Toughest Place to Play in Your Conference

Started by e_lee, August 22, 2005, 09:53:45 AM

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kubiack78

The toughest place in the to play when I played for UWW back in the late 80's and early 90's was at UWL.... but when Superior still had a team it sucked traveling all the way from one end of the state to basicly Canada to play a horrible team. Hard to get any kind of motivation to play them especialy late in the year with the wind coming off lake superior...COOOOOLD.

SJU92#57

Ask any coach in the MIAC....SJU.  Since 87' they are 97-11-1 at Clemens stadium. It was voted to SI's top ten places to play college football(only DII school on the list). You look across and see 180-190 red and white jerseys and for a big game any were from 7,000 to a record 13000 at the SJU/BU game. And the fans will tear you apart.  Awesome place.

PittTBCW

In the PAC...

I believe you could argue for Waynesburg or W&J.

Buff State also is hard to play at late in the year because of the wind.

GO TOMCATS!!!

StillMSJ

In the HCAC, I'd say the toughest place to play would be at Franklin or Anderson, very big intimidating home side and there's always a good loyal turnout, especially at Franklin.

Slowly, MSJ will become the hardest place to play in, but with the new complex only 2 years old, it hasn't matured yet.

Raider1

I would have to say that the 4 toughest stadiums to play at in the OAC are:

1) MUC(Mt.Union Stadium)
2)Ohio Northern (Dial-Robertson & War Memorial stadiums)
3)BW(Finnie Stadium)
4)JCU(Shula Stadium)






K-Mack

I guess I was thinking this thread was "best place to play" or "Coolest stadium" but ... this discussion chopped from the WIAC board still fits, and probably belongs somewhere like here, not in the middle of actual WIAC talk.

Quote from: retagent on October 14, 2006, 05:15:03 PM
I know you like your stadium, and it is nice, but you have to remember that SI picked Collegeville as one of the great places to watch a football game, so don't get too high on your horse.

Yeah, I'm sure SI considered the other three to six stadiums they've seen D3 games in.

Don't get me wrong, I love The Sweet Season, and if I recall correctly the honor came before the book, but you can't exactly brag on that honor if it was bestowed by a group that's surely never seen the Perk or most of the other top spots in D3. I have no doubt St. John's is a great place to see a game, and that's what SI was getting at, not rating it better than other D3s.

Some of my favorite "places to watch a game" I've seen are Widener and North Central. Some places are fancier and newer (CNU, Shenandoah, Benedictine) and some rely more on personality (McDaniel, Whitworth) ... Honestly though, every place has it's own cool little aura about it. I always like to see what schools can create with a small spot and a small budget. And on game days, you see how the people fill it and give it's life.

Anyway, this is why I don't hang on the boards. I fall victim to rambling tangentitis frequently.
Former author, Around the Nation ('01-'13)
Managing Editor, Kickoff
Voter, Top 25/Play of the Week/Gagliardi Trophy/Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year
Nastradamus, Triple Take
and one of the two voices behind the sonic #d3fb nerdery that is the ATN Podcast.

'gro

RPI's '86 Field is a tough place to play (unless you are Hobart), and a unique field located in the middle of campus.



but the plans are in for a new 7,500 seat stadium (and athletics complex) that should be one of the tops in D3 when completed.

check it out

D3Newbie



No Question for the USAC -

Christopher Newport on the beach in Virginia . . .Unless you have webbed feet!
BTW, all of the football players are required to pass scuba diving before they can play. I believe it rains every weekend in the fall - at least for home games.   :(

repete

Quote from: kubiack78 on November 11, 2005, 07:38:51 PM
The toughest place in the to play when I played for UWW back in the late 80's and early 90's was at UWL.... but when Superior still had a team it sucked traveling all the way from one end of the state to basicly Canada to play a horrible team. Hard to get any kind of motivation to play them especialy late in the year with the wind coming off lake superior...COOOOOLD.


Kubiak:
Ah, the old Superior program . . .  best story about that was when coach Mertz Motorelli was driving a recruit around campus in his big ol' car, his door popped open on a curve and Mertz rolled out ... and if you remember Mertz, his shape was condusive to rolling a long way .....

Be safe.

EastCoastStag

SCIAC:
Occidental. You can't see $hit at night. The lights are terrible.

ADL70

'gro

Great looking facilities, but expanding seating by 250%?  And 5 times last season's average attendance?  The 500 fans from last year's Kings Point game would be pretty lonely in there.  Will it be built in phases?
SPARTANS...PREPARE FOR GLORY
HA-WOO, HA-WOO, HA-WOO
Think beyond the possible.
Compete, Win, Respect, Unite

K-Mack

Quote from: repete on October 17, 2006, 10:39:43 PM
Quote from: kubiack78 on November 11, 2005, 07:38:51 PM
The toughest place in the to play when I played for UWW back in the late 80's and early 90's was at UWL.... but when Superior still had a team it sucked traveling all the way from one end of the state to basicly Canada to play a horrible team. Hard to get any kind of motivation to play them especialy late in the year with the wind coming off lake superior...COOOOOLD.


Kubiak:
Ah, the old Superior program . . .  best story about that was when coach Mertz Motorelli was driving a recruit around campus in his big ol' car, his door popped open on a curve and Mertz rolled out ... and if you remember Mertz, his shape was condusive to rolling a long way .....

Be safe.

Now that's a story.

Have been to Oxy at night .. it is kind of tough to see. Have also been to a day game there ... really nice campus.

I've heard good things about RPI and Ithaca as far as places to see a game, but since we've always had staff in N.Y., those games have often been off my list. Partly to my dismay.

Have I mentioned Middlebury yet? Shoot, all those NESCAC and NEFC campuses must be lovely in the fall.
Former author, Around the Nation ('01-'13)
Managing Editor, Kickoff
Voter, Top 25/Play of the Week/Gagliardi Trophy/Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year
Nastradamus, Triple Take
and one of the two voices behind the sonic #d3fb nerdery that is the ATN Podcast.

Jonny Utah

#42
Quote from: K-Mack on October 18, 2006, 09:24:33 PM
Quote from: repete on October 17, 2006, 10:39:43 PM
Quote from: kubiack78 on November 11, 2005, 07:38:51 PM
The toughest place in the to play when I played for UWW back in the late 80's and early 90's was at UWL.... but when Superior still had a team it sucked traveling all the way from one end of the state to basicly Canada to play a horrible team. Hard to get any kind of motivation to play them especialy late in the year with the wind coming off lake superior...COOOOOLD.


Kubiak:
Ah, the old Superior program . . .  best story about that was when coach Mertz Motorelli was driving a recruit around campus in his big ol' car, his door popped open on a curve and Mertz rolled out ... and if you remember Mertz, his shape was condusive to rolling a long way .....

Be safe.

Now that's a story.

Have been to Oxy at night .. it is kind of tough to see. Have also been to a day game there ... really nice campus.

I've heard good things about RPI and Ithaca as far as places to see a game, but since we've always had staff in N.Y., those games have often been off my list. Partly to my dismay.

Have I mentioned Middlebury yet? Shoot, all those NESCAC and NEFC campuses must be lovely in the fall.

Actually, you and Pat might enjoy this.  Ill post it in the nescac board too.  In this weeks Sunday Globe they did a special on college football about a few college programs across the country. 

Im not sure how to post the exact link, because it asks for a membership but try this....

1- Go to boston.com
2- Click on "sports"
3- Go down to where it says "College Football in America: One Fall day"
4- Click on Williamstown on the map

There was actually a real nice picture of the Williams/Middlebury game in the actual paper.  You can only watch the video online though....

'gro

Quote from: cwru70 on October 18, 2006, 06:51:48 PM
'gro

Great looking facilities, but expanding seating by 250%?  And 5 times last season's average attendance?  The 500 fans from last year's Kings Point game would be pretty lonely in there.  Will it be built in phases?

you're right, it's gonna be bring your own chair for the 1st 3 years.

I think this is a "if you build it, they will come" situation.  Currently the school doesn't do much to get local supporters, so your crowd is generally students and players families. The school is trying to reach out to the community for support and since there are only 4 local college football teams (I-AA Albany, DIII RPI & Union, and a community college) that support shoudn't be hard to find.  If they are going to build this, then I'm sure they also have a plan to put butts in the seats (not max capacity, but at least 3,000 a game).

Maybe they want to steal the Giants training camp away from Albany? Think outside the box.

K-Mack

#44
So Repete and I were having this discussion about fields via PM, so as not to offend anyone or take other threads off on tangents. We have since determined it's tame enough (and hopefully interesting enough) for public consumption.

Open for feedback:

From repete:
This is probably what started the discussion.
By doclittle:
QuotePlaying at one of the nicest stadiums in all of division three. You have the equivalent of College Game Day in d3football.com coming to the game, and you probably have one of the best wide receivers in the entire state of Wisconsin playing college football in Derek Stanley. Who has gotten attention from well over half the NFL, The season isn't even over and NFL scouts are interested in the kid, which at the division three level normally doesn't happen until after the season.

here's retagent's bit ...::
QuoteJust a couple things to set someone off. I know you like your stadium, and it is nice, but you have to remember that SI picked Collegeville as one of the great places to watch a football game, so don't get too high on your horse. Also, St John's leads D- III in attendance almost every year, with a much smaller student body.

QuoteQuote from: repete on October 16, 2006, 12:49:00 pm
Keith,

Didn't want to stir up the WIACers by advancing the stadium issue too much there -- they've got enough to rag the SJU types about anyway, but I wanted to chime in.

Just because SI has limited d3 knowledge doesn't mean they are wrong.

Since the early '70s, I've been to d3 fields in every region of the country, from the NWC to the ODAC, including all of the MIAC and many of the WIAC, Staggs in two locations and numerous d2 and naia stadiums.

I'll admit to a bit of SJU bias, but the truth is Clemens does stand out.

Congrats to the Whitewater fans for putting 9,500 there and a great team makes any stadium better, but that's still 4,000 empty seats and despite its size and clean lines, there's little charm. Most games there are more empty seats than people. Clemens offers a fabulous mix of old and new, manmade and natural features with the stands build into a gorgeous wooded hillside and world-acclaimed architecture in the background (Google: Marcel Breuer).

With an average of 7,925 fans last year (more than 3,000 per game ahead of No. 2 Ithaca, a much larger school BTW) that's 113 percent capacity for the season.  And the football is pretty good.

Here's the test: I haven't heard anyone who's attended a game there say there's a better atmosphere for small college football. I know trips back to the MIAC are a chance for Pat to see family, but you really ought to catch a game there.

Regards,
repete

« Sent to: repete on: October 17, 2006, 11:04:33 pm »
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QuoteOh,
I agree that SI isn't wrong about it being "a great place to watch a game," which is basically everything I've heard.

I just don't think it's right to champion that honor as though it makes St. John's a better place to watch a game than the other 200+ stadiums in D3. Because no one I know, and even Pat and I don't come that close, has laid eyes on even half of the 234 D3 stadiums, and surely not all on game day.

Do you see the difference? It's nitpicking on my part, but that's sort of what I do.

It may very well be the top place to see a game in D3, given the mix of natural atmosphere, game-day atmosphere, fan enthusiasm and chances of seeing a great team play, if not a great game.

I just think there's no one qualified to say what the best in D3 is, and even if there were, "best" is a matter of preference. As long as you're saying "SI spotlighted us for being a great place to watch a game" and not "the best place to watch a D3 game," I have no beef with it.

I think this is a fine discussion to take up publically on the "toughest place to play" thread. I don't mind chiming in with what I know. I've heard good things about everywhere from Linfield to Middlebury, and like I said, I don't know that there are too many bad places to watch a D3 game. They're all unique, and I'm not just saying that because I'm the so-called national guy.

As far as Perkins, that place was darn near full Saturday. I was told when I was there last year that 13,500 is a gross exaggeration, and if Saturday was 9,570, I agree. Probably 11,000 seats max. Only a small section near the far end zone was uncovered but I will say that's the only D3 whose stands stretch from 20 to 20 or 10 to 10 that I've seen. They also have a bowl setting, a nice field house and pine trees along the visitors skyline. It's not my favorite place, I think I actually like the initmate ones better, but it's not bad at all.

I hadn't read the part about being compared to Game Day. Keith Herbstreit does kind of have a ring to it though.

I also don't think that's true about scouts not being interested until the end of the season. Scouts are ALWAYS looking ANYWHERE for football players, even on the hardwood. The WIAC and OAC are places they frequent because the talent there has been good to them before. After that, it's pretty much a crapshoot. The MIAC is the only other one I can think of putting multiple guys in the NFL over the past few years ... maybe the NJAC if you count Truluck (not sure if Cortland was NJAC in those days).

Anyway, I'd really love to come up with a photo database of all D3 stadiums, like one shot standing outside the press box straight on, one towards each end zone, one from the 50 going in each direction and one from the top of the visitors stands shooting toward the home side/press box ... to give a semi-360 view of the whole place.

If we could get enough people together, we might be able to accomplish this unofficially. They would not have to be game day shots ... anyone interested could just go take shots whenever they are there or driving in a certain direction, etc.
Former author, Around the Nation ('01-'13)
Managing Editor, Kickoff
Voter, Top 25/Play of the Week/Gagliardi Trophy/Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year
Nastradamus, Triple Take
and one of the two voices behind the sonic #d3fb nerdery that is the ATN Podcast.