Football at Wichita State

[Aargh]

I would have to assume that Marshall wouldnt want a 500K paycut for a football team that wont be good for a few decades.

If SIU can pay Lowery 750,000 a year AND have football...I am sure WSU could also. I realize that SIU's football is well established, but it can still be done.

I'm willing to bet that most, if not all, of the current coaches at WSU would LOVE to see football back at WSU regardless. I've heard a couple of them talk about how it could help recruiting. I wouldn't think it's that big of a deal to recruits, but evidently it has SOME bearing on them. Can't remember now which coaches I've heard talk about it. I think Kemnitz and maybe Turgeon??! I just remember hearing a couple of them comment on it during a show a few years back.

The SIU athletic department is, by any definition, bankrupt. They are millions of $$ in debt and losing money every year. They just had a huge fund-raising drive and hit the students up for some outrageous tuition hikes in order to upgrade everything on campus, including the athletic facilities. They've pretty much tapped out their money sources for more than a few years.
Now their basketball team has taken a dive and they can't afford to fix the problem (coach can't keep players he recruited at SIU). SIU is a great example of why WSU isn't doing anything.

[Fredster]

Don Beggs is a great President and he has been a huge supporter of Shocker Athletics. He was hired as a "no football at WSU President". Had he said anything else, he probably wouldn't have gotten the job. What needs to happen in a few years when he retires is that the Wichita community needs to make sure the BOR understands we want the next President to not have to make the same pledge. I assure you that given the green light, Eric Sexton, son of one of the greatest Shocker football players of all time, will be more than capable of raising the money and support to bring back the program.

[ISASO]

Wait, weren't we told earlier that the BOR and the other schools in the system have no influence over WSU's prospects for having football?

Maybe we're also supposed to believe that KU would encourage the BOR to waste "their money" on WSU football. We already got far more than they wanted us to have on this project for making composites-based medical devices.

[SpanglerFan316]

I think Beggs had bad football experiences at SIU and is inclined "against football" in the sense that a LOT of money would have to already be given to WSU before he would agree to bring back football. I base this opinion on comments on SalukiTalk about Beggs and athletics while he was at SIU.

For good or bad, I think Beggs delegates and trusts his subordinates like ADES. If ES came to him with a strong plan for football, I think the President would strongly consider the plan. I don't think he would agree to a plan that requires proposed tax increases but would accept one based on tax increases which the voters, etc. had already approved. I have never thought of Beggs as "Anti-Football" or influenced by the KBOR on athletics but rather as a very careful administrator who has seen the financial problems that football can cause.

[Ricardo del Rio]

I think Beggs had bad football experiences at SIU and is inclined "against football" in the sense that a LOT of money would have to already be given to WSU before he would agree to bring back football. I base this opinion on comments on SalukiTalk about Beggs and athletics while he was at SIU.

For good or bad, I think Beggs delegates and trusts his subordinates like ADES. If ES came to him with a strong plan for football, I think the President would strongly consider the plan. I don't think he would agree to a plan that requires proposed tax increases but would accept one based on tax increases which the voters, etc. had already approved. I have never thought of Beggs as "Anti-Football" or influenced by the KBOR on athletics but rather as a very careful administrator who has seen the financial problems that football can cause.

I don't believer ADES will be the torch bearer for any effort, which may be controversial. It includes football or any other activity. He will just go with the flow. Go along to get along.

[Shockerman]

I don't believer ADES will be the torch bearer for any effort, which may be controversial. It includes football or any other activity. He will just go with the flow. Go along to get along.

This is my take on ADES as well.

As for SIU, they are not in debt because of football, they are in debt because the whole university system in Illinois is bankrupt.

[SpanglerFan316]

I don't believer ADES will be the torch bearer for any effort, which may be controversial. It includes football or any other activity. He will just go with the flow. Go along to get along.

This is my take on ADES as well.

As for SIU, they are not in debt because of football, they are in debt because the whole university system in Illinois is bankrupt.

Then how did Illinois State win the MVC All-Sports Award? ;-)

[Shockerman]

Being in debt and being competitive are two different things.

[SpanglerFan316]

Comments by the Big West commissioner: http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_15314765

Football, which has become a growth sport for those schools that can afford it: "There has never been a president who has said we should all bring back football," he said, "or one who even had an idea how we could. I think it's impossible in this climate to bring back football, especially in California with Title IX and Cal Now restrictions."

[Veritas]

Did WSU cut any female sports after the demise of football, or did the football program fold before all of the parity requirements between men and women's sports?

[ShockTalk]

Did WSU cut any female sports after the demise of football, or did the football program fold before all of the parity requirements between men and women's sports?

This doesn't answer your question, but speaking of cuts, if WSU were to bring back football, the Men's Track & Field and Cross Country would be very vulnerable.

[Capitol Shock]

It almost sounds like the title requirements were in part designed to keep the weak weak and the strong strong.

WSU has to bring back football and there's still enough money in this town to make it happen but somebody on the inside with clout has to spearhead the effort.

If Eric brought it back he would be a hero. Fans are either indifferent or support it. I don't think that you'll find anyone against it especially if private funds are raised to bring it back.

I agree with those who say if the Valley folds we are in a bad spot without football. Can you say "Mediocrity forever."

[shocky]

I don't think that was really big a consideration back then or a problem. WSU had much larger issues to deal with. No fans, losing to D-2 and D-1AA teams and losing large amounts of money were the real problems. Then there was the MVC folding and trying to make as an independent with Tulsa. I'm sure there are more.

After we completely flopped in 83 and KU....I mean the NCAA placed the football and basketball team on probation, the fans completely gave up. I mean completely. The program was officially on a death watch with Fred Mann leading the media charge. Imagine being Ron Chismar and trying to recruit players and the Eagle's sports writer is calling for the program to be axed. That would suck!

Times have changed from both a media prospective and the football landscape itself. I know Title IX is a new twist that we would have to deal with. But I think if we can get this thing going the right way, the sky is the limit.

[Veritas]

I think one of the issues that bothered me about Perkins was that he cut the program in part to make himself look good. Rather than dig deep and endeavor to fund the program, he gave up. Then he let the NCAA know how he cut a troubled program. They gave him a pat on the back and then he moves to Maryland. He left a wake of destruction at WSU and will of course do the same thing at KU.

Regarding present day... If the Valley folds or we see an IlSU and MSU depart for greener pastures, WSU will be in a real bind without football. Having a football program and doing it right will ensure a strong athletic program in the future. Without it and we could see WSU forced into the Summit league or a watered down MoVal conference.
It's a gamble, but I really don't see how WSU will continue to grow and get stronger without football.

[pogo]

I think one of the issues that bothered me about Perkins was that he cut the program in part to make himself look good. Rather than dig deep and endeavor to fund the program, he gave up. Then he let the NCAA know how he cut a troubled program. They gave him a pat on the back and then he moves to Maryland. He left a wake of destruction at WSU and will of course do the same thing at KU.

Regarding present day... If the Valley folds or we see an IlSU and MSU depart for greener pastures, WSU will be in a real bind without football. Having a football program and doing it right will ensure a strong athletic program in the future. Without it and we could see WSU forced into the Summit league or a watered down MoVal conference.
It's a gamble, but I really don't see how WSU will continue to grow and get stronger without football.

Perkins was given the order to cut the football program by then President Warren Armstrong. Like a good trooper he obeyed and stopped the bleeding at somewhere around 2 million in the red. As Veritas has pointed out the rest is history. The bulk of the moval teams are not making the committment to fund their programs at a level that will allow the moval to prosper. If the valley continues to stagnate it won't mean alot to be the top dog in a mediocre league.