What is it going to take to win?

[rhodyfan3]

Hey Everyone,
I'm a new user and this is my first post. I am a current student at URI and a huge football fan. I thought I could use this topic to discuss what needs to be done around here to become a solid football team. Is it coaching? Facilities? Recruiting? A mixture of everything? I just want to see what everyone is thinking about this program because I would everntually love to see Meade Stadium filled on Saturday afternoons with passionate fans and a winning football team.

[ATPTourFan]

It would be great if they could somehow magically win this weekend on Senior Day. I'm not holding my breath. I will likely be there to cheer them on, though.

[RhodyNJ]

I was at the game last weekend in Towson. I can say our effort was outstanding and no one quit til the final whistle. We're just out-matched this year and it's no fault of the players. The "moving to the NEC then not" really put us behind the 8 ball.

[rambone 78]

What everybody fails to realize, is that when URI was planning to drop down, they were going to suck in the NEC also!

Look at what happened with Monmouth this season, a middling NEC program. We got blown out.

That was our future in the NEC also. Simply put, the URI football program was fast on their way to being a NEC doormat.

They are MILES away from being competitive again in the CAA. They need help everywhere. It's going to take at least a couple years of better recruiting, and many other improvements to the program, to even get back to where they were last year.

I just don't see it. If they are counting on using some of the increased BB revenue from future URI Dance appearances, it's going to be a while.

By itself, the FB program is lost.

[ATPTourFan]

I hate to say it, but makes more sense to me they do actually drop football and go all-in on Hoops which, as you said, with NCAA money a few years from now, can help make the entire Athletics program more financially sustainable. It may also open the door to other options like hockey and re-purposing of Meade.

I can't imagine that going winless this year plus another 1-3 win season next year will convince Thorr and Dooley that Football is a worthwhile investment.

I'd love for it to turn around, but as many have said here, the past 30 years show that traditionally, there's not enough institutional support for Football. Something has to change in a major way, but it's just a bad time to need a great increase in resources.

[rambone 78]

ATP, agree on all points.

This program is going to need a MAJOR infusement of money to become competitive again. Just because Albany and Stony Brook will be added to the schedule, instead of a couple of Southern teams, isn't going to solve anything. Yeah, save a few bucks on travel great deal! Still going to get our asses kicked by the new teams!

Plus, the facilities don't even compare to many HS programs. Just an all around embarassment.

My guess is, football will disappear when Thorr leaves, whenever that is. Bring on D1 hockey. Lot cheaper to run than football. Also we're in a good recruiting area.

Even if some big benefactor were to dump a huge load of cash on the program and build a new stadium, etc. it wouldn't matter. How many people will show up?

Football is a huge cash cow for the top programs. URI can never justify the expenses for it, it's a huge cash DRAIN instead.

[Ramblinrose]

Well, at least we haven't made the mistake UMASS has made.

[RF1]

Again the hockey talk. What makes anyone think hockey will succeed at URI? Most of the issues that currently surround football will be there for hockey as well. A hockey program's season would also go right up against basketball further diluting an already small potential customer base.

The Boss Arena is substandard for major college hockey. Only Hockey East would interest fans and URI's chances of getting into that league are remote (especially since they just added both UConn and Notre Dame and probably not looking to expand). While URI is in the northeast, a hockey recruiting hotbed, it hasn't helped either of our Providence neighbors, PC or Brown, as they have both bad bad for many years.

Football is a national sport and to my understanding only two state flagship universities don't field a program (Vermont and Alaska). I would rather not have Rhode Island added to that list. Hockey is a most regional sport with most US state flagship universities NOT having teams.

[ATPTourFan]

You do make sense, RF1. Just no easy answer.

[BFC]

I'd rather have no team than an irrelevant one, a program just to say we have a program.

[OBRAM]

Wow, when people say kill football and put the money into basketball, well, that's what has been happening.
Build the Ryan Ctr, destroy few of the football facilities you have, the field house, cut into the practice field, remove the West Stands for 5 years, have the football team dress in trailers, build a $54 million Ryan Center with the bulk of the money from Student Fees, hire new coaches (highest ever at URI) for basketball.

Why don't you investigate what Stony Brook and Albany are doing, they are doing the opposite of what we are doing, they are trying to build a true college Saturday afternoon fall experience on their campus, including investing in the Bands. URI has invested big time in Basketball, for coaches(Kraft,Harrick,Barons, and now Hurleys). and facilities (Rodman, Keaney, and now Ryan Center). All football got was a $750K East stands in 1977, and the wrecking ball for the West Stands and Field house in 60 years, and as everyone says, if your football facilities are bad compared to High Schoos in Rhode Island not to mention NY of NJ high schools, what do you expect.
Even the money games from football games like vs. Syracuse in 2011 did not go to football, but in the general Athletic fund.

[rambone 78]

Well then why keep it?

If you're going to have football, do you want it to be an embarassment?

That's what we have now. It's the laughingstock of the East, maybe the entire country.

What I want to hear from the administration and Thorr are CONCRETE proposals for improving the program. Not just "well we're going to stay in the CAA" crap.

The SADC isn't going to save the program. There's a TON more that has to be done. People need to know what's going to be done, and HOW it's going to be done, and WHEN it's going to be done, not just some vague general comments.

Wishing and hoping won't cut it. If that's all they've got, then cut the pretenses and drop the sport.

[thatramsfan]

All comes down to money. If URI got the necessary funding they could be a competitive team (eventually, not going to happen overnight) and I have no doubt that people would come to the games. Like others have already mentioned, the URI admin track record really doesn't give any hope for any financial investment in football occurring.

[RF1]

The SADC was first being discussed nearly TEN YEARS ago. Its cost is relatively minor compared to other athletic infrastructure facility costs such as practice facilities, arenas, and stadiums. It still however has yet to open. Unfortunately, don't expect anything to quickly change in Kingston.

[BFC]

So the URI community is just itching for competitive 1-AA football, but the URI Admin., past and present, just won't give it to them. I find this hard to believe. I'm not saying football doesn't have it's supporters, but we know the type of investment we're talking about and it's beyond fundraisers. The football situation is not comparable to basketball, the Ryan Center wasn't built in hopes of competing at a secondary level, it was built after success at the highest level (NCAA Tournament). Also, beyond the head coach's salary, the operating costs of a basketball team are much less than football and revenues are more easily attained, (ticket sales, Tournament appearances, road game buys, conference TV contract, etc.). As far-fetched as UMass' 1-A aspirations seem, my understanding is that they studied it and determined there was no way to even come close to recouping their costs at the 1-AA level and since there wasn't alot of support for the program at that level even though they've had success, it was go big or go home. We're talking about the football program like the losing just started with the NEC thing, it's been going on alot longer than that. I hope they put together a plan too, but I hope it's realistic and supported by research and data and not just a way to keep our school at the bottom of a list.

[ATPTourFan]

Thorr's thoughts on Football, a video put together in the middle of a winless season:

[rambone 78]

Absolutely nothing new in that video. Nothing about facilities, etc.

Looks like a lot of hoping and wishing. Increasing donor support is nice, but it won't make much difference whatsoever.

[SGreenwell]

I think there are three ways this could play out, from most likely to least likely...

1) No upgrades to current facilities, and the program only goes as far as the people leading the program. Meaning, you need a coach who's way overqualified for the job to come in and coach the guys up and charm people's pants off for winning seasons, similar to how (seemingly) track, baseball and soccer (formerly) were successful. You simply aren't going to attract many talented players based on the facilities, so you need something extra to get them to URI.

2) The program is shuttered after a couple years of being unable to compete or to attract quality athletes. Like, if the team goes winless this year, next year and in 2014, I imagine there will be considerable public pressure to just end the football program, and I doubt the athletic department will really want to fight it that strongly, not when you have other programs to support and the Title IX issues that football inherently presents (balancing out 45 to 60 male scholarships with female sports).

3) The success of the basketball program, or a sweetheart deal from a booster, or some other revenue source, intercedes and allows the university to drastically upgrade the facilities. In the past, I suggested that maybe URI can do what Salve and Roger Williams did with their local towns, and partner to do a shared, bigger stadium that all the South County high schools can share. However, I'm not sure how viable this is for what's supposed to be a Division I-AA football program.

[Hal Kopp]

If you can win at New Haven,Salve Regina and Brown in football,you can win at URI.
See below.

"Losing has nothing to do with geography"-Chuck Noll.

[rambone 78]

Trying to improve the product on the field isn't going to happen, unless the FIELD itself is improved first. That means the facilities. They aren't even at the NEC level in that regard. Is the coaching staff substandard too?

What kind of recruit will come here when they see that? The leftovers, guys that aren't good enough for the better CAA programs, we'll get those. And lose with them.

[rambone 78]

imo, URI has 2-3 years to produce results. That's if they start NOW on improving the facilities, not years from now. It's going to take at least those 2-3 years, to build the roster back to where they were even last year.

Otherwise, why bother? Those improvements in the physical plant need to be at least in the concrete phase of development after another year or two.

Does anyone know if there are any SPECIFIC plans yet? Other than the SADC?

[BFC]

Does anyone know if there are any SPECIFIC plans yet?

How could there be? Unless they started a top-secret fundraising campaign, there are no plans. The plans and the fundraising for the SADC have been public for years and it's taken this long to raise the money. They would need much, much, more to turn Meade into an actual college football stadium.

[Issac]

The problem with URI Athletics is the same problem they have with funding the University. Every year brings worse news on that front. For example, the state just this week merged the higher education board with the regents for k-12 education board and appointed George Caruolo to head the new combined board. Caruolo's background is a lawyer/lobbyist and when asked about higher education, he replied that we have to look at " redundancies". Wow, his first words are about cost cutting schemes rather than a more visionary look that addresses the better problem why is Rhode Island at the bottom of list of all states on spending for higher education and has been that way for decades? No wonder Dooley opposed this move.

So the problem at URI is a systemic one involving the entire University. Remember the word "systemic" is used to describe large, far reaching and long term problems. You avoid creating "systemic" problems because to correct them requires big action and takes time. Unlike Mass and CT there are no big programs in place in RI that focuses on massive improvement to higher education. For example, UConn has just announced a plan to its expand its faculty by 290 tenure track faculty members. They can only make such plans if they have support of the legislature. BTW, CT has a budget deficit this year of $300 million and Rhode Island has a surplus of $100 million, but CT has a totally different view of higher education than RI.

[ATPTourFan]

People, on average, in CT are much smarter and better educated than the average RI resident who usually looks for a way to improve his entitlements.

[rambone 78]

Why, thank you, ATP.

[RIKen822]

ATP- truer words have never been spoken

[GansettRam74]

I am a big fan of the football program and would love for them to turn this around. There are alot of pieces that need to fit in order for this to ever work. Spoke with a big time booster today and there is going to be a meeting of the minds in the coming months on how to make it work while remaining in the CAA. Was told games against Penn State and The U(Miami) are in the works. Rhody would be paid close to $500,000 per game to face each of them. Games will be absolute blowouts but at least they are looking at ways to increase revenue.

[Hal Kopp]

If you can win at Wagner and Stony Brook,you can win at Rhody.

[RF1]

If you can win at Wagner and Stony Brook,you can win at Rhody.

URI should really study how UNH and Maine can field successful programs in the CAA most years. They have similar resource limitations and are not lcoated in recruiting hotbeds. How are they able to win most seasons while URI can't even sniff a winning season most every year?

[BIG_FISH_RI]

If you can win at Wagner and Stony Brook,you can win at Rhody.

URI should really study how UNH and Maine can field successful programs in the CAA most years. They have similar resource limitations and are not lcoated in recruiting hotbeds. How are they able to win most seasons while URI can't even sniff a winning season most every year?

URI has a much better recruiting area then both teams. Thay have MASS/ CT/ NJ/ NY.
Poor facilities and support. Somebody just needs to get for real and put money in the program. PERIOD!

[Ramulous]

Hey, a spot just opened in the ACC...now is the time to move up and join that league....we would be a natural and bring the southeastern New England TV market....

[OBRAM]

Frankly, I was surprised how well we did against some 1-A teams. Now I know the Army teams of today are not like in the past, but URI hung with Syracuse in 2011, Cincinnati in 2003. If we could get to the level of even Maine, we could play those games and put up a good fight. Just think we were tied with Syracuse late into the game, imagine if we have better facilities and had better talent. Many of the 1-A teams were not light years ahead of us with 2010-2011 talent. There is a group of middle tier 1-A teams that a good 1-AA team can compete with.
Hopefully, the money from a Penn State game will go toward Football.

[RhowdyRam02]

It's not just institutional support, it's also fan support of this program and I'm not talking about attendence. Every single time there's the slightest piece of bad news about the football team we have five people on this board say we should just shut the program down. Last year people were worried about possible negative effects on recruiting due to the massive Fire Baron campaign. What do you think it looks like when there's a Fire Football campaign on here? I'm not saying that we shouldn't discuss the future of the program but it's got to be a killer when a school we're recruiting against can pull up that kind of attitude at a moment's notice. If a recruit is worried about a potential coaching change during their time on campus imagine what it must take to commit to a school that might not be committed to your program.

[rhodyrudder]

I've said this before, maybe even in this thread: I can't imagine why any high school footballer would even consider Rhode Island.

[ramster]

The change to the NEC hurt recruiting, it was a significnat set back for the program.
I'd like to see a Football Complex as has been pictured here.
The turnout for Homecoming and Family Day show that there is interest in having a Football Program at URI.
There is nothing like a beautiful, crisp, sunny, fall afternoon at our beautiful campus with Tailgating and a Football Game. It's nice to win, no doubt, but win or lose these are very nice family experiences for URI Students and Alumni.
I would very much regret URI having no Football Team at all.
and I don't buy that the money would automatically make the Basketball Team better. Donors would stop or greatly reduce their contributions to the school and the Athletic Program if Football failed to exist at all.
If New Hampshire and Maine can have good, solid, consistent Football Programs then certainly URI should be able to.

[RhowdyRam02]

I'm in complete agreement with Ramster. Football provides a platform for Homecoming that basketball or any other sport we field just can't match. There's nothing like being outside on a great day in Kingston reconnecting with people you haven't seen in a year or more, and I don't think anything could carry that torch if the football program were to be folded. Frankly I would rather cut the athletic department down to an absolute bare bones amount of sports to save money before football were to be put on the chopping block. And if you haven't been back to URI for Homecoming these last two years you've really missed out and should make sure it's on your calendar for the 2013 season.

[Ramulous]

Is homecoming and football only good if we are in the CAA?