DelSt Hires AD

[TexasTerror]

Second consecutive white AD for Delaware State. Article mentions the continued effort to get Delaware St to FBS.
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Costello takes over at DSU
New athletic director eager to become 'lightning rod for change'
By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal
Posted Saturday, June 16, 2007
Rick Costello joins DSU from the University of South Florida.

DOVER -- Two things connect Rick Costello with his predecessor as Delaware State University athletic director, Chuck Bell. To start, Costello worked under Bell at San Jose State.

But while Bell, a part-time Wyoming ranch owner, became a somewhat unwilling focal point as athletic director at DSU, Costello said he would welcome that kind of attention.

On Friday, Costello was announced as the successor to Bell, who is retiring after two years at DSU. Costello said he met with coaches and staff in the morning before his official introduction by university president Allen Sessoms.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070616/SPORTS08/706160359/1002/SPORTS

[Fresno St. Alum]

Where does Delaware St. think they're gonna go in FBS? They are Far East for the MAC and Far North for the Sun Belt.

[813Jag]

I think any move by Delaware State is years away. So by that time who knows what the conference alignments will be.

[DFW HOYA]

I sense Del State wants out of the MEAC, as does Hampton. Maybe the Big South is an option at some point.

[TexasTerror]

I sense Del State wants out of the MEAC, as does Hampton. Maybe the Big South is an option at some point.

Do you really think those schools would really leave the MEAC if the conference stayed committed to the playoffs?

[HIU 93]

I sense Del State wants out of the MEAC, as does Hampton. Maybe the Big South is an option at some point.

Huh? We do not qant to leave the MEAC, and if we did, why would we want to leave a league with an auto bid for a conference without a bid? I don't know what DSU is thinking, but I hope they think hard before they make any other move.

[MplsBison]

Because the Big South deserves the auto bid more than the MEAC now with adding Stony Brook and probably Albany down the road.

[PMB4Life]

Uh, I respectfully disagree. I think a few things when I think Albany and Stony Brook, but they all have to do with BASKETBALL, not limited-scholarship football.

Hampton has a history in the playoffs, and as mentioned before, why would they leave a conference with an autobid? Stony Brook and Albany are just new faces in the Big South. That doesn't mean that they're necessarily powerhouses that will bolster the Big South's ranks.

[Dane96]

Ummm...I think misinformed, is what you are. First, I agree that you think hoops when you hear Albany. We have two straight NCAA appearances after climbing out of a 5-24 season 5 years ago. We have a top 80 recruiting class. Great for a 7th year program.

Stony Brook? Some of the most horrific coaching and basketball records you will find.

Now, in football, Stony Brook is no longer limited scholarship. They have a 21mm athletic budget. They have a stadium that is gorgeous, even though it is 9000 seats.

Albany, released its master plan again last week (see website). Albany, this morning, announced the intentions to break ground by '08 on a 15k seat stadium. Albany, by completion, will most likely be full scholarship. Albany announced a proposed 25mm athletic budget when the stadium gets approved.

While I still disagree with a UA/SBU to the Big South decision (only good for a proposed autobid), BOTH THOSE SCHOOLS will add big media markets and solid athletic programs to strengthen the Big South.

As evinced by Albany's 18 Conference championships in 7 D-I seasons, and multiple NCAA bids in Basketball, Volleyball, Lacrosse, Softball, Track and Field, etc.--and let's not forget program changing wins at Lehigh and Delaware in Football--the Danes are very successful when given the chance.

Show me a school that achieved national rankings (Top 25 in Football, Track and Field, and Volleyball; and FINAL Poll #4 in Lax) in such a short time frame upon moving up to DI, with a miniscule budget (just broke 10mm this year) as quick.

There is no reason to think that it would not translate into football...again, evinced by a Top 25 appearance with ZERO SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS!

[henfan]

Albany, released its master plan again last week (see website). Albany, this morning, announced the intentions to break ground by '08 on a 15k seat stadium. Albany, by completion, will most likely be full scholarship. Albany announced a proposed 25mm athletic budget when the stadium gets approved.

Dane96, could you clarify? The UA facilities plan indicates the FB stadium capacity would be 10K. Other articles I read indicated 15K. Which is it?

How's funding coming along?

[89Hen]

Where does Delaware St. think they're gonna go in FBS?

http://members.aol.com/ronisch/dreamland.gif

[Dane96]

Dane96, could you clarify? The UA facilities plan indicates the FB stadium capacity would be 10K. Other articles I read indicated 15K. Which is it?

How's funding coming along?

Straight from the horse's mouth:

http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2007/06/18/daily2.html

[henfan]

Straight from the horse's mouth:

http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2007/06/18/daily2.html

Dane, saw that report, but that's the cause of my confusion. Albany's Facilities Master Plan refers to a 10K-seat FB stadium. Is it a 10K-seater that can be expanded to 15K?

http://admin.xosn.com/attachments1/3875.pdf

Phase 2 calls for the construction of a Multi-purpose stadium.
The stadium, which will host campus and community events,
concerts and the UAlbany Division I-AA Football program,
will seat 10,000 fans. In addition to the multi-purpose stadium,
Phase 2 will see renovations to the SEFCU Arena.

BTW, the initial arch renderings you showed me looked pretty sweet.xthumbsupx

[Dane96]

We have heard both 10k and 15k, however this latest report was from a meeting with McElroy and the business leaders and it says 15k. That was from yesterday...so...I am thinking 15k.

The stadium, btw, will be expandable to 25k-30k seats.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

How bad could Costello be?


Considered fourth in USF's athletic department hierarchy, Costello brings an extensive resume. He graduated from Muhlenberg College and has a master's degree in business administration from Lehigh University. He was a senior budget analyst at Lehigh (1997-2001) and was director for business operations at San Jose State from 2001 to 2003.

xnodx xnodx xnodx

The trouble seems to be that Sessoms, like George Steinbrenner, is hanging over every move the AD wants to make. It will be interesting to follow.

Here's something to think about. Let's say Delaware State joins the Big South. Liberty, Stony Brook, and Delaware State would be a good hunk of the membership, and all have talked about visions of joining FBS... xeyebrowx xeyebrowx xeyebrowx... if they could somehow convince a Coastal to also join up... they could try to ascend the entire conference to FBS... xeyebrowx xeyebrowx xeyebrowx

[henfan]

Sessoms has the desire, but he doesn't possess a realistic plan for the school and its FB program. It doesn't help that the ingrained no-change-niks at DSU have stood in Sessoms ' path every step of the way. xnonono2x

It goes without saying that BCS-level FB is an impossible feat at DSU, especially so long as the school is warring with itself.