Per UTSATailgaters, UTSA to meet with the WAC tomorrow in Denver

[bigred360]

[quote name="Texantagonise" post="848482" timestamp="1284651528"]
[quote author=UNLV link=topic=72967.msg848397#msg848397 date=1284633475]
[quote author=ispeakjive link=topic=72967.msg848356#msg848356 date=1284607278]

[/quote]Exactly like they did [b]when they dropped the football program playing I-AA/FCS. Community support will once again dry up [/b]if LU
continue to bring in "who are you" schools. That is a fact backed up by Lamars own history.
[/quote]
I am tired of seeing this generalized misstatement.  Lets look at some real facts for demise of football at Lamar.  From 1975 to the final game in 1989 Lamar was 38 - 90 - 3 that is an awful record. Plus in '86 and '87 they had their two wordt defensive teams in school history.  Giving up 339 and 389 points in those seasons.  And in this area if you don't win the people don't show.  Just ask the Beaumont Golden Gator, Bullfrogs, Wildcatters, and Drillers. The real death blow for Lamar football was the school moving to a "Basketball" conference where football was not played.  Then Lamar had to play as an independent and could only get FOUR home games the last two seasons. 
So the demise of Lamar was from over a decade of BAD football and the university thinking BIG.  They had the BIG DREAM of Lamar being a basketball powerhouse and gave no thought of what it would do to football.

So please quit saying that FCS is what killed Lamar football.
[/quote]

Gesh, people are going to think I'm all for going FBS now. You pointed out our records from 1975-1989 but you didn't mention the Head Coaches who were here. Plus, Lamar didn't recruit well during that period of time. Yes, there were some good players but not enough to have a successful team on the field. I believe we are playing as an independent now.

Plus, you fail to mention half the SLC left at the same time. UNT, ULL, ULM, La Tech and Arkansas State. So it was bad football, losing money, poor attendance and bad decision making that killed the program in 1989. Lamar lost 2,000 students the very next semester which lead to less money academically.

With the student fee of $8.75 per semester credit hour for long semesters and $4.50 per semester hour for summer sessions we will not be dropping the program again for losing money. Plus, the administration knows how important having football is because you get everything that comes with football. Without the sport you can say goodbye to the marching band, cheerleaders and students who want to have football on campus.

Playing FCS may not have killed Lamar football but not staying with the schools we left the conference with did not help.

[coachacola]

[quote]Plus, you fail to mention half the SLC left at the same time. UNT, ULL, ULM, La Tech and Arkansas State. So it was bad football, losing money, poor attendance and bad decision making that killed the program in 1989. Lamar lost 2,000 students the very next semester which lead to less money academically. [/quote]

Texantagonise does mention that when he talks about Lamar moving to a basketball conference.  Lamar left the SLC with those other schools to form the American South conference, which didn't sponsor football.  I think he's spot on with this observation:
[quote]
So the demise of Lamar was from over a decade of BAD football and the university thinking BIG.  They had the BIG DREAM of Lamar being a basketball powerhouse and gave no thought of what it would do to football. [/quote]

Also, the local economy collapsed around this time and a lot of people moved out of the area which really hurt the university.  Lamar started having money problems which led to Lamar joining the Texas State University System in the 1990s.  The biggest blunder was leaving the Sun Belt and returning to the SLC.  Lamar should be in the same position as South Alabama (which is a similar sized school in a similar sized metro area) and already be in a FBS conference.  Lamar's peers were smart enough to get out and stay out of the SLC, now another group of SLC schools are doing the same.

[NorthoftheBorder]

Coach thanks for posting that PANews article on Simmons.  I remembered that I read something like that but couldn't remember where or when.  I think I will drop out of this FBS chatter for awhile because reading that again renews my belief that LU has the right guy at the helm and he has a big time vision for Lamar in all areas of the University including athletics.  As just a fan on the sidelines, I will trust it with him.  All my comments about it are just my opinion hope and desire for my alma mater.  On another note, I'm sure I am experiencing what everyone else is and that is Lamar football is very much in the social conversation of most all the people I come in contact with.  It is really refreshing to see such a widespread interest in Lamar and the program.  It makes the daily conversations much more fun and interesting.  Hope it stays that way from here on out.