FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

Started by admin, August 16, 2005, 04:58:09 AM

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Nescacman

Quote from: polbear73 on November 16, 2018, 05:45:05 AM
Nescacman:  While it's true that major donations financed the Whittier Field renovation, a recent Orient article points out that Bowdoin's football budget of approximately $730,000 is second only to Trinity's $805,000 (2016 season) and is evidenced in many ways: 5 uniformed combinations, a full coaching staff, etc.  Even the receipt of the Whittier Field money (and acceptance of a board seat by the major donor) were conditioned upon Bowdoin's taking steps to "fix" football.  Then there is the discussed leniency on the part of Admissions (which means different things to different schools) and acknowledged by Coach Wells. 


Please don't say there's zero commitment to football on the part of the Bowdoin Administration.  And I'm the last guy to be supporting the Bowdoin Administration when it comes to football. 


This parting of the ways is very uncharacteristic of Bowdoin as they have only had 4 coaches in the last 45 years or so (Lentz, 16; Vandersea, 16; Caputi, 15) and was percipitated by the fact that Bowdoin did not receive a return on the aforementioned investment.  Just because money is not used from endowment doesn't mean that there isn't an obligation on the part of the College and significant operating funds were used to a 3-31 result. 


I expect that Bowdoin will receive over 100 applicants as they did to fill JB's job as the chance to do the impossible is irresistable to football coaches.  Add in a chance to be associated with an elite liberal arts college offering strong total compensation, living on the beautiful Maine mid-coast, competitive football facilities and budgets, and the chance to work with exceptional student-athletes, and you have your answer. 


Is the current support for football enough?  I really don't know, but I do believe a good young coach could do more with it than Coach Wells did.  It's too bad, because he's a good guy.  But to answer your question seriously, yeah, a very good coach will take this job.

In football, success is measured by W's and championships (and don't give us the BS about Bowdoin turning out fine student-athletes who change the world year after year...we get it and EVERY NESCAC men's and women's sports team does that at EVERY member school, except for maybe Hartford State)...based on Bowdoin's football track record, we stand by our comment....sorry, but we are from Missouri on this one....

JEFFFAN


I am very surprised - pleasantly surprised because I like Bowdoin - that they made a decision so quickly.  They gave his predecessor double digit bad years and this guy got four.  Kudos to the administration for stepping up if they thought this coach was not the solution.   Amherst made a similar decision but much more quickly - after one year - pre Sedlecki, post Ostendarp.  Kudos for jumping in when the current situation didn't seem to work.

polbear73

Quote from: Nescacman on November 16, 2018, 09:29:34 AM
Quote from: polbear73 on November 16, 2018, 05:45:05 AM
Nescacman:  While it's true that major donations financed the Whittier Field renovation, a recent Orient article points out that Bowdoin's football budget of approximately $730,000 is second only to Trinity's $805,000 (2016 season) and is evidenced in many ways: 5 uniformed combinations, a full coaching staff, etc.  Even the receipt of the Whittier Field money (and acceptance of a board seat by the major donor) were conditioned upon Bowdoin's taking steps to "fix" football.  Then there is the discussed leniency on the part of Admissions (which means different things to different schools) and acknowledged by Coach Wells. 


Please don't say there's zero commitment to football on the part of the Bowdoin Administration.  And I'm the last guy to be supporting the Bowdoin Administration when it comes to football. 


This parting of the ways is very uncharacteristic of Bowdoin as they have only had 4 coaches in the last 45 years or so (Lentz, 16; Vandersea, 16; Caputi, 15) and was percipitated by the fact that Bowdoin did not receive a return on the aforementioned investment.  Just because money is not used from endowment doesn't mean that there isn't an obligation on the part of the College and significant operating funds were used to a 3-31 result. 


I expect that Bowdoin will receive over 100 applicants as they did to fill JB's job as the chance to do the impossible is irresistable to football coaches.  Add in a chance to be associated with an elite liberal arts college offering strong total compensation, living on the beautiful Maine mid-coast, competitive football facilities and budgets, and the chance to work with exceptional student-athletes, and you have your answer. 


Is the current support for football enough?  I really don't know, but I do believe a good young coach could do more with it than Coach Wells did.  It's too bad, because he's a good guy.  But to answer your question seriously, yeah, a very good coach will take this job.

In football, success is measured by W's and championships (and don't give us the BS about Bowdoin turning out fine student-athletes who change the world year after year...we get it and EVERY NESCAC men's and women's sports team does that at EVERY member school, except for maybe Hartford State)...based on Bowdoin's football track record, we stand by our comment....sorry, but we are from Missouri on this one....
Your response isn't worthy of you, NESCACMAN-I never said any thing about turning out fine student athletes who change the world.  The Bowdoin record in football is abysmal.  It was your point about Bowdoin's support of football being non existent and not using endowment dollars to fund renovations with which I take issue.  You're right, whether or not the doubling of the football budget or actively soliciting funds for the improvements remains to be seen, but Wells had more to work with than any of his predecessors and my point is he should have been more productive. 

Jonny Utah

Quote from: JEFFFAN on November 16, 2018, 09:34:18 AM

I am very surprised - pleasantly surprised because I like Bowdoin - that they made a decision so quickly.  They gave his predecessor double digit bad years and this guy got four.  Kudos to the administration for stepping up if they thought this coach was not the solution.   Amherst made a similar decision but much more quickly - after one year - pre Sedlecki, post Ostendarp.  Kudos for jumping in when the current situation didn't seem to work.

Bowdoin is going to be tough to win at for anyone.  I know JB Wells a little, and he is really well respected among the college football community in the Boston area.  Even some Patriots coaches had gotten some drills from Wells, mostly oline stuff.  Now maybe he just didn't do a great job recruiting, didn't have the right coaches with him, or simply wasn't the right guy for that school.  But if you ever heard this guy at a clinic, you know he is a high quality coach and person.  He will get another job somewhere and will probably be successful.

frank uible

Perhaps the best example is in the 50s (no NESCAC until later) Harry Arlanson (spelling) moved from Weymouth (MA) HS to Tufts. There have been other instances.

Jonny Utah

Quote from: frank uible on November 16, 2018, 11:58:00 AM
Perhaps the best example is in the 50s (no NESCAC until later) Harry Arlanson (spelling) moved from Weymouth (MA) HS to Tufts. There have been other instances.

Was that around the time Weymouth football won the "National Championship?"

frank uible



JoeBag

All NESCAC teams were voted on by the coaches last night. Any word on when the results are published?

GoBlue61

I just read about Wells being let go by Bowdoin. A tough business to get let go the week before Thanksgiving. My son played for Wells for the past 4 years. He seemed like a good guy, but obviously did not get the job done on the field. Given the results the past 100+ years, Bowdoin will never be a top team in the NESCAC. However, based on four years of watching NESCAC football, there is no reason that Bowdoin can't beat Colby, Bates, Hamilton, and be competitive with the mid-tier teams.

polbear73

Quote from: GoBlue61 on November 17, 2018, 11:17:31 AM
I just read about Wells being let go by Bowdoin. A tough business to get let go the week before Thanksgiving. My son played for Wells for the past 4 years. He seemed like a good guy, but obviously did not get the job done on the field. Given the results the past 100+ years, Bowdoin will never be a top team in the NESCAC. However, based on four years of watching NESCAC football, there is no reason that Bowdoin can't beat Colby, Bates, Hamilton, and be competitive with the mid-tier teams.
Since the news came out, I have had several conversations with Bowdoin football alums.  To a man, the opinion is that this failure is not on JB Wells but on the College.  It's one thing to solicit donations to renovate Whittier Field and fund the program well, but it's all meaningless unless they find a way to admit football players, and not just the potential starters, but a meaningful amount of depth. 

The hope is that JB lands a head coaching job that is worthy of his ability and that Bowdoin really listens to candidates as to what it really takes to be competitive.  Not only listens, but follows through on the promises that it have to make to be able to hire the right coach. 

GoBlue61

PolarBear 73 -- I agree on the depth issue.  When Bowdoin had all their players vs Middlebury and Amherst earlier in the season, they were competitive with a chance in the 4th quarter.  Fast forward to later in the year (vs Wesleyan,for example) and we had no one left on offense.  Injuries are going to happen to all teams, but the Trinity's and Amherst's have players who are ready to step up.  In Bowdoin's case, too often the backups are freshman who aren't ready to play.  I wish Coach Well's good luck going forward.  Hopefully, Bowdoin hires the right coach and makes a commitment to do what is necessary to be competitive.  It is too tough a sport to show up outmanned week after week, and get pounded.

Nescacman

#15192
Not to be the bearer of bad news but Renzie Lamb passed away today...Renzie was, of course, a legendary lax coach at Williams (Farley Lamb Field), but also coached football for many years and was also, a legendary college lax player at Hofstra and for Chaminade on Long Island...

Renzie grew up with one of our correspondents Dad's in Freeport, NY...he stayed in touch with Renzie over the years partly in honor of his Dad but mostly because Renzie (despite his allegiance to a certain purple prep school in Western Mass 😊) was just a great guy and wonderful person...his ties to Renzie were really amazing...from his relationship with his Dad to him recruiting said correspondent to attend that purple college to Renzie's friendship with his eventual college coach, Coach MAC at Wes, to being able to spend time with Renzie at tailgates every 2 years in Williamstown when his beloved Cardinals played their rival at the Ephs homecoming...he last saw Renzie 2 weeks ago and according to reports, it was great to enjoy a last cigar and beer with one of his favorite people in this world...

Renzie we love you and you'll be very much missed.... :'(

frank uible


Nescacman

Quote from: JoeBag on November 16, 2018, 06:17:19 PM
All NESCAC teams were voted on by the coaches last night. Any word on when the results are published?

The vote was actually last Wednesday....we announced the winners of offensive, defensive and rookie of the year...we would expect the official announcement tomorrow as well as coach of the year and the all-NESCAC teams....