The move to Division I. Five years later

[rabidrabbit]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

Things for SDSU have gone very well so the storm around the state has settled down. Our success has definitely taken some of the glare of the spotlight off of USD.

My guess is that in five years when things aren't going well at USD, that is when the questions are going to start coming out. Unfortunately, by then it will be too late and it will become even harder for them to succeed.

There has been no plan put forth that I can see. That is scary!

SUPERBUNNY

D-II or even D-III has been moved to by D-I schools in the recent past.

I do wish our Southern Vermin good luck.......

They'll need it because their planning is looking pathetic!!!!

Questions for our Mangy Carrion-eating brethern:

What new women's sports are being brought in? Where are your schollie women? Why are we hearing NOTHING about the GREAT RECRUITS that are GOING to USD? Are you complying with the STATE Mandate to NOT INCREASE STUDENT FEES to fund this move?

Please, let's hear about something other than FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL!!! It is likely that D-I successes will occur more in transition in minor sports than in the 2 high visibility sports.








(oops, thought this was in smack)

[sf_jackster]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

I think it has something to do with the success that both SDSU and NDSU has had to this point. If one or both schools were struggling I think there would be a lot more being said about USD and UND moving.

[Nidaros]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

I tend to think that 95% of the posters on this board have no regrets about making this move. All is going well and thats what counts. What Mick Garry wrote five years ago, does nothing for our future. Mick has his job to write for the Argus and thats what he did five years ago.

We got good leadership in all our academic and athletic programs at SDSU and thats what counts.

I mentioned this before, but a year ago I attended one of the open forums on the certification process. What really surprised me was how involved the academic adminstation and faculty were in making certain that all the academic requirements were being met in order to be certified by the NCAA as Division I member.

Things will only get better in the future. Thank you Joe Chapman and Bison Bob for calling Doug Fullerton of the Big Sky asking about membership in the Big Sky. Thats more than 5 years ago, maybe 8 or 9 years ago.

[Jacks-02]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

I tend to think that 95% of the posters on this board have no regrets about making this move. All is going well and thats what counts. What Mick Garry wrote five years ago, does nothing for our future. Mick has his job to write for the Argus and thats what he did five years ago.

We got good leadership in all our academic and athletic programs at SDSU and thats what counts.

I mentioned this before, but a year ago I attended one of the open forums on the certification process. What really surprised me was how involved the academic adminstation and faculty were in making certain that all the academic requirements were being met in order to be certified by the NCAA as Division I member.

Things will only get better in the future. Thank you Joe Chapman and Bison Bob for calling Doug Fullerton of the Big Sky asking about membership in the Big Sky. Thats more than 5 years ago, maybe 8 or 9 years ago.

I don't know the history of how the process started, but if that was the impetus I'll extend the thanks as well. I'm glad things didn't work out with the Big Sky though, I'll take Gateway/Summit over the Big Sky any day.

[Nidaros]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

I don't know the history of how the process started, but if that was the impetus I'll extend the thanks as well. I'm glad things didn't work out with the Big Sky though, I'll take Gateway/Summit over the Big Sky any day.

This is my recollection. Chapman was a maybe a year newer as NDSU's president than Peggy Miller was SDSU president. He felt that NDSU had outgrown D2 as did Peggy so that is probably how they got to be allies and started working together.

I do recall a long time ago, asking Fred Oien if SDSU would ever go D1, and this was before he was AD. Fred's reply was he did not think so and gave me the standard reply at the time that D2 was a good fit for SDSU. Fast forward one president, and having a few years at AD, he changed his views quickly, and when the Fargo Forum started talking about Doug Fullerton coming to Fargo for a Q and A about membership, Fred said he wanted to be included to find out what was going on. NDSU ended up inviting the entire NCC.

Now that surprised me. It later, pained me when the critics said going D1 was Fred's big ego trip or idea. Wrong. These folks have no idea about who is running the campus, namely the president. I also recall asking during the very early exploration if going D1 was a good idea. Fred said" We have to do it or at least give it a very serious look as I hate to see who will be left in the NCC if NDSU and UNC leave."

[2002jack]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

Can you imagine what it would be like if we stayed DII, and watched and read about NDSU's success at DI. We'd probably decide to make the move like five years later....and look like real dipshots.

[sfsd]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

Five years later, I guess everyone who fought so hard against the administration during those early decision making days need to eat some crow. Mick included.

I don't think Mick eats crow, but he certainly likes to drink at The Crow Bar. Perhaps Mick downing a shot of Old Crow there would be more proper.

Seriously though, what must be noted is that newspapers are often a snapshot look at a day or year or time period. To say what Mick wrote in 2003 weren't things many others around the state were saying and wondering would be very, very wrong. A lot of people - including ardent SDSU supporters - were very skeptical of the move. I know because I kept bunches of emails and talked to plenty of people - SDSU fans, USD fans and sports fans at large - who felt the exact things that Mick wrote. The Argus exhausted plenty of space on each side of the issue. This is what a good newspaper does - provides varying viewpoints.

What no one seems to recall is that there was never a comparative case to what SDSU and NDSU were doing five years ago, hence why Bill Carr's report held so much weight. Why? Every other state already had Division I athletics, and most had multiple D-I schools. Most schools that moved up from D2 or D3 had plenty of other D1 schools to compete with within their region. SDSU and NDSU didn't. And basically ever major flagship (University of Your State Here) and state school (Your State University) were already Division I, and the failure cases were either tiny private colleges or directional state schools without distinct identities or fanbases.

And remember, it still took pracitally three more years after Mick's column to get into the Mid-Con/Summit. Because there was no definitive blueprint, everything Mick wrote in his column - yes, it was an opinion piece with his mug shot, not a news article - was valid questioning of those in authority (and reading back, not nearly as vindictive as some here would claim) at that moment. There is a big difference between asking hard questions and "fighting" against something. Mick most certainly was posing difficult questions.

[Nidaros]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

I don't think Mick eats crow, but he certainly likes to drink at The Crow Bar. Perhaps Mick downing a shot of Old Crow there would be more proper.

Seriously though, what must be noted is that newspapers are often a snapshot look at a day or year or time period. To say what Mick wrote in 2003 weren't things many others around the state were saying and wondering would be very, very wrong. A lot of people - including ardent SDSU supporters - were very skeptical of the move. I know because I kept bunches of emails and talked to plenty of people - SDSU fans, USD fans and sports fans at large - who felt the exact things that Mick wrote. The Argus exhausted plenty of space on each side of the issue. This is what a good newspaper does - provides varying viewpoints.

What no one seems to recall is that there was never a comparative case to what SDSU and NDSU were doing five years ago, hence why Bill Carr's report held so much weight. Why? Every other state already had Division I athletics, and most had multiple D-I schools. Most schools that moved up from D2 or D3 had plenty of other D1 schools to compete with within their region. SDSU and NDSU didn't. And basically ever major flagship (University of Your State Here) and state school (Your State University) were already Division I, and the failure cases were either tiny private colleges or directional state schools without distinct identities or fanbases.

And remember, it still took pracitally three more years after Mick's column to get into the Mid-Con/Summit. Because there was no definitive blueprint, everything Mick wrote in his column - yes, it was an opinion piece with his mug shot, not a news article - was valid questioning of those in authority (and reading back, not nearly as vindictive as some here would claim) at that moment. There is a big difference between asking hard questions and "fighting" against something. Mick most certainly was posing difficult questions.

My only comment in rebuttal is the "definite blue print" was lacking as you mentioned had only one alternative which was simply the status quo at the time, stay D2, stay in the NCC. Keep USD YOUR BIG GAME. ETC ETC. This move involved risk- yes, but it was accompolished so what Mick or any other naysayer had to say means absolutely nothing. Good luck to USD as I believe this is where sfsd's loyality resides.

[EQguy]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

Nidaros, you are way off and wrong on this one. sfsd has no dog in this fight other than he was there on the front lines when SDSU made the move. He paved the way for Terry V.
The point is this piece was Stu's opinion at that point in time and it was what people were saying on both sides of the issue. I truly don't think that you don't believe there were staunch SDSU supporters asking these same questions and raising these concerns. Right or wrong now, they were the questions of the time

[sfjacksfan99]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

After Stu Whitney's article yesterday, I've decided to join the talk here and pose a question I've been asking myself and others for years...Why does the Sioux Falls media hate SDSU? Namely the Argus Leader (excluding Terry V) and 1230 KWSN's Craig Mattick? It's beyond the move to D-1, in my opinion, because it seems to me when SDSU was D-II they still had a ton of disdain towards the Jacks.

[propar80]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

After Stu Whitney's article yesterday, I've decided to join the talk here and pose a question I've been asking myself and others for years...Why does the Sioux Falls media hate SDSU? Namely the Argus Leader (excluding Terry V) and 1230 KWSN's Craig Mattick? It's beyond the move to D-1, in my opinion, because it seems to me when SDSU was D-II they still had a ton of disdain towards the Jacks.

Stu = Is just looking to get a rise out of folks, and since the Argus knows that SDSU stories are looked at and talked about, 50 times more than any other school in the state...his editorials probably help sell a few newspapers.

Craig = He's just a moron and knows less about SDSU and the move to D-1 than my wife...way less. I haven't listen to 1 second of the show since the news that SDSU was playing Nebraska in football that Craig turned into a "why don't STATE/U play" anymore rant.

Go Jacks!!

[EQguy]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

If the Argus Leader truly hated SDSU Terry V would not exist.
Stu's column yesterday was about the fact that USD can finally get some space in the Sioux Falls media because SDSU is not playing anymore. Basically, that is the truth. All people were talking about was SDSU's run to the WNIT again. Stu attempted to draw the debate back to the rivalry but the SDSU folks would not take the bait, the USD folks did.

[SFJACK]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

I know this is a little outside the topic, but I have to mention it. In Stu’s opinion piece Sunday, her referees to Chad Lavin’s comments about top tier DII and DI woman’s programs being similar. If that’s the case, why is Chad quitting after this year?

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

I've always felt that there has been a little bit of a bend against all things "not Sioux Falls" in the Sioux Falls. I guess that is to be expected since Sioux Falls is the primary market. It gets worse when you have people that are in "editorial" positions that may not be pro-SDSU or more accurately pro-USD.

The Argus has done a good job in giving us coverage. Actually, a great job and Terry has been a great beat writer for SDSU. He has done a great job of covering both things that have gone well and those that haven't and been objective in all of them.

The negative comments appear to be more out of jealousy for where we are now compared to the angry comments when we first announced the move to D1. That is a good thing! SDSU has kind of become the envy of the other schools in the region because of how well things have gone. The more they talk bad about SDSU the more they prove that point.

SUPERBUNNY

[NorCalJack]

Re: The move to Division I. Five years later

I don't read the Argus that often, but I'm more than happy with Terry covering SDSU. Prior to SDSU moving up, I'm not even sure SDSU had a beat writer. Stu would write opinions on the SDSU move prior to SDSU making the move or shortly after the move was made. But since Solari and Terry have been assigned as the SDSU beat writer, I don't think Stu has written one or two stories about SDSU. It is hard to knock the university too much since the move because most everything has fallen into place for SDSU.

The only thing the Argus could take a shot at is the SDSU men's BB team and for me they still get a free pass until they get some D-1 upper classmen on the team.