BCU Upset Alert????

[CL82]

Why not? Isn't Springfield being reinvented as a tourist destination for the rednecks of northern New England and western Massachusetts? Throw in a college football stadium and maybe some basketball games and UMass can maybe get somewhere. Springfield can most definitely use FBS games.

McGuirk won't work, so why not put a new stadium near or in Springfield? That would really boost UMass, IMO. Thank God I am not paying for it. UMass does have some alumni of importance, surprisingly. Ask the crown prince of Mysore of India for donations; he graduated from there.

Because building a college stadium off campus is a Connecticut thing.

 

[Adios]

Went to McGuirk for the UConn game last yr. It is a glorified 1-AA stadium- no amenities, small.. They would need a new stadium but there isn't enough interest in UMass football for that to happen.

Build it, and they will come. Springfield is a perfect place for UMass to showcase it's God forsaken football program.

 

[Adios]

Because building a college stadium off campus is a Connecticut thing.

If we built on campus, attendance over the past 5 years would probably have been worse.

 

[CL82]

If we built on campus, attendance over the past 5 years would probably have been worse.

Disagree. I was on campus for an epically bad football team, and we pack the stadium, albeit a much smaller one, consistently.

 

[Adios]

Disagree. I was on campus for an epically bad football team, and we pack the stadium, albeit a much smaller one, consistently.

That was the Yankee Conference. We're talking about the AAC here.

 

[CL82]

That was the Yankee Conference. We're talking about the AAC here.

So you’re saying there was a greater fanbase I-AA football than BCS football?

 

[Adios]

So you’re saying there was a greater fanbase I-AA football than BCS football?

Yes. Only for you.

 

[CL82]

Yes. Only for you.

I see. Interesting take.

 

[Waquoit]

Disagree. I was on campus for an epically bad football team, and we pack the stadium, albeit a much smaller one, consistently.

No freaking way, not even close..

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

If we built on campus, attendance over the past 5 years would probably have been worse.

If we built a stadium on campus we’d have been in the ACC the last 5 years.

 

[Adios]

If we built a stadium on campus we’d have been in the ACC the last 5 years.

JO Christian Field was probably a bigger issue than the Rent. Worst college baseball or high school stadium I've ever seen. Even worse than Waterbury's Municipal Field.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Disagree. I was on campus for an epically bad football team, and we pack the stadium, albeit a much smaller one, consistently.

When was that CL?

 

[CL82]

When was that CL?

78 - 82.

(It really doesn’t seem like that long ago.)

 

[Duncan Idaho]

78 - 82.

(It really doesn’t seem like that long ago.)

It does seem to fly by. I was leaving as you were coming in. Nadzak use to complain he didn't get support from the school. One decent year in there.

 

[CL82]

It does seem to fly by. I was leaving as you were coming in. Nadzak use to complain he didn't get support from the school. One decent year in there.

Our running joke when people asked what were doing that weekend was "Watching the football team lose and the soccer team win." I will say that having an on campus stadium makes a world of difference in terms of indoctrinating generations of fans. Though the Rent is a great place to see a game, we are missing the opportunity to bring generations of kids on board as football fans. IMO.

 

[Adios]

Our running joke when people asked what were doing that weekend was "Watching the football team lose and the soccer team win." I will say that having an on campus stadium makes a world of difference in terms of indoctrinating generations of fans. Though the Rent is a great place to see a game, we are missing the opportunity to bring generations of kids on board as football fans. IMO.

I don't believe in indoctrinating kids over sports but I will say we are located in a very heavily populated area. Look at how well our fans actually travel, including football. If you want to develop a following, #1, winning, #2, schedule. Going independent just might have been a perfect move for us.

Speaking of indoctrination, South Carolina fans are talking about hiring Hugh Freeze already. And barely mention Azzi Fudd.

 

[CL82]

I don't believe in indoctrinating kids over sports but I will say we are located in a very heavily populated area. Look at how well our fans actually travel, including football. If you want to develop a following, #1, winning, #2, schedule. Going independent just might have been a perfect move for us.

Speaking of indoctrination, South Carolina fans are talking about hiring Hugh Freeze already. And barely mention Azzi Fudd.

Mmm, one man's indoctrination is another man's exposure. Having an on campus stadium puts the spectical of college football right in front of them. Many will want to be a part of it.

Fudd was a huge pick up. We are going to be a decent team this year despite having no seniors, only two juniors and what like five freshman. Next year's class has the #1, 5, 15 and 30 picks. It sure looks like Geno is tired of "settling" for final four berths.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Our running joke when people asked what were doing that weekend was "Watching the football team lose and the soccer team win." I will say that having an on campus stadium makes a world of difference in terms of indoctrinating generations of fans. Though the Rent is a great place to see a game, we are missing the opportunity to bring generations of kids on board as football fans. IMO.

I remember very large crowds for 10am soccer and then have 1PM football. Always enjoyed going back to Memorial. Nice views from near the top.

 

[hardcorehusky]

It does seem to fly by. I was leaving as you were coming in. Nadzak use to complain he didn't get support from the school. One decent year in there.

Duncan - that helmet is my favorite UConn football helmet. I was there for Tom Jackson and Walt Nadzak

I went to all the home games - I remember the stands being full for the most part. But Memorial was J O Christian with a bigger press box. The school put no money into football until the upgrade.

 

[CL82]

The whole BCU/UConn thing comes up enough that a remedial lesson might be helpful. Here's the link to the original Boston Globe article. This is quote of the relevant part:

Enough was enough, and a master plan was devised to bring ACC basketball back to the top. The only real target was the Big East, for geographical and competitive reasons.

The first target was Syracuse, which had been on the original ACC expansion list eight years ago. The Orangemen, like BC, were disappointed when they didn’t make the final cut, passed over for Virginia Tech and Miami. Under coach Jim Boeheim, Syracuse was clearly one of the elite basketball teams in the country and would boost the ACC’s stature in that sport.

The second target was Connecticut, which was part of the Northeast footprint the ACC wanted, and was coming off the daily double of a BCS bid in football and a championship in men’s basketball (the third for Jim Calhoun). In addition, the women’s basketball program under Geno Auriemma had established itself as the most dominant in the sport over the past 15 years.

While Syracuse presented no problem, UConn did - to BC, which was still fuming over what it perceived to be vitriolic comments made when BC was finally invited to join the ACC and started competing in 2005. UConn and Pittsburgh filed a lawsuit against BC, and Calhoun made comments about never playing BC again. DeFilippo does not deny that BC opposed the inclusion of UConn. “We didn’t want them in,’’ he said. “It was a matter of turf. We wanted to be the New England team.’’

Turning to Pittsburgh, BC officials argued that Pittsburgh, with a stronger tradition in football, as well as a long-established - though dormant - rivalry with the Eagles, would be a better fit.

Although BC and UConn are the only FBS schools in New England, BC officials were reluctant to give UConn any more credence. Membership in the ACC would do that. UConn had already reached milestones that BC had not - including national championships in men’s and women’s basketball and a BCS bid in football.

Duke and North Carolina, who have thrived as rivals and neighbors, didn’t quite understand the passion behind BC’s argument, but Pittsburgh seemed like a reasonable alternative. Under Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh had established itself as a national power in men’s basketball, so the Tobacco Road contingent didn’t argue. Calls were made and invitations were accepted.

Veteran Big East observers could only shake their heads at the irony. Pittsburgh, led by president Mark Nordenberg, was one of BC’s strongest critics when it left the Big East. It blasted BC when it left after being rejected by the ACC the first time and then regrouping with the other Big East schools to formulate a battle plan for survival, with Nordenberg describing BC as the “fox in the henhouse.’’

 

[Yup!]

Here's the link to the original Boston Globe article. This comes up enough that a remedial lesson might be helpful. This is the relevant part:

Enough was enough, and a master plan was devised to bring ACC basketball back to the top. The only real target was the Big East, for geographical and competitive reasons.

The first target was Syracuse, which had been on the original ACC expansion list eight years ago. The Orangemen, like BC, were disappointed when they didn’t make the final cut, passed over for Virginia Tech and Miami. Under coach Jim Boeheim, Syracuse was clearly one of the elite basketball teams in the country and would boost the ACC’s stature in that sport.

The second target was Connecticut, which was part of the Northeast footprint the ACC wanted, and was coming off the daily double of a BCS bid in football and a championship in men’s basketball (the third for Jim Calhoun). In addition, the women’s basketball program under Geno Auriemma had established itself as the most dominant in the sport over the past 15 years.

While Syracuse presented no problem, UConn did - to BC, which was still fuming over what it perceived to be vitriolic comments made when BC was finally invited to join the ACC and started competing in 2005. UConn and Pittsburgh filed a lawsuit against BC, and Calhoun made comments about never playing BC again. DeFilippo does not deny that BC opposed the inclusion of UConn. “We didn’t want them in,’’ he said. “It was a matter of turf. We wanted to be the New England team.’’

Turning to Pittsburgh, BC officials argued that Pittsburgh, with a stronger tradition in football, as well as a long-established - though dormant - rivalry with the Eagles, would be a better fit.

Although BC and UConn are the only FBS schools in New England, BC officials were reluctant to give UConn any more credence. Membership in the ACC would do that. UConn had already reached milestones that BC had not - including national championships in men’s and women’s basketball and a BCS bid in football.

Duke and North Carolina, who have thrived as rivals and neighbors, didn’t quite understand the passion behind BC’s argument, but Pittsburgh seemed like a reasonable alternative. Under Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh had established itself as a national power in men’s basketball, so the Tobacco Road contingent didn’t argue. Calls were made and invitations were accepted.

Veteran Big East observers could only shake their heads at the irony. Pittsburgh, led by president Mark Nordenberg, was one of BC’s strongest critics when it left the Big East. It blasted BC when it left after being rejected by the ACC the first time and then regrouping with the other Big East schools to formulate a battle plan for survival, with Nordenberg describing BC as the “fox in the henhouse.’’

I never understood how BC had so much say/influence on the decision to not accept UConn. BC at the time was nowhere near as good as UConn, yet they managed to succeed at stopping the ACC from adding us.

 

[John Greene]

I never understood how BC had so much say/influence on the decision to not accept UConn. BC at the time was nowhere near as good as UConn, yet they managed to succeed at stopping the ACC from adding us.

You don't understand the BY yet. They are a hopeless athletic afterthought with no fan base or future which somehow has the power to determine the membership choice of a conference they just joined which by the way has no respect for them.

I never understood how BC had so much say/influence on the decision to not accept UConn. BC at the time was nowhere near as good as UConn, yet they managed to succeed at stopping the ACC from adding us.

 

[UConn Dan]

I never understood how BC had so much say/influence on the decision to not accept UConn. BC at the time was nowhere near as good as UConn, yet they managed to succeed at stopping the ACC from adding us.

BC was on the ACC expansion committee and didn't allow UConn to go to the full conference vote at the time they took Syracuse. DeFilippo squashed it, so Pitt was up next.

 

[The Viking]

I think when it comes to turf war issues, members are willing to be understanding in case they in turn need to use that to keep someone out they don't want.
The fact that there was an alternative (Pitt) that appealed to some of them didn't help matters.

 

[CL82]

I never understood how BC had so much say/influence on the decision to not accept UConn. BC at the time was nowhere near as good as UConn, yet they managed to succeed at stopping the ACC from adding us.

You have to give them props though. Don't get me wrong, it was gutless and short-sighted but it was also effective.