So you want to start up a D1 team

[JB]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Ok, I'll bite.

7) The University of Kentucky Cool Cats.

I have always loved that Ashley Judd poster.

I seem to recall there was another non-calander where she was standing with a stick...

[redhawkman10]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Simple, the Daddy Warbucks thats funding the start up of the Men's team is going to have to fund a women's program as well. same facilities, and an excuse to make sure you have extra locker rooms there as well so you can use it for tournements and what not.

Personally, I would like to see Syracuse and PSU start up programs, and have them team up with Ohio State to form a new conference. Niagara and Bobby Mo would probably jump on that idea, Miami and Bowling Green would likely want to stay with Ohio State, Mercyhurst would likely see the benefits of having OSU, PSU, and the Orange coming to Erie, and well, Alabama-Huntsville needs a home as well. I would have to think another western New York program would take a long look at this as well.

Like maybe the University of Buffalo? Lots of homegrown talent and can recruit the ontario leagues well.

[STATEdude3]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Does the NCAA have a standard or "cheat sheet" for starting a new program, like commercial franchises have? I would be curious to know what their standards would be.

[redhawkman10]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Ok, I'll bite.

1) Ok, $50M. Good enough to start an endowment, hire coaches, get equipment and equip a practice facility.
2) Hm. We'll say that this place holds 1,500, but even that's pushing it. Figure a bonding bill for a 4-5,000 seat arena on campus at the outset, so another $40M or so (more or less the cost of the BREC, a similar-sized arena.)
3) Lock up a name-brand guy at least 2 years out. He'll have to do all the recruiting until his assistants come on board, as well as shaping the program (though the club team has paved the way.)
4) Start some 5 years out with trusted alumni and at the state level (bonding), then break ground on a new ice-capable facility in 3 years. Sell a LOT of calendars in the meantime.
5) It appears that the school in question already has 10 men's varsity sports and 11 women's varsity sports.
6) The CCHA is the only conference that makes sense, and frankly Anastos would jump at the opportunity. If this school felt like being chivalrous, they'd make it a package deal with themselves and UAH, but there's only one open spot in the CCHA and a split league isn't happening yet.
7) The University of Kentucky Cool Cats.

You know this is a remarkable idea. They have a terrific following as a club team. They are self funded and have the fundraising capabilities. Albeit a club team they have a great foundation. The would need a new arena where they are now is worse than the old OSU rink. Not to mention the alumni backing. Problem is you would have to navigate around the basketball program, but could be done. I like this idea, especially with the name brankd of a matchup with Ohio st., Michigan, Notre Dame, and Michigan st.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Syracuse would belong in the ECAC. Pulling out 4 teams from the CCHA would break the conference.

During all the discussion about UAH/no UAH in the CCHA, the CCHA fans have been more than willing to portray their conference as suffering because some schools have to bus further than others.

One would think that some of these schools would be ecstatic at the notion of having a smaller conference that still has Michigan and MSU.

I just think that a hockey progam that's exclusive to Chicago would be drown by the Blackhawks, much like happens in Detroit (outside of the ONE game, MSU and UM don't fill JLA).

Keep in mind, though, a Northwestern team doesn't have to fill the United Center to be successful. Like most D-I college programs, filling a 4-6,000 seat arena will do just fine.

[huskyfan]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

please no Marquette. its already too confusing with Northern Michigan being in Marquette.

[Happy]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Start a women's team at the same time!

actually, the best way for title 9 is to add to, or start either women's track or women's crew. either one is cheaper to run, and all you really need to do is add the same number of womens' scholarships as you have added to the men's hockeys team. it's a burden the liberals have added to men's college sports, but in the end, all that is needed is an equal number of scholarships, not a women's team in the same or similar sport.

[redhawkman10]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Simple, the Daddy Warbucks thats funding the start up of the Men's team is going to have to fund a women's program as well. same facilities, and an excuse to make sure you have extra locker rooms there as well so you can use it for tournements and what not.

Personally, I would like to see Syracuse and PSU start up programs, and have them team up with Ohio State to form a new conference. Niagara and Bobby Mo would probably jump on that idea, Miami and Bowling Green would likely want to stay with Ohio State, Mercyhurst would likely see the benefits of having OSU, PSU, and the Orange coming to Erie, and well, Alabama-Huntsville needs a home as well. I would have to think another western New York program would take a long look at this as well.

If were going to start a new conference, why not start the Pac 10 conference? To my knowledge all of the conference have club teams and have a D II pac 8 conference. Arizona st. has a very solid and competitive D I club team. You could add the two alaska schools and form a solid 12 team conference. The WHL is very prominent in the northwest so no doubt college hockey can work, plus there are some very very good players coming out of california.

Outside of that, I like the idea of Iowa St. or Colorado or Colorado st.. Even the University of Illinois who has a very solid D I club team. If a Pac 10 conference is started and the alaskan schools join it, taking Illinois and Iowa st. to the D I level to fill the vancancies left joined by either Penn St. or Ohio univeristy to make the CCHA 12 teams and keep the WCHA at 12 teams would add big budget universities and names to each conference.

I agree a 5 year plan would need to be in place with a head coach around for a min of 2 years and a full staff 1 year out. Fundraising and arena's should be started about 5 years out to make sure the program gets off on the right foot.

As far as title IX I have no idea how that would work.

[Flashy Man]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

This thread may help your interests.
http://board.uscho.com/showthread.php?t=85164

[GoNU5]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

I don't know if anyone has brought this up before, but here's my idea: Georgetown and/or American University. Both have lots of nearby alumni in D.C, and hockey in the D.C area is the highest it's ever been. If now was ever a time to start hockey there, now would be it.

You could then add a team in the University of Maryland, and if you add Penn State and UPenn, throw in a team like Rutgers or Delaware, you'd have the makings of a new conference.

EDIT- looking at the above link, you could conceivably add Navy and Liberty University to that conference, as both have on campus ice rinks. You could even start an Army-Navy hockey rivalry.

Another radical idea would be to look at the South. There's some homegrown talent there, and there's a lot of schools down there with large numbers of sports fans and alumni, and they would likely have the necessary money to make it possible. I'd imagine the NHL would be enthused about this, since it might have a carry-over effect onto the struggling Southeastern Conference, giving them more backyard talent to scout.


Probably unlikely, but why not dream?

[alfablue]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

.

EDIT- looking at the above link, you could conceivably add Navy and Liberty University to that conference, as both have on campus ice rinks. You could even start an Army-Navy hockey rivalry.

That Navy rink looks pretty nice- fill in the one side, and partials up the ends, and it would looke right at home in the CCHA.

[alfablue]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Keep in mind, though, a Northwestern team doesn't have to fill the United Center to be successful. Like most D-I college programs, filling a 4-6,000 seat arena will do just fine.

Good point- I was thinking about some rivalry or special game in Chicago- which wouldn't be a big deal.

It's not like MSU or UM suffer for lack of coverage here in SE MI- neither get much notice, and both do quite well on the College scale.

[sterlippo1]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Syracuse would belong in the ECAC. Pulling out 4 teams from the CCHA would break the conference.

never understood why Syracuse doesn't have a D1 hockey program...........

[Puck Swami]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

Starting hockey programs at any Eastern or Midwestern school is incremental growth, since the game is already well established there.

College sports support is the largest in the American South. Even though hockey isn't very popular there, the moment some big SEC or Texas school starts a hockey program at the varsity level and is playing for keeps, it won't be long before the other big southern schools try to match.

I'd be targeting schools like Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: So you want to start up a D1 team

never understood why Syracuse doesn't have a D1 hockey program...........

They do http://www.uscho.com/w/syracuse-oran...y/team,su.html.