Leatherneck Nation

Talked with a friend this weekend (also a Leatherneck) and we both thought with the decreasing enrollment and funding, it might make sense for Athletics to go down to D2. It would save on travel and we really don't have great attendence at events or top notch facilities, like other member schools. We need to ask ourselves is it better to be D1 in name or to go to D2 and be competitive and successful?Thoughts?

Western is in the footprint of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). Members are located in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri.

There would be regional rivalries with Truman State, Quincy University, and UIS.

The GLVC is losing a member as UW-Parkside will be joining the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference on July 1.

Lets face it - the move to D1 just because everyone else was doing it was a big mistake. Given the faciities we have, attendance, and everything else, D2 is where we belong right now. Does not mean we can't improve the situation down the road, but it will be extremely difficult.

D2 would greatly reduce travel costs with more local/regional competitions. While we may be D1 in name, FB is in the lower tier championship instead of bowl series, where it is highly unlikely money will ever be made. Women's BB is improving, but making the 64 isn't the same think as making the sweet 16 and we are simply nowhere near that, and never will be.

We could be a very respectable, 8000 student strong (our project Fall 2018 enrollment) D2 school. We may lose the D1 name respectability, but I know I as a player, would rather be winning that losing games. Periodically we do have a D1 winner, but so rarely is it not reasonable to think in this day and age, with our available funding and our facilities, thinks are not going to change.

Yes, I agree, it is time for the administration to show leadership and move us to D2.

An enrollment of 8,000 would be in mid-range of the current GLVC members.

Other GLVC members at that mid-point include UIS, U-Indy, Maryville University, Lewis University, Missouri S&T, Southern Indiana, and Truman State.

The largest GLVC member is UMSL with an enrollment of 16,719.

Selfishly I would not like that at all. I like playing D1 football, and had all the intention in the world to travel with the WB for March madness.

I get the fact that financially it would be more intelligent to be D2. But, again selfishly I would hate that move/decision. Especially, since some of our problems has nothing to do with WIU or Macomb but with the state legislators.


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WIU2DC wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 1:44 pm Selfishly I would not like that at all. I like playing D1 football, and had all the intention in the world to travel with the WB for March madness.

I get the fact that financially it would be more intelligent to be D2. But, again selfishly I would hate that move/decision. Especially, since some of our problems has nothing to do with WIU or Macomb but with the state legislators.


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Totally agree as do many of the supports that I have talked to about this topic in the past. Being successful at the D2 level just doesn't really excite people.

leatherneckcountry wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 2:23 pm

WIU2DC wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 1:44 pm Selfishly I would not like that at all. I like playing D1 football, and had all the intention in the world to travel with the WB for March madness.

I get the fact that financially it would be more intelligent to be D2. But, again selfishly I would hate that move/decision. Especially, since some of our problems has nothing to do with WIU or Macomb but with the state legislators.


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Totally agree as do many of the supports that I have talked to about this topic in the past. Being successful at the D2 level just doesn't really excite people.

Little chance that there will be any excitement facing current teams in the Summit League. I see a lot more potential excitement surrounding a "336 Showdown" with the Hawks.

Actually "336 Throwdown" sounds even better. Can I copyright it now?

sealhall74 wrote:

leatherneckcountry wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 2:23 pm

WIU2DC wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 1:44 pm Selfishly I would not like that at all. I like playing D1 football, and had all the intention in the world to travel with the WB for March madness.

I get the fact that financially it would be more intelligent to be D2. But, again selfishly I would hate that move/decision. Especially, since some of our problems has nothing to do with WIU or Macomb but with the state legislators.


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Totally agree as do many of the supports that I have talked to about this topic in the past. Being successful at the D2 level just doesn't really excite people.

Little chance that there will be any excitement facing current teams in the Summit League. I see a lot more potential excitement surrounding a "336 Showdown" with the Hawks.

Again, this is all selfishly but I don’t even know who the Hawks are. Locally, it will help out but you’ll also have alumni not too thrilled to fly back to Illinois to watch D2 football. I’d rather be in the best conference in FCS, trying to build a program to be even more competitive than the NDSU of D2. But, do we really think with our facilities we’d get high caliber player to play in Macomb in D2 football? I think our facilities are only okay because we play competing FCS football. We get talented players in Macomb because of the conference we play in. If we went to the Ohio Valley or another FCS conference wed lose our great recruits. Honestly, I’m trying to catch up on our other sports so my opinions are all based in football.


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WIU2DC wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 2:37 pm

sealhall74 wrote:

leatherneckcountry wrote: Mon May 21, 2018 2:23 pm

Totally agree as do many of the supports that I have talked to about this topic in the past. Being successful at the D2 level just doesn't really excite people.

Little chance that there will be any excitement facing current teams in the Summit League. I see a lot more potential excitement surrounding a "336 Showdown" with the Hawks.

Again, this is all selfishly but I don’t even know who the Hawks are. Locally, it will help out but you’ll also have alumni not too thrilled to fly back to Illinois to watch D2 football. I’d rather be in the best conference in FCS, trying to build a program to be even more competitive than the NDSU of D2. But, do we really think with our facilities we’d get high caliber player to play in Macomb in D2 football? I think our facilities are only okay because we play competing FCS football. We get talented players in Macomb because of the conference we play in. If we went to the Ohio Valley or another FCS conference wed lose our great recruits. Honestly, I’m trying to catch up on our other sports so my opinions are all based in football.


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I agree with you on football. IMO, it is the only sport where we have a chance to be competitive in year in and year out. By competitive, I mean fiish top 3 or 4 in conference.