brewer2125 wrote:rocki wrote:Some of us remember more than just the past decade - back to when WIU football was premier football.
We'd like to see it get back to that level, and if this guy is the kind who can get people interested in it again, more power to him.
I do get a completely different vibe from him than I did Nielson - this guy definitely strikes me as more personable
.
I recall way back when too. Actually, Frank Winters (Packers' center for 15 years) was the very first student that I met on campus and he lived across the hall from me on the 5th floor of Thompson. But back then they weren't cutting programs, either, to keep the football program on a ventilator. To me, that is very disturbing. WIU has cut (and may be looking to cut) other programs to keep a very expensive (and generally losing or around .500 record) program afloat at the expense of other, far less costly programs, and where the football program does absolutely nothing to increase the prestige or enrollment of the university.
And I am not sure you can really say with a straight face that the WIU football program is, or was ever, a "premier" football program. Since WIU first participated in a football conference in 1915, 100 years ago, WIU has won just 10 conference championships outright (it shared the championship three other times) and appeared in post season play just 11 times (the NCAA began Division II playoffs in 1973). WIU did appear in 3 Corn Bowls back in the 1940's and 50's and played against "powerhouses" like Wheaton College and Luther College. Since the NFL draft first began in 1936, WIU has had 28 players drafted in those 79 years.
What all of this means is that, on average, WIU will win its conference 1 time every 10 years, will appear in post season play about once every 4 years, and will produce an NFL draft quality player (not necessarily a player that will actuallyplay in the NFL) about once every 3 to 4 years. That record is not "premier" by any standards.
The current football coaching salaries combined are in excess of $700,000. The salaries of the coaches of ALL of the WIU womens' teams COMBINED total about $400,000. The cost of running the football program, given that there are some 80-plus members of the team, plus coaches, is likely exponentially higher than any other sport, and likely dwarfs all womens' sports combined. Even though the football program BARELY has a .500 record over its existence (.529), the school is cutting other programs... To me, that is absurd. Many, many division I schools have cut football, and maintained their enrollments and have produced other quality sports programs. I can send you a list if you would like... If WIU cut football, other program would stand to benefit greatly, enrollment would not dive, nor would the reputation of WIU academically and, after a year or two, no one would notice or care, in my opinion.
Contrary to what some people may think, the typical college student doesn't select a school because of the football team (and especially a football team that on average produces a .500 record). A recent UCLA survey lists the top 23 reasons identified by college students as being "very important" for choosing a college. Athletics was ranked 18th, and then was only listed as being very important when the student was offered an athletic scholarship. In case you want to see the list, here is it:
1. College has very good academic reputation (63.8 percent)
2. This college's graduates get good jobs (55.9 percent)
3. I was offered financial assistance (45.6 percent)
4. The cost of attending this college (43.3 percent)
5. A visit to this campus (41.8 percent)
6. College has a good reputation for its social activities (40.2 percent)
7. Wanted to go to a college about this size (38.8 percent)
8. College's grads get into top grad/professional schools (32.8 percent)
9. The percentage of students that graduate from this college (30.4 percent)
10. I wanted to live near home (20.1 percent)
11. Information from a website (18.7 percent)
12. Rankings in national magazines (18.2 percent)
13. Parents wanted me to go to this school (15.1 percent)
14. Admitted early decision and/or early action (13.7 percent)
15. Could not afford first choice (13.4 percent)
16. High school counselor advised me (10.3 percent)
17. Not offered aid by first choice (9.5 percent)
18. Athletic department recruited me (8.9 percent)
19. Attracted by the religious affiliation/orientation of college (7.4 percent)
20. My relatives wanted me to come here (6.8 percent)
20. My teacher advised me (6.8 percent)
22. Private college counselor advised me (3.8 percent)
23. Ability to take online courses (3.2 percent)
That's my two cents.....
