LAMAR needs football ASAP

[KFDM COOP]

If they had mostly local kids playing and a good local coach i think they would be fine crowd wise. Before they mostly had players away from the area. You agree?

[UNLV]

AMEN!

Instead of being the preaching section, lol, why not see if the sports dept at KFDM do a poll on whether the public would support a LU play I-A(Bowl level)

or I-AA(Championship level) or no football is needed at LU.

[KFDM COOP]

Good idea..You can start a poll here to.

[UNLV]

If they had mostly local kids playing and a good local coach i think they would be fine crowd wise. Before they mostly had players away from the area. You agree?

I agree. But you can't be too local to where LU can't win. We have talent but not enough. A local coach or a coach from this area like Todd Dodge?

[KFDM COOP]

Dodge would be the answer!

[WOS95]

Dodge would be the answer!

i say Larry Neuman, but he's been at nederland a long time and has a successful program there. i don't think he would want to start a program from the beginning. maybe craig stump from west brook.

[DenisGScott]

Gonna say this again, why on earth would Todd Dodge come back here to coach LU???? He makes as much if not more at SLC coaching HS ball than LU could pay, beyond that, yea he's is an offensive genius. He's had chances to go Division I and turned them all down because his son is the new QB at SLC this year. God knows I'm a die hard Longhorn, if Major Applewhite can get OC job at Rice with one year as QB coach at Syracuse go 1-10, then Dodge can surely get a OC job at a bigger D-I school than coming back to LU. To even have a shot at him, you would have to be starting to play next year and you cant set up a program that fast. If anything I would expect Dodge to be the leading candidate for the OC job at Texas once Greg Davis gets canned, which will be after this year if he keeps game planning like he did last week.

I'd love to see football back at LU, dont get me wrong, but no one is being realistic. Bmt wont support I-AA football when there are 2 D-I programs in Houston, plus college station, austin, waco, dallas all basically within a 4 hour drive away to go see GOOD college football. As a football fan, lets just say hypothetically LU was playing D-I and getting hammered like La-Monroe does. yeah that play Kansas, Alabama and Kentucky ALL ON THE ROAD. Look at the whole SunBelt conference schedule this year and see what the big HOME games are....

Ark St.. home for Army at Okla St, SMU, Auburn

Fla Atlantic... No D-I home games, at Clem,Kan St, Ok St, S. Car

Fla Int.... home for Bowling Green, at S.Fla, Maryland, Miami, Alabama

La-Laf...home for Eastern Mich..at LSU, at A&M, at UH

Mid Tenn.. at Maryland, at OU, Louisville

UNT... SMU and La. Tech at home, at UT, Tulsa, Akron

Troy... no D-I home games, at FSU, Ga. Tech, Nebraska, UAB

even La. Tech who has a respectable D-I program (7-4 last year) they're ONE non conf home game is Nicholls State, granted they also play at Neb, at a&m, at Clem, and they're in a conference with Nevada, Fresno and Hawaii

point being you cant generate a good enough home schedule to really get the community behind it, yeah you can play road games and fund the ENTIRE athletic dept. I-AA isnt the answer either, LU is stuck in a huge catch 22, damned if they do, damned if they dont. At least would have to try the D-I route because of the money that could be brought in for the athletic dept but dont expect to see anyone good coming here.

[KFDM COOP]

I agree on that. Dodge would never come here.

[JohnnyT60]

When did Lamar play 1-A? I don't recall them playing 1-A. They wer in the Southland forever it seems like, and joined the Sunbelt after they had already killed Football.

I couldn't disagree with you more, this area will support 1-AA just as Lake Charles has. D1 is not the answer to crowds. Just look at ULL's crowds.

According to the NCAA site there are 115 1-AA programs and 11 of those are in either Texas or Louisiana.

http://web1.ncaa.org/ssLists/sportByDiv.do

[Cardinal Fan]

You both make good points. I like this football talk about Lamar University. Just one point, there hasn't always been a DI-AA division. Yes, Lamar competed at the DI level and one year played in a "Bowl" game.

I'm sure Coop can get his hands on information about the opponent and the year Lamar played in a bowl game. I do think Lamar lost the game. Record 0-1 in bowl games.

One other point, I wouldn't be so quick to write off the possiblity of Todd Dodge as a HC here. There are a lot of wealthy folk here in SE Texas and since the mis-givens created by Lamar dropping football and promises being broken haven't given a dime to Lamar Athletics. You bring back football and hire a guy like Todd Dodge Lamar could raise the funds to pay a HC in the area of $250,000 a year plus incentives.

There are a lot more millionairs in SE Texas than most people realize and quiet a few of those are Lamar University alumni.

[Bobcatfan4life]

In 1961 Lamar played in the then called "Tangerine Bowl" and beat Middle Tennessee State 21-14. Here's the link. The game is listed under the current name of the bowl game, the "Capital One Bowl"

http://www.hickoksports.com/history/othrbowl.shtml

[KFDM COOP]

BOBCAT beat me to it.

[Cardinal Fan]

Good work there, thanks! Yeah, Lamar did better than I thought. We're 1-0 in bowl games. Now, bring back football!!!

[JohnnyT60]

"Lamar University is a member of the Southland Conference, participating in men and women's basketball, baseball, and other sports. Lamar does not have a football program, which is unusual for a Texas educational institution."

This is from wikipedia.com , it's time to do it now!

[KFDM COOP]

I'll believe it when i see it.

[JohnnyT60]

The problem is, they don't see how football could help the university in a variety of ways. In areas that have nothing to do with football.

[adminbaberuth]

Would the Lamar Students be willing to give up a hamburger and drink for 52 weeks for a football team?

Hamburger and drink $5.76 x 52 weeks = $300.00 x 10,000 students = $3,000,000........ bingo... Football Team

[UNLV]

Did not LU also play in the Pecan Bowl.

Had the money been available 4 years ago, LU would be playing football with former Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer as HC. So don't tell me Dodge won't come here. Roc was rated as one of the nations top assistants for a coaching job yet he chose LU. Dodge may get the call from UT or may not. If not, then LU could grab him. Not everyone look down their nose at LU and SETX. Dodge could take pride in his hometown area just as ROC and Tubbs.

I put my money on Dodge coming here. I'm sure Tubbs too see him as the obvious choice and will make it happen.

[UNLV]

BTW, UL-Monroe lost to Kanas by 2 points. I don't call that being hammered.

[DenisGScott]

anyone who loses to Kansas in football gets hammered they're that bad

[UNLV]

When did Lamar play 1-A? I don't recall them playing 1-A. They wer in the Southland forever it seems like' date=' and joined the Sunbelt after they had already killed Football.

[/quote']

The SLC use to be I-A. Arkansas st, North Texas, La-tech, and La-laf all use to be part of the SLC. Those were the glory years of top 25 appearance of a SLC school.

The answer to crowds IN THIS AREA is winning and I-A.

[JohnnyT60]

Was that before they established 1-AA. Your right winning will be key, 1-A is not. Tell me, what being 1-A will do for Lamar. Don't tell me, bringing in big schools, that won't happen. As we have already seen most of the small D-1 schools have to travel to all of the big schools for their sacrifice. If you think any Big 12 or SEC school is coming to Beaumont your dreaming.

[DenisGScott]

I agree no big schools would come here to play even if LU played football and even if they were I-A, the only reason UT plays Rice in Houston anymore since it is non conference is because of the huge UT alumni base in Houston. But the answer is still I-A, where they could in theory qualify for a small bowl game.

[JohnnyT60]

I think the 1-AA playoffs are better than a bowl game. I have read, depending on what conference your in, that bowls actually cost you money, instead of making money for the school. I do not believe Lamar will ever be able to compete at D-1 and that is why I support 1-AA. Also, if you look how some of these 1-AA programs are ran(McNeese, Montana St., etc.) Lamar could be successful and bring a lot to the community.

[UNLV]

Was that before they established 1-AA. Your right winning will be key' date=' 1-A is not. Tell me, what being 1-A will do for Lamar. Don't tell me, bringing in big schools, that won't happen. As we have already seen most of the small D-1 schools have to travel to all of the big schools for their sacrifice. If you think any Big 12 or SEC school is coming to Beaumont your dreaming.[/quote']

If a new stadium is built, fan support, and LU put together a good program, a big name school would come to Beaumont. Baylor came, why do you continue to pretend that game never happened. I bet UH would come, TX-Tech, SMU, Ole Miss and I think LU could get a home game with UT in Houston.

Why in Houston? it's a start. Get the public use to an LU-UT game.

Coach Tubbs is loved in OU. Maybe OU/LU. What you seem to not understand is teams playing for a bowl do not want lose before conference and do not want to risk losing to an I-AA. This is a huge advantage for LU. A&M would come to Beaumont to play an I-A LU. Why? A win is likely, travel cost is low, and LU would count as a I-A WIN.