Report: New Haven Joining Division I

[DFW HOYA]

It appears the NEC will move to 10 football schools with the move. The Chargers were 7-3 in 2019.

https://twitter.com/currenrr/status/1226712113873399808

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Wow, Southern New England is getting saturated with D1 football schools again. What makes it more interesting in the lack of D1 football talent in New England. It's simply never been a hotbed for football players. Who will succeed and who will fail?

[UNHWildcat18]

Wow, Southern New England is getting saturated with D1 football schools again. What makes it more interesting in the lack of D1 football talent in New England. It's simply never been a hotbed for football players. Who will succeed and who will fail?

Seriously, all of these teeny schools being D1 football in New England really doesn't help. I'm sure their 2500 high school stand stadium will be electric once D1.

[Mattymc727]

Two UNH's....great....

[Laker]

Still waiting for Vermont Catamont football to return.

https://media1.tenor.com/images/1d0023c9fe686e0e5673bd7b928be9de/tenor.gif?itemid=13733904

[caribbeanhen]

somebody I trust told me New Haven has a dreary vibe, in fact he went on to say the entire state of Connecticut was lacking something.....

maybe this will get things turned around .....

[UNHWildcat18]

New Haven is a dump. At least MC had D1 hockey already, and is a private school in a nice area with nicer facilities(not that their football stadium is better than "UNH's").... What would the NEC even benefit from getting "UNH"

[NHwildEcat]

Schools just keep on leaving the NE10. Interesting development.

[Anthony215]

Football wise they'll be competitive and challenge for the NEC title within 2-3 years of joining the league. Facilities wise they'll need to pony up cash to get up to quality D1 status. That stadium will definitely need to be upgraded at least the home side stands to compete with schools in the area. Facilities at the FCS level along with scholarship money goes a long way in selling recruits.

[Laker]

It wasn't all that long ago that they were an independent and had to drop football. I remember MSU-Mankato travelling east for a game late in the Runkle era.

[UAalum72]

Football wise they'll be competitive and challenge for the NEC title within 2-3 years of joining the league. Facilities wise they'll need to pony up cash to get up to quality D1 status. That stadium will definitely need to be upgraded at least the home side stands to compete with schools in the area. Facilities at the FCS level along with scholarship money goes a long way in selling recruits.As it is right now they'd be 2nd in not-a-stadium size and attendance in the league (to CCSU). At least there's no track

https://newhavenchargers.com/images/2019/11/18/DellaCamera_Stadium_DJI_0219.jpg

[cx500d]

Oh great, another dumbass crazy colored field


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

First, let me say other than their win over Villanova YEARS ago and their D2 success at times I knew nothing about the Chargers. After checking out their stadium....dude?!?! It's a tiny thing tucked back in a corner between baseball fields and a neighborhood. There's a small lot a decent walk away. It looks like a high school athletic complex on google maps.

https://scontent.fagc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/s960x960/84573630_3078813168817760_2950956082144477184_o.jp g?_nc_cat=103&_nc_ohc=4KyQw3O1t8UAX_01xBs&_nc_ht=scontent.fagc1-1.fna&oh=6355eb5dc49ed3455b0c0c5e5920aac4&oe=5EB4C118

[ST_Lawson]

First, let me say other than their win over Villanova YEARS ago and their D2 success at times I knew nothing about the Chargers. After checking out their stadium....dude?!?! It's a tiny thing tucked back in a corner between baseball fields and a neighborhood. There's a small lot a decent walk away. It looks like a high school athletic complex on google maps.

I don't think the stadium itself is that bad, especially if they're going to the NEC. It's already larger than the stadiums at Duquesne, Merrimack, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis, or Wagner (according to wikipedia), but that location is really bad. I'm not sure what they're going to be able to do about it though. They have an on-campus field for soccer and lacrosse, I wonder if they could add seating and make it possible to have football there? Either that or take out the baseball and softball fields next to the current football stadium and make that parking. If they did that, they might be able to partner up with the city to spruce up nearby Quigley Stadium and have their baseball and softball games there (looks like it's actually closer to most of campus than the current fields).

Just not a lot of good options.

[ColonialInsider]

If New Haven joins the NEC, I can't imagine Robert Morris and Saint Francis will be all that thrilled.

Adding another team in the upper northeast just extends their travel budgets even more.

[Baron Sardonicus]

Obviously, D-I is a basketball move for New Haven. Kudos to them for not dropping football again.

[UNHWildcat18]

Who knows maybe the NEC will tell them to kick rocks like the AE did to NJIT due to lack of facilities and overall athletic department organization.

[caribbeanhen]

New Haven is a dump.

Butt Yale.....

[aceinthehole]

Can't say I'm excited about this one bit. The last thing the State of Connecticut needs is another D-I athletic program. And the NEC doesn't need yet another D-II program.

I don't know what is going on behind the scenes yet, but it could be that there are more movements to come.

[Laker]

Well, I still haven't seen anything more than one person's tweet. Might be something- or just hot air.

[Redbird 4th & short]

I don't think the stadium itself is that bad, especially if they're going to the NEC. It's already larger than the stadiums at Duquesne, Merrimack, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis, or Wagner (according to wikipedia), but that location is really bad. I'm not sure what they're going to be able to do about it though. They have an on-campus field for soccer and lacrosse, I wonder if they could add seating and make it possible to have football there? Either that or take out the baseball and softball fields next to the current football stadium and make that parking. If they did that, they might be able to partner up with the city to spruce up nearby Quigley Stadium and have their baseball and softball games there (looks like it's actually closer to most of campus than the current fields).

Just not a lot of good options.
I think they just need to outsource the work to this guy .. he's got some experience and his work is very well known in Chicago's north shore suburbs. Just not sure he'll be able to offer New Haven any references though.

[bulldog10jw]

Butt Yale.....

Like an oasis in the desert.

[dbackjon]

Like an oasis in the desert.


New Haven or Florence?

[DFW HOYA]

New Haven or Florence?

St. George.

[bulldog10jw]

New Haven or Florence?

New Haven, although Florence now has a new modern Circle K 😄

[dbackjon]

New Haven, although Florence now has a new modern Circle K 


Movin' on up!

When did you move to Florence? Or are you using your 1 hour computer time to post here? ;)

[bulldog10jw]

Movin' on up!

When did you move to Florence? Or are you using your 1 hour computer time to post here? ;)

I should have said Yale above. New Haven has a lot of bad areas, but Yale is gorgeous.

We bought a summer home in Pinetop in 2015 and wanted to downsize from our home in Goodyear and also move somewhere that would be an easier and shorter drive upstate once we retired in 2017. We looked in East Mesa and Gold Canyon and even Anthem. We heard about a Del Webb community in Florence and it was perfect. New houses, nothing like downtown Florence and the prison area. Plus, being in Pinal county prices were comparatively low. It's worked out well and we are only 150 miles from our summer place.

[NY Crusader 2010]

Can't say I'm excited about this one bit. The last thing the State of Connecticut needs is another D-I athletic program. And the NEC doesn't need yet another D-II program.

I don't know what is going on behind the scenes yet, but it could be that there are more movements to come.

EXACTLY. What niche would New Haven fill in the low-level DI landscape in I-95 / I-91 CT that isn't already filled by CCSU, UHart, Fairfield, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart (in addition to the larger presence of UCONN & Yale)?

What would New Haven have to offer the NEC that would make it worth inviting them into the conference?

[dbackjon]

I should have said Yale above. New Haven has a lot of bad areas, but Yale is gorgeous.

We bought a summer home in Pinetop in 2015 and wanted to downsize from our home in Goodyear and also move somewhere that would be an easier and shorter drive upstate once we retired in 2017. We looked in East Mesa and Gold Canyon and even Anthem. We heard about a Del Webb community in Florence and it was perfect. New houses, nothing like downtown Florence and the prison area. Plus, being in Pinal county prices were comparatively low. It's worked out well and we are only 150 miles from our summer place.

That's awesome. Easy access to the 60 for the drive up.

[Anthony215]

EXACTLY. What niche would New Haven fill in the low-level DI landscape in I-95 / I-91 CT that isn't already filled by CCSU, UHart, Fairfield, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart (in addition to the larger presence of UCONN & Yale)?

What would New Haven have to offer the NEC that would make it worth inviting them into the conference?


The only thing I can think of is the NEC thinking that their D2 success and history will translate to the FCS level helping them gain credibility in the playoffs for football. As far as basketball they'll always be a low D1 conference playing in the first 4 round as #16 seeds along with the MEAC/SWAC champions.

[aceinthehole]

EXACTLY. What niche would New Haven fill in the low-level DI landscape in I-95 / I-91 CT that isn't already filled by CCSU, UHart, Fairfield, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart (in addition to the larger presence of UCONN & Yale)?

What would New Haven have to offer the NEC that would make it worth inviting them into the conference?

They offer nothing but a warm body. With the addition of Merrimack and LIU football, there is even less need for New Haven in the NEC.

If they are admitted into the NEC for the 2020-21 season, they won’t be eligible for any NCAA team championships until 2024-25 season.

[bulldog10jw]

They offer nothing but a warm body. With the addition of Merrimack and LIU football, there is even less need for New Haven in the NEC.

If they are admitted into the NEC for the 2020-21 season, they won’t be eligible for any NCAA team championships until 2024-25 season.

Is U of New Haven still a baseball powerhouse like they were when Porky Vieira was the coach?

[WestCoastAggie]

They offer nothing but a warm body. With the addition of Merrimack and LIU football, there is even less need for New Haven in the NEC.

If they are admitted into the NEC for the 2020-21 season, they won’t be eligible for any NCAA team championships until 2024-25 season.

Is that Delaware State invite still warm?

[NHwildEcat]

Is U of New Haven still a baseball powerhouse like they were when Porky Viera was the coach?

They finished 2nd worst in the NE10 last season. I can't recall them having any sort of extraordinary season in the past 8 years. But, they have been competitive during the regular season.

[aceinthehole]

Is that Delaware State invite still warm?

Not sure, but I hope so. Much rather add Delaware State to the NEC than New Haven.

With both Hampton and NCAT leaving the MEAC for the Big South, it seems to raises the odds of DSU considering a move to the NEC.

[caribbeanhen]

Not sure, but I hope so. Much rather add Delaware State to the NEC than New Haven.

With both Hampton and NCAT leaving the MEAC for the Big South, it seems to raises the odds of DSU considering a move to the NEC.

be careful what you wish for with Del State.....

[ccd494]

Still waiting for Vermont Catamont football to return.

The Burlington Free Press ran a series a year or two ago in which the state football community was concerned that they were less than a decade from no longer having high school football in the state due to an overall decline in student population and a decline in the percentage of students playing football. Think the ship has sailed on UVM football.

It's bonkers that D-I football would be expanding in New England. There are fewer players than ever before. Maine instituted an 8-man football option in 2019. 10 teams took advantage. They expect close to 30 for 2020, which would be over 30% of the state's programs.

[ST_Lawson]

Well, I still haven't seen anything more than one person's tweet. Might be something- or just hot air.

This is my thought. I don't think I've seen anything outside of that tweet and the discussion here, so I think most of this is just speculation.
They could decide not to go through with it; they could decide to go DI but drop football; they could do something else entirely.

[aceinthehole]

Based on the tweet (and he is a very reliable source) it sounds that the University has made an internal decision to formally seek D-I status.

As we know, they also need a conference invite. The NEC seems like the most logical and likely - but we have no idea yet if the existing members are willing to extend an invite.

Remember the NEC has declined to invite some interested schools - St. Vincent’s (Latrobe, PA) and NJIT (Newark, NJ) - so there is no guarantee that UNH will get the votes from the existing members.

I don’t see why any school in the NEC to vote to extend membership to New Haven. I don’t rule out future expansion, but without more media leaks this may just be wishful thinking on the part of the UNH Administration.

[Laker]

The Burlington Free Press ran a series a year or two ago in which the state football community was concerned that they were less than a decade from no longer having high school football in the state due to an overall decline in student population and a decline in the percentage of students playing football. Think the ship has sailed on UVM football.

It's bonkers that D-I football would be expanding in New England. There are fewer players than ever before. Maine instituted an 8-man football option in 2019. 10 teams took advantage. They expect close to 30 for 2020, which would be over 30% of the state's programs.

I taught and coached at two different schools that went to nine man. Best thing that they could do with declining enrollments. Helps schools keep their identity instead of consolidating or pairing. South Dakota was going to start a six man class but that got put on hold. Minnesota had teams playing it back in the 1940s due to the war- my Dad was in school and they had football practice 7th hour so kids could ride back home on the bus.

[dbackjon]

I taught and coached at two different schools that went to nine man. Best thing that they could do with declining enrollments. Helps schools keep their identity instead of consolidating or pairing. South Dakota was going to start a six man class but that got put on hold. Minnesota had teams playing it back in the 1940s due to the war- my Dad was in school and they had football practice 7th hour so kids could ride back home on the bus.


Illinois allows joint teams - for example, the last town my parents live in, nearby New Berlin sponsors Football, and draws from several school districts. Waverly has golf. All have basketball.

[Laker]

Illinois allows joint teams - for example, the last town my parents live in, nearby New Berlin sponsors Football, and draws from several school districts. Waverly has golf. All have basketball.

Minnesota allows them too. Campbell-Tintah even paired with Rosholt SD and Fairmount ND for a three state basketball combo. CT only had 7 kids in their last class. Three of my former student-athletes at Nicollet had moved in from there.

Many times pairings have been a prequel to actual consolidation, but not always.

[DFW HOYA]

Texas has a long tradition with six man football. There are 100 six-man teams currently in the state--the smallest active team in has an enrollment of 15. (There is a school of nine, but there are only four boys enrolled so they don't play football.)

If you don't have a football team in Texas, you're really not a town.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/expectations-realities-six-man-football-small-town-texas/

[Laker]

Texas has a long tradition with six man football. There are 100 six-man teams currently in the state--the smallest active team in has an enrollment of 15. (There is a school of nine, but there are only four boys enrolled so they don't play football.)

If you don't have a football team in Texas, you're really not a town.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/expectations-realities-six-man-football-small-town-texas/

Very interesting. One team goes from 11 to 6, the other from 6 to 11.

When I started coaching 9 man, the field was 80 yards long. But eventually they moved it back to 100. It never made sense to me to shorten it in the first place as long as the field was narrower.

[DawgNDuckfan]

What about adding Indiana University of Pennsylvania to the NEC???

[Libertine]

What about adding Indiana University of Pennsylvania to the NEC???

IUP is D2 and plays in the PSAC, which is a notoriously insular league due in part to its extraordinary stability. Until Cheyney financially came apart at the seams in 2018, no football-playing PSAC team had left the conference since its inception in the 1950's. While IUP has been a strong performer athletically over the years, I have a hard time imagining them suddenly developing D1 aspirations at this juncture. Also, even if they did want to make the jump, there's a hard institutional tier system in place in Pennsylvania state schools. There are currently no public FCS schools in the entire state and something would have to change politically to make that possible.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

IUP is D2 and plays in the PSAC, which is a notoriously insular league due in part to its extraordinary stability. Until Cheyney financially came apart at the seams in 2018, no football-playing PSAC team had left the conference since its inception in the 1950's. While IUP has been a strong performer athletically over the years, I have a hard time imagining them suddenly developing D1 aspirations at this juncture. Also, even if they did want to make the jump, there's a hard institutional tier system in place in Pennsylvania state schools. There are currently no public FCS schools in the entire state and something would have to change politically to make that possible.

Well said!

[Lehigh Football Nation]

IUP is D2 and plays in the PSAC, which is a notoriously insular league due in part to its extraordinary stability. Until Cheyney financially came apart at the seams in 2018, no football-playing PSAC team had left the conference since its inception in the 1950's. While IUP has been a strong performer athletically over the years, I have a hard time imagining them suddenly developing D1 aspirations at this juncture. Also, even if they did want to make the jump, there's a hard institutional tier system in place in Pennsylvania state schools. There are currently no public FCS schools in the entire state and something would have to change politically to make that possible.

I believe Robert Morris was public (at least to some degree) before becoming a University and eventually getting D-I athletics. I don't know if/how IUP was planning on getting there, but I think there was at least some historic precedent for a school to go from public to private. IUP did have some serious interest in jumping to D-I in the 00s but I don't think it went anywhere.

West Chester would by far be the best PSAC school to consider a D-I jump. I believe they were looking at it at one time, too.

[DFW HOYA]

I believe Robert Morris was public (at least to some degree) before becoming a University and eventually getting D-I athletics.

https://www.rmu.edu/about/history

[NY Crusader 2010]

Based on the tweet (and he is a very reliable source) it sounds that the University has made an internal decision to formally seek D-I status.

As we know, they also need a conference invite. The NEC seems like the most logical and likely - but we have no idea yet if the existing members are willing to extend an invite.

Remember the NEC has declined to invite some interested schools - St. Vincent’s (Latrobe, PA) and NJIT (Newark, NJ) - so there is no guarantee that UNH will get the votes from the existing members.

I don’t see why any school in the NEC to vote to extend membership to New Haven. I don’t rule out future expansion, but without more media leaks this may just be wishful thinking on the part of the UNH Administration.

I have never even heard of St. Vincent's. Unless the league is desperate to add another warm body in football, there is zero need to bring in New Haven. IMO going from 11 to 12 full members isn't necessary but if such a move was needed to make scheduling easier NJIT would make more sense than New Haven at this point.

Other than some decent football tradition, New Haven doesn't offer anything more than LeMoyne, AIC, St. Anselm, Bentley or St. Michael's (VT) -- I'm sorry.

[KPSUL]

Still waiting for Vermont Catamont football to return.

https://media1.tenor.com/images/1d0023c9fe686e0e5673bd7b928be9de/tenor.gif?itemid=13733904

And they're also still waiting for their hockey team to win a conference game this season. (0-16-3 so far)