Clarion HC

[Fightingscot82]

ok so how many equivalencies are we saying that you need to be competitive in the West?

Define competitive. I'd say 18-20 to be competitive, 20+ to win.

The problem I see with scholarship dollars is that most schools are maxxed out on their fundraising potential. The alumni base only donates so much. Everyone assumes there are shadow donors floating the program, so for the few people who do donate, that $50 donation or the $65 net donation for the golf outing seems trivial when it matters. The competitive balance used to be a bit better for the have-nots but the cost of attendance has eaten away at what that used to get you. A $100 a guy golf outing that sells out every year used to get you 1 or 2 equivalencies. Now it gets you half of one. A lot of former athletes assume the school just "gives" the scholarship money as if its a budget line item. So if Clarion is 7 of 8 in football scholarships, its the AD's fault or the president's fault for not supporting football enough when its really the alumni & community's fault for not supporting more. Donor rates for PASSHE are about 5%. 1 in 50 alumni gives a dollar or more.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

1. During the Late 80's-early 90's the wrestling matches were insane.
2. Hoops during the Kwame Morton Era was off the hook.
3. All the High School Basketball Games they hosted packed the rafters.

On the other side of things.....whoever allowed IUP to come to town for Homecoming should be fired. Don't care if they worked for Clarion or the PSAC. When you are down and on life support mode you don't allow The Hulk to come to town to finish you off. And don't give me a "that can't be done".....the B1G a few weeks ago changed their entire schedule for next year.

Winning will fix this, it always does.....but you have to find the right person with the right mindset to get it done.

And that right person has to have the right mindset and the right ideas. Again, coming in and trying to run the same offense as others, when you don't have the horses, won't work.

Funny you say that because IUP played in (4) straight Homecoming games this year. They went 4-0. I guess that made them the Homecoming Kings. Now, if only they could protect a punt.

I hear ya, though. Homecoming Weekend used to be designed for a sure-thing opponent.

[Fightingscot82]

Funny you say that because IUP played in (4) straight Homecoming games this year. They went 4-0. I guess that made them the Homecoming Kings. Now, if only they could protect a punt.

I hear ya, though. Homecoming Weekend used to be designed for a sure-thing opponent.

I think in Clarion's situation, they decide along with the folks who plan ALF. The conference decides the scheduled two years at a time but the schools choose Homecoming. I doubt anyone at our schools planning Homecoming cares much about the outcome of the game beyond the date.

[CUlater]

Define competitive. I'd say 18-20 to be competitive, 20+ to win.

The problem I see with scholarship dollars is that most schools are maxxed out on their fundraising potential. The alumni base only donates so much. Everyone assumes there are shadow donors floating the program, so for the few people who do donate, that $50 donation or the $65 net donation for the golf outing seems trivial when it matters. The competitive balance used to be a bit better for the have-nots but the cost of attendance has eaten away at what that used to get you. A $100 a guy golf outing that sells out every year used to get you 1 or 2 equivalencies. Now it gets you half of one. A lot of former athletes assume the school just "gives" the scholarship money as if its a budget line item. So if Clarion is 7 of 8 in football scholarships, its the AD's fault or the president's fault for not supporting football enough when its really the alumni & community's fault for not supporting more. Donor rates for PASSHE are about 5%. 1 in 50 alumni gives a dollar or more.

ok so based on your comments there is no reason that Clarion should not be "competitive". They are right there. By Competitive I mean win some, lose some, compete against everyone. Not getting beat 75-0 and shut out in 5 games when you have a head coach that is an offensive guy. With that kind of funding, there is absolutely no excuse for going 0-11. Watch what happens when/if they get the right head guy....if they can get him for the package they offer. You won't here me argue that the compensation for the staff is overly attractive, there is work to be done there. but defending the last guy because he didn't have the funding to win is an unacceptable statement...and so were the results.

[Matt Burglund]

Ehh. The funds weren't there. I believe in the West they were 7 or 8 out of 8 teams in scholarship funds.

I think I have posted this on here before, but in 2020-21 (the last year numbers are available), the only PSAC schools to give out more total

[Fightingscot82]

ok so based on your comments there is no reason that Clarion should not be "competitive". They are right there. By Competitive I mean win some, lose some, compete against everyone. Not getting beat 75-0 and shut out in 5 games when you have a head coach that is an offensive guy. With that kind of funding, there is absolutely no excuse for going 0-11. Watch what happens when/if they get the right head guy....if they can get him for the package they offer. You won't here me argue that the compensation for the staff is overly attractive, there is work to be done there. but defending the last guy because he didn't have the funding to win is an unacceptable statement...and so were the results.

It doesn't have to be either/or. It can be both. It can be that Weibel wasn't as competitive as possible. It also can be that Clarion is unlikely to win the division if they're 7 of 8 in funding.

What's also true that individual schools' supporters fail to remember, is that every team can't win most of the games. So even if everyone had the money for 36 scholarship equivalencies, we'd be in the same predicament: "Why can't Coach X win the conference? He's fully funded!"

[CALUPA69]

I think I have posted this on here before, but in 2020-21 (the last year numbers are available), the only PSAC schools to give out more total

The odd thing about being competitive in "other sports" is that a cursory glance of PSAC record books shows that CLARION hasn't won anything other than Men's Golf , '02 and '05, in the last 20 years. Even LHU, MILLERSVILLE and MANSFIELD have won more often and I can't believe those schools are significantly better funded, across the board, than CU. I'm sure I missed something but not enough to say that they've sacrificed FB for success elsewhere.
Obviously wrestling is the exception.

[Bart]

The odd thing about being competitive in "other sports" is that a cursory glance of PSAC record books shows that CLARION hasn't won anything other than Men's Golf , '02 and '05, in the last 20 years. Even LHU, MILLERSVILLE and MANSFIELD have won more often and I can't believe those schools are significantly better funded, across the board, than CU. I'm sure I missed something but not enough to say that they've sacrificed FB for success elsewhere.
Obviously wrestling is the exception.

PSAC Championships:Clarion- Women's swimming in 04 and 06. Wrestling 2010. Women' volleyball 2021 2010.

Mansfield women. cross country 2013

[iupgroundhog]

I think I have posted this on here before, but in 2020-21 (the last year numbers are available), the only PSAC schools to give out more total

Clarion wrestling was down and out just a few years ago so supporters made a push to regain competitiveness and it has paid off. That is a result of donated money. I do think the administration is favorable to wrestling, as well. I remember probably 10-15 years ago Clarion swimming was "endowed", with a gift of something like $5 million. Not sure how much ongoing support swimming has but I know they have received $$.

[iupgroundhog]

PSAC Championships:Clarion- Women's swimming in 04 and 06. Wrestling 2010. Women' volleyball 2021 2010.

Mansfield women. cross country 2013

PSAC Championship data is interesting (to me, anyway).

In the last 20 years starting with 2002 LHU has won 31 PSAC Championships, which compares pretty favorably to Cal and IUP which both have 38 conference championships.

All time PSAC Championships

WCU 160
Bloom 123
Ship 122
Boro 114
LHU 104
IUP 101
SRU 98
Clarion 95
Cal 70
ESU 70
Ville 56
Kutz 36
Cheyney 20(15 in MBB)
Mansfield 19
Hurst 15
Gannon 13
UPJ 7
SHU 3

https://psacsports.org/documents/202...ions_12_21.pdf

[Matt Burglund]

Clarion wrestling was down and out just a few years ago so supporters made a push to regain competitiveness and it has paid off. That is a result of donated money. I do think the administration is favorable to wrestling, as well. I remember probably 10-15 years ago Clarion swimming was "endowed", with a gift of something like $5 million. Not sure how much ongoing support swimming has but I know they have received $$.

[Ship69]

Funny you say that because IUP played in (4) straight Homecoming games this year. They went 4-0. I guess that made them the Homecoming Kings. Now, if only they could protect a punt.

I hear ya, though. Homecoming Weekend used to be designed for a sure-thing opponent.

LOL. Given Ship's schedule next year, the Homecoming choices basically will be Shepherd, Kutztown, and East Stroudsburg. Don't see any gimmes there. Oh, and we also have IUP on the home schedule, but Sept. 10 would be too early for a Homecoming game. It's entirely possible that we could go from an unbeaten home record this past season to one of our worst home records ever this coming season. Obviously, I'm hoping that can be avoided.

[PSAC Statman]

There is some disconnect there when it comes to football that I have no idea what it is. I saw at a game this year they were celebrating the 96 team.....and 4 people showed up.....one has a kid on the current team, so 3 former players from that team made an effort to go and the HC was their former QB.

[MECFAN1421]

Any update to what's going on with the HC position at Clarion?

[RockNation]

Any update to what's going on with the HC position at Clarion?

This position should get some decent attention, I am surprised we havent heard more buzz. They're taking a long time...
SRU is taking a long time on their open positions too.