2004 DII Playoffs

[SiouxMD]

Apparently...the Huskies of St. Cloud State have made the DII playoffs this year. The last time the Huskies went to the playoffs was 2004...at least they didn't have to endure a long bus ride home after a bitter loss.

College football: 2004 playoffs full of chances - www.sctimes.com

There were plenty of opportunities for St. Cloud State to beat North Dakota in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2004.

But it all ended in disappointment when North Dakota kicker Jeff Glas kicked a 32-yard field goal in a second overtime to end the Huskies' season.

...

Cosgrove said that he and his fellow alums usually don't like to talk about the loss when they get together because of how much it hurt.

"That's one we don't talk about a lot," he said. "That one hurt so much. I still hang out with a handful of guys. We talk more about the games that we won."

SCSU beat UND 21-17 during the regular season. UND would eventually lose to Pittsburgh State in the semi-finals. This may be their last chance in DII...I hear they are being courted by a regional DI conference superpower which doesn't sponsor football.

[Smoggy]

Apparently...the Huskies of St. Cloud State have made the DII playoffs this year. The last time the Huskies went to the playoffs was 2004...at least they didn't have to endure a long bus ride home after a bitter loss.

College football: 2004 playoffs full of chances - www.sctimes.com

SCSU beat UND 21-17 during the regular season. UND would eventually lose to Pittsburgh State in the semi-finals. This may be their last chance in DII...I hear they are being courted by a regional DI conference superpower which doesn't sponsor football.

I guess they are waiting on a vote to increase student fees to determine if the football program can even stay. And isn't the football stadium relatively new?

[82SiouxGuy]

I guess they are waiting on a vote to increase student fees to determine if the football program can even stay. And isn't the football stadium relatively new?

The stadium opened in 2004 according to this article in the Star Tribune.

[WYOBISONMAN]

Are all the schools in MN in such a money pinch?

[homer]

Are all the schools in MN in such a money pinch?

Yes, they are all looking to make cuts. That is why some of them would like to cut football and advance talks with the NCC I mean Summit league

[jimdahl]

That was the playoff game that drew 2500 fans, half in kelly green, as I recall. Based on school size and population alone, you might expect them to be able to outdraw UND; but I guess some combination of other closer competition (are people in St. Cloud Gophers fans instead?) and apathy about the football program has left the program with too little support to be financially viable.

Anyway, on to my real question... doesn't this statement from the STrib article linked above essentially mean that SCSU has to keep football?

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference saw Potter's threat to drop football as serious enough to have its board of directors take this stand three weeks ago: Football is now among the required sports, and any member not fielding a team will be dropped from the 14-school conference.

[Westside]

Huskie's Fate

If SCSU dropped football and subsequently was booted from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, its remaining sports would have no place to go.

Ouch. Possibly booted from the NSIC but I guess they are good enough for the Summit to look at.

Not to rip on SCSU cause it's a shame to see a 90yr old program cut at any University. Alot of the comments on the StarTrib seem to blame their AD. I hope they can keep their football program. The results of the vote should be in tonight.

Just find it amusing that the Summit is looking at possible NSIC cast-offs.

[mksioux]

That was the playoff game that drew 2500 fans, half in kelly green, as I recall. Based on school size and population alone, you might expect them to be able to outdraw UND; but I guess some combination of other closer competition (are people in St. Cloud Gophers fans instead?) and apathy about the football program has left the program with too little support to be financially viable.

Anyway, on to my real question... doesn't this statement from the STrib article linked above essentially mean that SCSU has to keep football?

St. Cloud is a St. Johns town. St. Johns football has a much bigger following than SCSU football. With the exception of last Saturday's game in the blizzard, St. John's has had much better attendance than UND this year.

The way I read it, tonight's vote will not determine whether St. Cloud drops football. Even if the the student fee increase fails, I'm sure SCSU will take care of its conference affiliation situation (i.e. lining up a Summit invitation) before it drops football. I can't imagine they would save any money by dropping football and then becoming a DII independent.

[Upper Deck]

St. Cloud is a St. Johns town. St. Johns football has a much bigger following than SCSU football. With the exception of last Saturday's game in the blizzard, St. John's has had much better attendance than UND this year.

The way I read it, tonight's vote will not determine whether St. Cloud drops football. Even if the the student fee increase fails, I'm sure SCSU will take care of its conference affiliation situation (i.e. lining up a Summit invitation) before it drops football. I can't imagine they would save any money by dropping football and then becoming a DII independent.

SCSU is also a suitcase college = low football attendance.

[Westside]

SCSU reprieve

St. Cloud State's football team no longer will be facing the possibility of playing the final game in the program's history in Saturday's NCAA Division II playoffs.

University students approved an increase in student fees this week that will save athletic programs, including football, that had been facing elimination.