OT: D1

[IUPalum]

Matt Campbell turned down a contract offer of 8 years, $68.5 million from the Detroit Lions to remain at Iowa State. Good for him.

Why go to a dead end franchise? That's a lot of money to turn down though.

[Fightingscot82]

Why go to a dead end franchise? That's a lot of money to turn down though.

I didn't know that he originally played ball at Pitt before transferring to Mount Union. I wonder how many coaches Mount Union has produced.

In other news, Curt Cig promoted Mike Shanahan to be his new OC then hired former Pitt QB Tino Sunseri as QB coach. For those who don't remember, Curt coached at Alabama with Tino's dad Sal.

[Fightingscot82]

RE: RMU cutting D1 hockey

The reaction to this should be interesting to watch. No matter the success of men's basketball, men's ice hockey was THE sport students were most interested in at RMU. You almost had to pay students to attend basketball on the weekends but they'd somehow find ways to get to the hockey games. This says several things:

1. They have clear answers as to whether they could find the money to build a new arena - either on campus or on Neville Island - and its a resounding NO.

2. Now that they can secure money games, they're investing in football. This doesn't surprise me - RMU's president was an All-American RB at Air Force in the 90s and served a term on the CFP committee.

3. They also admit that they've been leapfrogged by Penn State as top hockey program in the state and would never compete for best local talent.

4. Money is tight at Bobby Mo. Covid hit them hard (they've done staff layoffs four times in the last 3 years). Hockey is expensive to run with a lot of travel. Their arena is also a for-profit business owned by the university so every hour the teams are there is money they're not making from pee wee and adult leagues.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

RE: RMU cutting D1 hockey

The reaction to this should be interesting to watch. No matter the success of men's basketball, men's ice hockey was THE sport students were most interested in at RMU. You almost had to pay students to attend basketball on the weekends but they'd somehow find ways to get to the hockey games. This says several things:

1. They have clear answers as to whether they could find the money to build a new arena - either on campus or on Neville Island - and its a resounding NO.

2. Now that they can secure money games, they're investing in football. This doesn't surprise me - RMU's president was an All-American RB at Air Force in the 90s and served a term on the CFP committee.

3. They also admit that they've been leapfrogged by Penn State as top hockey program in the state and would never compete for best local talent.

4. Money is tight at Bobby Mo. Covid hit them hard (they've done staff layoffs four times in the last 3 years). Hockey is expensive to run with a lot of travel. Their arena is also a for-profit business owned by the university so every hour the teams are there is money they're not making from pee wee and adult leagues.

Hockey players become BMOC. Hoopsters at Bobby Mo are there for a year (most anyway) and they move along.

[Fightingscot82]

Hockey players become BMOC. Hoopsters at Bobby Mo are there for a year (most anyway) and they move along.

What's interesting is the two very unique experiences of men's basketball and men's hockey players at RMU when compared to all other students. Most freshmen hockey players were 20 or 21 years old and maxxed out on junior hockey without getting a pro deal. Most opted out of living in dorms but the head coach had very high standards for how they acted on campus. They were super nice to other students and genuinely appreciated the student and community support. Men's basketball lived in upperclassmen apartments (for free of course) from day one. That really irked regular students - especially when apartments ran out for the following year forcing them to decide on traditional dorms or moving to an apartment complex somewhere in Moon or Robinson (there's no college town environment in Moon). Hockey almost always took a bus. The only time men's basketball took a bus was to St. Francis.

Women's hockey players were amazing. Actively engaged. Polite. Involved on campus beyond athletics. Actually worked jobs on campus. A little more sorry for them.

[Fightingscot82]

Pitt RB Malik Newton transfers to MEC West Virginia State. I have doubts about whether he'll play - he was medically disqualified to play. Usually that means doctors found a permanent issue that tells them the player shouldn't be playing the sport.

https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2021...irginia-state/

[shipfbfan1]

Pitt RB Malik Newton transfers to MEC West Virginia State. I have doubts about whether he'll play - he was medically disqualified to play. Usually that means doctors found a permanent issue that tells them the player shouldn't be playing the sport.

https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2021...irginia-state/

I suspect he'll be able to play for WV State. Similar situation happened with a player I know who played at Arizona State as a highly recruited player for 2 years then he was medically DQ'd by their doctors for too many concussions, he found a home at Maine where he finished his career and graduated.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I suspect he'll be able to play for WV State. Similar situation happened with a player I know who played at Arizona State as a highly recruited player for 2 years then he was medically DQ'd by their doctors for too many concussions, he found a home at Maine where he finished his career and graduated.

You just hope they are making the right decision, long-term. If you get DQ'd by a medical staff ... I'd think long and hard about playing. Football ends. Quickly.

[Fightingscot82]

I suspect he'll be able to play for WV State. Similar situation happened with a player I know who played at Arizona State as a highly recruited player for 2 years then he was medically DQ'd by their doctors for too many concussions, he found a home at Maine where he finished his career and graduated.

Wow that's surprising. When I was at RMU there were always football transfers who ended up there after a medical DQ at an FBS program. I'm pretty sure none were ever cleared to play. I have to think there's an insurance/liability element to it on top of ethics.

[shipfbfan1]

Wow that's surprising. When I was at RMU there were always football transfers who ended up there after a medical DQ at an FBS program. I'm pretty sure none were ever cleared to play. I have to think there's an insurance/liability element to it on top of ethics.

The kid from ASU who was MD'd but cleared at Maine had a series of concussions dating back to HS then at least 4 in 2 seasons at ASU. Maine cleared him until he had a final concussion his senior year in the second game and they sat him down and essentially ended his playing career.

[Fightingscot82]

This RMU hockey thing is getting rather dramatic. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert quit the board of trustees over the weekend over the decision.

https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/2...ed-board-jp-dk

[iupgroundhog]

This RMU hockey thing is getting rather dramatic. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert quit the board of trustees over the weekend over the decision.

https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/2...ed-board-jp-dk

Not familiar with this. Why did they cut it or why did they say they cut it? Is it justified, in your opinion? Is RMU Hockey a big thing? Does it generate revenue? What is their attendance like?

[Fightingscot82]

Not familiar with this. Why did they cut it or why did they say they cut it? Is it justified, in your opinion? Is RMU Hockey a big thing? Does it generate revenue? What is their attendance like?

I haven't been with RMU since March 2020, but its my understanding that they're pretty low on cash and have to make some changes. Plus DURING the pandemic they upgraded athletic conferences (most sports to Horizon and football to Big South) that increase travel costs. Hockey brings in some revenue but the rink barely seats more than 1,200. As you can imagine, hockey is expensive. But its been the most popular sport with students (and young alumni) going back well over a decade. That doesn't translate to big dollars, though. But the teams were pretty successful on the ice - the women made the postseason.

My opinion - the president was told he had to cut some big money. Its my understanding that the two programs together cost $2 million a year. The chair of the board is a BIG basketball fan. That new arena was largely laid out by him and he's an Andy Toole fan. Until recently his son was director of athletic ticket sales and sponsorships at RMU. The president is very involved with college football (a former AA himself) plus they're going to play FBS money games so that cut wasn't happening either. This allows them to cut big $ without losing too many students. But the way they did it is par for the course at RMU. In my decade there it seemed like every few months they were making a boneheaded decision that pissed people off and appeared obtuse to those affected by the decision. The two head coaches are first class humans. I feel terrible for them.

In this case, it is coming out that the Board of Trustees (who have a MUCH bigger role than in PASSHE) were not consulted and didn't vote on it - they met for an entire weekend just a few weeks before. Coaches were told over the phone 90 minutes before the email went out. Players 20 minutes before over Zoom, muted, and no time to ask questions. University fiscal year starts June 1 so this had to have been a last-minute drastic call to cut millions.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Graham Spanier reported to the big house.

[shipfbfan1]

Graham Spanier reported to the big house.

So could the NCAA hand down sanctions against Michigan for the Bo Schembechler allegations?