Sioux/Winona State

[WiSioux]

I'm sure when we make the jump to Div 1aa / Div 1 that all these things will cure themselfs...

We will for sure fill our New Open Air Outside Stadium to 25, 000 plus capacity, so we won't have to worry about the Alerus Security Nazis. The atomshpere wil be fantastic because we will be playing a regional powerhouse like UC Davis (Ranked #22 in Country at 5-5)

Yea Right...I Can't wait...

I realize the seriousness in your post... but I'm going to comment anyway.

I would LOVE to see an open air stadium. I think the Sioux should play at least one game a year at Memorial Stadium... I think it would be a blast. Although at the same time, I am from Wisconsin, used to the Packers... and I go to games at Lambeau in December... oh well.... it would still be cool and I hope it actually does happen!

[siouxforeverbaby]

I realize the seriousness in your post... but I'm going to comment anyway.

I would LOVE to see an open air stadium. I think the Sioux should play at least one game a year at Memorial Stadium... I think it would be a blast. Although at the same time, I am from Wisconsin, used to the Packers... and I go to games at Lambeau in December... oh well.... it would still be cool and I hope it actually does happen!

maybe when we start playing NDSU again, we can play at least them there. that would be so fun!

[dlsiouxfan]

I'm sure when we make the jump to Div 1aa / Div 1 that all these things will cure themselfs...

We will for sure fill our New Open Air Outside Stadium to 25, 000 plus capacity, so we won't have to worry about the Alerus Security Nazis. The atomshpere wil be fantastic because we will be playing a regional powerhouse like UC Davis (Ranked #22 in Country at 5-5)

Yea Right...I Can't wait...

Comparing UC Davis and Winona is laughable. Winona was actually an NCC expansion target and seriously I have my doubts if they ever would have even competed with the Morningside teams of old. Sitting in D2 would have eventually killed the football program, we would have been lucky to draw 5000 for games against the Moorhead State's and Winona's of the world. D2 is a shadow of it's former self and we're better to be leaving it.

[dakotadan]

Comparing UC Davis and Winona is laughable. Winona was actually an NCC expansion target and seriously I have my doubts if they ever would have even competed with the Morningside teams of old. Sitting in D2 would have eventually killed the football program, we would have been lucky to draw 5000 for games against the Moorhead State's and Winona's of the world. D2 is a shadow of it's former self and we're better to be leaving it.

Yeah, but if we had stayed long enough to start seeing UM-Crookston in the playoffs, we would have had some great playoff games against them. I just hope that we get to see UMary before we are fully DI-AA.

[The Walrus]

You guys are right...

We are running out of room anyway to store all those National Championship Football Trophies..?

At Least we outdrew those powerhouse Div 1aa match-ups of..

#9 New Hampshire vs #19 Maine...Attendance 4834

#6 James Madison vs #23 Towson...Attendance 4533

[Stromer]

You guys are right...

We are running out of room anyway to store all those National Championship Football Trophies..?

At Least we outdrew those powerhouse Div 1aa match-ups of..

#9 New Hampshire vs #19 Maine...Attendance 4834

#6 James Madison vs #23 Towson...Attendance 4533

We might only have 1 NC but I think the recent playoff track record speaks for itself. Its not like we are shutting down the FB program after the first week in November.

And it doesn't look like the school down south is having any trouble and we know they weren't having any recent playoff sucess before they left.

[dlsiouxfan]

You guys are right...

We are running out of room anyway to store all those National Championship Football Trophies..?

At Least we outdrew those powerhouse Div 1aa match-ups of..

#9 New Hampshire vs #19 Maine...Attendance 4834

#6 James Madison vs #23 Towson...Attendance 4533

Honestly, why are we even debating this. They drew 19,000 for a game that means jack and we got 5,000 for a playoff game. Goes to show how the average ND sports fan wants to spend their dollar. Watching a competitive game or watching a horrendous blowout. Seems like no- brainer. Sure we could have won a lot more championships in the next few years if we had chosen to stay DII, the real question is if anybody would have actually attendend any of them. People will come out to watch quality games against true rivals like ndsu, sdsu, Montana, Northern Iowa. They won't for some garbage Nsic team and their are a lot more of those teams in DII than their used to be.

[BIGSIOUX]

Honestly, why are we even debating this. They drew 19,000 for a game that means jack and we got 5,000 for a playoff game. Goes to show how the average ND sports fan wants to spend their dollar. Watching a competitive game or watching a horrendous blowout. Seems like no- brainer. Sure we could have won a lot more championships in the next few years if we had chosen to stay DII, the real question is if anybody would have actually attendend any of them. People will come out to watch quality games against true rivals like ndsu, sdsu, Montana, Northern Iowa. They won't for some garbage Nsic team and their are a lot more of those teams in DII than their used to be.

bingo

[The Walrus]

Honestly, why are we even debating this. They drew 19,000 for a game that means jack and we got 5,000 for a playoff game. Goes to show how the average ND sports fan wants to spend their dollar. Watching a competitive game or watching a horrendous blowout. Seems like no- brainer. Sure we could have won a lot more championships in the next few years if we had chosen to stay DII, the real question is if anybody would have actually attendend any of them. People will come out to watch quality games against true rivals like ndsu, sdsu, Montana, Northern Iowa. They won't for some garbage Nsic team and their are a lot more of those teams in DII than their used to be.

We will never be Fargo..?

I have been in Grand Forks for 27 Years and Supported the Sioux.

in 1980 we had a population of 48,000...Fargo 60,000

we are now 50,000 and Fargo over 100,000 +

Just so you know I put my Money where my mouth is 27 years worth of contributions, tickets and support is well over $125,000 plus

Just don't see the rest of the community stepping up...Alumni maybe but they do not all live here..?

[bincitysioux]

I'm sure when we make the jump to Div 1aa / Div 1 that all these things will cure themselfs...

We will for sure fill our New Open Air Outside Stadium to 25, 000 plus capacity, so we won't have to worry about the Alerus Security Nazis. The atomshpere wil be fantastic because we will be playing a regional powerhouse like UC Davis (Ranked #22 in Country at 5-5)

Yea Right...I Can't wait...

Last time UC Davis was in town, there were well over 11,000 for that game. UND football fans are a knowledgeable bunch, and most of us all had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen today, so about 5,000 people that are normally at the games decided to to keep their $15.

There are alot more programs in DII like Winona than there are like UND. I, for one, can't wait to move.

You guys are right...

We are running out of room anyway to store all those National Championship Football Trophies..?

At Least we outdrew those powerhouse Div 1aa match-ups of..

#9 New Hampshire vs #19 Maine...Attendance 4834

#6 James Madison vs #23 Towson...Attendance 4533

No mention of the DII game of the day that took place between South Dakota and Northwood? Attendance was 1,412 for that one. I sure wish we could head out there someday to take part what must be an amazing gameday atmosphere.

We will never be Fargo..?

I have been in Grand Forks for 27 Years and Supported the Sioux.

in 1980 we had a population of 48,000...Fargo 60,000

we are now 50,000 and Fargo over 100,000 +

Just so you know I put my Money where my mouth is 27 years worth of contributions, tickets and support is well over $125,000 plus

Just don't see the rest of the community stepping up...Alumni maybe but they do not all live here..?

I've been 100 miles outside of Grand Forks for 29 years and have supported the Sioux. I'll bet alot of people that live out of town didn't make the drive today like I did, because it was Winona. I debated whether or not to (for about 30 seconds). More intriguing, better quality opponents means fans become intrigued.

Anyone who lives in Grand Forks who prefers the DII model remember that there is a DII program just 20 minutes east on Highway 2 that you can lend your support to rather than to UND if you so chose.

[Hammerhead]

I guess it is time for UND to move up to D-1 -- NDSU just set a new home attendance record.

I was at the game today. Great day to get rolling into the playoffs. However, the crowd size was embarassing to say the least. Is there really that much goin on right now that we couldn't pull more than 5,073 people in there (smallest UND F-ball crowd in Alerus Center history). I understand, a more formidable opponent might would have made the crowd better, but damn man!

[The Walrus]

My opinion is that there is 1 team (ndsu) that we could possibly draw 20,000 fans to, but half of them would be for the other team.

I'm 49 when I attend Sioux events (all the time), I feel young, I am at least 10 years younger then half the age group attending, other than the students, this could explain alot of lack of crowd particaption at all games..?

I just do not see Grand Forks and surrounding area ever consistantly supporting 15-18-20 thousand for a football game no matter who the opposition, or classification level we play in...sorry

Couple this with, if we do not win..(we are 10-1, now) it just will not happen....my opinion

[dakotadan]

I just do not see Grand Forks and surrounding area ever consistantly supporting 15-18-20 thousand for a football game no matter who the opposition, or classification level we play in...sorry

Considering the Al seats 13,500 at the most, I don't see this happening either. But it would be cool to fill it once in a while. And if we consistantly did that, we would be in the top of DI-AA. Unfortunately that's not going to happen in DII anymore with UNC, SDSU and NDSU all gone. Winona was the top choice for the NCC. Not a pretty outlook for the future considering what the crowd was today.

[BigGame]

Just don't see the rest of the community stepping up...Alumni maybe but they do not all live here..?

It's sad, but I think this is very true. Just an opinion I got during my 5 years living in the Forks but the general population of the city will support Sioux Hockey, but will pretty much piss on any other UND athletic team that isn't doing very well.

Hockey is UND's #1 and all the other sports take a back seat. NDSU's #1 is football and it shows with overall fan support and attendance at most of there football games.

[GeauxSioux]

Prior to going Division I, NDSU's attendance was starting to dwindle. They weren't winning conference championships, but they were still one of the top conference teams on a yearly basis. Since the change to Division I, both NDSU and to a lesser extent SDSU have seen an increase in football attendance. I think you will see the same for UND. When NDSU made the move, I was on the fence about whether UND should be moving also. The past couple of years have proven that they made the move at the right time for them.

I'm not saying that we will win the national championship this year, but the game and competition yesterday proved that we are in the wrong classification. A playoff game should be able to have more than 5000 in attendance and would with better competition.

[UND92,96]

Like most others on this board, I was quite embarrassed by the lack of fans at the game yesterday. But while there's no question that playing a team UND had previously beaten badly played a role in the sparse crowd, it definitely wasn't the only reason. For reasons I don't think I'll ever completely understand, there's just something about early round playoff games that make several thousand people who were at a typical regular season game decide not to go. Even when UND played Pitt State in the first round in 2003, there was only a little over 7000 in attendance. Put Pitt State on the schedule in September, and there will be 11,000-plus there. What's the difference? I know, there's hunting, but I'm not sure that comes close to explaining the huge dropoff. In terms of people who actually live close enough to attend if they so choose, I guess there are about 5000 real fans, and 5000 to 6000 fans who evidently don't feel that it's important to support their team in what will almost certainly be the last home game of the year. It's pretty sad.

[The Walrus]

Considering the Al seats 13,500 at the most, I don't see this happening either. But it would be cool to fill it once in a while. And if we consistantly did that, we would be in the top of DI-AA. Unfortunately that's not going to happen in DII anymore with UNC, SDSU and NDSU all gone. Winona was the top choice for the NCC. Not a pretty outlook for the future considering what the crowd was today.

In a couple of years when this "Move" is completed, I will be there!

Hopefully not waiting for the other 13,499 to show up..?

[mksioux]

We will never be Fargo..?

I have been in Grand Forks for 27 Years and Supported the Sioux.

in 1980 we had a population of 48,000...Fargo 60,000

we are now 50,000 and Fargo over 100,000 +

Just so you know I put my Money where my mouth is 27 years worth of contributions, tickets and support is well over $125,000 plus

Just don't see the rest of the community stepping up...Alumni maybe but they do not all live here..?

Nice logic. We will never be Fargo so let's let our once proud football program deteriorate so it's on par with NSIC schools.

In the 1970s while UND had been playing football for 80 years and was regularly playing Montana, Montana State, Northern Iowa, and NDSU, the current best program in DII (Grand Valley) didn't even have a football program. 10 years ago the NSIC schools had just moved from NAIA to NCAA DII and were completely irrelevant. Now we're playing them in regular season and playoff games. In another 10 years, and another round of scholarship cuts, there likely would be no discernable difference between UND and those schools.

Difference of opinion is what makes the world go around, but for the life of me, I just can't see how anyone can still be opposed to going DI.

[Shawn-O]

Nice logic. We will never be Fargo so let's let our once proud football program deteriorate so it's on par with NSIC schools.

In the 1970s while UND had been playing football for 80 years and was regularly playing Montana, Montana State, Northern Iowa, and NDSU, the current best program in DII (Grand Valley) didn't even have a football program. 10 years ago the NSIC schools had just moved from NAIA to NCAA DII and were completely irrelevant. Now we're playing them in regular season and playoff games. In another 10 years, and another round of scholarship cuts, there likely would be no discernable difference between UND and those schools.

Difference of opinion is what makes the world go around, but for the life of me, I just can't see how anyone can still be opposed to going DI.

Absolutely. You are a great Sioux fan, Walrus....but it's this type of thinking that has resulted in GF getting it's rear-end kicked economically by Fargo and Bismarck. I think the world of GF and the people there, but these are the facts.

[The Walrus]

We are, what we are... For 27 years I have waited for Grand Forks to grow, We lose at least 95% of our Graduates to the bigger communities for better paying jobs...

Somewhere on this board the announcement on LM Fiber 200 jobs paying what $10 a hour..

Fargo announces Microsoft 100 jobs between 50-100 thousand a year for College Grads to start...

Show me growth, and some support and I will be with you all the way, we have a aging community...

We need Industry, Technology and High Paying Manufacturing jobs to grow and keep up with the "Jones"..?

Like I said, I'll be there just waiting for the other 13.499 to show up, I have a feeling it will be pretty lonely.

[HockeyMom]

Like I said, I'll be there just waiting for the other 13.499 to show up, I have a feeling it will be pretty lonely.

I'm there with my peeps.......13,495 to go

[The Walrus]

As for watered down Div 2, There is nothing wrong with being the best...

Or we can be middle of the road, Average..

I feel we have just passed the "Golden Age of Sioux Sports" Our children will look back and say "Wow" those guys won all those "Titles". With the exception of Hockey(58) and Football (118) both in less participating areas of athletics, (see Attached)

We will have trouble getting to the top of any mountains.

http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/membership_svcs/sponssummary

My opinion our "Titles" will be very Few and Far, Far in between.

[Shawn-O]

I'm there with my peeps.......13,495 to go

Me too. 13,493. Two home games a year, starting next September.

[Shawn-O]

As for watered down Div 2, There is nothing wrong with being the best...

Or we can be middle of the road, Average..

I feel we have just passed the "Golden Age of Sioux Sports" Our children will look back and say "Wow" those guys won all those "Titles". With the exception of Hockey(58) and Football (118) both in less participating areas of athletics, (see Attached)

We will have trouble getting to the top of any mountains.

http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/membership_svcs/sponssummary

My opinion our "Titles" will be very Few and Far, Far in between.

Conference titles, Walrus...conference titles. Probably none to be had in the next five years, but there will be many in the longer term future. Future DII titles would lose their meaning, what with beating up on tomato cans on a regular basis. Why not strive for more? Why are we still having this debate??

[Woden]

We are, what we are... For 27 years I have waited for Grand Forks to grow, We lose at least 95% of our Graduates to the bigger communities for better paying jobs...

Somewhere on this board the announcement on LM Fiber 200 jobs paying what $10 a hour..

Fargo announces Microsoft 100 jobs between 50-100 thousand a year for College Grads to start...

Show me growth, and some support and I will be with you all the way, we have a aging community...

We need Industry, Technology and High Paying Manufacturing jobs to grow and keep up with the "Jones"..?

Like I said, I'll be there just waiting for the other 13.499 to show up, I have a feeling it will be pretty lonely.

Have a little Denny Green in you there Walrus? "They were who we thought they were." It amazes me knowing how in the know you are with Sioux athletics that you don't have a little more knowledge on the plan for this university. And I don't mean that with any type of disrespect towards you. I just know that you have a good working relationship with some people here at the university. Let's talk a little on the future of the university-

Your whole post talks of how we need GF to grow. We need better jobs. We need to keep our young kids here. Some questions for you. Who should be the leader trying to establish a better community? Should the university sit and wait until something is done, or should it be out in front, leading the way? Should we say "We are who we are," or say "We can be something better."? That is the question posed for both Kupchella and Bunning. Bunning has finally come in and said that this university can be something better than what it has been. Kupchella has finally seen the light, and I for one agree.

You are missing the ultimate goal of this program, and like I said earlier, with your inside knowledge you should have a better grasp of this. The comparisons you make with DI schools such as Maine as far as attendance are concerned have no merit, for that is not the goal of this program. IAA is a stepping stone for where this program wants to be. The end goal is for THE Fighting Sioux to play in the Mecca of college sports, IA football. The end goal is for THE Fighting Sioux to be playing in their new on-campus stadium (ever wonder what the new skywalk across Columbia is going to connect to?) And in all honesty, I feel it is in the best interest for this school to strive to be something great.

If you believe GF could never achieve this status, I offer up Boise State and Troy University. Both were one time DII members who have made the leap all the way up. Boise State, as everyone knows, has been very successful. They are averaging about 30,000 fans per a game. Granted, they have a city with a populationg of around 160,000, which could account for their ability to draw crowds, but how aout Troy? They are located in Troy, Alabama, with a population of 14,000. Somehow they are drawing in on average over 20,000 fans per a game.

We need to quit thinking we are who we are and be a little proactive. Why not make this university into what it can be? We are the ones with a Med school. We are the ones with a law school. We are the ones with a world renowned aerospace school. Who else in this state can say that? The time has come for this university to become what it can be and lead the city of Grand Forks out of the dark ages it has resided since the Red River Carts quit hauling goods. I know I for one would help in contributions to make this possible, and I think there are plenty more out there that feel the same way I do.

My wrists hurt and I'm going to watch some football. Later.