[Golden Kitten]

Coach Ruffin was here last weekend for the "Sound Mind Sound Body" football and cheerleading recruitment event. 

Those who know me know that we conversed (I don't conversate) about our athletic teams and facilities. D1 still not in the foreseeable future despite what you may have read/heard. Those who read the strategic plan know this...

Hi Utopia!  Hi Ramses! 

[ncsiacfan]

Bluedog, I think that the forum would like for us to move on.

[bluedog]

Bluedog, I think that the forum would like for us to move on.

You should have moved your ass on when you came up with that bullchit about you didn't mean to post "Swack". You just had it written down and it just magically jump on your post. That would have been the perfect time for "you" to move on.  But you made the choice to turn your bullchit meter up.

[ncsiacfan]

It is something that I have done before on this forum. I write SWACK meaning SWAC. It was certainy never intended as a dig at the SWAC. Now I will turn my metter down if you will turn yours down.

[Jay_Thomas]

   Bluedog, PLEASE come over here by me
...I have a cooler full of beer n bourbon. 



GK!!!!!

Those who know me know that we conversed (I don't conversate)

 I heard THAT!  

[Ramese98]

Coach Ruffin was here last weekend for the "Sound Mind Sound Body" football and cheerleading recruitment event. 

Those who know me know that we conversed (I don't conversate) about our athletic teams and facilities. D1 still not in the foreseeable future despite what you may have read/heard. Those who read the strategic plan know this...

Hi Utopia!  Hi Ramses! 

HI GK and yes, I am 100% sure there was a discussion.

The thing that baffles me, is the notion that moving to D1 is somehow every schools desire. It simply is not and it has nothing to do with shortsighted vision, it has more to do with sustainability. I would prefer we perfect our craft where we are and become more successful across the board in all aspects of our Athletics in D2, because once you move all your programs move. There is a reason Albany State has declined offers about moving to D1, its called COMMON SENSE.

[Jay_Thomas]

Ramese, I hear that...and good points.

And I've always thought if any school left the SIAC for D1/FCS that it would be Albany State and NOT one of the smaller private SIAC teams. 

So if it doesn't make sense for yall...IJS. 

[BisonBlu]

Ramese, I hear that...and good points.

And I've always thought if any school left the SIAC for D1/FCS that it would be Albany State and NOT one of the smaller private SIAC teams. 

So if it doesn't make sense for yall...IJS.

Very true, ASU would definitely boost the level of competition is baseball in the SWAC East.

[bluedog]

  Bluedog, PLEASE come over here by me
...I have a cooler full of beer n bourbon. 



GK!!!!!

Those who know me know that we conversed (I don't conversate)

 I heard THAT!  

Man "I ain't studying nobody" this weekend. Lol... I'm too tied up in this SWAC baseball tournament and on top of that my Lakers hired my second choice for head coach

[LULions]

Coach Ruffin was here last weekend for the "Sound Mind Sound Body" football and cheerleading recruitment event. 

Those who know me know that we conversed (I don't conversate) about our athletic teams and facilities. D1 still not in the foreseeable future despite what you may have read/heard. Those who read the strategic plan know this...

Hi Utopia!  Hi Ramses! 

 

[SkegeeFAMU]

Coach Ruffin was here last weekend for the "Sound Mind Sound Body" football and cheerleading recruitment event. 

Those who know me know that we conversed (I don't conversate) about our athletic teams and facilities. D1 still not in the foreseeable future despite what you may have read/heard. Those who read the strategic plan know this...

Hi Utopia!  Hi Ramses! 

HI GK and yes, I am 100% sure there was a discussion.

The thing that baffles me, is the notion that moving to D1 is somehow every schools desire. It simply is not and it has nothing to do with shortsighted vision, it has more to do with sustainability. I would prefer we perfect our craft where we are and become more successful across the board in all aspects of our Athletics in D2, because once you move all your programs move. There is a reason Albany State has declined offers about moving to D1, its called COMMON SENSE.

The thing that we all are going to have to realize, and adapt to is that Collegiate Athletics as we have known it in our lifetime is undergoing a huge paradigm shift. All universities, regardless of size or classification, are either going to have to step up their spending on athletics, or not be a player in the game. In the modern day world of college athletics, scholarships are just the very beginning of what the modern day athlete are looking for.  They are looking at how much they can make off of NIL, who has the nicest, over the top facilities, and on the Power 5 / Group of 5 Level, who can give them the surest route to the NFL. Even having pretty coeds to greet potential recruits isn’t going to have the same effect as it had in our era. Even though it may take a few years for all the paradigm shifts to filter down to FCS / D2, it’s like a huge, unstoppable snowball gaining momentum. Like it or not, it’s going to affect all of us, sooner or later. It will behoove all of our institutions to be able to adapt to the changing environment of collegiate athletics.

What Coach Ruffin is attempting to do is to get our athletics program in order so that in the future, TU will have the flexibility to go in whatever direction it needs to go in to be an even more viable program. Whether we go FCS, or remain D2, TU has no choice but to get a handle on its athletics facilities. Having officiated Football on the FCS, and the Group of Five level, one thing that sticks in my craw is how far behind we are in fundraising, facilities, and just general overall operations. When I make this comparison, I’m talking these institutions vs our larger HBCU FCS programs.  If we are going to have some semblance of being able to compete with PWC’s we have to at least close the gap to where is considerably smaller than what it is now.

I like Coach Ruffin’s plans to address all of our athletics deficiencies, both facilities wise, and other wise.  IMHO, I think a 5 Year plan is a tad bit aggressive.  Given the scope of the work that needs to be done, and the finances, Capital Campaign, and sponsorships needed, I feel that a 7 - 10 year plan would be more attainable. Either way, we’ll either be in a position to be a top notch D2 program if TU decides to remain at D2, or will have the flexibility to reclassify to FCS if that’s what’s best down the road. All of our institutions are going to have to invest in our programs going forward!!!

[MilesBear1]

I agree.

[Que82]

If lights are in the strategic plan...



 

[‘87 Alum]

^
Man, ✌️ bye ✌️

[MilesBear1]

  :lol: