D2 NCC commish "IAA is not a higher level of competition"

[Hansel]

Roger Thomas, the former football coach and athletic director at the University of North Dakota, said a desire to continue recruiting local players was one factor in UND’s decision not to follow NDSU to Division I-AA. The Grand Forks school has 39 players from North Dakota on its 107-man roster this year, 36 percent of the team.

“You’re trying to play at a different level – I wouldn’t say higher, just a different level of competition – and we’re in a sparsely populated area, and to find the number of players you need to do that, you’d have to expand the recruiting area,” said Thomas, now commissioner of the Division II North Central Conference, of which UND is a member.

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=101774&section=Sports

the man is an idiot

[NoCoDanny]

The Americans are not in Bagdad...

http://www.dynart.com/jorge/imagens/iraqi_information_minister.jpg

[Baldy]

He needs to give our AD a call.
I'd love to give any team in his conference a lesson in DI football...

[DaBears]

After UNC's 2-9 season with our first real I-AA schedule, I think our players would beg to differ with Roger. UNC never did have a problem disposing of the UND Sue on an annual basis but are having trouble with I-AA.

[Hansel]

Isn't that the guy who is the main source of NDSU animosity still towards U. North Dakota? He needs to give it a rest.
correctamundo (both he and UND's president, who is also on record as calling IAA "a supposedly higher level of comp."

[bison95]

UND WHO? :confused: :confused: :confused:


















sue suc :D

[bkrownd]

More lame D2 bashing? Yawn.

[henfan]

It's not bashing to call out someone on a silly comment.

A majority of I-AA is both different and competes at a higher level than the majority of D-II. It's nutso to suggest that any NCC school is on the same level with the Gateway, Big Sky, SoCon, Patriot, etc. For the most part, I-AA is different than D-II because most of our schools compete at a different level/sponsor football to a greater degree.

And, of course, the sponsorship issue necessarily goes well beyond just FB, into Olympic sports, which Thomas' statement fails to acknowledge. The NCAA makes the distinction between D-I and D-II for good reason.

[HensRock]

I wouldn’t say higher, just a different level of competition

If it's a different level, then it's either a higher level or a lower level. If it's not higher and not lower, than it's the same level, not a different one.

If he had said it was a different type or different class of competition, then it make make a little bit more sense, but only a little.

[henfan]

Than again, you could make the argument that D-II schools offering the full allotment of 36 equivalancies compete at a higher level than I-AA programs offering less. The FB designations do make little sense under those circumstances.

[bkrownd]

How do you define "higher level"? The highest level of competition is the one you're personally involved in, and busting your own butt to succeed at. If you're playing D-II then D-II should be your entire universe, and there should be nothing "higher" or more important.

[GrizFoo]

Much to my horror, I think the Griz can take some of the blame for this kind of thinking. Their choke against a quality NDSU team was a set back for I-AA. At least in the eyes of DII fans, they are probably thinking I-AA doesn't have much on them.
NDSU, can shoulder a little blame too, not for beating the Griz, but for not winning the DII title that year, damn you for beating the Griz and not beating all your DII foes. :cool:
If the Griz weren't somewhat of a high profile team, and if NDSU wasn't in the spot light for making the jump to DI, this all could have been swept under the rug, just as Montana St losses to DII schools luckily was.
Thoughts?

[henfan]

Ralph, evidently, at least one D-II conference commish doesn't want to hear it either.

[bison95]

Much to my horror, I think the Griz can take some of the blame for this kind of thinking. Their choke against a quality NDSU team was a set back for I-AA. At least in the eyes of DII fans, they are probably thinking I-AA doesn't have much on them.
NDSU, can shoulder a little blame too, not for beating the Griz, but for not winning the DII title that year, damn you for beating the Griz and not beating all your DII foes. :cool:
If the Griz weren't somewhat of a high profile team, and if NDSU wasn't in the spot light for making the jump to DI, this all could have been swept under the rug, just as Montana St losses to DII schools luckily was.
Thoughts?

You want NDSU to take responsibility for the top end of DII schools and their ability to nock off a good I-AA team ocasionally? I'll take that, PROUDLY. I think NDSU set the bar in the 80's for talent, recruting, and playing to a higher level. Nocking off the GRIZZ probably did more for their confidence in the move up than winning another DII title. I guess the GRIZZ can always look back (when the Bison start their string of title runs) and take some responsibility. :D :D :nod: :) ;) :p

[blur2005]

Fool.

[bisonguy]

Much to my horror, I think the Griz can take some of the blame for this kind of thinking. Their choke against a quality NDSU team was a set back for I-AA. At least in the eyes of DII fans, they are probably thinking I-AA doesn't have much on them.
NDSU, can shoulder a little blame too, not for beating the Griz, but for not winning the DII title that year, damn you for beating the Griz and not beating all your DII foes. :cool:
If the Griz weren't somewhat of a high profile team, and if NDSU wasn't in the spot light for making the jump to DI, this all could have been swept under the rug, just as Montana St losses to DII schools luckily was.
Thoughts?

NDSU was not the first DII school to defeat a good DI-AA team, it's happened before and it might happen again. Just like a DI-AA beating a DI-A, anything can happen on ANY GIVEN SATURDAY


The commissioner in this article was the former AD at the University of North Dakota, and now oversees the DII conference that they're members of. It's in his best interest to downplay DI(-AA), as the conference might not be viable if UND moved to DI, and therefore, he would be out a job.

[GrizFoo]

NDSU was not the first DII school to defeat a good DI-AA team, it's happened before and it might happen again. Just like a DI-AA beating a DI-A, anything can happen on ANY GIVEN SATURDAY


I'm aware of that. Can you list the highest profile/ranked one?

[bison95]

I'm aware of that. Can you list the highest profile/ranked one?

Montana?????:rolleyes:

[dakotadan]

Roger Thomas, the former football coach and athletic director at the University of North Dakota, said a desire to continue recruiting local players was one factor in UND’s decision not to follow NDSU to Division I-AA. The Grand Forks school has 39 players from North Dakota on its 107-man roster this year, 36 percent of the team.


The schools is also only a few blocks from Minnesota, so I would consider the 37 Minnesota players as local.

Has anyone thought that maybe the Fargo Forum should stop calling Roger and asking him for a quote about DI every time they want to write an article about NDSU. It seems they have him on speed dial these days. They deserve just as much of the blame for all of this non-sense. :rolleyes:

[bison95]

They deserve just as much of the blame for all of this non-sense. :rolleyes:

And the TRUTH shall set you FREE :hyped: :hyped: :hyped: :hurray: :hurray:

[GrizFoo]

I like that thought much better than my self/Griz pity, and defered NDSU blame.

[bisonguy]

I'm aware of that. Can you list the highest profile/ranked one?

Depends on where you're talking. On here it might be NDSU/Montana, simply because NDSU is well-represented. Down south it might be Valdosta State spanking Florida Atlantic in 2003 by 45-17.