Winthrop officially looking at football!

[zilla]

I figured this would have been posted by now...

http://www.heraldonline.com/news/sports/story/133854.html

Actually, the article states that they're only reviewing the costs of adding football. Seems like WU's President is all for it if the money is there.

[Seawolf97]

Thats great at least their are serious thoughts about moving forward if the money is there!xnodx

[Retro]

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[EmeryZach]

I'm sure the basketball success has helped with the call for football.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

His budgeted expenses also include 53 scholarships (the maximum for FCS schools) at $16,000 each, and has factored in things such as $40,000 for additional band funding.

Their projections only show $500,000 per year in estimated revenues, with the bulk of that coming from guarantees from playing larger schools. For instance, Appalachian State received $400,000 for this year’s trip to Michigan, and such games help pay the freight for smaller programs, though they come nowhere near the entire cost.

So they are looking Big South all the way here. The Big South has gone from an also-ran conference to one of the more dynamic conferences for expansion overnight - and they look poised to get an autobid into the playoffs and having Winthrop possibly aboard too. And they want full scholarships and guarantee money.

This shows what Winthrop fully expects the Big South to be in about four years. SoCon folks had better take note.

[Death Dealer]

I grew up about 15 minutes from WU's campus. It's a nice school, it'd be good to see them get a football progam going.

[terrierbob]

I grew up about 15 minutes from WU's campus. It's a nice school, it'd be good to see them get a football progam going.


My late mother (rest her soul) went to WU in 1933 but transferred to Converse where she graduated. They had uniforms, and had to walk in lines to lunch. If they had "gentlemen callers", they would sit with them in a parlor with a matron watching over them.

[OL FU]

So they are looking Big South all the way here. The Big South has gone from an also-ran conference to one of the more dynamic conferences for expansion overnight - and they look poised to get an autobid into the playoffs and having Winthrop possibly aboard too. And they want full scholarships and guarantee money.

This shows what Winthrop fully expects the Big South to be in about four years. SoCon folks had better take note.

Well I haven't read the article but why would they look elsewhere, they are in the Big South nowxeyebrowx

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Well I haven't read the article but why would they look elsewhere, they are in the Big South nowxeyebrowx

Conceivably they could field a non-scholly team. That's not part of the plan, though, according to the article.

[OL FU]

Conceivably they could field a non-scholly team. That's not part of the plan, though, according to the article.


I was referring more to your SoCon take note comment. The reason for staying in the Big South is kinda obvious since they participate in Big South sports now (dominate basketball). I can't make the connection with what that has to do with the SoCon. Honestly just curious why you made the connection. If I ran Winthrop I would stay put.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I was referring more to your SoCon take note comment. The reason for staying in the Big South is kinda obvious since they participate in Big South sports now (dominate basketball). I can't make the connection with what that has to do with the SoCon. Honestly just curious why you made the connection. If I ran Winthrop I would stay put.

Oh, OK. I only mention that the Big South is looking more like it will be a 63-equivalency 7 team league in the future, more on equal footing with the SoCon than ever. They are not that now, but in 2011 they could very well be.

Winthrop may not be thinking to go SoCon, but the benefits of other Big South members possibly jumping to other conferences (VMI, Coastal Carolina, Liberty) seem fewer and fewer.

[CCU97]

He was saying SoCon look out because the Big South is growing....and has the potential to improve to the level of the SoCon. Long way from being there right now of course....See you in G'ville Saturday! BTW....Any good places to park for the game and tailgate?

[OL FU]

Oh, OK. I only mention that the Big South is looking more like it will be a 63-equivalency 7 team league in the future, more on equal footing with the SoCon than ever. They are not that now, but in 2011 they could very well be.

Winthrop may not be thinking to go SoCon, but the benefits of other Big South members possibly jumping to other conferences (VMI, Coastal Carolina, Liberty) seem fewer and fewer.

Gotchaxthumbsupx

I definitely think that the Big south is on the way up. Actually I think the SoCon is too. But right now, the Big South's football future is CCU and Liberty and eventually PC. I don't know know enough about its part-time member to state an opinion but even with CSU improving its schedule I don't see the others making too big of jump up the ladder. All teams in the SoCon, even Samford, with the possible exception of Chat and WCU are making the investments to get better. The real question for the Socon is when one of the biggies, GSU or ASU leaves, what do we do then.

Back on subject, Part of me says great news if Winthrop can pull this off but another part of me says we have 7 FCS schools in SC now, do I really want another onexrolleyesx

[OL FU]

He was saying SoCon look out because the Big South is growing....and has the potential to improve to the level of the SoCon. Long way from being there right now of course....See you in G'ville Saturday! BTW....Any good places to park for the game and tailgate?


Well that is a leap of faith I wouldn't take right now. Growth doesn't mean success. Now don't take it the wrong way. CCU has done very very well. Liberty is putting the bucks behind football. The part-time member is exactly that, a part time member. GW VMI and CSU are what they are. That might occasionally be good but mostly will not. The addition of Winthrop in football doesn't give me the shakes. They may very well pull off what CCU did but that I will wait for that one.

As I said above, I am more concerned simply with the number of FCS teams in SC. Geez we are about half the size of Georgia that has 1 and one-tenth FCS schools:D

[OL FU]

He was saying SoCon look out because the Big South is growing....and has the potential to improve to the level of the SoCon. Long way from being there right now of course....See you in G'ville Saturday! BTW....Any good places to park for the game and tailgate?

Parking and tailgaiting all over. Most visitors park in front of the class room building ( the parking lost that is on both sides of the chapel). From there it is easy to tailgate from your car or a short walk to find some grass.

[CCU97]

Well that is a leap of faith I wouldn't take right now. Growth doesn't mean success. Now don't take it the wrong way. CCU has done very very well. Liberty is putting the bucks behind football. The part-time member is exactly that, a part time member. GW VMI and CSU are what they are. That might occasionally be good but mostly will not. The addition of Winthrop in football doesn't give me the shakes. They may very well pull off what CCU did but that I will wait for that one.

As I said above, I am more concerned simply with the number of FCS teams in SC. Geez we are about half the size of Georgia that has 1 and one-tenth FCS schools:D

Oh don't get me wrong....I completely agree with you! I was just stating what LHN meant in his original post in order for you to see what he was attempting to say.

Personally a Winthrowup football team makes me laugh...I mean they wouldn't have any students show up for the game as most of their posters on our board and their own have stated that they don't need football...they can just go watch Clemson or USC....yuck! They would have to give away tickets or hope the teams they play have a big following in order to fill a stadium!

[CCU97]

Parking and tailgaiting all over. Most visitors park in front of the class room building ( the parking lost that is on both sides of the chapel). From there it is easy to tailgate from your car or a short walk to find some grass.

Thanks! I have 5 of us coming for the game and we just wanted to know the best place to hang out before the game and get a few burgers and drinks in us!

[BearsCountry]

Winthrop has the worst fans I have ever seen. They came and trashed our board when we played them in hoops.

[OL FU]

Thanks! I have 5 of us coming for the game and we just wanted to know the best place to hang out before the game and get a few burgers and drinks in us!

I think you will find if you are standing on the dressing room side of the stadium looking toward the field, the visitors are usually in the grassy area to the left of the stadium. It won't be all visitors but that is generally the congregation spot. It is also the area between the parking I reccomended in the stadium.

[OL FU]

Oh don't get me wrong....I completely agree with you! I was just stating what LHN meant in his original post in order for you to see what he was attempting to say.

Personally a Winthrowup football team makes me laugh...I mean they wouldn't have any students show up for the game as most of their posters on our board and their own have stated that they don't need football...they can just go watch Clemson or USC....yuck! They would have to give away tickets or hope the teams they play have a big following in order to fill a stadium!

Thanks I was trying to get him to say and justify itxnodx

[walliver]

I don't think Winthrop could duplicate Coastal's rapid progress. Although there is no significant competition in the Charlotte market for football, there are not a lot of people in Charlotte willing to drive to Rock Hill to watch a FCS game. Charlotte belongs to Independence High and the Panthers, Rock Hill fans are loyal to Northwestern High School and Rock Hill. I could be wrong, but I think they would struggle at football.

[MarkCCU]

I think this is a great idea! I hope they get football.

[SuperJon]

Winthrop is good in everything else. I don't know if they'll be as successful as early as Coastal, but they'd be a good team once they get settled. I think that once they get off their feet (if they do it), you'd have five good teams in Coastal, Liberty, G-W, Presby, and Winthrop.

[gophoenix]

Winthrop is good in everything else. I don't know if they'll be as successful as early as Coastal, but they'd be a good team once they get settled. I think that once they get off their feet (if they do it), you'd have five good teams in Coastal, Liberty, G-W, Presby, and Winthrop.

One thing Winthrop doesn't do is half-a$$ something. In the last 15 years, when the put effort behind the Athletics Department, that's what they meant and they pulled every program out of the trench. So I fully expect a Winthrop program to have the full support of the athletics department, regardless of how many locals show up.

After making goodness knows how many basketball tourney appearances and upsetting higher seeds, they are a household name among many college sports fans.

[Eyes of Old Main]

From there it is easy to tailgate from your car or a short walk to find some grass.

So you guys have resorted to openly selling marijuana to forget about last weeks beating?

[Eyes of Old Main]

I don't see Winthrop being successful either.

Their addition would help the conference, but I believe most of their basketball success was Gregg Marshall and since he left, it remains to be seen if they continue to be as good.

It will be really hard to draw attention to the program and also recruits. How would you bring in top talent when you have to work against in-conference rivals like CCU who is established, PC who is up and coming, and CSU and in-state OOC schools like Furman, Wofford, El Cid, and SC State? It just seems to me that they would struggle mightily to maintain focus.

[dungeonjoe]

Parking and tailgaiting all over. Most visitors park in front of the class room building ( the parking lost that is on both sides of the chapel). From there it is easy to tailgate from your car or a short walk to find some grass.

No wonder the baptists gave up on Furman--drugs!:) :) :) xlolx xlolx xlolx xlolx

[BigApp]

presbyterians...

[Ol Blue]

you'd have five good teams in Coastal, Liberty, G-W, Presby, and Winthrop.

It's a lot of fun being a CSU fan. You get overlooked and dished so often....it just makes it that much more fun to upset the apple cartxsmiley_wix

And by the way, the Big South is officially headed out of the kinks and in short time will be one of the envied conferences. Winthrop would be a big bonus to our football programs.

[Punchykky]

I hope Winthrop fields a football team as well. Their basketball team is already top notch.

[lizrdgizrd]

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No, no, that's Winthorp. xnonox

[SuperJon]

It's a lot of fun being a CSU fan. You get overlooked and dished so often....it just makes it that much more fun to upset the apple cartxsmiley_wix

And by the way, the Big South is officially headed out of the kinks and in short time will be one of the envied conferences. Winthrop would be a big bonus to our football programs.

Sorry, I just mentioned schools with real stadiums and real facilities. My bad.

[walliver]

It's a lot of fun being a CSU fan. You get overlooked and dished so often....it just makes it that much more fun to upset the apple cartxsmiley_wix

And by the way, the Big South is officially headed out of the kinks and in short time will be one of the envied conferences. Winthrop would be a big bonus to our football programs.


What is there to envy ... besides CCUCheer:D

[CID1990]

I hope Winthrop fields a football team as well. Their basketball team is already top notch.

If Winthrop can field a football team, then so can the College of Choke and UNCG. Play or leave, I say! Play or leave.

[walliver]

If Winthrop can field a football team, then so can the College of Choke and UNCG. Play or leave, I say! Play or leave.

Maybe Winthrop could replace that other Charlotte school that keeps its football team out of the SoCon.

[Go...gate]

My late mother (rest her soul) went to WU in 1933 but transferred to Converse where she graduated. They had uniforms, and had to walk in lines to lunch. If they had "gentlemen callers", they would sit with them in a parlor with a matron watching over them.

Senator Sam Ervin's (D-N.C.) wife was a Converse graduate.

[Go...gate]

presbyterians...

You need Muslim, Catholic and Hebrew - based schools in that conference, too!

[The Gadfly]

Good for Winthrop. Who do you guys think live in the Rock Hill and Charlotte metro area? ALOT OF WINTHROP GRADS. So yes I can see Winthrop filling the stadium. Talking about stadiums, they should upgrade that huge high school stadium a block away from campus. That could knock out an assload of their start-up budget right there. Good luck Eagles. xthumbsupx

[brownbear]

You need Muslim, Catholic and Hebrew - based schools in that conference, too!

Who are gonna get? Brandeis doesn't have football.

[dungeonjoe]

Good for Winthrop. Who do you guys think live in the Rock Hill and Charlotte metro area? ALOT OF WINTHROP GRADS. So yes I can see Winthrop filling the stadium. Talking about stadiums, they should upgrade that huge high school stadium a block away from campus. That could knock out an assload of their start-up budget right there. Good luck Eagles. xthumbsupx

I think so too. The school district is coming under fire for wanting to put artificial turf in that stadium-- maybe they know something we don't!

[SuperJon]

One of the articles in their paper said that it'd basically be just as cost effective to build a new one as it would be to renovate the other.

[The Gadfly]

One of the articles in their paper said that it'd basically be just as cost effective to build a new one as it would be to renovate the other.

Jon, can you get that article? Man . . . it does kinda feels good jumping off that Coastal bandwagon.

[Rollgo]

I understand why Winthrop is going to add football. What else is there to do in Rock Hill on a Saturday afternoon? xsmiley_wix

[The Gadfly]

I understand why Winthrop is going to add football. What else is there to do in Rock Hill on a Saturday afternoon? xsmiley_wix

. . . and MOORESVILLE is the culture hub of the world? hmmmm . . .

But, you do have a valid point, I'm afraid. I can see the area backing football no matter whether it's high school, pro or college. I was born in Rock Hill and raised in the area for a while and they LOVE football here. And I can see a lot of the great talent in the area staying in the area. It will be interesting to see how well this turns out. We just need to find the money. The golden ticket that we have are all of the Winthrop Ladies of yore married to VERY RICH husbands. xthumbsupx

[Death Dealer]

I don't think Winthrop could duplicate Coastal's rapid progress. Although there is no significant competition in the Charlotte market for football, there are not a lot of people in Charlotte willing to drive to Rock Hill to watch a FCS game. Charlotte belongs to Independence High and the Panthers, Rock Hill fans are loyal to Northwestern High School and Rock Hill. I could be wrong, but I think they would struggle at football.
My brother lives in Rock Hill and he said that there is a huge buzz and lots of excitement around town about the potential of a Winthrop team. He has the opposite opinion to yours. He says that with the strong tradition of supporting local football teams very well, and the fact that Winthrop routinely sells out b-ball games, that if they invest strongly in a program and get a good jump out of the gate similarly to CCU, that they will have no problem with fan support. Folks in Rock Hill are very loyal to Winthrop.