THE IUP Football Thread

[IUP24]

It's a different town today than it was even in the 90s or 00s.

From Philly Street, down 7th, to about the KCAC is like its own little world from late August to early May. The only place the townies and students really collide is probably Wal-Mart.


Philly Street isn't anything near what it was 20 years ago. As a whole it's pretty quiet most weekend nights. Thursday nights used to be a circus up there. Now it's just another night. Being honest I have no idea how all the bars are staying in business.

Even the campus is very calm and quiet. I've said many times on here that if you didn't know there was a campus and drove through around 9pm ... well, you really wouldn't know there was a campus.

I think many forget IUP is substantially smaller now than when many of us were students. I mean, like night and day smaller. Add to it this generation prefers to play on their gadgets 24-7 inside their dorms or apartments.

IUPatties had its run. They are trying to keep it alive and that's a good thing. But, it's certainly morphed into a PG version.

I was a student during the high-water mark of enrollment in, I think, 2012 or 2013. I'm sure somebody will disprove that, but I was under the impression that was the period where there were >15,000 undergraduate students on campus. It's just far different today than what it was then.

To your point, the downtown area of Indiana and Philly Street is a ghost town now compared to when I was in school. I too have questioned how many places have remained open. All things considered, if you cut enrollment in half, you also cut in half the number of individuals who are eligible to even legally drink at the bars. And to your point, the college students now were all COVID kids in high school, so they are much less likely to just go out and be social. Even before I was of drinking age, my friends and I would go out to restaurants on Philly Street and around town. You just went out and did things (25 cent wing night at Grub's was always a blast - I miss the Razz Barbecue flavored sauce). I have gone back to recruit on campus at points during the last 3 years. Like you said, you go to Philly Street on Thursday night and it's just dead. When I was in school, which wasn't that long ago, there were lines out the door at Culps, Twisted Jimmy's, and The Coney at 10:30 every Thursday night. It's just way, way different now. And for the businesses there, that really is sad. Because there are some nice establishments. You guys are saying how different it was way back when.. I graduated in 2015 and it's night and day to when I was there.

Overall, I always felt like Indiana was a really nice town, not just a nice college town. My sister went to Cal and was in the marching band from 2007-2010. That was during the height of their run. We went to almost every Cal home game during that stretch, and the striking thing to me was always how disconnected the university was from the town/community. When I got to IUP, I felt a different vibe in that regard. Felt like the size of Indiana, the niceties of Philly Street, and how close "town" was to campus created a lot more connectedness. Also felt that the community supported basketball and football far better at IUP than at Cal. That said, I do feel like that 2014 IUPatty's event was damaging to that relationship between the students and the community.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I was a student during the high-water mark of enrollment in, I think, 2012 or 2013. I'm sure somebody will disprove that, but I was under the impression that was the period where there were >15,000 undergraduate students on campus. It's just far different today than what it was then.

To your point, the downtown area of Indiana and Philly Street is a ghost town now compared to when I was in school. I too have questioned how many places have remained open. All things considered, if you cut enrollment in half, you also cut in half the number of individuals who are eligible to even legally drink at the bars. And to your point, the college students now were all COVID kids in high school, so they are much less likely to just go out and be social. Even before I was of drinking age, my friends and I would go out to restaurants on Philly Street and around town. You just went out and did things (25 cent wing night at Grub's was always a blast - I miss the Razz Barbecue flavored sauce). I have gone back to recruit on campus at points during the last 3 years. Like you said, you go to Philly Street on Thursday night and it's just dead. When I was in school, which wasn't that long ago, there were lines out the door at Culps, Twisted Jimmy's, and The Coney at 10:30 every Thursday night. It's just way, way different now. And for the businesses there, that really is sad. Because there are some nice establishments. You guys are saying how different it was way back when.. I graduated in 2015 and it's night and day to when I was there.

Overall, I always felt like Indiana was a really nice town, not just a nice college town. My sister went to Cal and was in the marching band from 2007-2010. That was during the height of their run. We went to almost every Cal home game during that stretch, and the striking thing to me was always how disconnected the university was from the town/community. When I got to IUP, I felt a different vibe in that regard. Felt like the size of Indiana, the niceties of Philly Street, and how close "town" was to campus created a lot more connectedness. Also felt that the community supported basketball and football far better at IUP than at Cal. That said, I do feel like that 2014 IUPatty's event was damaging to that relationship between the students and the community.

More so than the event of 2014 was the response Driscoll gave after years of the debauchery ... taking the stance of 'its off campus and not our problem.'

That was a real "F You" to the town when obviously it was all his animals running loose.

That turned a lot of people (who live here) off on the whole IUP community. It kind of built the invisible wall around campus a lot higher.

Like I said, though, all in all the campus and town are like two different communities now. There's little mingling. I personally only go over there for football or basketball games during the school year.

It does make me laugh when IUP still makes all these top party school lists. That's living off a long ago reputation. It's nothing like that anymore.

Of course, the high school kids of today are the children of the crazy era at IUP.

[IUPNation]

Indiana must rank..it’s got a Primanti Brothers.

Not that I find Sammie’s with Cole slaw and fries on it appetizing but they didn’t open one in Slimey Pebble did they?

:-)

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The team released their spring practice schedule today and it can be found on their social media accounts. I caught part a walkthrough practice they had yesterday afternoon in an auxiliary gym. It’s a lot harder to tell who is who when they don’t have a number on!

Let's hope for a good (healthy) Spring and for a much different 2024-25.

In case anybody wasn't paying attention, '23-'24 was a total disaster for the 'money' sports at IUP.

Luckily, I think they all bounce back quickly.


Women's Basketball did the best of the three but was plagued by one issue after another all year. Football never recovered from its Arithmetic Bowl debacle, and men's hoops, by IUP standards, was a travesty.

[IUPNation]

Let's hope for a good (healthy) Spring and for a much different 2024-25.

In case anybody wasn't paying attention, '23-'24 was a total disaster for the 'money' sports at IUP.

Luckily, I think they all bounce back quickly.


Women's Basketball did the best of the three but was plagued by one issue after another all year. Football never recovered from its Arithmetic Bowl debacle, and men's hoops, by IUP standards, was a travesty.

Where did the AD graduate from again?

Are we sure they were not sent there by Dr. Evil to sabotage us? :-)

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Where did the AD graduate from again?

Are we sure they were not sent there by Dr. Evil to sabotage us? :-)

Todd can count to three so you can't pin that on him. That game, looking back, was just so bizarre. I'll unfortunately never forget it. On one hand, yes, it was a human error. On the other hand, how in the freak an entire college staff didn't know the timeout count is still very alarming.

As for Joe, let's just pray no more family friends are coming through the program. Aside from that mess, they were snakebitten with injuries (season-ending types). At one point they had (5) of (15) out of commission.

It was just a painful year.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Todd can count to three so you can't pin that on him. That game, looking back, was just so bizarre. I'll unfortunately never forget it. On one hand, yes, it was a human error. On the other hand, how in the freak an entire college staff didn't know the timeout count is still very alarming.

As for Joe, let's just pray no more family friends are coming through the program. Aside from that mess, they were snakebitten with injuries (season-ending types). At one point they had (5) of (15) out of commission.

It was just a painful year.

In the big picture of IUP Athletics, Todd has done a good job. His job will get a hell of a lot tougher if football and men’s basketball have bad years again in 24-25. No disrespect to the other sports on campus, but if we’re being honest almost nobody follows them or could tell you much at all about them. The latest example is the baseball team off to its best start in forever and other than an occasional article in the paper with zero details, nobody knows. Swimming, volleyball, golf, tennis, and some track athletes have done well, but all are revenue losers. I saw lacrosse, or maybe it was field hockey, had a big win the other day. Apologies if I’m missing someone.

[Fightingscot82]

In the big picture of IUP Athletics, Todd has done a good job. His job will get a hell of a lot tougher if football and men’s basketball have bad years again in 24-25. No disrespect to the other sports on campus, but if we’re being honest almost nobody follows them or could tell you much at all about them. The latest example is the baseball team off to its best start in forever and other than an occasional article in the paper with zero details, nobody knows. Swimming, volleyball, golf, tennis, and some track athletes have done well, but all are revenue losers. I saw lacrosse, or maybe it was field hockey, had a big win the other day. Apologies if I’m missing someone.

Especially since IUP puts nearly all of its men's scholarships into football and men's basketball.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Especially since IUP puts nearly all of its men's scholarships into football and men's basketball.

IUP can't control that, though, can they?

Meaning my checks get specifically tagged to football and men's basketball.

I'm not donating to a general fund (sorry to the others).

Joe and Tort have all the big donors so they get all the money.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Not sure if this is official or not. Most of the names are on there. I don't see Ridley or Laney. Note that QB Hancox is now listed as a TE. Makes sense. As expected, a couple of other names missing, too.

https://iupathletics.com/sports/football/roster

As expected, Jack confirmed on the radio this morning that both Ridley and Laney will return in the Fall.

Both had to preserve the semester and sit out the Spring session.

[IUP24]

More so than the event of 2014 was the response Driscoll gave after years of the debauchery ... taking the stance of 'its off campus and not our problem.'

That was a real "F You" to the town when obviously it was all his animals running loose.

That turned a lot of people (who live here) off on the whole IUP community. It kind of built the invisible wall around campus a lot higher.

Like I said, though, all in all the campus and town are like two different communities now. There's little mingling. I personally only go over there for football or basketball games during the school year.

It does make me laugh when IUP still makes all these top party school lists. That's living off a long ago reputation. It's nothing like that anymore.

Of course, the high school kids of today are the children of the crazy era at IUP.

I'm partially surprised that Driscoll is still at IUP to be honest. That's not to say he's done a bad job in his role, but I wonder if that's the same situation as a coach who has simply hit his expiration date and his message has been lost. He was overseeing the university at a time of tremendous growth and when it reached it's high water mark of enrollment. I think many would argue how much he had to do with that. He also has navigated the university through a unique period during the COVID pandemic and significant decline in enrollment.

It's an odd time to be in higher education. I question if he's the guy to lead IUP through this era where college is much, much different than it was 10 years ago. Again, that's not to say he's done a bad job. I don't know enough about the day to day operations to state a claim either way. I just wonder if both he and IUP want a change.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I'm partially surprised that Driscoll is still at IUP to be honest. That's not to say he's done a bad job in his role, but I wonder if that's the same situation as a coach who has simply hit his expiration date and his message has been lost. He was overseeing the university at a time of tremendous growth and when it reached it's high water mark of enrollment. I think many would argue how much he had to do with that. He also has navigated the university through a unique period during the COVID pandemic and significant decline in enrollment.

It's an odd time to be in higher education. I question if he's the guy to lead IUP through this era where college is much, much different than it was 10 years ago. Again, that's not to say he's done a bad job. I don't know enough about the day to day operations to state a claim either way. I just wonder if both he and IUP want a change.

On one hand he's given IUP stability when most others are flipping through presidents like fast food employees. I don't know the average, but I'd guess his tenure is much longer than the average college president.

He wouldn't have survived in a non-academic world -- seeing his occupancy and revenue drop off a cliff. It's obviously not unique to IUP, however, so that has bought him some time.

I do not think that should be a long-term job. Ten years should be the max. Things get stale and need fresh leadership, new ideas, etc.

[Fightingscot82]

IUP can't control that, though, can they?

Meaning my checks get specifically tagged to football and men's basketball.

I'm not donating to a general fund (sorry to the others).

Joe and Tort have all the big donors so they get all the money.

Yes and no. The distribution favoring football & basketball is an IUP decision. They move unrestricted money toward these programs to supplement what is already designated for football & basketball. Programs like golf, swimming, and baseball still get the money designated for them.

What sometimes happens is when donations don't keep pace with the enrollment gender breakdown. Most schools are 55-60% women but most donations are for men's sports, especially football. So sometimes schools will freeze or withhold money designated for a men's program so the scholarship dollars are Title IX compliant. Sometimes the coach can access that money for other reasons like equipment or travel, but usually the Title IX "tests" include opportunities (roster spots), scholarship dollars, and budget dollars.

[IUPNation]

I'm partially surprised that Driscoll is still at IUP to be honest. That's not to say he's done a bad job in his role, but I wonder if that's the same situation as a coach who has simply hit his expiration date and his message has been lost. He was overseeing the university at a time of tremendous growth and when it reached it's high water mark of enrollment. I think many would argue how much he had to do with that. He also has navigated the university through a unique period during the COVID pandemic and significant decline in enrollment.

It's an odd time to be in higher education. I question if he's the guy to lead IUP through this era where college is much, much different than it was 10 years ago. Again, that's not to say he's done a bad job. I don't know enough about the day to day operations to state a claim either way. I just wonder if both he and IUP want a change.

He’s making almost 500 grand and living in free housing in Indiana. Why quit that job?

[iupgroundhog]

I'm partially surprised that Driscoll is still at IUP to be honest. That's not to say he's done a bad job in his role, but I wonder if that's the same situation as a coach who has simply hit his expiration date and his message has been lost. He was overseeing the university at a time of tremendous growth and when it reached it's high water mark of enrollment. I think many would argue how much he had to do with that. He also has navigated the university through a unique period during the COVID pandemic and significant decline in enrollment.

Driscoll's tenure correlates directly with the demise of IUP, overall. Driscoll has not led the university in a positive direction.

IUP had a history of super-duper Presidents, going back to Willis Pratt who made Indiana State College into IUP in the early 1960's. When I came to IUP in the late '70's, the President was Robert Wilburn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wilburn, an incredible University President who went on to an amazing, world-changing career. After an interim prez, John Worthen became IUP President. He was a national leader in higher education. Then came John Welty, who was not only a great President for IUP (and later Fresno St.) but was the President who oversaw the renaissance for IUP football (why we are here). Welty was a great IUP promoter. Later, during the '90's and into the 2000's, Lawrence Pettit was a skilled administrator. Then came Tony Atwater. Dr. Front Porch, as they called him. And we IUP sports fans ate it up. Make IUP D1 in athletics! The much-maligned Atwater actually looked good on paper coming in and he had a reasonably dynamic personality. He was an up and comer in the world of college Presidents. A lot happened under Atwater, almost none of it good for IUP.

Anyways, IUP has had a history of great Presidents. That changed 20-30 years ago when PASSHE usurped local university control for selecting individuals to lead universities. Driscoll was effectively hired by PASSHE and he has been a good employee of PASSHE ever since. Under Driscoll, IUP has lost the identity it held throughout my lifetime. Enrollment has been decimated. He is the one holding the bag, so to speak. Let's see if his STEM/med school initiatives work for IUP in the years to come.

I should add that on a personal level, I just think all this "student-centeredness" is nonsense. A university should be that, after all. What else can you offer above and beyond "student-centeredness?"