UND-FB-FAN

Hockey wasn't the "golden goose" at UND just 20 years ago. Perhaps the REA will keep hockey as the top sport form here on out, but it will always keep UND at a DII status in football and basketball moving forward. For St.Cloud and Duluth that doesn't matter because they are DII. For Omaha and Denver it doesn't matter because they don't have football. For Wisconsin and Minnesota it doesn't matter because they have the budget and big time enrollment. UND is in a unique situation, and yes, it's hockey program is maxed out in terms of following. Football and basketball are the big crowd producers; always have been and always will be. UND needs to explore ways to expand those sports.

Article that hits all the key points: http://www.grandforksherald.com/opinion/our-opinion/3653194-our-opinion-taking-depth-look-unds-football-attendance

Football and men's basketball need to get to relevance, or at least one of the two programs. All successful college DI athletic programs are relevant nationally only when football and/or basketball are successful, not hockey. UND hockey is a great fiscal engine, as mentioned above, and is the recognized focus of the university largely due to tradition and facilities, but football and basketball are much more appropriate when focusing on improving the support and fan following.

The hockey program doesn't need to be torn down, but rather the athletic department can not become complacent just because the hockey program is covered and structured the way they want it to be. A lot, and I mean a lot, of work needs to be done with football and basketball at UND; UND's athletic department needs to be willing to actually try and put football and basketball at the same level as hockey in order for such a buildup to occur.

100% correct. This should be the opening lesson of athletic directing 101. UND should try and raise football and basketball to the hockey program's level rather than just simply proclaim themselves as a college hockey university; that's a dead-end street for the ENTIRE athletic program.

Thank goodness. From my personal opinion, as a UND alumnus and Champions Club member, and also from other UND athletic supporters I've spoke with, Faison has rubbed a lot of potential donors the wrong way. Couple that with his dormant, lazy attitude towards expanding football and basketball and you have an abysmal UND athletic department.

And I suppose you think collegiate hockey is the greatest followed sport in the country? That of course is incorrect. UND and it's hockey following is already maxed out and has no more expansion left in it. If UND athletics is to truly expand into DI and compete with NDSU for support, football and basketball - the actual most popular collegiate sports in America - must be expanded at UND. Faison and Kelley need to step up or step down.

Spot on. Hockey is a dead-end street that only certain fans will ever get into. I'm a UND alumnus and yet I only partially care to watch hockey. Football and basketball are the backbone of collegiate athletics in America and it would certainly best benefit UND if they recognized that. NDSU has recognized it and as you said, it has boomed their athletic department during their DI days. Faison and UND's athletic department, along with Kelley, seem to do all they can to not make athletic expansion a top priority. It's no wonder NDSU is grabbing ahold of this state's fandom.

UND's athletic department and it's leadership (Faison) are the major issues for not only UND football, but also UND basketball, and even to a degree, the increase in support for NDSU athletics. UND's athletic department lacks innovation and drive, but most importantly, it does very little to influence effective fundraising and alumni support. There's no reason phase II of the HPC should be on hold; that should be funded by now if Faison knew what he was doing and had made even half of the alumni relationships available to him excited in the direction of UND athletics.

Take this nonsense someplace else.

Wrong. Many current bandwagon NDSU fans (as many as 2000 to 3000) are fair-weather fans that once supported UND football. The coupling of UND's football failures and NDSU's successes have ultimately led UND into a negative perception. From what I hear when asking around, the majority of people in Grand Forks presently just assume UND football is a joke. A lot of that is due to what NDSU is doing, and nothing else. If you choose not to believe this, then that's unfortunate that you ignore reality. As a result, you're actually insulting a part of your very own fan-base.

The more NDSU wins, the more people in Grand Forks, and even apart of UND, start to think UND football "sucks". That's the one thing NDSU winning does that bothers me: with NDSU success the general perception that UND football is irreverent only grows. The uphill climb for UND and Bubba continues... Go UND!

20-7 NDSU now in the 3rd quarter. Going to require a real good effort from Illinois State to get back ahead.

Good start for the Redbirds. Something to watch for: how does Wentz bounce back from his fumble? If it gets to his head NDSU might be in trouble...

Although I of course hope that Illinois State pulls out the game today, I think the "Frisco home-field advantage" for NDSU will be too much. The championship game is by no means neutral; the vast majority of FCS championship fans in Frisco represent NDSU. I honestly believe the only way NDSU gets knocked off in the foreseeable future is if they play a true road playoff game. Fortunately, that could happen as soon as next season...

I apologize if you got that idea, but obviously such a deal is not "free", and I was not trying to imply that. It's an investments that in turn saves on apparel and uniform costs.

Oh how I hope Illinois State comes ready to play tomorrow...

UND women's basketball currently wears Adidas uniforms.

You realize what the alternative is, right? Not having an apparel deal leads to a lot of "mismatched" pieces and personal expenditures for the student-athletes. Apparel deals allow for consistency, and in that, its essentially head to toe. Here's an article detailing a similar deal that was struck between Adidas and the University of South Dakota: http://www.goyotes.com/genrel/020212aab.html

Football jerseys were Nike but the football staff apparel and player pregame wear was all Adidas. Obviously Bubba was already anticipating a change to Adidas.

If this deal does not go department-wide, then the issue lies with not only Brian Jones but also AD Brian Faison. Faison needs to do his job, overrule Jones, and make sure the department gets a much needed, overdue apparel deal completed. Men's basketball would be just fine with Adidas, especially since their jerseys, shoes, athletic wear, etc. would all be discounted and more accessible each and every season. All big athletic departments endorse and ultimately agree on athletic apparel contracts because they straightforwardly benefit the department. By agreeing to wear only one manufacturer's gear, you then get all gear, from head to toe, supplied. That is huge in terms of program budget and student-athlete appeal. Brian Jones needs to step back or Brian Faison needs to step up; one or the other. Get this Adidas deal done for every UND athletic team!!!

Adidas supplies Big Ten schools such as Wisconsin, Michigan, and Nebraska and they have kept all of those uniforms clean, traditional, and looking good. I'd imagine Bubba will be able to get clean looking unforms similar to what the team wore in 2001.

Considering Coach Schmidt just visited him in-house, it's looking good. He has a PWO offer from Oregon, a team in the 2015 FBS national championship game, meaning he would be one heck of a skill position addition to the 2015 recruiting class. Hope it all works out. http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1573082/iwarri-smith

Army has offered and I think there is some interest by some other FBS programs. Obviously UND should pursue this kid if he fits the program - he would be a great addition talent-wise.

My thinking as well. Perhaps Ja'Won Arrington, who would be a welcome addition to Cedric Simmons and Olivera in the backfield. http://m.uabsports.com/m/sports/m-footbl/mtt/jawon_arrington_860145.html