Which ex-FCS program made the biggest mistake by moving up or dropping the program?

[bonarae]

WSU basketball was putrid after dropping football for 25 years. One of the things that hasn't been mentioned is campus life. After football was dropped at WSU, falls became depressing and campus life took a nose dive. We have finally recovered somewhat thanks to a former President Barta, but it's still an issue.

Where WSU dropped the ball was not going to FCS or D1AA back in 1986 due to a massive little brother ego. We would have thrived in the Gateway and then MVFC. There are no FCS programs in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Prior to SDSU and NDSU, the whole area was completely under recruited and a pile of thesw kids went to JUCO and then on to FBS somewhere.

As for the future, things look pretty bleak for footballs return. As long as the AAC lets us stay without it, we aren't going to add it. Who knows what happens in a post P4 split though? Some of us still have a little hope!

Meanwhile, are you guys the Midwestern version of BU or Northeastern? After those two Boston schools dropped football, they are now thriving in ice hockey...

[OhioHen]

Meanwhile, are you guys the Midwestern version of BU or Northeastern? After those two Boston schools dropped football, they are now thriving in ice hockey...

They were both very good hockey programs while they still had football. Football never had a chance because of the money spent on hockey, even when they had both.

[NY Crusader 2010]

They were both very good hockey programs while they still had football. Football never had a chance because of the money spent on hockey, even when they had both.

I couldn't tell if bonarae was joking or not. Yes, both were great hockey programs prior to schools' dropping football. BU doesn't have baseball either.

FWIW, there are only 3 non-Ivy's who play all of the following: FCS Football, M/W Lacrosse, Baseball/Softball, M/W Hockey

Those 3 schools are => Sacred Heart, Merrimack and Holy Cross

[OhioHen]

I couldn't tell if bonarae was joking or not. Yes, both were great hockey programs prior to schools' dropping football. BU doesn't have baseball either.

FWIW, there are only 3 non-Ivy's who play all of the following: FCS Football, M/W Lacrosse, Baseball/Softball, M/W Hockey

Those 3 schools are => Sacred Heart, Merrimack and Holy Cross

Delaware's move out of FCS and the introduction of Women's Ice Hockey as an NCAA sport are timed such that they can't claim the same distinction.

[NY Crusader 2010]

Delaware's move out of FCS and the introduction of Women's Ice Hockey as an NCAA sport are timed such that they can't claim the same distinction.

Would need Men's and Women's Hockey to have the distinction. UMass-Amherst would have claimed the same distinction before going FBS. Hard to believe it's been almost 15 years since they made the jump. Time really flies.

I didn't even hear about UD adding Women's Hockey. Do they still draw really well for WBB? I remember they did but wasn't sure if it was a passing fad when Del Donne played there. Famously she turned down a scholarship at UConn to play close to home at Delaware in order to take care of a disabled family member.

[OhioHen]

Would need Men's and Women's Hockey to have the distinction. UMass-Amherst would have claimed the same distinction before going FBS. Hard to believe it's been almost 15 years since they made the jump. Time really flies.

I didn't even hear about UD adding Women's Hockey. Do they still draw really well for WBB? I remember they did but wasn't sure if it was a passing fad when Del Donne played there. Famously she turned down a scholarship at UConn to play close to home at Delaware in order to take care of a disabled family member.

Forgot about UD Men's Hockey being on the club side, with some success. Women have been successful as a club team and are moving to varsity status for 2025-26 season. They'll be in the CHA

[DFW HOYA]

I couldn't tell if bonarae was joking or not. Yes, both were great hockey programs prior to schools' dropping football. BU doesn't have baseball either.
FWIW, there are only 3 non-Ivy's who play all of the following: FCS Football, M/W Lacrosse, Baseball/Softball, M/W Hockey
Those 3 schools are => Sacred Heart, Merrimack and Holy Cross

Only because NCAA ice hockey is rarely seen south of Interstate 70.

[NY Crusader 2010]

Only because NCAA ice hockey is rarely seen south of Interstate 70.

Very true. Unless you count Arizona State or Miami (OH) as being "south", literally there's no one south of Princeton with Men's DI hockey. Alabama-Huntsville had it and dropped maybe 10 years ago?

Even amongst non-Ivy schools in the mid-Atlantic and New England it's still pretty rare to have the entire combination of sports I specified. A lot of DI schools for only 3 to sponsor all those sports.

[MSUBobcat]

Very true. Unless you count Arizona State or Miami (OH) as being "south", literally there's no one south of Princeton with Men's DI hockey. Alabama-Huntsville had it and dropped maybe 10 years ago?

Even amongst non-Ivy schools in the mid-Atlantic and New England it's still pretty rare to have the entire combination of sports I specified. A lot of DI schools for only 3 to sponsor all those sports.

As one of the board's only NCAA hockey fans, that's not exactly accurate. Ohio State, Miami, Denver, Air Force, CC, and newly added Arizona State and Lindenwood are all south of Princeton (7 out of 64 D-I teams). Of those, OSU and Lindenwood are technically north of I-70. DU and Miami are slightly south of I-70 while Air Force, CC and ASU are definitely south of it. Huntsville's hockey program met its final demise after the shortened 2020-21 season after a May 2020 fundraising saved it (briefly) from folding. This was due to our favorite aspect of college athletics.... conference reshuffling, which left UAH homeless, and conference affiliation was a requirement for the program's continuation.

The list of schools that sponsor 2 niche sports (hockey AND lacrosse) is expectedly small, especially when the women's side of it is added. 64 men's hockey programs, only 44 women's hockey programs. Of those 44 women's teams, 6 of them don't sponsor D1 MEN'S hockey. We're down to 38 schools in the entire country offering men's AND women's D1 hockey. Of those 38, 9 of them are DII or DIII in all other sports, so we're down to 29 schools before even overlaying the men's and women's lacrosse Venn diagrams.