An Open Letter to Coach Umile

[Chuck Murray]

Precarious state of UNH football

Perhaps we go after the guy who just donated a bunch of money to the new Business school; Welcome to the Towse Rink at the Peter T Paul Arena.

For some reason - perhaps because of its stunning irony? - I seem to recall that a large waste management company was talking with UNH a few years back about transforming the current "dump" into a modest new stadium??



Hopefully this wasn't a figment of my all-too-fertile imagination ... but looking at the current state of things at Cowell, it sadly might be just that ...

[JB]

Re: Precarious state of UNH football

For some reason - perhaps because of its stunning irony? - I seem to recall that a large waste management company was talking with UNH a few years back about transforming the current "dump" into a modest new stadium??



Hopefully this wasn't a figment of my all-too-fertile imagination ... but looking at the current state of things at Cowell, it sadly might be just that ...

Well with Waste Management’s link to the University getting stronger it could be interesting. If you don't know the heating system on campus is now run on natural gas from the decomposition of garbage at the Turnkey land fill up in Rochester.

Is there an advertising campaign in there somewhere for WM? Turning a land fill into a working stadium...

[NCAA watcher]

Re: Precarious state of UNH football

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p....php?pid=15972Someone to check into, though most of his experience is on the pro side, and he comes from an NHL background.

He did talk to his dad, Larry, the general manager of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues, after being fired.

"I talked to him quite a bit," Steve said. "He's been through it before and I've been through it with him. He's had a pretty good career after he got let go a couple of times. If I decide to stay in hockey, again he'll be my motivation and the person I look to for guidance.

"But from a family stand point, we've moved five times in the last seven years. It's not easy and that's part of the business, but that's one area I have to evaluate and then make my next decision upon that," said the 37-year-old, who will wait until his children finish the school year before moving back to New Hampshire.

Pleau, who is married with two children ages three and six, said his short-term plans include moving his family back to the Boston area, which is their home.

“I think we’ll take a step back here,” he said. “We’re pretty far from home and that comes into the equation quite a bit. We’ve moved around quite a bit so we might just head home for a while, take a step back and see what we want to do.”

One thing is for certain, though — Pleau considers himself a coach.

“Absolutely,” he said

http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/2...-16-win-season

Was Pleau just too nice a guy? And if it isn’t in his nature to be a hard-***, maybe the troops just didn’t buy it.

It’s always tough to know whether it’s the message, the messenger, or the mailbox is simply set not to receive.

It may be an “it’s not you, it’s me” kind of thing but the bottom line is it didn’t work out.

All I can say about Pleau as a coach is that he actually enjoyed a now-required aspect of the job that many coaches just grudgingly accept: Pleau loved talking to the media. And that’s simply because he loved talking about hockey. Not surprising, maybe, for a guy who grew up around the game that his old man played and has worked in all his life.

Post-game, whether he was all smiles, or steam was pouring out of his head, Pleau was there to answer questions.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/sports/ho.../13659471.html

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Re: Some parallels out there ...

That right there turned me right off Lucia. I admit I'm not in touch with all that is Athletics at UNH, but Scarano is universally considered a negative in my circles. There's loads of reasons, but I won't list them here. Just saying, Scarano is not a man to whom I would voluntarily give more power at UNH. Handing him a coach to keep in his pocket, especially the head coach of a sport I love and want to protect and see grow, is at the top of my list of things NOT to do, just below sticking a knife in an outlet and following my friends off bridges.

That's another consideration, too. Who has the cojones to stand up to the ridiculosity that is the AD at UNH right now? Umile. We've been saying it all along, his leaving will be on his terms, but how much does that mean? Just about EVERYTHING is on his terms, and for a team that needs to breach that invisible barrier, the coach needs to be practically autonomous. Lose Umile now, and the next coach... let's hope he's bowlegged, because those are the cojones he'd need to stand up for the needs of the team against an AD who is more concerned about building up the I-AA football team and getting them a new stadium. NOTE: I am NOT saying the football stadium is good, or even adequate. I AM saying that UNH AD could ostensibly pull a lot of much-needed funding from hockey to put into football, and that's not going to help our boys of winter. Put a coach in there who has connections with Scarano, and look out.

Yes, I have considered that Scarano could be as much in Lucia's pocket as I've been saying about the reverse. However, Scarano would never hire a coach that intimidates him or would cause him to do something other than what he deems necessary, ie. a coach with cojones.

Please document where that has ever happened or is being proposed? And where is hockey lacking? They have far and away the best facilities of any varsity program at UNH. AFAIK, they get significantly more revenue via their Friend's program than the other programs on campus. If you think things are tough with hockey, you should go examine what the other programs have to deal with.

Some of you aren't going to like this, but listen to something from a person who is a UNH fan first and foremost rather than a UNH Hockey Fan first. Ice Hockey is a niche sport in the USA. Football is a national sport. During the past six years, applications to UNH have increased as has the quality. I heard at a UNH function that UNH Football was a significant factor in those increases due to the playoff games on ESPN and the positive publicity from the exploits of Ricky Santos and David Ball. I know Sports Illustrated did a feature story when Ball broke Jerry Rice's TD reception record. I know from talking to people I'm acquainted with in Lundholm that at multiple times during the Ricky and David years that reporters from the NY Times, the Washington Post and even the San Francisco newspaper have interviewed UNH staff. When UNH beat 1-A Rutgers in Ricky's first start in 2004, the national press inundated our poor SID. Beating 1-A (now FBS) foes Northwestern, Marshall, Army and Ball State as well as Santos winning the Walter Payton Award (FCS Heisman) brought significant positive publicity to the University of New Hampshire.

I've never heard anything of that ilk reported after Frozen Four runs or after Jason Krog won the Hobey. (Pretty sure there wasn't a feature story in SI, just some mention in their usual small article about the national championship game.) And I'm not saying that to dump on hockey, rather just an example of the farther reach and influence of football, even FCS Football. Just as an example, I venture to guess that significantly more people saw former UNHer's Jerry Azumah (one Pro Bowl appearance), Dan Kreider (Super Bowl ring blocking for Jerome Bettis for the Steelers) and Corey Graham announcing their Alma Mater this past decade on NFL games than any former Wildcats on NHL games which are usually only on Versus. Does the NHL even highlight a player's Alma Mater?

A healthy UNH Athletic Department needs strong hockey, football and basketball programs at their respective levels. We are a Division One institution after all. We don't have the option of playing D-I men's ice hockey and the rest of our sports at D-II or D-III. And Marty Scarano is the Athletic Director at a school that has 17 other D-I programs in addition to men's ice hockey. His job is to administer all 18 programs and do what's best for UNH. Right now doing some things for football is imperative for UNH Athletics to keep them competitive and to garner increased gate revenue. I don't see how doing that in any way, shape or form hurts hockey. And you are totally clueless if you don't think Marty wants and needs a strong men's hockey program.

[Chuck Murray]

Stevie Pleau

I mentioned Stevie Pleau back on Post #106 in my chat with Jimmy Poriveau.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Re: An Open Letter to Coach Umile

I don't disagree with you at all, Chuck. I'm just chewing my nails hoping Scarano doesn't take TOO much from hockey - we still need quarters for laundry, you know!

Edit: Just recalled, ESPN supposedly refuses to come to UNH home football games because of the god-awful press box. Maybe hockey could borrow the football press box and spare us the Melrose attack???

It's not just the press box, it's everything about televising a sporting event in the 2000's! Just think about the electronics required and how well a stadium built in the 1930's handles them (NOT)!!! And then there's the only camera locations available outside building a tower or raising a bucket being on the top deck near Lundholm -- facing right into the sun for a terrible picture quality!

UNH Football has made the NCAA Playoffs the past six years. Only one year were the playoff games held at Cowell. When you're a top four seeded team, you're guaranteed a home game as long as you make the minimum bid. All remaining games (except the championship) are put out to bid. UNH has never been selected for a home game outside the year they were seeded. Even in some years where I'm pretty sure we had competitive bids. Neither the NCAA nor ESPN wants anything to do with Cowell Stadium unless they have no choice. BTW, the stories of the ridicule that ESPN staff members (when they came to set up for the Colgate playoff game in 2006) dumped on UNH are legendary.

I've attended the UNH playoff games at Georgia Southern, Hampton (VA), UMass, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa. I've attended UNH regular season games at Hofstra, Delaware, Towson, and Villanova. I've seen the stadiums at Stony Brook, Lehigh, Lafayette, Princeton, James Madison, Yale, The Citadel, etc. Cowell compared to any of them is worse than any comparison between say Merrimack or Providence's barn with the Whitt!! It's eye opening when you travel and see how inferior the facilities are at UNH. To Coach McDonnell and the player's credit, they put a quality product on the gridiron despite this.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Re: Precarious state of UNH football

For some reason - perhaps because of its stunning irony? - I seem to recall that a large waste management company was talking with UNH a few years back about transforming the current "dump" into a modest new stadium??



Hopefully this wasn't a figment of my all-too-fertile imagination ... but looking at the current state of things at Cowell, it sadly might be just that ...

Yep, heard through the grapevine that it was a done deal, just needed to sign the papers. But it never happened and I've never heard what sank that agreement.

FWIW, this is what it was going to look like.

http://picasaweb.google.com/DFriedso...99315031407810

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: Some parallels out there ...

Please document where that has ever happened or is being proposed? And where is hockey lacking? They have far and away the best facilities of any varsity program at UNH. AFAIK, they get significantly more revenue via their Friend's program than the other programs on campus. If you think things are tough with hockey, you should go examine what the other programs have to deal with.

Some of you aren't going to like this, but listen to something from a person who is a UNH fan first and foremost rather than a UNH Hockey Fan first. Ice Hockey is a niche sport in the USA. Football is a national sport. During the past six years, applications to UNH have increased as has the quality. I heard at a UNH function that UNH Football was a significant factor in those increases due to the playoff games on ESPN and the positive publicity from the exploits of Ricky Santos and David Ball. I know Sports Illustrated did a feature story when Ball broke Jerry Rice's TD reception record. I know from talking to people I'm acquainted with in Lundholm that at multiple times during the Ricky and David years that reporters from the NY Times, the Washington Post and even the San Francisco newspaper have interviewed UNH staff. When UNH beat 1-A Rutgers in Ricky's first start in 2004, the national press inundated our poor SID. Beating 1-A (now FBS) foes Northwestern, Marshall, Army and Ball State as well as Santos winning the Walter Payton Award (FCS Heisman) brought significant positive publicity to the University of New Hampshire.

I've never heard anything of that ilk reported after Frozen Four runs or after Jason Krog won the Hobey. (Pretty sure there wasn't a feature story in SI, just some mention in their usual small article about the national championship game.) And I'm not saying that to dump on hockey, rather just an example of the farther reach and influence of football, even FCS Football. Just as an example, I venture to guess that significantly more people saw former UNHer's Jerry Azumah (one Pro Bowl appearance), Dan Kreider (Super Bowl ring blocking for Jerome Bettis for the Steelers) and Corey Graham announcing their Alma Mater this past decade on NFL games than any former Wildcats on NHL games which are usually only on Versus. Does the NHL even highlight a player's Alma Mater?

A healthy UNH Athletic Department needs strong hockey, football and basketball programs at their respective levels. We are a Division One institution after all. We don't have the option of playing D-I men's ice hockey and the rest of our sports at D-II or D-III. And Marty Scarano is the Athletic Director at a school that has 17 other D-I programs in addition to men's ice hockey. His job is to administer all 18 programs and do what's best for UNH. Right now doing some things for football is imperative for UNH Athletics to keep them competitive and to garner increased gate revenue. I don't see how doing that in any way, shape or form hurts hockey. And you are totally clueless if you don't think Marty wants and needs a strong men's hockey program.

I hope you are not implying that things are tough with football? The only thing the sport is lacking is a proper facility to play in. But even if they do get that, do you really think that football is every going to break even,, let alone make a profit for the University? Only a handful of 1AA (or whatever they call them now) schools turn a profit, and they are all in footballcentric locations (Appalachian State, Montana, Delaware, etc.) with long, long histories of success. I do want UNH football to succeed, it is good for the University for sure, but I highly doubt that applicants to the school have increased because Ricky Santos and Jerry Azumah played here. It probably has more to do with the tough economy, where quality state schools (and UNH is one) become more attractive because they are more affordable.

But I want to get back to one point made in your first paragraph, that other sports have it hard compared to hockey because, after all, it has an active Friends group. I'll give you and the rest reading this a little history lesson as to how this came about. The Friends were formed in 1972, five years after the sport became D1, because hockey fans at UNH felt that the team was not getting a fair shake from the athletic department. The AD back then, Andy Mooradian, was a football guy, the UNH 100 Club, which supposedly was formed to support all UNH athletics, was led by football guys. Yes, Snively Arena had been built, but as a multi-purpose facility, not just for the benefit of the hockey team. The arena had one scoreboard at the far end, chain link in the end zones rather than glass, and a pretty dismal locker room (if you could call it that). When hockey fans first approached Mooradian about a booster group he was luke warm to the idea at best but gave them the go ahead, with plenty of restrictions. The Friends first big purchase was a scoreboard for the other end of the ice (the two were used the first year at the Whit), then the purchase of glass, then renovation of the locker room (a lot of sweat equity there). It didn't make Snively a first class facility (bleacher seats remember), but it allowed the program a little bit of respectability. I guess what I am saying is, first, that football fans didn't need to start a booster group, they had one in the 100 Club. And, second, without the Friends of UNH Hockey, which raises and contributes a significant chunk of change each year, the hockey team would not continue be at the level it is today.

One word about Marty Scarano. I have been following UNH athletics for nearly 40 years and, by far, he is the most responsible and effective athletic director the school has ever had. The aforementioned Andy Mooradian? Without going into details let's just say he was ethically challenged. Gib Chapman, that fabulous basketball coach? His idea was to have hoops usurp hockey as the winter sport. Judy Ray, her solution to smaller budgets, cut programs not try to save them. Marty is doing an awful lot with very little. If he can somehow wangle a corporation to fund improvements in Cowell Stadium, more power to him I say. Those that think because he wants to do that means he will take away from hockey aren't thinking straight. Marty is for all UNH athletics and is doing his best to keep them alive.

[JB]

Re: Some parallels out there ...

One word about Marty Scarano. I have been following UNH athletics for nearly 40 years and, by far, he is the most responsible and effective athletic director the school has ever had. The aforementioned Andy Mooradian? Without going into details let's just say he was ethically challenged. Gib Chapman, that fabulous basketball coach? His idea was to have hoops usurp hockey as the winter sport. Judy Ray, her solution to smaller budgets, cut programs not try to save them. Marty is doing an awful lot with very little. If he can somehow wangle a corporation to fund improvements in Cowell Stadium, more power to him I say. Those that think because he wants to do that means he will take away from hockey aren't thinking straight. Marty is for all UNH athletics and is doing his best to keep them alive.

Actually I see Marty's apparent quest to improve Football as a good thing. I think he realizes that without improved (+larger) football facilities the program is a huge drain on the entire department budget. I don't think Marty is delusional enough to think Football is going to make money at UNH like Hockey has been but I think he wants to make it less of a drain.

People forget and so I keep beating this drum, but the State will not support athletics. State funds only are allowed to go to actual instruction (no housing, no dining, no athletics, etc). That means unlike most other state schools - that get significantly more money than UNH too – some departments at UNH are in tough situations. It is not like UNH can go up on the tuition much more either, I think they already are the most expensive state school.

[WildKitty]

Re: An Open Letter to Coach Umile

I think I wasn't very clear.

I marched at Cowell. I held a trombone in the bleachers. I am ashamed of the press box and the visitor's stands. I am IN FAVOR of razing Cowell stadium stands and pressbox and putting up an Alfond-like structure with up-to-date technology. Except the cannon. Keep the cannon. Heck, if we have the money, I'd love to grade Boulder Field and install permanent toilets for those of us who tailgate out there!

I never said Scarano WOULD pull any money from hockey, I said the department "could ostensibly" pull money from hockey. I also failed to consider the contributions of the Friends in my musings = I didn't know you guys did so much!!! But as far as documented evidence - to back up speculation... In at least one instance in recent years, the University has taken money from one department to cover a deficit in another. Whether Scarano would do something similar, or if he has already, is only a matter of speculation on the part of this fan. It is always a possibility. I admit that ostensible was perhaps too strong a word.

If you're mostly concerned about the "much-needed" part... I will come out here. I don't know how much it costs to keep a hockey team in jerseys. I don't know what the budget is or how actual hockey spending compares. I DO know that hockey costs money. The power bill for the compressors alone...

I apologize if anyone thought I don't care about football. Or squeakyball, at least in its role as representer and promoter of the University. I do genuinely enjoy football, though.

[Mike Rane]

Re: An Open Letter to Coach Umile

Where is the rabbit? I enjoy his grammar and linguistics.

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: An Open Letter to Coach Umile

I never said Scarano WOULD pull any money from hockey, I said the department "could ostensibly" pull money from hockey. I also failed to consider the contributions of the Friends in my musings = I didn't know you guys did so much!!! But as far as documented evidence - to back up speculation... In at least one instance in recent years, the University has taken money from one department to cover a deficit in another. Whether Scarano would do something similar, or if he has already, is only a matter of speculation on the part of this fan. It is always a possibility. I admit that ostensible was perhaps too strong a word.

If you're mostly concerned about the "much-needed" part... I will come out here. I don't know how much it costs to keep a hockey team in jerseys. I don't know what the budget is or how actual hockey spending compares. I DO know that hockey costs money. The power bill for the compressors alone...

I apologize if anyone thought I don't care about football. Or squeakyball, at least in its role as representer and promoter of the University. I do genuinely enjoy football, though.

The University pulls money tricks all the time. Just as a for instance, the annual hockey banquet (sponsored and paid for by the Friends) was held last Saturday at Huddleston. In order to hold the function there, or anywhere else on campus, the Friends (who are part of the athletic department) have to literally rent the hall. The use of the Skybox Lounge after games? Gotta rent that too.

As for the Friends in general, I think you would be very surprised to find out the kind of things we raise money and pay for. But since the state gives NO money for athletics, it is up the athletic department, the teams, and their fans to be very creative if they want to keep sports alive at UNH. This stuff doesn't happen at Wisconsin or Michigan, I can assure you.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Re: Some parallels out there ...

I hope you are not implying that things are tough with football? The only thing the sport is lacking is a proper facility to play in. But even if they do get that, do you really think that football is every going to break even,, let alone make a profit for the University? Only a handful of 1AA (or whatever they call them now) schools turn a profit, and they are all in footballcentric locations (Appalachian State, Montana, Delaware, etc.) with long, long histories of success. I do want UNH football to succeed, it is good for the University for sure, but I highly doubt that applicants to the school have increased because Ricky Santos and Jerry Azumah played here. It probably has more to do with the tough economy, where quality state schools (and UNH is one) become more attractive because they are more affordable.

But I want to get back to one point made in your first paragraph, that other sports have it hard compared to hockey because, after all, it has an active Friends group. I'll give you and the rest reading this a little history lesson as to how this came about. The Friends were formed in 1972, five years after the sport became D1, because hockey fans at UNH felt that the team was not getting a fair shake from the athletic department. The AD back then, Andy Mooradian, was a football guy, the UNH 100 Club, which supposedly was formed to support all UNH athletics, was led by football guys. Yes, Snively Arena had been built, but as a multi-purpose facility, not just for the benefit of the hockey team. The arena had one scoreboard at the far end, chain link in the end zones rather than glass, and a pretty dismal locker room (if you could call it that). When hockey fans first approached Mooradian about a booster group he was luke warm to the idea at best but gave them the go ahead, with plenty of restrictions. The Friends first big purchase was a scoreboard for the other end of the ice (the two were used the first year at the Whit), then the purchase of glass, then renovation of the locker room (a lot of sweat equity there). It didn't make Snively a first class facility (bleacher seats remember), but it allowed the program a little bit of respectability. I guess what I am saying is, first, that football fans didn't need to start a booster group, they had one in the 100 Club. And, second, without the Friends of UNH Hockey, which raises and contributes a significant chunk of change each year, the hockey team would not continue be at the level it is today.

One word about Marty Scarano. I have been following UNH athletics for nearly 40 years and, by far, he is the most responsible and effective athletic director the school has ever had. The aforementioned Andy Mooradian? Without going into details let's just say he was ethically challenged. Gib Chapman, that fabulous basketball coach? His idea was to have hoops usurp hockey as the winter sport. Judy Ray, her solution to smaller budgets, cut programs not try to save them. Marty is doing an awful lot with very little. If he can somehow wangle a corporation to fund improvements in Cowell Stadium, more power to him I say. Those that think because he wants to do that means he will take away from hockey aren't thinking straight. Marty is for all UNH athletics and is doing his best to keep them alive.

No Greg, I'm only talking about how pathetic the facilities are for UNH Football and how embarrassing they are for the university. I was mortified when I learned that Villanova wasn't able to take showers after the game this past Homecoming. It turned out that every toilet, sink, shower, drinking fountain, etc. became inoperable sometime during the game. I've heard horror stories about how bad the visiting locker room is. And I have nothing but admiration for how the Friend's of Hockey has raised money.

I go back a couple more years than you do so I remember all the folks you mention. And I couldn't agree more with your assessment of Marty. The Judy Ray-Gib Chapman years were just brutal. I think it is safe to say that their leadership gutted the football support. I certainly don't see a Friends of Football Club that resembles what you've described the 100 Club to be. And I certainly known the Friends of Basketball has never approached either organization.

As for admissions, I heard football was a positive impact, not the only one, but a factor. You've got to remember that UNH today is approaching 50% out of state enrollment. I haven't looked at demographics, but I doubt all those added out of staters are from ME, MA and VT. I'm assuming we get more kids from CT, RI and the Mid-Atlantic states. All I'm saying is that Corey Graham, Jerry Azumah and Dan Kreider introducing themselves on NFL broadcasts and stating they're from the University of New Hampshire puts our name out there to a lot of people. More people follow football than hockey. The freaking NFL Draft got significantly better ratings on ESPN Thursday than the Frozen Four. And better than the FCS or Women's Basketball Championships. With all the financial problems during recent times, it would have been very easy to shut down football. There have got to be significant tangible and intangible benefits that keep the program alive and well.

And no I'm not suggesting that improved facilities are going to result in the program making money. As JB suggested though, it's about getting significantly closer to breaking even which results on less drain on the overall budget. You're correct not many FCS programs make money and App State, Montana and Delaware are somewhat unique. But UNH too has a pretty successful history. We don't have all the D-II National Championships or one I-AA/FCS Championship like Delaware, but I do recall Bill Bowes having 23 winning seasons out of 25. Sean McDonnell's run of six consecutive playoff bids and five Quarterfinal games is unmatched by any other CAA program. UNH does have a pretty successful history as well.

BTW, I recall that chain link fence quite well because I watched many a game from back there!! Never knew Snively was considered all-purpose as I never heard any mention of basketball games there from Gerry Friel. Personally, I think UNH made a mistake converting Snively into its current fitness center usage. That's a great facility, but it could have been created with four walls and a roof anywhere on campus. Keeping the rink at Snively would have provided more ice time for the students, community and intramurals, an 85x200 rink to practice on, a rink for practice if the Whitt was being used for basketball, etc. Just another poor decision from the Ray-Chapman years.

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: Some parallels out there ...

No Greg, I'm only talking about how pathetic the facilities are for UNH Football and how embarrassing they are for the university. I was mortified when I learned that Villanova wasn't able to take showers after the game this past Homecoming. It turned out that every toilet, sink, shower, drinking fountain, etc. became inoperable sometime during the game. I've heard horror stories about how bad the visiting locker room is. And I have nothing but admiration for how the Friend's of Hockey has raised money.

I go back a couple more years than you do so I remember all the folks you mention. And I couldn't agree more with your assessment of Marty. The Judy Ray-Gib Chapman years were just brutal. I think it is safe to say that their leadership gutted the football support. I certainly don't see a Friends of Football Club that resembles what you've described the 100 Club to be. And I certainly known the Friends of Basketball has never approached either organization.

As for admissions, I heard football was a positive impact, not the only one, but a factor. You've got to remember that UNH today is approaching 50% out of state enrollment. I haven't looked at demographics, but I doubt all those added out of staters are from ME, MA and VT. I'm assuming we get more kids from CT, RI and the Mid-Atlantic states. All I'm saying is that Corey Graham, Jerry Azumah and Dan Kreider introducing themselves on NFL broadcasts and stating they're from the University of New Hampshire puts our name out there to a lot of people. More people follow football than hockey. The freaking NFL Draft got significantly better ratings on ESPN Thursday than the Frozen Four. And better than the FCS or Women's Basketball Championships. With all the financial problems during recent times, it would have been very easy to shut down football. There have got to be significant tangible and intangible benefits that keep the program alive and well.

And no I'm not suggesting that improved facilities are going to result in the program making money. As JB suggested though, it's about getting significantly closer to breaking even which results on less drain on the overall budget. You're correct not many FCS programs make money and App State, Montana and Delaware are somewhat unique. But UNH too has a pretty successful history. We don't have all the D-II National Championships or one I-AA/FCS Championship like Delaware, but I do recall Bill Bowes having 23 winning seasons out of 25. Sean McDonnell's run of six consecutive playoff bids and five Quarterfinal games is unmatched by any other CAA program. UNH does have a pretty successful history as well.

BTW, I recall that chain link fence quite well because I watched many a game from back there!! Never knew Snively was considered all-purpose as I never heard any mention of basketball games there from Gerry Friel. Personally, I think UNH made a mistake converting Snively into its current fitness center usage. That's a great facility, but it could have been created with four walls and a roof anywhere on campus. Keeping the rink at Snively would have provided more ice time for the students, community and intramurals, an 85x200 rink to practice on, a rink for practice if the Whitt was being used for basketball, etc. Just another poor decision from the Ray-Chapman years.

The 100 Club, at least in my memory, was run by a bunch of old warhorses who loved to swap stories with Bowes and, before him, Chief Boston. They didn't give a squat about hockey, not surprising since there was not a natural base of support for hockey in the area. Until UNH hired Rube Bjorkman in the mid-60's, the hockey coach had always been part time. The legendary Whoop Snively was a jack of all trades, "not a hockey man" in the words of one guy I know who played for him. Mooradian viewed hockey in that light. In Charlie Holt's first years he shared his one assistant (Bob Norton) with the football team. Norton wasn't full time with hockey until the football season ended. That didn't change until the early '70's.

Your description of UNH's football successes reminds me of the language we hockey devotees use. A lot of pluses for sure, but never able to win the big one. And as much as I love your ability to transfer the names of Corey Graham, Dan Kreider, and Jerry Azumah to increased out of state enrollment at UNH, I just don't buy it. Although UNH had plenty of kids from outside New England when I went there, it has increased substantially over the past decade for two or three reasons. First, with astronomical private school costs (four schools in Boston now top $50,000 per year), schools like UNH, UVM, UConn look to be attractive alternatives for a lot of families. Second, the pool of in-state students who would attend UNH is shrinking. A lot of them look to go out of state to begin with and, like many state schools (UMass among them), UNH's admissions standards have tightened, making it more difficult for kids to get in. Add in the fact that UNH is pretty much level funded or cut every year by the state leads the University to the inevitable conclusion that they have to get more of those out-of-state students and their higher tuitions to balance the budget. This past year I believe it cost $38,000 for an out-of-stater to go to UNH.

Re: the Snively renovation. The first plan for the old barn was to tear it down for parking. Beginning in the early '90's, state of the art fitness centers at colleges began to be a very important feature in attracting students. UNH didn't have anything to speak of so the renovation became the sensible choice. BTW, when I spoke of Snively as multi-purpose, I meant for the general student body, not to host basketball games.

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: Some parallels out there ...

And as much as I love your ability to transfer the names of Corey Graham, Dan Kreider, and Jerry Azumah to increased out of state enrollment at UNH, I just don't buy it.

No no no no no. Let him keep saying it. If he types it up 4 more times it actually will become true!!!!!

And to be honest, seeing it typed up every day in a new post saves me the trouble of going back to an old post for a good laugh. It's quite enjoyable to read.

Did you know the NFL draft got more eyes than college hockey? Did ya did ya did ya? Durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr......................