MEC new member Shawnee State

[crixus]

I think that is two seasons away so I doubt there is any real indication.

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[boatcapt]

Will the MEC go to a 9 game conference football schedule when Shawnee State starts playing?

I think that is two seasons away so I doubt there is any real indication.

[crixus]

Will the MEC go to a 9 game conference football schedule when Shawnee State starts playing?

[Eagles73]

Looking forward to watching the Bears build up this program. They will hopefully get old Spartan Stadium in Portsmouth revitalized. Shawnee is growing, I love that I get to drive a mere 20 miles to watch some small college football on Saturdays!

[WVSU1995]

Shawnee State has hired a head coach with experience. They hired former Marshall head football coach Mark Snyder. He is a native of Ironton, OH; so he knows the area.

Snyder worked under Tressel at Ohio State. He had stops at Texas A&M and Florida State as well.

Interesting hire.

[crixus]

Outstanding! Welcome aboard Bears!!

They are targeted to start their on-field football program in 2028.

More immediately, Shawnee stands at 21-4 in mens basketball and sits a top the NAIAs River City Conference. It will be interesting to see how a top tier NAIA program fares in DII starting next year

2028, hope I'm still alive to see it. I'll be 66 in April so I try not to plan too far in advance. But I'm happy for Shawnee State and the MEC.

[boatcapt]

Shawnee State has been approved to begin the 2-year reclassification period. They will join the MEC this Fall.

Shawnee State announces provisional membership to NCAA Division II

Outstanding! Welcome aboard Bears!!

They are targeted to start their on-field football program in 2028.

More immediately, Shawnee stands at 21-4 in mens basketball and sits a top the NAIAs River City Conference. It will be interesting to see how a top tier NAIA program fares in DII starting next year

[Tech Boys]

Shawnee State has been approved to begin the 2-year reclassification period. They will join the MEC this Fall.

Shawnee State announces provisional membership to NCAA Division II

[crixus]

That's the first thing I've heard about Tech restarting a football team since 2022 (3 years). I'd say it's a good sign but that depends on how many people attend!

I was thinking the same thing. Those three years flew by.

[boatcapt]

While certainly a long way from anything concrete, Tech is hosting a football fundraising dinner, they say, is for the reinstatement of the program.

https://woay.com/wvu-tech-football-t...alumni-dinner/

That's the first thing I've heard about Tech restarting a football team since 2022 (3 years). I'd say it's a good sign but that depends on how many people attend!

[Uindy18]

While certainly a long way from anything concrete, Tech is hosting a football fundraising dinner, they say, is for the reinstatement of the program.

https://woay.com/wvu-tech-football-t...alumni-dinner/

[boatcapt]

They said they would be playing at the Cline Complex in Beckley, WV if they ever do.

https://www.wvnstv.com/sports/local-...tball-program/

Carolyn Long, the then President of WVU Tech, was all in for starting football at WVU Tech, unfortunately she left (retired?) WVT in 2022 and there has been zero from any source about WVT starting a football program since. At this point, I'd classify it as a long shot.

[boatcapt]

I have never seen Tech's field, but I bet that was an awesome place to watch a game at. When I was at IUP, I believe we played them in either 99 or 2000 at IUP. When did they disband football? It is sad to see the decay in the field. To bad a local high school could not use it, or was that tried?

It has awesome site lines and a real small college feel buuuttt...the field itself apparently was little more than first generation astro turf over concrete. Some players I knew described it as playing tackle football on a street!

[Uindy18]

It was a nice look on top of that hill overlooking Montgomery, WV and the Kanawha River.

The two closest HS to the field have since closed due to consolidation....Valley-Fayette HS and Gauley Bridge HS. Valley used it a couple times when they made the playoffs in the 90s.

WV Tech was once one of the largest enrollments in the old WVIAC. It was located 25-30 minutes outside of Charleston, WV. But the enrollment went down when the chemical plants in the Kanawha Valley left. When the WVIAC tournament was played in Charleston in the 60s, 70s and 80s, Tech always had a big turnout in terms of fans. Their alumni base in southern WV was big during those days. Many chemical engineers worked at either the plants at DuPont, Union Carbide, Monsanto and FMC. There were also a ton of engineers working as mining engineers for the coal mines in southern WV. The brain drain from the state of WV especially the Kanawha Valley took a big hit on WV Tech.

The saddest thing to see in these articles is the state of once a proud basketball arena in the Neal Baisi Center. One of the best and biggest arenas in the old conference is now boarded up. We are talking some big names that played there. Mike Barrett was a Tech player that won a gold medal for the USA. Sedale Threatt played for over a decade in the NBA....starting for several teams. Sam Cooke, Ron Beatty, Arthur Culbreath, Robert Price, Ray Pringle, Mike Merritt......Tech was one of the forces in the 80s in the WVIAC.

I don't know where Tech would play there home football games if they were to re-start football. Woodrow Wilson HS? They play their home basketball games at the Raleigh County Armory which is where Woodrow Wilson HS plays their home games. WV Tech's on campus basketball gym does not have the seating capacity to host games. Mike Springston had really started to build back WV Tech football....I want to say around 2000, but he left to go start the football program at the University of Charleston.

They said they would be playing at the Cline Complex in Beckley, WV if they ever do.

https://www.wvnstv.com/sports/local-...tball-program/

[BlueBlood]

I think Shawnee St. is a nice pick-up for the MEC. I just looked to see how they fared in their NAIA conference last year. They finished mid-pack in the River States All-Sports rankings. While not a flashy addition, they are a state school that isn't going to fall victim to "tiny private school closing syndrome". And who know, maybe this move will create excitement at SSU and they will have their best/most-competitive years ahead.