Fairfield Football?

[superman7515]

Clearly way down on size scale, but with these renovations, it wouldn't be difficult to bring in additional seating and get it up to par quickly.

Alumni Field Renovations Announced (http://fairfieldmirror.com/2013/04/23/alumni-field-renovations-announced/)


On April 8, Fairfield officially released a video that illustrates the plan for the renovation of Alumni Field into a large-scale stadium. The video, while it shows the aesthetics of the plans, left a few questions to be answered regarding some of the more in-depth aspects of the stadium...


Stags Eye A New Conference (http://fairfieldmirror.com/2013/04/24/stags-eye-a-new-conference/?no_redirect=true)


More than 30 years after being one of the six schools who founded the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Fairfield officials are eyeing a switch for their varsity teams.

“Everyone who makes a move does so with the desire to be in a higher level conference,” Fairfield’s Athletic Director, Gene Doris said. “All schools always seek to better themselves, as do conferences.”

Asked about when such a move might happen, he added, “A school only applies when an invitation is extended.”

What’s behind a switch?

Such a move wouldn’t be unheard of in the current times of conference changes and dismemberment. Traditional rivalries, like the ones in the Big East, are no longer.

When making a switch, it is important for schools to make sure that the schools in the prospective conference match not only athletically, but also in terms of school size, budget and whether the school is private or public.

“A conference move is a long term commitment,” Doris said, “Finances have to be viewed in the long term when weighing costs versus benefits.”

The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a rumored favorite. James Madison University, Northeastern University, University of Delaware, Drexel Universtiy, George Mason University, Georgia State University, Hofstra University, University at North Carolina Wilmington, Northeastern, Old Dominion University, College of William and Mary, and Towson University are the current members...

[Lehigh Football Nation]

The Patriot League has to be a consideration, despite the CAA slant of the article.


The 2011-2012 year didn’t just finish with two Commissioner’s Cups, but also three championships in men’s soccer, men’s tennis and women’s tennis, and a combined win percentage of .609.

In total, Fairfield has won 50 MAAC championships, 49 MAAC regular season championships, and appeared in NCAA tournament 31 times.

Academically speaking, Fairfield also showed leadership.

69.3 percent of student athletes in Fall 2012 had a GPA over 3.0, dominating the MAAC academically, Klauder said.

Along with that, 82 student athletes earned All-Academic MAAC honors in 2011-2012, according to Fairfield’s Annual Report. This doesn’t include the 10 Field Hockey players and 5 Men’s Lacrosse players who received academic and athletic recognition from the America East and ECAC respectively.

[aceinthehole]

Football coming back is not happening. The dropped both football and ice hockey due to budgetary and other concerns.

Fairfield is clearly focusing its efforts (and expenditures) on basketball and lacrosse. They would seem to be following in the footsteps of Loyola (Md.) or Boston U. I would guess they would be very interested in the Patriot League, but the likelyhood that the Stags bring back football is almost non-existant.

The stadium renovations have little effect on the other factors as to why they dropped football. Also, like Monmouth, the town zoning restrictions and required community support does not allow for a bigger facility willing to accept more traffic to campus on gamedays. The basketball team plays its games off-campus at Harbor Yards Arena in Downtown Bridgeport.

[DFW HOYA]

Fairfield made tremendous progress in its eight years as a football program, but the MAAC was getting out of the football business and the message was sent to its schools to get out of football and invest in basketball. One by one (Canisius, Siena, Fairfield, Iona, SPC) they followed but none, save Siena, has any meaningful presence in basketball.

I'm not sure where Fairfield could realistically realign, however. America East isn't too stable, and the NEC doesn't carry the peers its seeks. The CAA might be an option but Fairfield isn't prepared for that kind of expansion. The PL was an option a decade ago but the same dismissive attitude displayed against other aspiring PL candidates may apply in this case. If the A-10 needed another school, it would probably first look to Siena.

I'd be all for Fairfield football. We need more teams in the Northeast, not fewer. (That means you, Boston U...)

[Lehigh Football Nation]

If I remember right AD Gene Doris discontinued the Fairfield football program in the first place... when they were in the non-scholarship MAAC conference. Am I incorrect?

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I'd be all for Fairfield football. We need more teams in the Northeast, not fewer. (That means you, Boston U...)

+10000

[aceinthehole]

Fairfield made tremendous progress in its eight years as a football program, but the MAAC was getting out of the football business and the message was sent to its schools to get out of football and invest in basketball. One by one (Canisius, Siena, Fairfield, Iona, SPC) they followed but none, save Siena, has any meaningful presence in basketball.

I'm not sure where Fairfield could realistically realign, however. America East isn't too stable, and the NEC doesn't carry the peers its seeks. The CAA might be an option but Fairfield isn't prepared for that kind of expansion. The PL was an option a decade ago but the same dismissive attitude displayed against other aspiring PL candidates may apply in this case. If the A-10 needed another school, it would probably first look to Siena.

I'd be all for Fairfield football. We need more teams in the Northeast, not fewer. (That means you, Boston U...)

This is very accurate. The MAAC, as well as Fairfield's "peers," were getting out of the football game and concentrating on hoops, and now lacrosse. I think the lack of a stable home for football was one of the major factors that lead the FU administration to drop the sport.

The lack of a first-rate FCS football stadium was not really a driving issue - they could have gotten by like Georgetown, Sacred Heart, Wagner, and a bunch of other modest facilities. The cost of operations and the lack of a "peer" conference led them to cut the program.

Hockey had similar issues. An expensive program to operate, a poor-quality off-campus ice rink, as well as no stable conference for its future. They didn't want to keep sinking money into Atlantic Hockey (nee MAAC Hockey). They had no real shot at joining Hockey East or the ECAC, so why bother keeping the sport and playing schools it just didn't want to affiliate with - Sacred Heart, Robert Morris, D-II American International, etc.

[Franks Tanks]

The Patriot League has to be a consideration, despite the CAA slant of the article.

Not without football. Fairfield brings no value to the league without a football program.

[aceinthehole]

Not without football. Fairfield brings no value to the league without a football program.

Couldn't the same be said of Loyola and BU?

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Big backpedal.

http://blog.ctnews.com/college/2013/04/25/doris-nothing-eminent-on-fairfield-changing-conferences/


Fairfield Athletics Director Gene Doris said Thursday morning while the school is keeping an open mind when it comes to the constant shuffling occurring in college athletics, for the Stags “there’s nothing going on with anybody” at this time. The Stags are currently one of 11 schools in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

The award-winning FU student newspaper, The Mirror, reported this week the school could be looking to conferences jump and the Colonial Athletic Association seems to be its target.

In The Mirror story, Joe Klauder, Fairfield’s associate director of athletics/compliance and recruiting, was quoted as saying: “If we did switch into the CAA, put a big Fairfield name in Boston, and deep in the heart of Virginia.” AND “It could academically diversify us in regards to the applicant pool,”

Doris said Klauder, who previous worked at a CAA school in Hofstra, [I]did not realize he was being interviewed for a story about conference jumping at the time and believed it was a conversation for a school assignment.

xlolx Ouch!

[Nova09]

Fairfield made tremendous progress in its eight years as a football program, but the MAAC was getting out of the football business and the message was sent to its schools to get out of football and invest in basketball. One by one (Canisius, Siena, Fairfield, Iona, SPC) they followed but none, save Siena, has any meaningful presence in basketball.

I'm not sure where Fairfield could realistically realign, however. America East isn't too stable, and the NEC doesn't carry the peers its seeks. The CAA might be an option but Fairfield isn't prepared for that kind of expansion. The PL was an option a decade ago but the same dismissive attitude displayed against other aspiring PL candidates may apply in this case. If the A-10 needed another school, it would probably first look to Siena.

I'd be all for Fairfield football. We need more teams in the Northeast, not fewer. (That means you, Boston U...)

I wouldn't say Iona has no meaningful presence. I'd say they've tinkered with the right pieces but haven't quite been able to put the puzzle together in any one season. They may never do that, but their presence is still meaningful. Being a popular upset pick in the NCAA tourney, having one of the most high-speed offenses, and sending a coach to the Big East are all signs of a "meaningful presence" in the college basketball mid-major landscape.

[Franks Tanks]

Couldn't the same be said of Loyola and BU?

Loyola much more so than BU. Fairfield and Loyola probably attract similar students, but I would guess Loyola's Lax program put them over the top.

Fairfield would be fine IF we didn't just add 2 non-football schools, but the PL needs all sports members that include football.

[Pard4Life]

The Patriot League has to be a consideration, despite the CAA slant of the article.

Yup... I actually was betting that Fairfield was going to be added to the PL two years ago, but it was Loyola instead. Both have very similar profiles and top-flight lacrosse. BUT... that we have 10 schools now... I'd have to think adding a school with football is the top priority right now... and adding Fairfield would further make the PL borderline unwieldy if we add one or two football (full-time member) schools.

CAA needs bodies at this point.. soo.. it seems to make sense.

[lehighfball]

Loyola much more so than BU. Fairfield and Loyola probably attract similar students, but I would guess Loyola's Lax program put them over the top.

Fairfield would be fine IF we didn't just add 2 non-football schools, but the PL needs all sports members that include football.

Fairfield wouldn't be fine. Fairfield's acceptance rate is over 70%. I would rather see Monmouth University get in before Fairfield.

[aceinthehole]

Loyola much more so than BU. Fairfield and Loyola probably attract similar students, but I would guess Loyola's Lax program put them over the top.

Fairfield would be fine IF we didn't just add 2 non-football schools, but the PL needs all sports members that include football.

I agree with you, FU and Loyola are very similar in many regards.

[ngineer]

Couldn't the same be said of Loyola and BU?

No. Loyola is the defending NCAA Champion in lacrosse--a sport on the fast rise. BU brings a lot of strength to the B-ball side of the equation.

[Sader87]

No. Loyola is the defending NCAA Champion in lacrosse--a sport on the fast rise. BU brings a lot of strength to the B-ball side of the equation.

BU has never cared about hoop and never will....both of these additions were a desperate move imo.

The Patriot (Colonial) League was formed as a football conference initially/primarily...the only way I'd be sanguine with Holy Cross staying in this league would be to see W&M, Villanova and/or Richmond added to the league as football members.

[Go...gate]

Couldn't the same be said of Loyola and BU?

BU was an academic peer, and had some long-term athletic relationships with Colgate and Holy Cross, so its lack of FB was essentially overlooked (though I am sure hope springs eternal that it will return). Loyola remains a head-scratcher, IMO.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Given the current landscape, can it really be a head-scratcher? 10 > 8. And do not undervalue the idea that both Loyola and/or BU could start up football at a moment's notice.

I think academic issues with Loyola especially are overblown. There is no rule that says that every new member has to join at its academic and athletic peaks. Why not get a school that's an up-and-comer athletically, academically, or both?

[DFW HOYA]

Financially speaking, Loyola arrives as the weakest of the PL schools in endowment:

Boston University: $1.10B
Lehigh: $1.04B
Colgate: $708M
Bucknell: $599M
Holy Cross: $589M
Lafayette; $557M
American: $455M
------
Loyola: $165M

To its credit, Fairfield's endowment is just under $250M despite the fact that the school is only 71 years old, and is more than more established Jesuit schools such as St. Joe's ($168M), Gonzaga ($122M) or Xavier ($117M).

[carney2]

Not without football. Fairfield brings no value to the league without a football program.

Absolutely. The Patriot League should not be considering any more members who do not bring football to the table.

[Pard4Life]

Given the current landscape, can it really be a head-scratcher? 10 > 8. And do not undervalue the idea that both Loyola and/or BU could start up football at a moment's notice.

I think academic issues with Loyola especially are overblown. There is no rule that says that every new member has to join at its academic and athletic peaks. Why not get a school that's an up-and-comer athletically, academically, or both?

The landscape of higher education is changing and costs are escalating beyond the ability of students and families to pay. You would have to question the wisdom of starting football. It may be feasible at Boston U, but Loyola is different... they would have to allot more aid to football and satisfy Title IX issues.

Boston U could perhaps start football, but Loyola would need significant time to do so. They are only "ready" because they have a lacrosse field that could be used for football.