URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

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bmwrhody2010
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URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by bmwrhody2010 »

If URI wants to find success in their athletics program, it needs to figure out whatever North Dakota State is doing, and copy it. NDSU record of success since moving to Division 1 in 2004 is impeccable! The NDSU football team has won 4 FCS national championships in football in the last 4 years. They have also beaten 7 FBS level teams including teams like Minnesota, Iowa State and Kansas State. The men's basketball team has been to the NCAA tournament three times since 2004 and won a game, which is more than URI can say since 1999. NDSU has won 3 wrestling conferences titles in a row (2013-2015) before their conference (WWC) merged with the Big 12. Their baseball team made into the NCAA's last year and has 3 conference championship game appearances since their current coach has gotten there in 2007. Their women's volleyball teams has also made several appearances in the NCAA tournament the last few years too. NDSU has also won eight straight women's outdoor titles and six consecutive men's outdoor championships in The Summit League. And finally their softball program is regular participant in the NCAA tournament with multiple conference championships. Their football recruiting model pulls players from all over the Midwest and as far as California and Texas, while facing the same problem URI faces when it comes to having little homegrown talent. I would say the only superior facility they have compared to URI is the Fargo Dome. It's not like Fargo has better weather than URI either. URI needs to figure out NDSU's secret fast...

http://www.scout.com/college/north-dako ... sion-i-gap
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... g-decision
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Dakota_State_Bison
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by OBRAM »

I would say, commitment from the top levels of the administration. I would say, the same commitment that URI has in Men's basketball, where a bad basketball team is not tolerated. How many people
would have know about NDSU if it was not for their football program. Football put NDSU on the map.
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RhowdyRam02
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by RhowdyRam02 »

Should we really try to follow some theoretical blueprint NDSU may or may not have? When it comes to their non football sports I think it would be helpful to look at who's in their conference:

Denver
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Nebraska Omaha
Oral Roberts
South Dakota
South Dakota State
Western Illinois

Frankly, their blueprint seems to be get yourself into a terrible conference and leverage your resources against the Sisters of the Poor and the Blind. I imagine we could have the same "success" if we downgraded all of our sports to the NEC or the America East. While our football program belongs in the NEC at best, that isn't a good idea for the remainder of our athletic department.
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RhowdyRam02
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by RhowdyRam02 »

OBRAM wrote:I would say, commitment from the top levels of the administration. I would say, the same commitment that URI has in Men's basketball, where a bad basketball team is not tolerated. How many people
would have know about NDSU if it was not for their football program. Football put NDSU on the map.
First, is NDSU even on the map? I'd argue that for all their FCS success most average college fans have no idea who they are. Which goes to show how worthless FCS football truly is.

But more importantly, why do you think there's a commitment from the administration when it comes to men's basketball but not for football? Because there's no commitment from football FANS to have a winning program. The administration knows it can keep putting out the same garbage product and the yokels will just keep shoveling it in and keep talking about how delicious the garbage tastes. Just look at the embarrassing Homecoming thread, a day where we got destroyed and clinched our record setting 14th losing season in a row. We have you saying Homecoming was great. Rhodymob05 says it was great and exciting. Your favorite team lost and you had a great time! Any fan truly committed to their team and winning doesn't have fun when their team loses. Your favorite team got stomped by four possessions and Steve McDonald sounded like he was making a hostage video on the radio call, but you were excited! How is not being competitive exciting?

We've had an out of date stadium for God knows how long and it's been decrepit and unsafe for quite a while. What have our fans done to fix this? What funds has the booster organization raised to fix this? What political pressure have they tried to rally to have the state fix it?

When basketball was mediocre under Jim Baron fans let the administration know it was unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated. Attendance dropped and when things finally cratered the administration knew they had to not just change coaches, but improve other aspects of the program so we could be successful. Basketball fans spoke with their wallets and their attendance and won. Football fans have fought the administration once in the last 14+ years, and that was to reverse Thorr Bjorn's correct plan to drop us to the NEC. Football fans fought once, for the wrong cause, and actually won. You'd think they'd learn from that lesson and actually continue to fight to better their favorite program. But nope, they just went back to doing nothing and having a great time while their favorite team got killed on the field.

When people think of pink hat fans, they think of Red Sox fans that only showed up when the team got good, bandwagon fans. But in addition to that I think of something else when I think of pink hat fans. I think of people that don't really care if the team wins or loses, they just want to be at the game, have a Fenway Frank, sing Sweet Caroline and do the wave. And no matter what the scoreboard looks like, if you can check off all those boxes, you had a great day. Frankly, outside of the bandwagon aspect, our football fans are textbook examples of pink hat fans. Head to Kingston, have some food and it was a great day no matter the score. And don't pressure the organization to improve, because winning and losing isn't really a concern. You want the football program to improve? It doesn't start with the state or the administration, it starts with the fans.
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R.Kelly150
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by R.Kelly150 »

RhowdyRam02 wrote:
OBRAM wrote:I would say, commitment from the top levels of the administration. I would say, the same commitment that URI has in Men's basketball, where a bad basketball team is not tolerated. How many people
would have know about NDSU if it was not for their football program. Football put NDSU on the map.
First, is NDSU even on the map? I'd argue that for all their FCS success most average college fans have no idea who they are. Which goes to show how worthless FCS football truly is.

But more importantly, why do you think there's a commitment from the administration when it comes to men's basketball but not for football? Because there's no commitment from football FANS to have a winning program. The administration knows it can keep putting out the same garbage product and the yokels will just keep shoveling it in and keep talking about how delicious the garbage tastes. Just look at the embarrassing Homecoming thread, a day where we got destroyed and clinched our record setting 14th losing season in a row. We have you saying Homecoming was great. Rhodymob05 says it was great and exciting. Your favorite team lost and you had a great time! Any fan truly committed to their team and winning doesn't have fun when their team loses. Your favorite team got stomped by four possessions and Steve McDonald sounded like he was making a hostage video on the radio call, but you were excited! How is not being competitive exciting?

We've had an out of date stadium for God knows how long and it's been decrepit and unsafe for quite a while. What have our fans done to fix this? What funds has the booster organization raised to fix this? What political pressure have they tried to rally to have the state fix it?

When basketball was mediocre under Jim Baron fans let the administration know it was unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated. Attendance dropped and when things finally cratered the administration knew they had to not just change coaches, but improve other aspects of the program so we could be successful. Basketball fans spoke with their wallets and their attendance and won. Football fans have fought the administration once in the last 14+ years, and that was to reverse Thorr Bjorn's correct plan to drop us to the NEC. Football fans fought once, for the wrong cause, and actually won. You'd think they'd learn from that lesson and actually continue to fight to better their favorite program. But nope, they just went back to doing nothing and having a great time while their favorite team got killed on the field.

When people think of pink hat fans, they think of Red Sox fans that only showed up when the team got good, bandwagon fans. But in addition to that I think of something else when I think of pink hat fans. I think of people that don't really care if the team wins or loses, they just want to be at the game, have a Fenway Frank, sing Sweet Caroline and do the wave. And no matter what the scoreboard looks like, if you can check off all those boxes, you had a great day. Frankly, outside of the bandwagon aspect, our football fans are textbook examples of pink hat fans. Head to Kingston, have some food and it was a great day no matter the score. And don't pressure the organization to improve, because winning and losing isn't really a concern. You want the football program to improve? It doesn't start with the state or the administration, it starts with the fans.
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ramster
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by ramster »

So you are saying that the 12 agonizing years of Barren ball was the fault of the fans.
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OBRAM
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by OBRAM »

I would not have heard much about NDSU if it was not for their football team, championships, and wins over FBS teams.
Here is an interesting article about Appalachian State .
http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/ ... ium-s1848/

Since opening as Conrad Stadium in 1962, Kidd Brewer Stadium, or KBS for short, has seen the homestanding Mountaineers enjoy an all-time winning percentage in excess of .750. Coming into the 2013 season, App State had won 65 of their last 73 games inside these intimidating black wrought-iron gates. Coinciding with that impressive statistic is the meteoric rise of the program since 2005. First was the national championship seasons of 2005 & 2006, then came the program-defining and earth-shattering upset heard around the world of the mighty Michigan Wolverines at the Big House in Ann Arbor in 2007. That defining moment would be followed up by yet another national championship just a few months later, a dominant victory against another team wearing the same famed winged helmet as the Wolverines; the Joe Flacco-quarterbacked Delaware Blue Hens.

Along for the ride was the rapidly expanding Mountaineer fan base. As the wins piled up on the field the applications piled up in the admissions office. The school began to grow rapidly, in reality and in stature. The small school once known as Appalachian State Teacher’s College and located in the sleepy hollow of Boone was now emerging as a football powerhouse. Alumni could not help but pay attention. They felt a new connection to their alma mater, a new sense of pride in calling themselves a Mountaineer. Donations poured in and the school’s athletic booster club, the Yosef Club, soared to new heights in membership and dollars raised.

Mountaineer Football was the engine driving the machine, and drive it did! Attendance at Kidd Brewer Stadium reached new heights with each passing season. Appalachian’s cumulative attendance and per game average attendance for the regular season dominated FCS. Attendance routinely exceeded 130% of seated stadium capacity. Even in the “down” season of 2013, attendance was still among the highest in the land.
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RhowdyRam02
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by RhowdyRam02 »

I have no idea where you got this:
ramster wrote:So you are saying that the 12 agonizing years of Barren ball was the fault of the fans.
From this: "When basketball was mediocre under Jim Baron fans let the administration know it was unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated. Attendance dropped and when things finally cratered the administration knew they had to not just change coaches, but improve other aspects of the program so we could be successful. Basketball fans spoke with their wallets and their attendance and won."

If anything, I said the exact opposite, that URI basketball fans are the ones that forced the change.
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ramster
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by ramster »

RhowdyRam02 wrote:I have no idea where you got this:
ramster wrote:So you are saying that the 12 agonizing years of Barren ball was the fault of the fans.
From this: "When basketball was mediocre under Jim Baron fans let the administration know it was unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated. Attendance dropped and when things finally cratered the administration knew they had to not just change coaches, but improve other aspects of the program so we could be successful. Basketball fans spoke with their wallets and their attendance and won."

If anything, I said the exact opposite, that URI basketball fans are the ones that forced the change.
So, you would agree that it took URI basketball fans 12 years to dump Barren. And Jerry D.
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by TruePoint »

ramster wrote:
RhowdyRam02 wrote:I have no idea where you got this:
ramster wrote:So you are saying that the 12 agonizing years of Barren ball was the fault of the fans.
From this: "When basketball was mediocre under Jim Baron fans let the administration know it was unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated. Attendance dropped and when things finally cratered the administration knew they had to not just change coaches, but improve other aspects of the program so we could be successful. Basketball fans spoke with their wallets and their attendance and won."

If anything, I said the exact opposite, that URI basketball fans are the ones that forced the change.
So, you would agree that it took URI basketball fans 12 years to dump Barren. And Jerry D.
I like this. We should all adopt this spelling, except when talking about Jimmy.
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by RhowdyRam02 »

ramster wrote:
RhowdyRam02 wrote:I have no idea where you got this:
ramster wrote:So you are saying that the 12 agonizing years of Barren ball was the fault of the fans.
From this: "When basketball was mediocre under Jim Baron fans let the administration know it was unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated. Attendance dropped and when things finally cratered the administration knew they had to not just change coaches, but improve other aspects of the program so we could be successful. Basketball fans spoke with their wallets and their attendance and won."

If anything, I said the exact opposite, that URI basketball fans are the ones that forced the change.
So, you would agree that it took URI basketball fans 12 years to dump Barren. And Jerry D.
I wouldn't agree with that at all. Jerry D was gone in just two years, that's pretty rapid for a college coach to be out of a job, so I have no idea what Jerry D has to do with whatever argument you're trying to make. As for the 11 years Baron was coach, I know no one wants to admit they were on the wrong side of history and there were certainly people against the hiring from day 1, but the reality of how things played out and the attendance numbers don't bear out whatever hypothesis you're trying to invent. Year 1 was chalked up to cleaning up the Jerry D mess. Year 2 was a celebrated NIT year with higher average attendance then what we had this past year. Year 3 was another NIT season with higher average attendance then year 2. The next 3 years were a period of malaise. Finally in year 7 we went back to the NIT and set the record for average attendance in the Ryan Center and I would argue it wasn't until the end of year 7 when we went 2-8 down the stretch where fan talk of getting rid of Baron really set in. So by my count and recollection there might have been four years at most where fans truly thought Baron should be gone where he was still the coach, certainly not 12 seeing as he only coached 11.
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by Seawrightspostgame »

OBRAM wrote:I would not have heard much about NDSU if it was not for their football team, championships, and wins over FBS teams.
Here is an interesting article about Appalachian State .
http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/ ... ium-s1848/

Since opening as Conrad Stadium in 1962, Kidd Brewer Stadium, or KBS for short, has seen the homestanding Mountaineers enjoy an all-time winning percentage in excess of .750. Coming into the 2013 season, App State had won 65 of their last 73 games inside these intimidating black wrought-iron gates. Coinciding with that impressive statistic is the meteoric rise of the program since 2005. First was the national championship seasons of 2005 & 2006, then came the program-defining and earth-shattering upset heard around the world of the mighty Michigan Wolverines at the Big House in Ann Arbor in 2007. That defining moment would be followed up by yet another national championship just a few months later, a dominant victory against another team wearing the same famed winged helmet as the Wolverines; the Joe Flacco-quarterbacked Delaware Blue Hens.

Along for the ride was the rapidly expanding Mountaineer fan base. As the wins piled up on the field the applications piled up in the admissions office. The school began to grow rapidly, in reality and in stature. The small school once known as Appalachian State Teacher’s College and located in the sleepy hollow of Boone was now emerging as a football powerhouse. Alumni could not help but pay attention. They felt a new connection to their alma mater, a new sense of pride in calling themselves a Mountaineer. Donations poured in and the school’s athletic booster club, the Yosef Club, soared to new heights in membership and dollars raised.

Mountaineer Football was the engine driving the machine, and drive it did! Attendance at Kidd Brewer Stadium reached new heights with each passing season. Appalachian’s cumulative attendance and per game average attendance for the regular season dominated FCS. Attendance routinely exceeded 130% of seated stadium capacity. Even in the “down” season of 2013, attendance was still among the highest in the land.

Their stadium is pretty cool. It figures prominent in that valley where the school is. It is an extremely mountainous area. Only thing there is the school and the stadium is the biggest coolest thing for hours in most directions. Its isolated.

They also don't serve liquor anywhere in that area. Not at bars or the store.
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by SmartyBarrett »

Seawrightspostgame wrote:They also don't serve liquor anywhere in that area. Not at bars or the store.
Sounds terrible.
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by RF1 »

Seawrightspostgame wrote: They also don't serve liquor anywhere in that area. Not at bars or the store.

What do they serve at the bars then?
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ramster
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by ramster »

[quote="RhowdyRam02"][quote="ramster"][quote="RhowdyRam02"]I have no idea where you got this:

So you are saying that the 12 agonizing years of Barren ball was the fault of the fans.

From this: "When basketball was mediocre under Jim Baron fans let the administration know it was unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated. Attendance dropped and when things finally cratered the administration knew they had to not just change coaches, but improve other aspects of the program so we could be successful. Basketball fans spoke with their wallets and their attendance and won."

If anything, I said the exact opposite, that URI basketball fans are the ones that forced the change

So, you would agree that it took URI basketball fans 12 years to dump Barren. And Jerry D.

I wouldn't agree with that at all. Jerry D was gone in just two years, that's pretty rapid for a college coach to be out of a job, so I have no idea what Jerry D has to do with whatever argument you're trying to make. As for the 11 years Baron was coach, I know no one wants to admit they were on the wrong side of history and there were certainly people against the hiring from day 1, but the reality of how things played out and the attendance numbers don't bear out whatever hypothesis you're trying to invent. Year 1 was chalked up to cleaning up the Jerry D mess. Year 2 was a celebrated NIT year with higher average attendance then what we had this past year. Year 3 was another NIT season with higher average attendance then year 2. The next 3 years were a period of malaise. Finally in year 7 we went back to the NIT and set the record for average attendance in the Ryan Center and I would argue it wasn't until the end of year 7 when we went 2-8 down the stretch where fan talk of getting rid of Baron really set in. So by my count and recollection there might have been four years at most where fans truly thought Baron should be gone where he was still the coach, certainly not 12 seeing as he only coached 11.
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by Seawrightspostgame »

The liquor? They only serve beer and wine. EVEN in the bars!

I was there for maybe a few hours. It was strange to me, but I'm from Rhode Island not the mountains.

The school and stadium are in the middle of the valley and then the housing for people that live there rises around that valley. So when they look out their windows into the valley they see the stadium.
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STC
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by STC »

Unless that liquor rule is specific to game days in Boone, that is not true. I spent a week in Boone at App State this summer. Great college town with some great college bars. Tapp Room is great, as is the Local and the Boone Saloon. All walking distance to the stadium and all had liquor.

They also haven't let the Michigan win go 8 years later (and who can blame them). Souvenir stores sell shirts saying 'WHO?' with the W being an upside down Michigan M.

Great school but isolated. 2 hours from Charlotte airport. Would love to see URI model its football after App State along with bring some bars to campus a la App State.
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Seawrightspostgame
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by Seawrightspostgame »

I was there in 2008 I think. So things could've changed.
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theblueram
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by theblueram »

at this point it feels like we are getting recruits who say "if you go to RI, you don't have to work hard and if you lose that's ok. You still get free college" No need to give more till the culture changes. That includes fans.
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by Puck Frovidence »

bmwrhody2010 wrote:If URI wants to find success in their athletics program, it needs to figure out whatever North Dakota State is doing, and copy it.
LAWL. How will we ever unravel the mysteries of this impenetrable Da Vinci Code..?
RhowdyRam02 wrote:When it comes to their non football sports I think it would be helpful to look at who's in their conference:

Denver
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Nebraska Omaha
Oral Roberts
South Dakota
South Dakota State
Western Illinois

Frankly, their blueprint seems to be get yourself into a terrible conference and leverage your resources against the Sisters of the Poor and the Blind. I imagine we could have the same "success" if we downgraded all of our sports to the NEC or the America East.
:shock: EUREKA!
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GansettRam74
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Re: URI Must Follow the NDSU Model

Unread post by GansettRam74 »

Now why can't the football team do something similar for field upgrades. I'm sure season tickets to Patriots would raise alot of money to use toward upgrades.

http://www.gorhody.com/sports/m-basebl/ ... 0119lfqi94
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