Piece of Sun Belt history here.

Oct. 23, 2010, game between 1-4 FAU and 2-5 A-State in Jonesboro in a Sun Belt game. The fumes of the Howard Schnellenberger (RIP) era were starting to smell in Boca Raton and the Red Wolves were careening to another disappointing season and the "resignation" of Steve Roberts, which changed A-State athletics forever.

Late in the game, the FAU announcer thought he saw a helmet to helmet hit that wasn't called and went off.





Original thread after the game with extra details about how the announcer had been ragging on Jonesboro earlier in the game.

Box score. Nice fourth quarter by the Red Wolves

FAU actually won three in a row after this and A-State, then 3-5, would win again, but then drop their last three leading to Roberts "resigning"

I was in the press box and heard/ witnessed this meltdown in person

IT WAS GLORIOUS lol

Good times…

God. I wish stAte's football could generate that kind of passion in anybody at this point. I'll hope for the best and expect the worst again this year.

Anytime I think about how good SBC Football is now, I think about how 15 or so years ago, we beat FAU 3-0 in Overtime in one of the worst college football games ever witnessed.

I saw Dave a couple of years ago and brought that up. He was pretty embarrassed (still) about it. But I told him I thought it was epic. He said Wright was not in agreement. LOL

Wasn't Wright Waters somewhat responsible for bringing football to the Sun Belt?

(04-07-2023 03:04 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  Wasn't Wright Waters somewhat responsible for bringing football to the Sun Belt?

Somewhat? We still might not have football if not for him.

Wright Waters was a phenomenal commish.

I will say, every commish the SBC has gotten during the football years has managed to take football to greater heights each time.

That is right up there with the tech ad

(04-08-2023 06:10 PM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  That is right up there with the tech ad

Honestly the Tech AD is just as amazing because it went hilariously wrong so quickly for them. There was nothing consequential that happened because of this game outside of fear among our fan base that any win might save Roberts job.

Got to know Wright pretty well when he was Socon Commissioner. Nice guy.

That was epic...we all have done this in the stands.

For those curious, here’s highlights from that game (the hit in question isnt on here I do believe)

https://youtu.be/pnfQO_ZXT1E

(04-07-2023 03:04 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  Wasn't Wright Waters somewhat responsible for bringing football to the Sun Belt?

Yeah Craig Thompson had tried for a number of years and couldn't crack that nut. Waters managed to get the various schools in the same room talking.

Initially the plan was for the league to create a bowl game in Lafayette. Waters lobbied and cajoled the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation into sponsoring the game in New Orleans.

Once one of our members left for the WAC we finally became a league where everyone was rowing in the same direction.

After we formed up it took a decade to finally have the critical elements align. Good campus leadership, cooperative mood between members, improved coaching and investment at the schools.

People generally have the wrong conception about commissioners. They have very little power from the position. Powerful commissioners have that power because they can work with the presidents to smooth out conflict and build consensus.

Roy Kramer once said of his position at the SEC that for most any issue they had to discuss, at the starting point four schools would be in favor, four would be opposed and four would be indifferent. He would listen to the why schools were in favor and why opposed. Offer his advice which might be a compromise or an alternative or favor one side. He said any time they couldn't talk through the issue and get to a 12-0 vote that felt he hadn't done a good job helping the presidents in the process.

Our commissioners have left it better than they found it but I think the boards of the various schools have contributed a great deal by doing a good job selecting presidents and chancellors because the league has grown more cohesive over the years.