Re: UNC

[JACKGUYII]

[quote author=uncfan link=board=sdsuetc;num=1106694673;start=0#0 date=01/25/05 at 16:11:13]Are you fans angry that the Big Sky is only cosidering UNC for admission?  I was suprised you weren't included.  I think NDSU and UNC are both deserving. The others weren't (SDSU, SUU).  What are you hoping for next?  

[JACKGUYII]

Re: UNC

The above was a post by uncfan over on Bisonville in which he was sucking up to the Bison. UNC is getting a closer look by the Big Sky because of location only.

[GoJacks]

Re: UNC

I think UNC has a shot at gaining membership into the Big Sky Conference. Next week Feb. 1 and 2 are supposed to be the dates the Big Sky committee for expansion will be at UNC. The visit should enlighted us all on what the Big Sky wants in its membership. Go Luck to the Bears! Even though I still do not understand not including SDSU and NDSU. It just seems to me the Big Sky is being narrow minded.

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: UNC

I think UNC has a shot at gaining membership into the Big Sky Conference.  Next week Feb. 1 and 2 are supposed to be the dates the Big Sky committee for expansion will be at UNC.  The visit should enlighted us all on what the Big Sky wants in its membership.  Go Luck to the Bears!  Even though I still do not understand not including SDSU and NDSU.  It just seems to me the Big Sky is being narrow minded.

I assume you are from Denver d-town, has the visit and possible expansion  been news in that area or is it overlooked as most UNC athletic happenings are.

[GoJacks]

Re: UNC

I live in Greeley, actually. I listen to the local sports radio shows when I can and read the Greeley Tribune, Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Denver Post. Not much news on the media front. Greeley Tribune did have an article and the Post had a news brief. I can't imagine to much interest here locally. The are all to consumed with the Denver Broncos, The Nuggets new coach and the fact that there is no NHL. It is too bad that Denver and Front Range do not put much interest in the colleges (even CU and CSU). I do think UNC has the potential for the BIG SKY and to be a player in the league. Good Luck to them.

I will ask this question, If the University of Montana leaves the Big Sky for Division IA football is it a conference that SDSU and NDSU would still want to be apart of? If it were to happen, I am not sure it makes much sense to join. With only Montana State as the only real interest for the Dakotas. I would ad UNC if they get in.

[89rabbit]

Re: UNC

I will ask this question,  If the University of Montana leaves the Big Sky for Division IA football is it a conference that SDSU and NDSU would still want to be apart of?  

That is a GREAT question!

Go State! ;D

[GoJacks]

Re: UNC

I would like to invite fellow SDSU Alumni to check out this wednesday 2-2-05 addition of the Mirrow the UNC campus newspaper. They have some information about the visit from the Big Sky.
In addition was a editorial from a unhappy UNC athlete.

http://mirror.unco.edu/

Opinion: Self-coaching and feelings of betrayal have impact on motivation level
Posted on Wednesday, February 02 @ 00:27:08 MST by admin




Editor’s note: The following letter was submitted by a member of the UNC cross country team. The author requested their name not be used, for fear of retribution. The Mirror agreed, only after hearing their concerns first hand.
edletters@mirror.unco.edu
Hmmm…. Almost 12:30 p.m., practice is at 3:00, can’t eat too much, don’t want to get sick at practice. Maybe just a little, can’t be low on energy before practice. Probably should do some homework since it’s Tuesday, meaning a hard workout and lifting, most likely be too tired after that.



Actually, I’m pretty tired now, maybe I’ll take a power–nap before practice. Wonder what our workout will be today. This is just a sample of the daily contemplations that athletes go through during the season. The sport consumes the life of the athlete, from the time they can eat, what they can eat, when to sleep, how to plan a day, basically, every day that is. I can’t speak for everyone, but as an athlete, I can speak for myself. And let me tell you, whoever says running is easy, clearly hasn’t run hard enough.

There are times when I want to quit. Quite frequently I ask the question, “Why am I doing this?” But it’s always answered by the pat on the back from a teammate, a road trip full of “would you rather’s”, and the ability to eat anything and everything that I want. I love to run and I know how, but I don’t know how to coach and I don’t like to be told we can do it on our own. That hasn’t seemed to matter for our team, as we struggled through practice everyday with foggy directions. Should we run 800’s today or work on our mileage? Would today be a good day to go on the track or on the grass?

When I joined the collegiate level team, I didn’t realize I would have to be asking these questions, or answering them. A guess was always thrown out, but how do we know if it was the right one?

A season and a half later, we made it through without a head coach, but with the much–needed help from previous UNC athletes. Finally the position was filled and how happy we were to find that he was a good coach too! Motivation sky-rocketed, the team began to regroup and gaps began to close. Workouts were given and hopes were high. It was going to be a good season and, even better, for my real sport, cross country.

Let’s see, that’s six miles yesterday, ten today, plus swimming practice. Saturday is a town race…. it’s going to be tough when cross starts, but I can do it, only a few steps until a scholarship. Seven miles today plus 25 miles of biking, not much time before camp.

That’s how my summer went. All about preparing, the most I’ve ever done. It would have been great.

Too bad the stars didn’t line up in the team’s favor; this time in the middle of the season, in the middle of the workout, actually. Sorry ladies, before you run, real quick, just like to tell you that you are coach-less, again. Oh, I’m sorry, I thought I just heard you say your training was for nothing and the best thing that has happened to this team is now gone. Well, shoot. I heard right. Guess I’ll wipe off the tears of betrayal and anger and take my hate out on the workout.

Why am I running? For love of the sport.

Once again, we are at a loss, Nationals is in five weeks. What do we do now? Who will keep the team together now? Talking to the ones who are in charge only fed us false hope and more anger. What other team would this happen to?

What did we do that was so punishable? Well, it is a Division I collegiate level athletic team, I guess it makes sense that the athletes can fend for themselves. Excuse me?! Do Olympians train themselves? When is it OK to completely disregard the comments, feelings, and confusion of the athletes? Aren’t the athletes the ones who give a purpose to the athletic department? Why don’t we matter enough to be told the truth at the least?

Well, four months later, we’re trying it again. The head track and field and head cross country coach, who specializes in sprints, is now in charge. The first move he makes is firing one of the few dedicated assistant coaches who bothered helping us when no one else would. Thanks a lot.

Why do I run? For love of the sport. For love of the sport.

[GoJacks]

Re: UNC

Sports: Team reaps benefits of schedule
Posted on Wednesday, February 02 @ 01:21:52 MST by admin http://mirror.unco.edu/modules.php?n...e&sid=3661

Eric Scott
sports@mirror.unco.edu
The fourth–toughest schedule in the nation might seem ludicrous for a team in the second year of a reclassification process to Division I, but there are 265,000 reasons that might say otherwise.

UNC men’s basketball has received $265,000 in guaranteed money this season for playing away games against top D-I teams Syracuse, Iowa State, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Texas Tech and Gonzaga. The money received from each school ranges from $36,000 to $50,000. Four of those teams – Syracuse, Oklahoma, Utah and Gonzaga – are currently ranked in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ top 25. Many of those schools receive money from the NCAA each year from licensing and television revenue, but since UNC is going through a transition period to Division I, they will not be eligible for NCAA money for another two years. The reason a team like UNC is paid to travel to a place like Syracuse is because many teams don’t want to play a tough home non–conference schedule, and they might perceive a team like UNC to be an easy opponent.

Although UNC is receiving a lot of money, its record is just 5-15, but head coach Craig Rasmuson is optimistic about the impact of playing a difficult schedule.

Rasmuson said it has given them good exposure because it gave them the opportunity to be on television.

“It gives us instant credibility with recruits because we’ve played in every time zone,” Rasmuson said. “I think it’s gonna be great for the young guys because we’re gonna see some of those environments next year.”

Next season, UNC will raise the same amount of money, or possibly more, from playing big name teams. Rasmuson said they have already contracted games at Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming, in addition to playing in the California-Berkeley tournament over Thanksgiving break. When the Bears were in Division II, Rasmuson said they only played one “money game” against Oregon State, and they received only $8,500.

The reason teams pay more for Division I teams is because playing against a Division II team does not count for their rating percentage index (RPI), which is a big factor when being seeded in the NCAA Tournament.

Of the money received, half of it is given back to the UNC athletics administration to split among other programs.

Rasmuson said much of that is given to women’s sports to meet Title IX mandates. Title IX, passed by Congress in 1972, was part of sweeping reforms, naming the Educational Amendments and bans gender discrimination in athletics and academics. In intercollegiate athletics, Title IX requires an athletic program to treat men and women’s athletics equally, which means both programs must be equally funded.

Most of the money Rasmuson gets goes toward recruiting, game officials, and travel for road games, which can cost as much as $40,000-$45,000 per game. In the past, game officials were paid $150 per game, but now they cost $450 per game. The remainder of the money goes toward assistant coaches. Currently, only one full-time assistant is paid for by school funds. Rasmuson said if the Big Sky Conference accepted UNC, it would give them access to more money that will help them to be funded more like a D-I team. In the Big Sky, teams share revenue and equally distribute it among member schools.

“Everything about the Big Sky is positive,” he said. “There’s immediate recognition with recruits if you’re in a prestigious conference like the Big Sky, and there are natural rivalries. Getting into the Big Sky will catapult the program tenfold.”

Besides receiving a lot of cash, Rasmuson said it has made the team better in many ways.

“I think it allows us to be a little better at home,” Rasmuson said. “I do believe our experiences against the big boys that we’ve played have given us some confidence.”

Senior guard Matt Kline has noticed a gradual improvement in the team this season.

“When it comes down to it, this team is getting better day-by-day,” Kline said. “With each big game we play, you can see the game after it we took something from that game. I think you’re gonna see a lot good things from UNC basketball in the next few years.”

[GoJacks]

Re: UNC

Rocky Mountain News

Big Sky officials upbeat on UNC
By Pat Rooney, Special To The News
February 3, 2005

GREELEY - The University of Northern Colorado is looking for a new home for its 16 varsity athletic programs.

If making a friendly impression is the ticket for admittance, then the Bears soon will be competing in the Big Sky Conference.

Officials of the Big Sky, an eight-school league that includes Montana and Montana State, completed a two-day visit to the UNC campus Wednesday.

The five-person site committee left Greeley impressed with the friendliness and cooperative spirit that prevailed throughout the UNC administration.

"What strikes me about Northern Colorado is the shared vision across campus," Big Sky commissioner Doug Fullerton said. "Everybody was singing from the same book. I was trying to prod some faculty and get them away from the other faculty to see exactly how they felt. I could not find people on campus that aren't 100 percent behind this move."

UNC presented its final plea to the Big Sky and must wait for a vote by the league's presidents.

Fullerton hopes to have a decision by March on whether the league will continue its courtship of UNC. If that happens, the sides will enter what Fullerton termed a "negotiation phase." The league presidents will meet in mid-May, but Fullerton said he hopes to have a decision in April.

Typically, a two-thirds vote would allow UNC to enter. Fullerton indicated, though, that the Big Sky would prefer a near-unanimous decision, fearing a strong dissenter might leave the league if UNC is admitted.

"I don't think there is anything in that (negotiation) phase that would cause Northern Colorado to back away," Fullerton said. "If you see us in the negotiation phase, that is a good sign. But one person could derail it if the feeling was strong enough. They do not want to add a school just to lose a school on the other end."

UNC is in its second year of a five-year transition into a Division I program. The Bears' football team competed in the new Great West Football Conference last fall, but the rest of UNC's teams are independents.

The Big Sky will require UNC to increase its football scholarships to 60, with an equal increase of scholarships required for women's athletics. Currently, the Bears have 50 football scholarships and plan to have 57 next year. UNC's also boasts a strong potential market for the Big Sky.

"We bring a great region," UNC athletic director Jay Hinrichs said. "We have a huge community of support not only in Weld County, but in the 44,000 alumnus in Denver and 6,000 alumnus in Colorado Springs. So we bring something to the Big Sky they don't have right now."

Copyright 2005, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.

[FargoBison]

Re: UNC

So we bring something to the Big Sky they don't have right now."

Whats that another non-flagship school in a region that could care less about them. I am at about the end of my rope with the Big Sky and now UNC can get in without a  unanimous decision and NDSU and SDSU can't even get looked when they have a majority decision. The Big Sky is a sad conference that is completely lacking in direction and that may make Montana and Montana state more apt to leaving. Then they will probably be begging the SU's to join but would we really want to be stuck with a bunch of major market rejects? A big sky without the Montana's makes the Mid Con look like the Big Ten. The Big Sky can have their big market rejects I think it may be time for NDSU and  SDSU to start looking at the Gateway for membership, I hear the WKU might be going  D1A in football. The Gateway isn't an all sports conference but I think it would start the SU's on a road to confernce membership since the would be playing in  respected leage with D1 schools that are part of conferences that our schools want to join.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: UNC

I truly do not think Montana and maybe Montana State are long for the Big Sky. Would we be as motivated to get in the Big Sky absent the Montana Schools? I posted the pathetic attendence figures on UNC over on Bisonville and it just reinforces the major reason UNC is getting the opportunity to join the Big Sky is location. I'm happy for UNC to get in a conference and certainly envious. However the State U's have so much more to offer the Big Sky than UNC and many of the current members. The way the Big Sky has handled this whole process is ridiculous and I'm beginning to think we might be counting our blessings in a few years that we did not get in the Big Sky.

[jackmd]

Re: UNC

"What strikes me about Northern Colorado is the shared vision across campus," Big Sky commissioner Doug Fullerton said. "Everybody was singing from the same book. I was trying to prod some faculty and get them away from the other faculty to see exactly how they felt. I could not find people on campus that aren't 100 percent behind this move."

"I don't think there is anything in that (negotiation) phase that would cause Northern Colorado to back away," Fullerton said. "If you see us in the negotiation phase, that is a good sign. But one person could derail it if the feeling was strong enough. They do not want to add a school just to lose a school on the other end."


"We bring a great region," UNC athletic director Jay Hinrichs said. "We have a huge community of support not only in Weld County, but in the 44,000 alumnus in Denver and 6,000 alumnus in Colorado Springs. So we bring something to the Big Sky they don't have right now."

Fullerton = hot air up eveyones rear end.  

Huge community does not equal huge fan support.  Do I even need to expound?

The BSC and Fullerton will get their just desserts.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: UNC

Anyone who followed the Big Sky soap opera in the various media markets involved knows that Fullerton has a different story depending on who he talks to. I'm sick of his BS.

[89rabbit]

Re: UNC

Anyone who followed the Big Sky soap opera in the various media markets involved knows that Fullerton has a different story depending on who he talks to. I'm sick of his BS.

Amen, Brother!