iramurphy

Baloney. Chaves put together a very competitive bid. A number of individual Alumni had pledged to augment what UND could do. Had our fans and community kept attendance at 9500 to 10,000 UND might have offered more. Biggest failure has been UND students failure to get behind the team and be part of the success. During the week Chaves and Alumni staff travel the region working to increase support for the program, UND athletics and the University. Cheap shots from people who have no idea what these guys are doing every day get a bit old. Maybe you should have given an extra $10,000. I would bet we were only short $5000.

It ain’t what is Bubba made of, its what are these players made of. TV guys showed us no respect. At some point these guys need to play a consistent 60 min game with no mental errors to the best of their ability.

Doubt it. Frankly “looking ahead” is more of a fan and media issue. Once the puck drops players play.

Game was over. Was that their regular kicker? If not it makes more sense. I thought it was something for the kicker. Didn’t make any difference.

My only point is these guys are committed to the program. I don’t believe their commitment is an issue.

Questioning play calling, game management, progress, recruiting etc I understand. We aren’t winning enough and program doesn’t seem to be improving fast enough for many. If you question commitment to the program you lose credibility with me. That certainly isn’t an issue with this staff. These guys are working their tails off. They care about each other, our players, the program and the University. There is no lack of effort or energy on the part of this staff.

Had we beaten Weber we would be in but any loss instead of a win puts us on the bubble.

It did. Any loss kept us from 8 wins. Obviously, hurts more to lose to mediocre teams but had we beaten another FCS team we would have been in with 8 wins. Frankly we were not much better than average so I’ve never understood the whining. I believe your point is valid. If we win the games we should win we are in and the NDSU game doesn’t keep us out. Same thing this year: we beat another FCS team instead of losing to NDSU we would be 7-3 right now. The losses to ISU and EW are keeping us out

Faison made the decision with Bubba’s input. I opposed it because we weren’t ready for NDSU and I would not have agreed to 2 away games. I agree it cost us a playoff shot the first year and could be a major factor this year.

He didn’t get a chance to warm up. Came in cold.

Never. UND will always recruit the best kids available. Most NHL teams still feel their draft picks get excellent coaching and continue their development while at UND. Most of these players have stayed at least 2-3 years with the approval of the NHL team that drafted them. Very few have left after one year.

That is a good question but I don’t believe my opinion will change anything. Having said that it will depend on what happens between now and when Bubba’s contract expires. In the meantime, we need the resources for better facilities, salaries etc. If we as fans and supporters aren’t going to do get HPCII built we are at a disadvantage when we recruit against a number of other schools. If we don’t increase funding for salaries, we get a different pool of applicants. (Rudolph). Making the playoffs this year isn’t a dealbreaker for me. Getting better and building on that so we can attain and ultimately sustain that success takes a lot more time than I would like. I’m not agreeing or disagreeing with your opinion or others. If I am going to give a lot more money it will be with those goals in mind not to buy out a coaches contract. Therefore I feel obligated to support what they are trying to do in the meantime. I also think Bubba is allowing his coordinators to call their plays and make decisions. That is how it should be.

We can fuss all we want about coaching decisions. There isn’t going to be a coaching change. Those of you who want a change don’t seem willing to write a 6 figure check, which wouldn’t cover the entire cost of a change. I believe Chaves is more focused on increasing resources available for coaching salaries, resources and facilities. With that in mind, it seems to me discussing staff change is a moot point. Doesn’t really matter what I think.

Perfect pass, he quit running or it would have been 6

Hakstol was an outstanding coach. Made playoffs virtually every year and frequently made frozen four. I never spoke with anyone, who had a clear understanding of coaching and winning at this level, who failed to understand that fact. The players I spoke with had the same opinion. This of course is a FB post. It makes no difference how I feel, but I don’t believe we will see a coaching change this year especially if we win the last two games. The only way I see a coaching change would be a unified player revolt against the present staff.

Lots of opportunities to use those big screens to improve game day experience, but advertising is money.

Bismarck Junior College going to Nationals. Do they have kids who can play here?

Thanks

Do any bars in Grand Forks carry the FB game today?

Pretty good assessment. Way too many unforced errors and mental mistakes. A number of off balance 3 point attempts. The girls need to adjust to the speed of the college game at this level. (This wasn’t Concordia). We looked athletic enough. This team has potential. Hope they can learn and adjust quickly. Also need to make free throws.

Jim played football and wrestled for South St. Paul. He the played FB and wrestled for U of Minn Crookston where he was a Junior College All-American and Ranked 4th in the nation in wrestling. He was an All NCC LB at UND in 1970 and 1971. In 1971 he was named the NCC most valuable defensive lineman and an NCAA All American. He was drafted in the 3rd round by the Bengals. He played 12yrs for the Bengals at middle LB and earned pro bowl honors. He was elected to the South St Paul HoF , Minnesota Crookston HoF, UND Athletic HoF, College Football HoF, and North Dakota Sports HoF. He was 6’ 3” 225lbs which was bigger than many linemen in the 1970’s. He could cover sideline to sideline. His senior year he led UND over NDSU. NDSU was ranked #1 in the nation with a 30+ game unbeaten streak. We held them to -76 yds. He was as good as any LB in history of North Dakota FB. During off season he served our nation as a member of the US Army Reserves.

We lost one of the greatest football players in UND history early this AM. Jim LeClair, former All-American linebacker, and Pro Bowl LB for the Cincinnati Bengals died of complications of CTE. Please keep Jim’s wife Betty, kids and other family members including brother Marty (who also played LB at UND) in our thoughts and prayers.

No, probably not. It may lessen the college experience for many and indirectly could adversely affect donations. Athletic events are the major attraction for many alumni to return to campus and reconnect with their Alma Mater. We as a society have allowed sports to become a very dirty business.

This may be the impetus to remove intercollegiate and inter scholastic athletics from from educational institutions. Being a college athlete isn’t a “full time job”. At UND/NDSU full scholarships for instate kids are around $21,400 instate and 33,000 out of state. Throw in free travel, hotel and stipend clothing/gear it’s at least $25,000-$35,000 per athlete per year. Many in the media are pushing for the NCAA changes. What will that do to the team culture. The star QB, RB, CB, LB, WR can negotiate for tens of thousands of dollars at schools our size and, in some cases, millions at the big time schools. What about the Off linemen, Def linemen who don’t get recognition but are an important part of the success of the star athlete. What about the back ups or scout team players who make the star athlete better? The NCAA caved to media pressure, political pressure and lobby groups. I don’t think it is in the best interest of colleges and universities nor intercollegiate athletics. How soon before HS athletes demand money?

Sorry I put my comment after the wrong post. He does have D1 potential.