nodakvindy

I'm not sure what to make of that. Although it is interesting that UND and SDSU are already at a level with 2 Pac-10, 2-Big 12 and 1 SEC school, so it appears their status in major D-IA conference has not put them noticeably ahead of UND and SDSU. Also it says the athletic move may affect the rest of the University, but does not mention if it would do so in a positive or negative fashion. I honestly don't believe having a DI or IAA athletic program can have that much of an impact on attracting research grants. As has been mentioned, you may be able to throw some tickets the way of a congressman, but that's a pretty small perk, and they are in DC most of the time anyway. UND is a little different in that the entire North Dakota congressional delegation are alums. I don't know what that situation is in South Dakota, although I believe Janklow went to USD and wouldn't be surprised if Daschle went out of state. Johnson is a pretty good guy, levelheaded and down-to-earth, so it's possible he went to Brookings. I think it's clear that there are DI and DIAA teams that have athletic programs that are clearly inferior to those of most, if not all, NCC schools. However, what is working against the NCC schools, and has been for as long as there has been intercollegiate athletics, is geography. The NCC schools are too far from other DI schools of similar size. It is obvious UND and NDSU will never be in the Big 10 and USD and SDSU will never be in the Big 12. These two conferences house all other state universities in the midwest. If the Dakota schools were located in the western parts of the state, or even if Montana or Montana State was located in Billings, the Big Sky might seem more realistic. Bozeman is 900 miles from Fargo, and that's not a fun drive for a game, even less so to Missoula, crossing mountains during the winter. This DIAA move at NDSU is almost entirely geared for the football program. I don't see how any other sport benefits. The flagship wrestling program has been relegated to being a farm team for the Minnesotas, Iowas and Oklahoma States of the world. And the saddest thing is, they could have used there DI exemption for wrestling. The basketball teams face 13 years in purgatory, and Title IX will become a problem when they add 27 new football scholarships. Finally, I don't think they will get this anticipated return to glory- as other IAA schools will also have the full scholarship complement, a far cry from the 1980s Bison dominence when they were the Yankees of Division II, buying up all the talent with their edge in scholarships. That's my $.02 Vindy

A sad day indeed. My prayers go out to his family. Also found this story in a Las Vegas newspaper. http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/.../514308404.html

Just saw on NFL.com that former Sioux and NFLer Jim Hester passed away. He played football and basketball at UND and was a teammate of Phil Jackson. As a relative youngster I never got to see him play, but have heard stories about him and know of the success of UND football and hoops at that time. He was also an influential community leader in his hometown of Davenport, IA. Here is a link to another story from the Quad Cities Times. Quad Cities Times My prayers are with his family. Hopefully the Sioux will be able to win one over the Coyotes in his memory this weekend.

No, the student section isn't in the corners. But if you had seats in the corners and could move to vacant student seats nearer the middle of the field, wouldn't you do so.

You're right about the PSU game. Those self-absorbed students went home and spent Thanksgiving with their families. Yeah, they aren't real fans. Next you'll be quoting attendance for WCHA playoff games scheduled during spring break.

The Chump JBB said -- NDSU does not give a turnstile count. They give a sold count. If you had taken time to notice there were more than enough fans left in the Prestigious Tailgate areas to fill the Fabulous Fargo Dome. At most there were 1,000 empty seats. During the D2 playoffs in the grand cities last year Winona drew 6,500, The PSU game say 10,000 and the Davis game 11,000? How does that even compare to the Prestigious Crowd at the Fabulous Fargo Dome? ================================================ Tickets sold is meaningless, bodies in the seats are what matter. I've never seen an empty seat enjoy a dog and a coke, or buy any souvenirs. You can rip UND's football attendance, but first take a look in the mirror (and remember that Fargo U (whoops, NDSU) is supposedly a "football school", that just isn't true in Grand Forks.) NDSU draws 10 grand and change for Augie, but can fill the place for the Sioux. What does that mean? It means a hell of a lot of people are wearing green in the Fabulous Floating Football Barn, green and white that is. Don't count on those 8000-9000 Sioux fans showing up for your games when you are DI. You aren't selling out Sioux games because more Bison fans are actually showing up, although you'd like to think that. Good luck getting 8000 fans to make the trip from Bozeman, Cedar Falls, or whatever other D-I (AA) powerhouses you get to come play. You constantly deride UND and the other NCC hockey schools, but the attention they get is what you so crave and is the motivating factor behind NDSU's move up. It would have been smarter to let just the wrestling program go to D-I. Schools like Edinboro and Lock Haven do it and are Top-25 programs. You don't face competition from UND, and it's the one sport that North Dakota can produce enough athletes to fill a D-I team. Instead that honorable program will likely be a sacrifice to the alter of I-AA football, when the Title IX folks wonder how you are going to balance your 27 football scholarships. I'll really feel for you when the reality of "D-I" sets in and you get your hopes up when the Bison score a 4th quarter TD to get within 63-7 against the Huskers in Lincoln. What a proud day that will be for the Thundering Herd, but hey that $300,000 might stem the red ink for a year. And who'll be able to turn down tickets to the Bison Holiday Hoops Classic featuring NDSU, Siena, Stetson and Texas Pan-American. Welcome to the Big Time.