and are now the Golden Eagles. Those are two that i can think of

[Nidaros]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

St Johns changed their name from the Redmen to the Red Storm. Marquette was the Warriors and are now the Golden Eagles. Those are two that i can think of

A long time ago, Pac 10 Stanford went from Stanford Indians to Stanford Cardinals. They did it on their own. It is interesting how this story still has life.

[Rabbit74]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

A long time ago, Pac 10 Stanford went from Stanford Indians to Stanford Cardinals. They did it on their own. It is interesting how this story still has life.

Several others have changed as well. Southeast Missouri, Arkansas State, Miami of Ohio and Louisana Monroe used to all be called the Indians but have changed to other names, SEMO and Miami the redhawks, ASU the Red wolves and La Monroe is now the warhawks.

I am sure there are others but I am not thinking of them right now.

[rabidrabbit]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

However, there are nearly as many examples of retaining ethnic nicknames

Cent. Mich Chippawas
SDSU Aztecs
Fl St. Seminoles
IL Illini
Utah Utes
William & Mary Tribe

And how about the "other" UND? Fighting Irish?

If you have been following nickname issues, you may also be aware that much of the Confederacy, Stars-n-Bars nicknames are also under attack. IIRC, Ole Miss just changed from the "rebels". South Carolina can't host NCAA tourney events because the state flag had the confederate stars-n-bars, which Americans of African ancestory found demeaning.

[JackJD]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

How about in our own backyard: It wasn't that long ago when the now-defunct Huron College were known as the "Scalpers". I think they dropped that name in the early 80s or maybe the real late 70s.

[BTownJack]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

How about in our own backyard: It wasn't that long ago when the now-defunct Huron College were known as the "Scalpers". I think they dropped that name in the early 80s or maybe the real late 70s.

Wow, I did not know this. That is a pretty obscene nickname no matter what time of society we are talking about!

[Nidaros]

Re: UND cancels Summit Site visit...

How about in our own backyard: It wasn't that long ago when the now-defunct Huron College were known as the "Scalpers". I think they dropped that name in the early 80s or maybe the real late 70s.

Of all the Native American references, the Huron College one took the cake IMHO. I suppose they could have changed their logo or motto with some white guy dressed in a seedy fashion in front of a football staduim holding two tickets in the air.

They had some great teams and players though.