Salem University Football

[crixus]

I agree. Ultimately, I would push for Salem and WV Tech in the MEC because I feel the best thing for WV sports (outside of WVU and Marshall) is to have a solid DII conference based around WV. Basically, a rebirth of the old WVIAC without the PA schools, and unfortunately without OVU (RIP Fighting Scots). While next to impossible, Shepherd belongs back in the MEC as well.

If I remember correctly, you've mentioned Salem in other threads. And that's fine, I've got nothing against them. Do you have ties to Salem through family or friends? Or do you like green Tigers? ;) Just curious.

[Uindy18]

A history of poaching? Please give examples....

The conference championship game in the PSAC seems be a sacred cow of sorts, so if schools leave, they are highly motivated to poach schools to maintain the numbers needed for both divisions. Hence, Shepherd.

[Ram Tough]

The conference championship game in the PSAC seems be a sacred cow of sorts, so if schools leave, they are highly motivated to poach schools to maintain the numbers needed for both divisions. Hence, Shepherd.

Shepherd wasn't poached. The MEC had opportunities to make the conference more viable for Shepherd and didn't take any action on that front until Shepherd left for the PSAC. Playing a majority of the games in the PSAC East is a better geographic fit than the MEC.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

2007 Mansfield shutters their football program. PSAC poaches LIU Post from neighbor NE10.
2013 Seton Hill from the former neighbor WVIAC moves their football program to the PSAC. PSAC punts LIU Post back to the NE10.
2018 Cheyney leaves the PSAC, PSAC poaches Shepherd from neighbor MEC.

Other poaches:

2008 Gannon from neighbor GLIAC
2008 Mercyhurst from neighbor GLIAC

Let's be fair here ... Seton Hill, Gannon and Mercyhurst begged to join the PSAC (the latter two for years).

I had friends who played at Gannon ... and they had horror stories of the 12 hour (each way) bus trips to football games. Same with Mercyhurst.

Tell you what, Boat. We'll give you Seton Hill back. Free of charge. LOL.

Personally, I like Seton Hill because it's the shortest road trip around.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Shepherd wasn't poached. The MEC had opportunities to make the conference more viable for Shepherd and didn't take any action on that front until Shepherd left for the PSAC. Playing a majority of the games in the PSAC East is a better geographic fit than the MEC.

Shepherd's been in the PSAC East long enough now that you're starting to see some rivals of sorts -- West Chester, Shippensburg, Kutztown, etc. I think ESU and Ship are also going to be vastly better this year in football. Shepherd men's basketball was pretty average in the MEC and has stayed pretty average in the PSAC. They seem always right on the brink but at the end of the year they always seem to be around .500

[Ram Tough]

Shepherd's been in the PSAC East long enough now that you're starting to see some rivals of sorts -- West Chester, Shippensburg, Kutztown, etc. I think ESU and Ship are also going to be vastly better this year in football. Shepherd men's basketball was pretty average in the MEC and has stayed pretty average in the PSAC. They seem always right on the brink but at the end of the year they always seem to be around .500

Ship has always been a rivalry, but you really are seeing some new rivals. I am really enjoying the battles with Kutztown. And of course West Chester will be back. Shepherd men's basketball is what it is. It used to be really bad, so mediocre is better than that. I just wish it was a little better.

[boatcapt]

Let's be fair here ... Seton Hill, Gannon and Mercyhurst begged to join the PSAC (the latter two for years).

I had friends who played at Gannon ... and they had horror stories of the 12 hour (each way) bus trips to football games. Same with Mercyhurst.

Tell you what, Boat. We'll give you Seton Hill back. Free of charge. LOL.

Personally, I like Seton Hill because it's the shortest road trip around.

Hahahahaha! We'll take Seton Hill if you take D&E and WVWC!!!

So stipulated on Gannon and Hurst, but Seton Hill is a different story. They voted to leave the WVIAC with the football playing schools and participated in the MEC formation discussions...until the PSAC offered them a membership. THAT is what lead to Wheeling being offered a last minute membership...provided they agreed to start football (that tortured process was well documented on this board). Seems like we dodged a bullet there soooo...Thank You PSAC!

So lets call what the PSAC did with regard to Post and Shepherd poaching, Seton Hill poaching lite and Gannon and Mercyhurst mutual flirting with someone else's girlfriend that led to a marriage.

[boatcapt]

Shepherd's been in the PSAC East long enough now that you're starting to see some rivals of sorts -- West Chester, Shippensburg, Kutztown, etc. I think ESU and Ship are also going to be vastly better this year in football. Shepherd men's basketball was pretty average in the MEC and has stayed pretty average in the PSAC. They seem always right on the brink but at the end of the year they always seem to be around .500

Specific to their basketball, the same when they were in the MEC. They were a team many felt year after year was ready to make a jump from .500 to relavence...but it just never happened. Maybe some year they will realize their basketball potential.

[Uindy18]

If I remember correctly, you've mentioned Salem in other threads. And that's fine, I've got nothing against them. Do you have ties to Salem through family or friends? Or do you like green Tigers? ;) Just curious.

Honestly, it just a odd school in a curious position, so its interesting to me. From a history standpoint, their football history is really interesting as well with multiple Super Bowl winners and some really big names that all ended up starting off careers at Salem. No real connections, just an odd little corner of the DII world that I am intrigued by.

[ctrabs74]

So lets call what the PSAC did with regard to Post and Shepherd poaching, Seton Hill poaching lite and Gannon and Mercyhurst mutual flirting with someone else's girlfriend that led to a marriage.

CW Post/LIU Post (now simply LIU, though the FCS football program still plays their home games in Nassau County) was actually a member of the East Coast Conference and had a sort of loose affiliation with the NE-10 for football. And I don't think you can compare Gannon/Mercyhurst with the Seton Hill or Shepherd situations, especially when there's a big difference between having the majority of your rivals within a 2-3 hour drive along (mainly) I-79 (PSAC) and having most of your rivals scattered across Michigan (GLIAC, this was before the GLIAC added a bunch of Ohio schools who ultimately created the G-MAC).

[Ram040506]

Specific to their basketball, the same when they were in the MEC. They were a team many felt year after year was ready to make a jump from .500 to relavence...but it just never happened. Maybe some year they will realize their basketball potential.

I don't know if they'll ever realize their basketball potential. I gave up, there is no excuse for them not be better than .500 being so close to the DMV.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

CW Post/LIU Post (now simply LIU, though the FCS football program still plays their home games in Nassau County) was actually a member of the East Coast Conference and had a sort of loose affiliation with the NE-10 for football. And I don't think you can compare Gannon/Mercyhurst with the Seton Hill or Shepherd situations, especially when there's a big difference between having the majority of your rivals within a 2-3 hour drive along (mainly) I-79 (PSAC) and having most of your rivals scattered across Michigan (GLIAC, this was before the GLIAC added a bunch of Ohio schools who ultimately created the G-MAC).

Lost in the discussion is Pitt-Johnstown (non-football). Like Gannon and Mercyhurst, UPJ wanted to join the PSAC for years but couldn't get in.

Being non-football, I get the sense many often forget they are actually in the conference. Not that it's likely to ever happen, but they have everything in place to start football.

UPJ is a wrestling power and is pretty good in most other sports.

[ESU Warrior]

2007 Mansfield shutters their football program. PSAC poaches LIU Post from neighbor NE10.
2013 Seton Hill from the former neighbor WVIAC moves their football program to the PSAC. PSAC punts LIU Post back to the NE10.
2018 Cheyney leaves the PSAC, PSAC poaches Shepherd from neighbor MEC.

Other poaches:

2008 Gannon from neighbor GLIAC
2008 Mercyhurst from neighbor GLIAC

OK so lets dispute this with FACTS. Lets start with 2008...Gannon and Mercyhurst tried getting into the PSAC for YEARS. They were not admitted because prior to 2007 the PSAC was only made up of public schools. When the home office lifted the scholarship cap and allowed private schools in there were admitted. Post joined the conference in the same year, and it was under the same guidance as being a private school. They too reached out to the PSAC, and the only reason the PSAC allowed them in was to balance out the divisions. Hence why they did get kicked out a couple of years later (2013...that year ring a bell?). How is this poaching? This all came from a conversation I had with PSAC commissioner Steve Murray. This is not me making it up, but yet first hand knowledge of someone who spearheaded this. More on this conversation later...

Seton Hill joined because your old conference broke apart, and it left them with an opportunity to strengthen their geography. The PSAC never once came after Seton Hill prior to the break-up of the WVIAC. It wasn't until the breakup of the WVIAC, a conference they were a part of broke up leaving them looking for a new home (along with Pitt-Johnstown). How is this poaching?

Now Shepherd. You are still butt hurt over this own. As I mentioned I did have a first hand conversation with PSAC commissioner Steve Murray over a decade before Shepherd even joined the conference. He did say to me at that time that Shepherd and the PSAC have had conversations about possibly joining in the future if the opportunity arose. Who initiated those conversations? I do not know, but it has been in the works for years. In 2018 when Cheyney closed up shop, that opportunity arose. So I could possibly give you this one.

[ESU Warrior]

The conference championship game in the PSAC seems be a sacred cow of sorts, so if schools leave, they are highly motivated to poach schools to maintain the numbers needed for both divisions. Hence, Shepherd.

Please see my reply to boat in the previous post.

[GSCfan1275]

Several years ago the late Corky Griffith did a study for Salem as to restarting football. His findings were that it wasn’t financially feasible for Salem to restart the program.