Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

[SDSUFAN]

Keith Mehlum the Assistant AD at SDSUcalled me to wish me a happy birthday. I missed his call so I sent a email back to him thanking him. I guess it pays to be a generous booster at SDSU. You get birthday calls from HPER.

In addition I asked for a status report on whether the move will happen in year 2004-05.  Here is what Keith Mehlum told me:

"On the DI front the President is on the phone almost daily with Big Sky and Mid-Con Apresidents gauging interest.  Based on those conversations, we will make an official announcement regarding our decision to move or not move hopefully by mid-August.  It's official with NDSU, they're going in the 04-05 year.  We have begun trying to schedule fb games with the 6 other fb independents that we had a meeting with in June and at the May NCC meetings they revised the conference notification rule.  After Sept 1 of this year, a school now must give the league 18 months notice instead of the prior twelve.  This essentially means 2 years.  These are all factors that will weigh in our final decision next month.  That's all I know for now.  End of quote

The NCC rule is for 18 months notice and not three years as I stated in a thread on Bisonville.com and D2 football.

[89rabbit]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

Great Stuff SDSUFAN. I am glad one of us has enough money to rate as "big time doner". Thanks for the update. My guess (or should I say hope) is that we will make the move in Aug.

Go State!

[Bison_Kent]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

I actually hope SDSU moves up at that same time as NDSU. It will make finding a conference a lot better if both schools will be full Division I members at the same time. But I can see the other side. If all the finacials are not completely in order it might be better to wait.

[89rabbit]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

Me too. I think it makes all the sence in the world for us to move as one. SDSUFAN put some really interesting info about the state of the USD program and recent appointments to the Board of Regents that I found encourageing on the Bisonville Board. After talking with a couple of folks in Brookings, I too think we may be in better shape now then last Dec.

[filbert]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

Word I'm getting from my visiting friends from Brookings is that it's definite that we're going to announce the exploratory year. The women's and men's BB teams are actively scheduling D1 schools for 2004-2005. Just a rumor, but a really good and intriguing one.

[89rabbit]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

filbert,

Thanks for the posts, and welcome to our board.  You are amongst friends.  I hope your rumors are true, I would love to see us announce our exploratory year!

Go State!

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

Filbert:
Great news. My gut feeling is its going to happen this year but to hear it from Brookings is indeed a very good sign. It would not make sense to stay in the NCC if we get hit for financial pentalities for breaking contracts for conference games. Finding a conference seems like a matter of time, but good intentions maybe enough to make the move during 2004-2005. Like I have said before, some D1AA schools have filled their schedules with non-Scholarship programs like Drake, Valprorasio etc. These programs without scholarship players are D3 at best. So getting games and filling the football schedule in 2004 will be easier than raising funds for the extra scholarships. All those bottom tier D1 BB schools will now be able to schedule us without losing out on the revenue sharing from the March Madness.
I would say its looking good indeed.

[89rabbit]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

You guys are making my weekend. That is just what I wanted to hear. ;D

Go Blue!

[JACKGUY]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

This is certainly an exciting time as it seems some kind of announcement will be made by the middle of the month. While Jacks mens basketball is my primary interest at SDSU I would really love to see the University
take the football program to another level with the move to 1AA. Coughlin has a lot of potential but needs a lot of money to improve the facilities and atmosphere. I think a quality run football program has huge revenue potential at SDSU. Of the major sports at SDSU this is the one area that I question whether we have the horses in the coaching staff. Steigelmeyer is a nice guy
but sometimes I wonder if he has the fire and ability to take us where we want to go. We should have a Hobo Day atmosphere for every home football game. I think it's back to the old adage that you have to just win baby. I think with the move we are ok on the basketball side with Nagy and Johnston. Anybody else have opinions about how prepared we are to make the move with the existing coaches?

[89rabbit]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

Its funny that you mentioned coaching. I was just telling SDSUFAN (on Bisonville) that I flet like we where finally turning the corner with Mike Daly then he left. Now we are back to "go better then .500 and win a few Hobo Days" and you get to keep your job. I like Stiegelmeier too, he is a nice guy, but I want to WIN!

As far as Coughlin-Alumni goes, my understanding is they have a lot of $$$ set aside for improvments. The whole east side is to be redone. Seats with backs, Sky boxes, new scoreboards with video, indoor practice field, etc. These improvments are going to happen whether or not we make the move to D I/I AA, its just a timing thing. These up grades to our Football program will take time, but they will help us get to where we want to go in I AA.

Like you I also love SDSU Basketball and agree these are GREAT times to be a rabbit. I know we are ready to go head to head with many of the mid-majors right now. It will be fantastic to see the Jacks in the big dance. The sooner we get started the sooner we get there. ;D

Go Blue!

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

At the Bison Alumni events this week, Gene Taylor talked very confidently about SDSU joining NDSU in the I-AA move in 2004.  He said the Big Sky has 4 schools that would like the Dakota's, 4 schools had not made up their mind.  The Mid-Continent was very interested in adding SDSU, NDSU and UNC.  He also talked about the football only conference with SDSU, NDSU, UNC, UC Davis, Cal Poly, St Marys, S Utah.  Some of the coaches that I talked with did like the fact that the Mid-Con wants us.

It may sound amusing, but I have gauged what was going on at SDSU by the comments of Gene Taylor since he is in near daily communication with Dr. Oien. If Dr. Taylors say it so, then it will be. The mid August annoncement should not be a surprise.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

This is certainly an exciting time as it seems some kind of announcement will be made by the middle of the month. While Jacks mens basketball is my primary interest at SDSU I would really love to see the University
take the football program to another level with the move to 1AA. Coughlin has a lot of potential but needs a lot of money to improve the facilities and atmosphere. I think a quality run football program has huge revenue potential at SDSU. Of the major sports at SDSU this is the one area that I question whether we have the horses in the coaching staff. Steigelmeyer is a nice guy
but sometimes I wonder if he has the fire and ability to take us where we want to go. We should have a Hobo Day atmosphere for every home football game. I think it's back to the old adage that you have to just win baby. I think with the move we are ok on the basketball side with Nagy and Johnston. Anybody else have opinions about how prepared we are to make the move with the existing coaches?  

Will Stieg get the job done? Thats a very hard question to answer, but I think he is going to give it his 110 per cent.  John did grad work when Morton, Daly, Babich and others were the coaching at Wisconsin. So John has that experience in working with a Big 10 program to draw on. Grad Assistants are the grunts on a coaching staff and see the good and bad decisions maybe by the coaches they work with.  I think John was paying attention.

He is indeed nice man, and very ethical person.  I do feel that if the kitchen gets to hot, I think he will move on.

I think his initial choices in coaching assistants were not the best. The one that left for UND is no longer at UND so he may have had problems being a teammember.  The other guys have been very young and dont have as much experience as you would like.  They get better with time so I think Stieg and his staff deserve a chance and maybe we as fans could be more demanding so that its more than a Hobo Day win.

The pressure to win will be there and SDSU needs the fan support in Football that it has in Basketball.


The students who were on campus when the last NCC title in football was won(1963) are now starting to draw Social Security Checks. I was one of those, but remain faithful that one of these days... we will be champs again.

[bisononce]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

89Rabbit. I too was at the Bison Alumni event this week. Bison Mav comments are accurate. Gen Taylor speaks of SDSU along with NorthDakotaState as foregone. He is confident and pumped. The corollory is: There are many weak sisters getting into Division ll, with small enrollments, limited budgets and lobbying for reduced scholarship limits. And it's going to get really watered down.

Contact the President's office or whoever you know with influence and add your voice, "we gotta make the move, etc." Get your associates to speak up...

[Texas_Jacks_Fan]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.


In response to BisonMav, I'm assuming the four schools in the Big Sky who want us are Montana, MSU, Idaho St. and maybe Weber St (I'm unsure of Weber St.) The West Coast schools will be the sticker... Sac St and Portland St. I would think EWU and NAU could be won over in the future. I wonder how solid Sac. St. and Portland St. are in the conference for the future?They draw poorly. But they get exposure in those big cities.Does anyone think they could be replaced by SDSU and NDSU in the coming years?

[BisonMav]

Re: Update on SDSU and D1AA Move.

Northern Arizona was mentioned as supporting the addition of the Dakota's. There has been talk about Sac St joining the Big West. The Big West could be an all California Conference eventually. This is only talk though. Terry Wanless, Sac St AD (formerly UND AD), has said in the Grand Forks Herald, that the Dakota's don't fit his idea of Big Sky schools. There was an article recently about Portland St struggling in Division I.