UD to Go ‘Big-Time’ in Football?
The Beast Who Slumbers must have been in hibernation when the News-Journal’s Martin Frank wrote this interesting speculative story on May 12.
But, it appears that the University of Delaware, currently a big fish in the small pond of whatever they’re now calling Division 1-AA football, harbors visions (delusions?) of gridiron grandeur. And that, in part, entered into UD’s choice of a new athletic director:
Why else would UD hire (Bernard) Muir as athletic director Monday, knowing that it needs to undertake a massive fundraising effort to build new facilities, improve the current ones, all while keeping athletics competitive?
“Our aspirations are pretty clear,” Delaware president Patrick Harker said. “We want to be viewed as one of the very impactful public institutions in America. And athletics is a part of that. We want to attract the best in everything we do, including athletics.”
That doesn’t happen without I-A football, which drives every successful athletic program.
The big question, of course, is how will the University of Delaware pay for this when they’re having such a hard time raising funds for refurbishment of the facilities and, unlike state schools, can’t really count on the State to underwrite this, especially when the State’s in a fiscal crisis?
Having asked those questions, the move would make sense from a couple of perspectives. First, they’re gonna have to find a way to upgrade the facilities anyway. In for a dime, in for a dollar.
Second, there could be a logical conference buy-in. The Big East essentially vacated the Philadelphia market for football (Villanova, of course, is a BE hoops school and a great anchor for the BE) when they jettisoned perennially non-competitive Temple. Unless ‘Nova decides to go big-time, Delaware is the best bet the Big East has to return to the Philly market.
So, what do you think? It worked for UConn (even though the state paid lots of the freight there), why couldn’t it happen here?
Tags: sports
can they afford to pay him after all that salary going to the current President?
I’m thinking that Delaware Stadium isn’t big enough.
Hmmm…. the stadium is right across the street from a big factory that isn’t really being used anymore….
Football Factory?
DV,
The President is the highest paid President in the country (more then the U of Mich system) for a reason.
U of D in the Philly market?
I don’t think so. DE dollars can flow into PA, but I don’t see PA learning to love the hen.
Take a look at the tract available across the street…. I’d say there’s room for expansion. Picture broad pedestrian walkway overpasses over South College Avenue (a la Penns Landing) linking the stadium with the Chrysler site.
Too expensive for UD maybe, so maybe some kind of quasi-public deal.
Actually, UD has made a bid on the Chrysler site.
I just don’t think Delaware is a big enough market for a 1A team. I think UD is better off being a great 1AA team, rather than another crappy 1A team.
Hens vs. Wildcats.
Bring it on!
It’s more viable then DSU playing Michigan this year.
I just can’t see it. The NCAA requires its D-IA schools to play in stadiums that seat at least 30,000. Delaware Stadium falls about 8000 short of that, and any facility on the Chrysler site is years away. UD also has substandard facilities as far as offices, locker rooms and weight training go. Picture a building the size of the Bob Carpenter Center devoted solely to football; that is what they would need.
If the Hens can’t sell the 30,000 tickets per week, expect a home game or two a year to be essentially sold to an opponent. So you could see the Hens playing Penn State, for example, at the Linc. A home game for UD, but with 65,000 fans cheering for Penn State. Sure boosts the attendance numbers, though.
I think Delaware is in the right spot in I-AA. If they decide to make the jump, good luck to them. I’d root for them to be successful, but I’d have some doubts.
Moving UD to D1 football has the makings of a disaster. Unless Ruly has more money that I think, there’s no spigot to finance the necessary facilities. The market would not fill a 45,000-seat stadium. The football coach has 4 winning seasons in 7 years against a schedule laden with cupcakes. If UD wants to be big-time, how about a wrestling team and indoor track?
Delusions of grandeur – they are having a hard enough time getting people to pony up 1K for the privilege of paying outrageous fees for a parking block. I know a group of people who had 6 tix and a block for YEARS, who gave them up because of the new UD football extortion rates. I don’t see how they will get the dollars – especially in this economy.
I follow Pitt. Go to any Big east blog, including ESPN.coms Big East blog. All of the fans of all programs are sick of the 3-4
scheduling. They need 1 more team to be able to schedule 4 home and 4 away. If UCONN can move up to div 1 so quickly, so can U of D. Uof cinn seats 35,000. If you added 8000 bleachers in your stadium
the Big east would invite you in 2 seconds. You would however, for the time being be a football only member. The Big East does not need a small school like Villanova in football . We already had Temples 8000 per game attendance. Read Rutgers websites, they would much rather be playing a division 1 Delaware than the pansys they were able to schedule. If you look at the Big East’s schools future schedules they could start your transition very quickly. you could join the Big East and still play Navy if you wish,
Thanks for the input John. I’m going to front page your comment because I know the blog has a big following at the University and because why the hell not.
“Delusions of grandeur – they are having a hard enough time getting people to pony up 1K for the privilege of paying outrageous fees for a parking block. I know a group of people who had 6 tix and a block for YEARS, who gave them up because of the new UD football extortion rates. I don’t see how they will get the dollars – especially in this economy.”
A LOT of people I know have done the same thing, including people who have given the athletic department and the University a ton of money and were still expected to pony up the $1k.