2022 SMSU Mustangs: A new era begins

[Stanger86]

Hearing the new logo will be making its way to midfield with the change.

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[SW_Mustang]

Hearing the new logo will be making its way to midfield with the change.

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Neato, that's exciting. I'd spot the department a crisp $20 bill for a square of the old stuff.

Now if we could just get a bigger video board/visitors section.

[oldyellaHer69]

My only pushback: Building enrollment yes, but at the end of the day I feel it's still on the coaches to choose who to recruit. I doubt he was given a quota of X kids from each state.

Quota of 140 on the football team equaled enrollment growth, president takes credit for it and then fires him, classy. FYI Cory Sauter has the 2nd most wins in school history.

[SW_Mustang]

I figured we were drawing an insanely large roster to deal with transfers. I'm sure moving to the armpit of Minnesota was not fun for many of them, especially the ones we brought up from the south. Having to deal with not only the insane cold, but also having to be in plum middle-of-nowhere corn country... no thanks.

In any case, we can go round-and-round about Sauter. After Homecoming 2019, I was about ready to be done with the entire program for a while. Definitely not the administrations fault the team chose not to win that day. But I think it's time to look forward.

Anyway, here's an article about the new turf (with a rendering of what it will look like) - sounds like we're giving the REC a bit of a spit shine. New netting for the videoboard, new concrete walk, and new field goal posts. Happy for a little investment in the place, but I kinda wish we could tackle some bigger issues. Anybody have a wish list?

Turf installation project underway at The Schwan Regional Event Center - SMSU Athletics (smsumustangs.com)

[MrMustang]

Quota of 140 on the football team equaled enrollment growth, president takes credit for it and then fires him, classy. FYI Cory Sauter has the 2nd most wins in school history.

Correct there was a quota. that's why we brought in 70 recruits. Administration is something else.

[MrMustang]

I figured we were drawing an insanely large roster to deal with transfers. I'm sure moving to the armpit of Minnesota was not fun for many of them, especially the ones we brought up from the south. Having to deal with not only the insane cold, but also having to be in plum middle-of-nowhere corn country... no thanks.

In any case, we can go round-and-round about Sauter. After Homecoming 2019, I was about ready to be done with the entire program for a while. Definitely not the administrations fault the team chose not to win that day. But I think it's time to look forward.

Anyway, here's an article about the new turf (with a rendering of what it will look like) - sounds like we're giving the REC a bit of a spit shine. New netting for the videoboard, new concrete walk, and new field goal posts. Happy for a little investment in the place, but I kinda wish we could tackle some bigger issues. Anybody have a wish list?

Turf installation project underway at The Schwan Regional Event Center - SMSU Athletics (smsumustangs.com)

well, Marshall ain't the armpit of Minnesota. It's a helluva nice town with a lot to offer. Highly educated workforce, great companies and small businesses to work for who pay well and provide great jobs, , state parks, great sports, great public and parochial schools, good fine arts, and great athletic facilites..

[SW_Mustang]

well, Marshall ain't the armpit of Minnesota. It's a helluva nice town with a lot to offer. Highly educated workforce, great companies and small businesses to work for who pay well and provide great jobs, , state parks, great sports, great public and parochial schools, good fine arts, and great athletic facilites..

I'll agree to disagree.

Regardless of what our personal opinions are, the town is a huge hurdle for recruiting. Getting little community support doesn't help either. I can't even buy a quality SMSU shirt anymore, not enough of a market to sell them even locally. Playing in a beautiful stadium is only half as fun when 500 people are there and half of them leave at halftime.

Would be nice if we had a community in SWMN that would have fostered the institution like it needed, but Marshall was probably the best fit especially given the other candidates. Oofta.

[Clean Liver]

well, Marshall ain't the armpit of Minnesota. It's a helluva nice town with a lot to offer. Highly educated workforce, great companies and small businesses to work for who pay well and provide great jobs, , state parks, great sports, great public and parochial schools, good fine arts, and great athletic facilites..

...Chicken Connection, Pizza Ranch and Extra Innings paninos!

[oldyellaHer69]

I'll agree to disagree.

Regardless of what our personal opinions are, the town is a huge hurdle for recruiting. Getting little community support doesn't help either. I can't even buy a quality SMSU shirt anymore, not enough of a market to sell them even locally. Playing in a beautiful stadium is only half as fun when 500 people are there and half of them leave at halftime.

Would be nice if we had a community in SWMN that would have fostered the institution like it needed, but Marshall was probably the best fit especially given the other candidates.

During the golden years of the Sauter era SMSU was routinely 1 or 2 in attendance in the NSIC, community support in Marshall is second to none, basketball and volleyball attendance has always been strong. Apparel is sold all over town, Borchs/Hy Vee/Walmart/Bookstore. The administration alienated most of the top boosters by empowering people on campus that don't really care about anybody besides themselves and eliminating community events like Hawaiian night https://www.marshallindependent.com/...awaiian-night/
SMSU administrators are not in it for the long haul and are out of touch with the constituents they should be representing.

[Purple Mav Man]

well, Marshall ain't the armpit of Minnesota. It's a helluva nice town with a lot to offer. Highly educated workforce, great companies and small businesses to work for who pay well and provide great jobs, , state parks, great sports, great public and parochial schools, good fine arts, and great athletic facilites..

Almost none of those appeal to the average 18-22 year old. It may be a great place for 50+ people but college town it is not.

[SW_Mustang]

During the golden years of the Sauter era SMSU was routinely 1 or 2 in attendance in the NSIC, community support in Marshall is second to none, basketball and volleyball attendance has always been strong. Apparel is sold all over town, Borchs/Hy Vee/Walmart/Bookstore. The administration alienated most of the top boosters by empowering people on campus that don't really care about anybody besides themselves and eliminating community events like Hawaiian night https://www.marshallindependent.com/...awaiian-night/
SMSU administrators are not in it for the long haul and are out of touch with the constituents they should be representing.

Huh? SMSU has never been that high in attendance. I was there for much of 2013-2016, and only once did we actually fill Matke to capacity. We don't need to be #1 or #2, but a core attendance group of 2k-3k would be nice. Peak fairweather fandom.

Buying a cheap t-shirt at a grocery store is exactly how I'd like to represent my alma mater at work or a social function. Would be nice to buy it online instead of having to drive there, too.

Being offended over a name change for an event that wasn't ours in the first place is almost peak-Marshall. I wish they'd get offended over something useful like all those tax hikes the city loves so much. Something useful, y'know?

The constituency running the show would definitely be hilarious, kinda like when we tried it with the AD position this last year. Much like how that went, I'd rather not see the same thing happen to the whole college.

I love SMSU, it's about the only reason I still go back to SWMN. I'm just tired of being the laughing stock of MN higher ed, living in SDSU's shadow, and wondering if we're going to survive the next decade while nobody does anything to fix it but complain.

[Gridiron Bobby]

well, Marshall ain't the armpit of Minnesota. It's a helluva nice town with a lot to offer. Highly educated workforce, great companies and small businesses to work for who pay well and provide great jobs, , state parks, great sports, great public and parochial schools, good fine arts, and great athletic facilites..

[Clean Liver]

Been bitin' my tongue about postin' on this thread, but your post made me reconsider.

When my son accepted both an academic and athletic scholarship to SW, both his Mom and I were skeptical. He was goin' to a school 700 miles away after playin' and winnin a State Championship on a team in a major metropolitan suburb - and the HIGHEST classification. He wanted to try somethin' different.

He ended up with a quality education, includin' Master's Degree, and played with guys who all ended up men and quality young husbands, fathers, businessmen, teachers and professionals.

In the seven years my son was in Marshall, I don't recall one instance involvin' the police. No drunks, bar fights, etc. Good guys with goals.

Is Marshall the GREATEST college town? Probably not for the reason some kids would like. But it's not a problem town with a ton of diversion. Play football, pay to play, hang out with your friends, get an education, then go wherever your chosen path leads you.

I'm proud of my son and his chosen path. Proud of the young men who were his teammates and are still his friends.

Some things ya can't take to the bank, but then there's your reflection in the mirror...?

[SW_Mustang]

Roughly 15,000 on the high end. Nobody outside of SWMN has ever heard of it.

Not a great college town. SMSU is the best thing about that place, and it's slowly degrading. The town has zero interest in helping out. Otherwise we'd be much more like Northern State. Aberdeen is another widespot in the road. They didn't even have their own football stadium until last year, and they are actually good.

Oh well. The residents go bonkers every time the mayor proposes building another half-dozen softball fields, but would not contribute to facility upgrades at SMSU that might actually be beneficial. Thank goodness we have a brand new hockey arena though. What a mess that project was.

[SW_Mustang]

Been bitin' my tongue about postin' on this thread, but your post made me reconsider.

When my son accepted both an academic and athletic scholarship to SW, both his Mom and I were skeptical. He was goin' to a school 700 miles away after playin' and winnin a State Championship on a team in a major metropolitan suburb - and the HIGHEST classification. He wanted to try somethin' different.

He ended up with a quality education, includin' Master's Degree, and played with guys who all ended up men and quality young husbands, fathers, businessmen, teachers and professionals.

In the seven years my son was in Marshall, I don't recall one instance involvin' the police. No drunks, bar fights, etc. Good guys with goals.

Is Marshall the GREATEST college town? Probably not for the reason some kids would like. But it's not a problem town with a ton of diversion. Play football, pay to play, hang out with your friends, get an education, then go wherever your chosen path leads you.

I'm proud of my son and his chosen path. Proud of the young men who were his teammates and are still his friends.

Some things ya can't take to the bank, but then there's your reflection in the mirror...?

I don't think anyone is taking issue with the school itself. I think it's great academically for the most part. Our business education is lightyears ahead of SDSU. Many of our professors actually have career experience which is rare in the modern age. I remember Carlson coming and recruiting our students on campus once for grad school. I finished with little debt and am doing okay myself financially.

But the community is holding it back. It could be so much better, an institution to truly carry the torch for a forgotten part of the state - but that involves work that nobody seems to want to do. Then we complain when the administration fails. Tis the Marshall way.