Article in the Kansas City Star Online today.

To be replaced with a smaller all-purpose facility. And may mean no desire by their current admin to bring back football. Or maybe they are thinking a new stadium elsewhere, or ... ?

(Moderator note: Edited title to clarify that this refers to Wichita State.)

It’d be nice to see the Shockers back on the grid iron but they’ve developed a good reputation as a basketball and baseball school. Not sure it would be worth the expense to be #3 in an already small state.

WSU is doing what UMass should be doing. UMass would be dynamite going all-in on basketball like WSU does.

(04-15-2020 01:06 PM)PlayBall! Wrote:  Article in the Kansas City Star Online today.

To be replaced with a smaller all-purpose facility. And may mean no desire by their current admin to bring back football. Or maybe they are thinking a new stadium elsewhere, or ... ?

(Moderator note: Edited title to clarify that this refers to Wichita State.)

Seems like an odd thing to do right now given the uncertainty in college athletics.

(04-15-2020 01:06 PM)PlayBall! Wrote:  Article in the Kansas City Star Online today.

To be replaced with a smaller all-purpose facility. And may mean no desire by their current admin to bring back football. Or maybe they are thinking a new stadium elsewhere, or ... ?

(Moderator note: Edited title to clarify that this refers to Wichita State.)

Good move for them. Their time to bring back football has come and gone. Plus, they didn't need football to get into the AAC after all.

That doesn't sound promising for Wichita becoming a 12th in FB for the AAC.

The question I have is Tulsa going to consider a FB drop themselves under the gun with enrollment. They could play soccer in it instead.

Replacing FB with soccer is the better way than cutting soccer to save the salary of a man making 2.4 million a year.

(04-15-2020 01:45 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  WSU is doing what UMass should be doing. UMass would be dynamite going all-in on basketball like WSU does.

No they aren't a commuter school like WSU.

In the middle of nowhere Massachusetts they need things to do.

(04-15-2020 02:04 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(04-15-2020 01:45 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  WSU is doing what UMass should be doing. UMass would be dynamite going all-in on basketball like WSU does.

No they aren't a commuter school like WSU.

Whenever I see "commuter school" used I want these questions answered before I accept this title for a university:

1) Total traditional enrollment
2) Total on-campus beds
3) Total online enrollment
4) Total off campus student housing within 5 miles of campus

(04-15-2020 02:01 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  That doesn't sound promising for Wichita becoming a 12th in FB for the AAC.

The question I have is Tulsa going to consider a FB drop themselves under the gun with enrollment. They could play soccer in it instead.

Replacing FB with soccer is the better way than cutting soccer to save the salary of a man making 2.4 million a year.

They never were going to be the 12th football member and knew that coming in

(04-15-2020 01:45 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  WSU is doing what UMass should be doing. UMass would be dynamite going all-in on basketball like WSU does.

UMass is doing the exact opposite of that by upgrading their football facilities.

For every Wichita, there are multiple George Washingtons. GWU played in an NFL stadium in the 60's and dropped football. Minus a little run here and there, I wouldn't say that even a school with a ton of resources is guaranteed to maintain basketball success just because they don't play football. Fordham (has since resurrected), Tampa, Fullerton, Long Beach, Pacific, Boston U, Northeastern, Hofstra, Jacksonville...the list goes on and on and on.

Last year, WSU announced they were adding a 200 member marching band that would be playing for basketball. Didn't believe that was their intentions so got a lot of flack. WSU needs to make more ingresses into Texas as WSU is diversifying more into aerospace and entrepreneurship. The men's lax possiblity doesn't make sense either because the AAC doesn't have it. Football still makes sense with a 20k stadium as the enrollment needs it.

Koch is in Wichita and they will.pay as WSU should be a major U according to them. A major division of my former employer was bought by Koch and it now is run well for the first time in 50 years. Koch doesn't put up the the usual BS from corporate leaders as it wants leaders that speak truth.

(04-15-2020 01:45 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  WSU is doing what UMass should be doing. UMass would be dynamite going all-in on basketball like WSU does.

UMass needs more committment. They should be reasonably successful. But like Idaho, they haven't set up a decent stadium situation.

Hmmm...I was just starting to wonder if letting WSU be the 12th football member would solve the AAC’s membership issue. I guess not.

(04-15-2020 02:01 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  That doesn't sound promising for Wichita becoming a 12th in FB for the AAC.

The question I have is Tulsa going to consider a FB drop themselves under the gun with enrollment. They could play soccer in it instead.

Replacing FB with soccer is the better way than cutting soccer to save the salary of a man making 2.4 million a year.

In no way does this mean WSU can't bring back football. This is actually a great thing as Cessna is a dump and the AD wants to build a first class 12-15000 seat stadium in it's place that will be a first rate track facility. It could also flex as a future home for women's Lacrosse and Soccer. I know of two spots, one on campus and one just down the road that have been earmarked and studied as potential locations for a future football stadium. Football was never returning to Cessna either way.

WSU knows that AAC football .membership will not be easy. They will have to form a winning tradition and then maybe get in. There will be other FBS programs that will soon appear, like Mo St and. NDSU. NDSU's AD has said they will make a decision of FBS within a couple of years, so it is already planned.

Cessna Field lost it's high school tennant to a smaller all purpose facility in Wichita. WSU could play Soccer, Lacrosse, and Track in a smaller facility. I doubt if they will ever bring football back. But this would only happen if someone put up the money to do it. (like the Koch brothers)

I would think the AAC would want a football stadium that would host 30,000. Tulane is 30,000, SMU is 32,000. Most of AAC that play on college stadiums seat 40,000.
Source http://www.collegegridirons.com/comparisonscap.htm

I have been to Cessna Field... It needs to be torn down and rebuilt.

Bravo!

Koch money could bankroll an NFL team in Wichita.

(04-17-2020 10:27 AM)2Buck Wrote:  Koch money could bankroll an NFL team in Wichita.

True, but only if they had any interest in doing so.