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Division III football (Post Patterns) => General football => Topic started by: sigma one on July 05, 2018, 11:59:43 AM

Title: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 05, 2018, 11:59:43 AM
Since we are now past July 4th, and with the season now approaching--but still plenty of summer remaining--I've been exercising my brain. Here follows in several posts some DIII team information.  NOTE:  I've done my best to be accurate.  If you notice mistakes, please help me correct them.
     Today, I start with the best among Division III team results.
     Teams with 10 winning seasons from 2008-2017.  My criterion here is that all sesaons must be "winning"; that is above .500.  Those with .500 seasons during this period are shown in a separate list.  So, here goes.

       21 Teams over .500 from 2008-2017:  Centre, Delaware Valley, Franklin, Hobart, Huntingdon, Johns Hopkins, Linfield,
                                                               Mary Hardin-Baylor, Mt. Union, North Central, St. Norbert, St Thomas, Thomas More,
                                                               Trinity, Ct, UW Whitewater, Wabash, Wartburg, Washington and Jefferson, Wesley,
                                                               Wheaton, Wittenberg
       11 teams with all-winning or .500 seasons, with number of .500 seasons in ( ):  Albright (1), Alfred (1), Amherst (1)
                                                               Bethel (4), Central (1), Concordia-Moorhead (2), Framingham St (1), Middlebury (2),
                                                               Monmouth (2), Rose-Hulman (2), St John's (1)

More tomorrow.
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 06, 2018, 02:28:31 PM
More from the summer slump::
        -----Since 2008--10 years--only three teams have not lost more than two games in a season:  Mary Hardin-Baylor, Mt. Union,
              and Wabash. 
        -----Over this period Mt Union has a total of 142 wins.  The next team, with 126 wins, is UW Whitewater.  MH-B has 123.  Wabash
              has 94.  Others over 100 wins are St. Thomas (110), Wesley (108), and Linfield (100).
        -----25 teams have at least 78 wins from 2008-2017.
        -----Mt. Union's winning percentage is .953.  Looking at the top 25 percentages in the last 10 years, #25 is Huntingdon at .740.
        -----15 teams have winning percentages of .800 or higher:  Mt. Union (.953), St. Thomas (.940), UW Whitewater (.919),
              Mary Hardin-Baylor (.904), Trinity, CT. (.864), Linfield (.862), Wabash (.847), North Central (.846), Johns Hopkins (.845),
              Wesley (.843) Wittenberg (.830), Amherst (.827), Wheaton (.823), Thomas More (.817), Delaware Valley (.800).
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 07, 2018, 10:59:36 AM
Keeping with the 10-year theme of the last two days-----
     
     DIII Playoffs 2008-2017
     Quarter Finals:  during the last 10 years a total of 25 teams have made it to the Final 8:  # of appearances in ( ).
           Mt. Union (10), Mary Hardin-Baylor (8), UW Whitewater (8), St. Thomas (7), Wesley (7), Linfield (5), UW Oshkosh (4),
          Wartburg (3), Bethel (2), Hobart (2), John Carroll (2), North Central (2),  St. John Fisher (2), Wabash (2), Widener (2), Wheaton (2). 
          And with 1 appearance each  Albright, Alfred, Brockport, Cortland, Franklin, Johns Hopkins, Salisbury, Washington and Jefferson,   
          Wittenberg.

          There have been, then, 80 opportunities to make the quarter finals.  Six teams account for 45 of these (56%), each with 5 or
          more appearances.

     Semi Finals:  during the last 10 years a total of 12 teams have made it to the Final 4:  # of appearances in ( ).
          Mt. Union (10), UW Whitewater (7), Mary Hardin-Baylor (5), Wesley (4), Linfield (3), St. Thomas (3), UW Oshkosh (3).  And
          with 1 appearance each:  Bethel, Brockport, John Carroll, North Central, Wheaton.

          Forty semi-final slots.  Three teams account for 22 of these (55%), each with 5 or more appearances.

     Champions:  during the last 10 years, 3 teams have won the National Championship:  UW Whitewaterr (5--'09, '10, '11, '13, '14),
          Mt. Union (4--'08, '12, '14, '17), and in '16 Mary Hardin-Baylor.  Two teams, then, accounting for 90% of the Championships since
          2008.



           
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 08, 2018, 12:57:51 PM
Today, Playoffs during the past 5 years, 2013-2017

During these years,
     5 Playoff appearances (5 teams):  Johns Hopkins, Linfield, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Mt. Union, Wesley
     4 appearances (5 teams):  Franklin, St. John's, St. Thomas, UW Whitewater, Wittenberg
     3 appearances (12 teams):  Hardin-Simmons, Hobart, Huntingdon, Husson, John Carroll, Lakeland, North Central, UW Oshkosh, 
          Wartburg Washington & Jefferson, Western New England, Wheaton
     2 appearances (17 teams):  Albion, Chapman, Delaware Valley, Framingham St., Hampden-Sydney, Illinois Wesleyan, Ithaca,
           Monmouth, Redlands, Rowan, St. Norbert, St. Scholastica, Thomas More, UW Platteville,  Wabash, Washington U., Washington & Lee
     1 appearance:  43 teams

From 2013-2017, 10 teams (5 and 4 appearances each) have taken up 45 of the 160 Playoff spots (28%).
Twenty-two teams (adding in those with 3 appearances) have filled 81 spots (51%)
So, of those teams playing in DIII (the number varies slightly year to year), those 22 teams (about 7/8% of all teams participating) have
occupied just about one-half the available positions.

During these years, 20 teams have advanced to the National Quarter Finals.  Ten teams have made it to the Final 4:  Mt. Union (5X),
     Mary Hardin-Baylor (3), UW Whitewater (3), Linfield (2), UW Oshkosh (2), Brockport (1), John Carroll (1), North Central (1),
     St. Thomas (1), Wesley (1). 
The others making it to the last 8:  Alfred, Bethel, Delaware Valley, Frostburg St., Hobart, St. John Fisher, Wabash, Wartburg, Wheaton,
     Widener.

Three teams have won the National Championship:  Mt. Union ('15, '17), UW Whitewater ('13,'14), Mary Hardin-Baylor ('16).
         
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: MUC57 on July 08, 2018, 02:11:47 PM

sigma one

Wow! You did some real research getting all this together. I, for one, am impressed. It makes for interesting reading. Shows how a few teams seem to dominate the Dlll landscape.
But with all the mind-boggling statistics, the bottom line is I want my team to do well and you want your team to do well! Let's hope we get our wish. Good luck to ya. ☠🏈😀
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 09, 2018, 10:40:08 AM
Thanks, MUC5     
     Today, the Top 25 teams in wins and winning percentage--2008-2017 (10 years)

     WINS
      1) Mt. Union (142)     2) UW Whitewater (126)     3) Mary Hardin-Baylor (123)     4) St Thomas (110)     5) Wesley (108)
     
      6) Linfield (100)     7) North Central (99)     8) Johns Hopkins (98)     9) Wabash (94)     10) Wheaton, Wittenberg (93)

      12) Delaware Valley (92)     13)  Thomas More, Washington & Jefferson (89)     15) Wartburg (88)     16) Franklin (86)

      17) Hobart (84)     18) Framingham St., Monmouth, St John's, UW Oshkosh (82)     22) Alfred (80)

      23) Albright, Case Western Reserve, Trine (78)

      WINNING PERCENTAGE
      1) Mt. Union (.953)     2) St Thomas (.940)     3) UW Whitewater (.919)     4) Mary Hardin-Baylor (.904)     5) Trinity, Ct. (.864)
   
      6) Linfield (.862)     7) Wabash (.847)     8) North Central (.846)     9) Johns Hopkins (.845)     10) Wesley (.843)

      11) Wittenberg (.830)     12) Amherst (.827)     13)  Wheaton (.823)     14) Thomas More (.817)     15) Delaware Valley (.800)

      16) Washington & Jefferson (.795)     17) Hobart (.792)     18) Wartburg (.786)     19) Monmouth (.766)     20) Centre (.762)

      21) Franklin (.761)     22) Case Western Reserve (.757)     23) Framingham St., St. John's (.752)     25) Huntingdon (.740)

So, 22 teams have averaged 8 or more wins/year over the past 10 years.
      15 teams have a winning percentage of .800 or better.
Top 25 in wins goes from 142 to 79.
Top 25 in winning percentage goes from .953 to .740.

Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 10, 2018, 09:44:41 AM
Yesterday, 10 years of number of games won and winning percentage.
Today, 5 years of the same:  2013-2017 Top 25.

          WINS
     1. Mt. Union (70)  2. Mary Hardin-Baylor (64)  3. UW Whitewater (61)  4. St. Thomas (53)  5. Johns Hopkins, Linfield, Wesley (52)

     8. UW Oshkosh (50)  9. North Central, Wheaton (49)  11. Wartburg (48)  12. Wabash, Wittenberg (47)  14. Delaware Valley,

        Framingham St., John Carroll, St. John's, Washington & Jefferson (46), 19. Hobart (45),   20. Thomas More (43)  21. Centre,

        Huntiington, Muhlenberg, St Scholastica (42)   25) Alfred, Western New England (41)
 

          WINNING PERCENTAGE
     1. Mt. Union (.946)  2. Mary Hardin-Baylor (.928)  3. UW Whitewater (.910)   4. Johns Hopkins (.897)  5. Wheaton (.860)

     6. St. Thomas, Wabash (.855)  8.  Linfield (.852)  9. North Central (.845),  10.  Wittenberg  (.839)  11. Framingham St. (.836)

    12. Amherst, Trinity, Ct. (.829)  14. Wartburg (.828)  15. Centre (.824)  16. Washington & Jefferson (.821)

    17. UW Oshkosh (.820)  18. Hobart (.818)  19. Wesley (.813)  20. Thomas More (.811)  21. Delaware Valley, St John's (.807)

    23. John Carroll (.793)  24. St Scholastica (.792)  25. Huntingdon (778)

In addition, 26 schools won more than 35 games between 2013-2017; an average of 7 or more per season.  A significant accomplishment.
These are Albright (40 wins), Brockport (38), Case Western Reserve (35), Central (35), Concordia-Moorhead (38), Denison (35), DePauw (35), Franklin (40), Franklin & Marshall (35), Hardin-Simmons (37), Husson (39), Illinois Wesleyan (36), Ithaca (38), Lakeland, (36) Maryville (36), Northwestern (37), Rose-Hulman (38),  Olivet (35),   St. John Fisher (36), St. Norbert (38), Salisbury (36), Salve Regina (36), Stevenson (36), UW Platteville (40), Whitworth (35), Widener (37)
     
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: jamtod on July 10, 2018, 11:28:31 AM
I think you are missing St John's with 46 wins also.
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 10, 2018, 01:29:09 PM
Thanks, jamtoTommie.  Good catch.  I had the Johnnies on my list, but I didn't write them in here  Fixed it.  Mea culpa.
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 11, 2018, 10:55:35 AM
I also left out Franklin, with 40 wins aver the past 5 years.  Have now included them.  Thanks to FCgrizzliesgrad for pointing out the omission.
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 11, 2018, 12:23:07 PM
2013-2017 DIII Football Final TOP 25

From 2013-2017 there were 125 slots in the DIII FB final TOP 25 rankings.   Here's how those slots were filled.

5 Appearances:  9 teams.   Final Rank in (  )
          Johns Hopkins (10, 11, 12, 13, 20)     Linfield (3, 3, 4, 6, 7)     Mary Hardin-Baylor (1, 2, 2, 6, 7)     Mt. Union (1, 1, 2, 3, 4)
          North Central (5, 8, 10, 15, 16)     St. Thomas (2, 4, 6, 16, 20)     UW Oshkosh (2, 3, 5, 11, 20)     UW Whitewater (1, 1, 4, 5, 23)
          Wesley (6, 7, 7, 12, 15)
4 Appearances:  5 teams
          John Carroll (3, 5, 13, 22)     St. John's (9, 10, 12, 14)     Wartburg (4, 10, 15, 24)     Wheaton (8, 8, 9, 22)
          Wittenberg (10, 16, 17, 18)
3 Appearances:  6 teams
          Hardin-Simmons (11, 12, 13)     Hobart (9, 14, 19)     St. John Fisher (8, 21, 25)     Thomas More (11, 18, 25)
          UW Platteville (9, 14, 14)     Wabash (8, 13, 22)
2 Appearances:  6 teams
          Delaware Valley (7, 25)     Franklin (19, 25)  Frostburg St. (9, 23)    Illinois Wesleyan (17, 24)     Texas Lutheran (18, 19)
          Washington & Jefferson (14, 16)
ONE Appearance:     31 teams   
          Albright (17)     Alfred (12)    Berry (15)    Bethel (6)     Brockport (5)     Case Western Reserve (13)     Centre (22)     Chapman (18)
          Christopher Newport (24)     Coe (17)     Concordia-Moorhead (21)     Cortland (St.) (15)     Dubuque (23)         
          Hampden-Sydney (18)     Heidelberg (21)     Huntingdon (25)     Husson (25)     Ithaca (16)     Monmouth (21)     Muhlenberg (23)
          Ohio Northern (19)     Pacific Lutheran (17)     Rowan (23)     St. Lawrence (24)      Stevenson (20)      Trine (19)
          UW LaCrosse (24)     Washington & Lee (21)     Western New England (22)     Whitworth (20)     Widener (11)

So,   5 and 4 appearances (14 teams) in the TOP 25 filled 65 slots  (out of 125 TOP 25 openings (52%).
Add in another 18 slots from teams making 3 appearances and the number becomes 83 filled slots  (66%).  About two- thirds
     of the 125 available positions are taken by 20 teams.
Of those teams making one appearance only 2 were in the TOP 10:  Bethel  Brockport (2 of 31).   Sixteen of the 31 one-
     appearance teams ranked between 20-25.                         

         
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 12, 2018, 11:59:00 AM
The penultimate post.  I've always wanted to use that word, but haven't gotten the chance. 

A Snapshot of 2017.

Here's a breakdown of teams' wins last year.

# of wins/#teams with those wins
15    1               10 or more wins, 18 Teams:  Berry, Brockport, Case Western Reserve, Delaware Valley, Framingham St.,
14    1                         Franklin & Marshall, Frostburg St., Husson, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Mt. Union, St. Thomas, Springfield,
13    1                         Trine, UW Oshkosh, Wartburg, Washington & Jefferson, Wesley, Wittenberg
12    2
11    7               There were 21 teams that finished at 5 wins and 5 losses.  Three more finished 4 wins and 4 losses. That's
10    6                         24 teams at .500 (9.6% of the 249 teams in DIII last year).
  9  11               
  8  26               With 10 or more wins--18 teams (7%)     
  7  25               With 8 or 9 wins--37 teams (15%)
  6  31               With a record below .500--111 teams (45%)
                        With 0, 1, 2 wins--59 teams (24%)
  5  23
  4  29
  3  26
  2  28
  1  21                                                                                                                                                                                                         
  0  10
                                     
                                                                                 
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: MUC57 on July 12, 2018, 02:43:13 PM

sigma one

Penultimate. I think we got that in the Air Force. Had to boil our bedding and get the shots. Maybe I have it mixed up with something else. Great word, though!

I'm having a little trouble following it. Could just be me. You sure did some research and some number crunching on all of this stuff. Good job. Makes fascinating reading. ☠🏈👍
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: ADL70 on July 12, 2018, 04:21:48 PM
So there will be one more?
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 12, 2018, 05:07:05 PM
Yes
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 12, 2018, 05:07:16 PM
Yes
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 13, 2018, 10:09:24 AM
First, Today:  Many thanks to DIII Football.com for being a treasure trove of information from which I could develop the lists in these posts.  What a resource about DIII!   Thanks, Pat, ET AL.

                                     Purchase KICK OFF 2018, everyone.

Then, on those lists over the past week I've included maybe 50-60 DIII football-playing schools.  That's the was it is when the lists are about who has had the most relative success in DIII over a period of time.  This means that, say, 180 or so schools have not been mentioned--fully two-thirds or more of all schools competing.  But every school in DIvision III has rich history and traditions.  They all deserve to be acknowledged.  Each school has a unique place in the landscape of the division.  I have #of games won  and winning percentage information on all of them.  So, as we go forward to 2018, all success to all the teams in whatever ways they measure their accomplishments.  Whether to compete for a National Championship, make it to the Play Offs, try for a conference title,  aspire to finish above .500,  play to better last year's number of wins, or just win one or two games--all teams are important to the rich fabric of Division III.

I've picked up a lot of bits and pieces as I went through all the information this site provides.  For example, Pennsylvania has 26 schools that will this year field a team--the most of any state.   Arkansas, Delaware, Mississippi,  Nebraska, New Hampshire, Rhode Island,  and
West Virginia are the states with only one DIII football-playing school.  Eight schools use Tigers as a team name/mascot; 8 use Panthers, and 8 more use Pioneers.  Six use Yellow Jackets (or in one case Yellowjackets).  Five use Cougars, Eagles (to make it 6, another uses Golden Eagles), and Spartans.
    And there are some entertaining a unique names:  Kangaroos, Lobos, Bantams, Jumbos, Little Giants, Sagehens, Purple Raiders,
Prairie Wolves, Corsairs, Bullets, Student Princes, Blueboys, Wasps, Maroons, and Poets as some notable examples.

To finish:  23 schools have a team name/mascot that does not end in -S.  Three schools share one name:  Bison (Bethany, Gallaudet, Nichols). Can you match the other 20 schools with their name/mascot?

          Yoemen                                                               Cal Lutheran-----
          Green Terror                                                        Carthage-----                                                       
          Storm (2 schools)                                                   Central-----
          Dutch                                                                   Crown-----
          Big Red                                                                Denison-----
          Prairie Fire                                                           Greensboro-----                                                         
          Flying Dutchmen (2 schools)                                  Hobart-----                                 
          Pride (2 schools)                                                   Hope-----
          Norse                                                                   Knox-----
          Big Blue                                                               Lebanon Valley-----
          Lynx                                                                    Luther-----
          Kingsmen                                                             McDaniel-----
          Red Men                                                              Millikan-----
          Statesmen                                                           Oberlin-----             
          Dutchmen                                                            Rhodes-----
          Thunder (2 schools)                                              Simpson-----
                                                                                     Springfield-----     
                                                                                     Trine-----
                                                                                     Union-----
                                                                                     Wheaton-----

  As a Bonus:  Thirteen FBS schools use a team name/mascot not ending in -S.  Can you name them?  I'll get you started:  Navy Mid-
       shipmen.
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: Just Bill on July 13, 2018, 10:22:58 AM
Quote from: sigma one on July 12, 2018, 05:07:05 PM
Yes
That was it.
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: MUC57 on July 13, 2018, 10:44:34 AM

sigma one

Thanks and congrats on all the work you put into these last posts. Makes good reading and is really fascinating. Best to ya! Come to Alliance and we'll have a few cold ones and swap stories. ☠🏈🍺
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: Just Bill on July 13, 2018, 11:05:40 AM
Quote from: sigma one on July 13, 2018, 10:09:24 AM
As a Bonus:  Thirteen FBS schools use a team name/mascot not ending in -S.  Can you name them?  I'll get you started:  Navy Mid-
       shipmen.

Stanford Cardinal
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Alabama Crimson Tide
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: Oline89 on July 13, 2018, 11:53:13 AM
Quote from: Just Bill on July 13, 2018, 11:05:40 AM
Quote from: sigma one on July 13, 2018, 10:09:24 AM
As a Bonus:  Thirteen FBS schools use a team name/mascot not ending in -S.  Can you name them?  I'll get you started:  Navy Mid-
       shipmen.

Stanford Cardinal
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Alabama Crimson Tide

Marshall Thundering Herd
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: HSCTiger74 on July 13, 2018, 12:22:30 PM
Quote from: Oline79 on July 13, 2018, 11:53:13 AM
Quote from: Just Bill on July 13, 2018, 11:05:40 AM
Quote from: sigma one on July 13, 2018, 10:09:24 AM
As a Bonus:  Thirteen FBS schools use a team name/mascot not ending in -S.  Can you name them?  I'll get you started:  Navy Mid-
       shipmen.

Stanford Cardinal
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Alabama Crimson Tide

Marshall Thundering Herd

NC State Wolfpack
Nevada-Reno Wolf Pack
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: cave2bens on July 13, 2018, 01:51:18 PM
Tulane Green Wave
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 13, 2018, 02:41:39 PM

All together, there are seven named so far + Navy, for a total of 8.  Only five to go.
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: Oline89 on July 13, 2018, 03:04:46 PM
Quote from: sigma one on July 13, 2018, 02:41:39 PM

All together, there are seven named so far + Navy, for a total of 8.  Only five to go.

Illinois Fighting Illini
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: bluestreak66 on July 13, 2018, 04:21:42 PM
North Texas Mean Green
UMass Minutemen
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 13, 2018, 06:02:23 PM
That's 11.  Down to the final two. 
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: retagent on July 13, 2018, 06:52:19 PM
Syracuse Orange(men?)
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 13, 2018, 07:09:41 PM
Yep, Syracuse Orange.  They dropped the "men" quite a ways back.
Down to one. I think it's the toughest to get of the 13, so no surprise.
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: cave2bens on July 13, 2018, 07:59:15 PM
Univ of Tulsa Golden Hurricane   ;)


Took some recall but actually had a Purdue prof "riddle me this" a couple of years' ago on a flight between Atlanta and Fort Wayne
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 14, 2018, 12:10:20 AM
Right on, cave2bens.  That's all 13.  This a a great tavern, tailgate, cook out exercise because of some obscure teams.   Best to everyone.

Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: MUC57 on July 14, 2018, 05:08:17 AM
sigma one

Great exercise. You notice I didn't supply an answer, but I did know a few of them. Really fun stuff. Thanks for putting this on the board. 😀

And, slipped in a +k for ya!
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 14, 2018, 10:24:32 AM
MUC57
     You asked about my coming to UMU.  I've been there twice for games.  The first time was in 2002 when Wabash and Mt. met in the quarterfinals, a 45-16 Mt. victory.   The second time was in 2011.  Erik Raeburn took the Little Giants to Alliance to go up against his "Uncle Larry," again in the quarterfinals.  Raeburn himself is a Mt. alumnus (as is his wife).  You may know that Kehres is literally his uncle.  In that one UMU prevailed again, 20-8.  Mt. lost a couple of quarterbacks and in the second half a guy named Kevin Burke, then a freshman, was on the field,  I think he went on to do big things!  Everyone from Wabash was impressed with the experience and with the quality of the Mt. teams.  Had a great time.
     So, if Wabash ever makes it again, I'll do my best to be there.
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: MUC57 on July 14, 2018, 10:59:45 AM

sigma one

Would like to meet you. I'll be the old guy wearing purple. I'll even spring for a frozen margarita or ten at Don Pancho's. In the meantime, good luck to our teams ☠🏈🍺
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: dlippiel on July 15, 2018, 09:58:30 AM
+k sigma one, this is some great stuff. dlip thanks you!
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 15, 2018, 01:34:56 PM
Thanks, dlip.  It was fun.
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 16, 2019, 08:19:36 PM
Last summer, during early July I posted information that helped me make it through the long summer in advance of KICK OFF (thanks, Pat, et al).  This year I thought I would try something again, with a few twists.  To start, I recommend the book GOOD TO GO:  What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery, by Christine Aschwanden.  Christine is a science writer and herself a competitive athlete.  The book discusses recovery from competition and training and debunks many of the long-held ideas about what best aids recovery.  Among my favorite chapters is one on how cold baths and icing have become one of sport's popular recovery methods.  Following recent scientific studies, she disputes the virtue of RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) as treatment from soreness, strains, sprains, etc.  The agony of this treatment she says "feeds into the culture of sport that idolizes grit and assumes that pain equates to gain."  This is, science is proving, a myth.  Applying cold, sitting in a cold tub, actually slows down healing and recovery.  This is so because the rush of blood away from the extremities reduces blood flow into the area where a person most needs the blood to enhance healing, including the inflammatory response.  Icing can reduce pain, so if an athlete want this in the short term, OK; but know that the use of cold baths, compresses, etc., slows down the overall healing process.  How many times have we seen athletes after a workout or game wrapped in ice?  Science is now proving this is counterproductive.
     Another chapter on sports drinks is also revealing.  There is no verifiable scientific evidence that sport drinks do any more than water to help recovery.  Once more, drinking too much water during competition and training can adversely affect performance.  Science shows that all anyone has to do is drink to relief thirst.  Being dehydrated during competition may slightly enhance performance, but the old adage about watching urine to see if it is too yellow, and that yellow means dehydration, is also a myth.  She notes:  "very light or clear urine just means that you've drunk more water than your body needs, and that's not necessarily a good thing, especially right before an event."  So, drink to thirst--water--to satisfy what your body needs.
      Finally, she asserts that the "benefits of sleep can hardly be overstated.  It's hands down the most powerful recovery tool known to science"  "Skimping on sleep is like showing up at a game drunk," she says.  Nothing an athlete can do to aid recovery and enhance recovery is to get enough sleep--for most at least seven to nine hours a night.  (Think of this is relation to most college athletes.)
      There's plenty more about  supplements, proper eating, and other commonly used methods of recovery.  All of them that we have traditionally adhered to, she critiques and generally criticizes.   
      Worth the read, and particularly for athletes, coaches, trainers, and some sports physicians. 
   
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 17, 2019, 10:52:30 AM
OK, some numbers for summer 2019.

     Over the past 5 years (2014-2018) 61 Division III teams have at least one season in which they won at least 9 games.  Of these teams, 25 won 9 or more once; another 15 won 9 or more twice.  That leaves 21 teams who did this 3X or more.  Here they are:

         3X:  Berry, Centre, Framingham St, Huntingdon, John Carroll, Muhlenberg, North Central, Wabash, Wartburg, Wheaton
       
         4X:  Hardin-Simmons, Linfield, UW Whitewater, Washington & Jefferson, Wesley, Wittenberg       

         5X:  Delaware Valley, Johns Hopkins, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Mt Union, St John's

There a many ways to measure success.  Wins is certainly one way.  In addition to those teams winning 9 or more games in a season 44 more teams won 8 games in a season from 2014-2018 at least once.  This is without a single season of 9 wins or more.  Only 3 of these teams won 8 games 3X:  Central, DePauw, and Amherst (Amherst while playing an 8-game season during some years).  Sixteen other teams won 8 games 2X.

In total, then, from '14 through '18 105 DIII teams won 8 games or more in a single season.  Using the top number of teams playing in a season during this time (250 teams), that's 42% of all DIII teams. 
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 18, 2019, 01:45:59 PM
From 2014-2018 9 teams have finished in the TOP 25 in the DIIIFB final national poll.  Nine teams have been there every year (5X).  Four teams have been there 4X. 
four teams, 3X.  Fourteen teams, 2X.  24 teams, 1X.  This totals 55  teams.
Twenty-two teams have finished in the Top 10:  Mt Union (5X), Mary Hardin-Baylor (5), UWWhitewater (4), Linfield (4), St John's (3), St Thomas (3), North Central (3), Wheaton (3), UW Oshkosh (3),
Johns Hopkins (2), John Carroll (2), Wesley (2), Bethel 1), Brockport (1), Delaware Valley (1), Frostburg St (1), Hardin-Simmons (1), Hobart (1), Muhlenberg (1), Wabash (1), Wartburg (1), Whitworth (1).

In this five-year stretch, 9 teams have finished in the TOP 4 in the final poll:  Mt Union (5X), Mary Hardin-Baylor (3), UW Whitewater (3), Linfield (2), St Thomas (2), UW Oshkosh (2), John Carroll (1), St John's (1), Wartburg (1).

Three teams have won the National Championship:  Mary Hardin-Baylor, Mt Union, UW Whitewater.

Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 19, 2019, 09:55:36 AM
Getting away from numbers, some mid-summer thinking about football books, both fiction and non-fiction.  In no particular order these are among my favorites (feel free to contribute):

          North Dallas Forty, Pete Gent.  Pro-football from the pen of the former Dallas Cowboys tight end.  Made into a good film with Nick Nolte and Mac Davis
          Bleachers, John Grisham.  Former players return home for the funeral of their high school coach
          Friday Night Lights, Buzz Bissinger.  An obvious choice; west Texas life and football
          Paper Lion, George Plimpton.  Journalist as a QB in Detroit Lions training camp
          Semi-Tough and Baja Oklahoma, Dan Jenkins.  Football laughter from the journalist who passed away earlier this year
          Instant Replay, Jerry Kramer with Dick Shaap.  Playing for Lombardi in the '60s
          End Zone, Dan Delillo.  From one of the best novelists of the past 50 years.
          The Sweet Season:  A Sportswriter Rediscovers Football, Family, and a Bit of Faith at Minnesota's St John's University, Austin Murphy.  The only good book I know of about DIII football--
                                        Murphy's look at how Gagliardi's teams functioned, with a lot about St John's
          The Birth of American Football:  From the First College Game in 1869 to the Last Super Bowl, Brian Kelly.  The title says it all.  Published in 2017.
          Best movie hardly anyone saw:  Everybody's All American, with Dennis Quaid, Jessica Lange, and John Goodman; from a novel by Frank DeFord, the recently deceased SI writer

          Three recent books about the history of the game:

          The Opening Kickoff, Dave Revsine.  Subtitle:  The Tumultuous Birth of a Football Nation
          The Game: Harvard, Yale, and America in 1968, George Howe Colt.  Story of the famous 29-29 Tie, with Brian Downing and Calvin Hill playing for Yale and Tommy Lee Jones playing guard for
                           Harvard.  Published just last year.
          The Real All Americans, Sally Jenkins.  Story of the Carlisle Indians by the daughter of Dan Jenkins, herself a terrific sportswriter
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: Oline89 on July 19, 2019, 12:05:58 PM
I would also include "The Junction Boys" by Jim Dent.  The story of Bear Bryant's preseason camp at Texas A&M


Quote from: sigma one on July 19, 2019, 09:55:36 AM
Getting away from numbers, some mid-summer thinking about football books, both fiction and non-fiction.  In no particular order these are among my favorites (feel free to contribute):

          North Dallas Forty, Pete Gent.  Pro-football from the pen of the former Dallas Cowboys tight end.  Made into a good film with Nick Nolte and Mac Davis
          Bleachers, John Grisham.  Former players return home for the funeral of their high school coach
          Friday Night Lights, Buzz Bissinger.  An obvious choice; west Texas life and football
          Paper Lion, George Plimpton.  Journalist as a QB in Detroit Lions training camp
          Semi-Tough and Baja Oklahoma, Dan Jenkins.  Football laughter from the journalist who passed away earlier this year
          Instant Replay, Jerry Kramer with Dick Shaap.  Playing for Lombardi in the '60s
          End Zone, Dan Delillo.  From one of the best novelists of the past 50 years.
          The Sweet Season:  A Sportswriter Rediscovers Football, Family, and a Bit of Faith at Minnesota's St John's University, Austin Murphy.  The only good book I know of about DIII football--
                                        Murphy's look at how Gagliardi's teams functioned, with a lot about St John's
          The Birth of American Football:  From the First College Game in 1869 to the Last Super Bowl, Brian Kelly.  The title says it all.  Published in 2017.
          Best movie hardly anyone saw:  Everybody's All American, with Dennis Quaid, Jessica Lange, and John Goodman; from a novel by Frank DeFord, the recently deceased SI writer

          Three recent books about the history of the game:

          The Opening Kickoff, Dave Revsine.  Subtitle:  The Tumultuous Birth of a Football Nation
          The Game: Harvard, Yale, and America in 1968, George Howe Colt.  Story of the famous 29-29 Tie, with Brian Downing and Calvin Hill playing for Yale and Tommy Lee Jones playing guard for
                           Harvard.  Published just last year.
          The Real All Americans, Sally Jenkins.  Story of the Carlisle Indians by the daughter of Dan Jenkins, herself a terrific sportswriter
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: Ralph Turner on July 19, 2019, 12:46:23 PM
Mike Flynt who played his last season at age 59 at Sul Ross.

https://www.amazon.com/Senior-Amazing-59-Year-Old-Football-Linebacker/dp/B0032FO37G
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: Ralph Turner on July 19, 2019, 01:22:43 PM
Re: Friday Night Lights by Bissinger, I thought that the writer took a very cheap shot at people who let him get to know them and then he exposed some very ugly warts for fun and profit.

Because they were, for the most part, "white oil field trash", he could say and write things about them that he would not about other demographic sectors in the country.  I do not think that the people who permitted him to know them could recognize the guile involved of a big city east coast (Philadelphia) writer wanting to make it big with a "tell-all" book.

If there is one civilizing influence in that rugged part of the country, it is football. Odessa Permian went a long time before they had a single Pro Football player alum. In the 1960's and 1970's Permian won football games with undersized players who "out-executed" their more talented opponents. By the 1980's the success may have morphed into another phenomenon, and some of the core of the program may have lost some of its uniqueness. On the other hand, in Texas small town football and, for that matter the extracurricular offerings through the University Interscholastic League, from football to marching band to One Act Play, are the vehicles by which communities inculcate the most cherished values in Texas communities.

If you believe in Karma, perhaps H.G. Bissinger truly was only a one hit wonder.

https://www.npr.org/2015/08/03/428085798/reflecting-on-football-and-addiction-as-friday-night-lights-turns-25
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: The Mole on July 19, 2019, 06:50:40 PM
All great choices. Junction Boys was incredible. Bear would be locked up today. Jim Dent was the author. He also wrote THE UNDEFEATED about the Oklahoma Sooners winning streak in the 50s.

My personal favorite is "Harvard Beats Yale 29-29" by Kevin Rafferty. There is a book and accompanying DVD with interviews. Pretty cool stuff that goes into some of the political stuff going on with Viet Nam and some other back stories. Really well done.

Cannot wait for the season to begin!
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 19, 2019, 07:07:56 PM
George Howe Colt does the same thing in great detail in The Game, the 29-29  "win" of 1968.
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: Oline89 on July 20, 2019, 08:15:55 AM
A great sports summer read, although about basketball, not football is "Play Their Hearts Out" by George Dohrmann.  Great story about the "ugly underbelly" of youth sports. 
Title: Re: some DIII summer thinking
Post by: sigma one on July 20, 2019, 10:17:03 AM
Two of my favorite non-football books are Heaven is a Playground, Rick Telander, about his summer spent on a basketball court in New York in the early '70s; and Bang the Drum Slowly by Mark Harris, a baseball novel made into a good movie starring Robert De Niro in a early role.