I think Winston-Salem announced a transition to D-I a few years ago, but backed down before playing a game.
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West Chester was D-II before the I-A, I-AA split. West Chester was D2 along with us and Bucknell and Delaware at the time. They were still a member of the PSAC, but were D2. I believe most of the other state schools were D-III or even NAIA at the time.
Getting back to the point, all of the PSAC schools were certainly D2 by the early to mid 80's.
Summarizing the Lafayette situation:
- Six consecutive losing seasons - and counting.
- Outscored in the last four games 157 - 14. The embarrassment has reached biblical proportions.
- The head coach has "retired," but continues to cash pay checks.
- The AD is an incompetent yes man.
- There have been no increases in funding for football since 2007 or thereabouts.
- The No. 150 windfall produced significant money, but not one penny was allowed to remain in the athletic department.
- The President of the College knows nothing about athletics, and cares less.
- The AD does not report to the President. (One of the few D-1 programs with this kind of organization chart.) In fact, he reports to an administrator who, at one point in her career, was in charge of assigning dorm rooms.
- A significant percentage of the Board of Trustees either doesn't care about athletics or is staunchly anti-athletic.
- In 1978 a strong anti-athletic President retired. The Board of Trustees repeatedly botched replacement hirings for the next two decades, creating a power vacuum. The faculty rushed to fill the vacuum and have not relinquished their top dog power. They view athletics as a meaningless diversion and an evil. Football is the 1,000 pound gorilla in that room.
- Recruiting has not gone well for a while now. Can you reasonably expect to recruit into a well decorated (Fisher/Bourger) cesspool?
- With the exception of the coordinators and maybe one other, assistant coaches are paid cooly wages.
If there's a light at the end of this tunnel I don't see it.
So did everyone have fun watching that 42-0 rout at Fitton? Up next, the Pards face the best defense in the Patriot League: Bucknell!
What will 151 look like? I don't see Lehigh letting up a-la Gilmore yesterday. We may see a Lehigh victory akin to the 1970s.
Speaking of, the Pards have not been shutout in three consecutive games since 1952.
Things sound very dismal in Easton! Not sure a new coach and athletic director will be enough, but no change in course without that first. I'd like to know more about the Lafayette alumni expectations. Is there any real concern there over maintaining a lame effort in football? Are certain alumni donors still willing/capable to force more support, or are they all tapped-out creating better facilities? Has basketball become all that really matters, or do you see cracks developing there, too?
I really see satisfaction with mediocre Lehigh and Lafayette football to be a huge missed opportunity not just for the schools, but for the entire Lehigh Valley community. Both school administrations could be doing more. Maybe athletics is the new politically-incorrect arena for our local institutions. I mean, we shouldn't really want to win, because that means someone else doesn't win. Maybe, both schools should give away some of what they have/had to benefit mankind. Success looks bad, don't you know?
Really???Cant speak to Lafayette but Sterrett certainly does not abide mediocrity . The two are not comparable . Neither football team is good this year but they are going in opposite directions. Lehigh is frustratingly inconsistent but improving,Lafayette is dissolving.
Not so at Lehigh. We've had a good run of overall success over the past several years in most of the athletic programs. The only one that struggles consistently is field hockey. All of the others have won multiple championships or been in the hunt late in their respective seasons recently. People are too myopic and don't see all of the different elements that go into producing a successful athletic program. It's not all instant gratification.
No doubt, the Lehigh football team is still showing promise going forward, but the malaise carney2 described at Lafayette seems hopeless. I get the fierce rivalry, etc. but the poor situation over there is not good for Lehigh, actually, nor the region's fans. Much more fun when both local schools contend for a championship and compete, sometimes defeat, higher-ranked opponents. Overall, the athletic success across sports at Lehigh has been good. But, who would have expected Lafayette to be ignored in such a high focus sport? Maybe that can't happen at Lehigh, too. Maybe carney2 is simply nuts in his assessment. I don't think he is, and hope his school's ill is not contagious.
Agree 100% . A hapless Lafayette is not good for Lehigh or the LV in the long run. Dont get me wrong,I hope Pards never win another game vs us. The way the program is now,the overall won-lost between us is and has been for quite a while very one sided in Lehigh"s favor.
It's almost as if Pard BOT views athletics as an unnecessary bother and has implemented policies to render them meaningless.