How soon until Youngstown State drops track and field?

GoPenguins wrote:

I suspect in their move to FBS in order to 'generate more revenue' they will quickly be cutting several other sports teams in order to remain competitive in whatever new league they move to.

And unfortunately I suspect that you are exactly correct. Pelini will convince the AD that they are $300k in budget short of challenging Alabama and Ohio State on a yearly basis just as Urban Meyer did at Bowling Green, Frank Solich at Ohio, and every other MAC and lower DI coach. It is incredible that the mid-majors, and that is being kind, still believe they are relevant when they lose a million or more each year and draw 15K at games. Sad.

The YSU track staff better make sure they are showing their relevance to the AD, president, and boosters BEFORE it is time for the ax to fall.

Ohio guy wrote:

GoPenguins wrote:

I suspect in their move to FBS in order to 'generate more revenue' they will quickly be cutting several other sports teams in order to remain competitive in whatever new league they move to.

And unfortunately I suspect that you are exactly correct. Pelini will convince the AD that they are $300k in budget short of challenging Alabama and Ohio State on a yearly basis just as Urban Meyer did at Bowling Green, Frank Solich at Ohio, and every other MAC and lower DI coach. It is incredible that the mid-majors, and that is being kind, still believe they are relevant when they lose a million or more each year and draw 15K at games. Sad.

The YSU track staff better make sure they are showing their relevance to the AD, president, and boosters BEFORE it is time for the ax to fall.

YSU will do exactly what Ohio U. did when they hired a former U. Nebraska football coach.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!

They just hired Bo Pelini. They did not announce that they are moving up to FBS.

They have Tressel as their president and Pelini as their coach so it may seem that they are on their way to FBS but they need a conference to invite them first and that has not happened yet.

Their staff is a bit lack-luster from what I understand. On the distance side their team sort of trains however they want. Some athletes have been seeking their own training styles, which looks to me like he isn't confident in his own abilities. If a coach allows his athletes to deviate from their plans he isn't showing a commitment to the team and organization that hired him. With butler leaving their league they actually have some falsified beliefs in a successful program, but winning the conference title in something so weak doesn't keep your team around. You need guys to get on the lists and be competitive on a national spectrum, and that just isn't happening at YSU. I'd expect to see them follow suit with some of the MAC schools that cut programs to promote their money makers. When it comes to making cuts, you have to be fearful with a big timer like Tressel whispering ideas in the higher-ups ears. It's basic business practice to take care of the money makers. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, gentlemen

Money makers? Who would that be? Money spenders is more like it. YSU had 7 men qualify to NCAA "Regional" last year. 2 distance kids. Not bad for a team is such a crap conference.

Speaking from total ignorance about YSU and its t&f/cross-country program, I would urge the coaches to build an all-events team; to schedule scoring contests that result in a won-lost record; and to make sure that regular-season W-L record is a good one.

The coaches may already be doing all this; or they may be constrained already by a limited budget. I don't know, because I haven't bothered to look the team up.

But I know that most of the teams I've seen scuttled have a) "specialized" in a few events, rather than the whole gamut of t&f (and xc) athletics; b) never had a scoring t&f contest before the conference meet; and c) rarely made it clear that, as a competitive intercollegiate team, their goal was to beat other teams consistently--not to post PRs or school records.

As I say, sometimes these conditions have occurred as a result of restrictions by the athletic department or the college; but, at least as frequently in my experience, they were the result of coaches who just couldn't be bothered to a) develop *complete* programs, b) recruit for *all* events, c) engage in *scoring contests* and strive to win them, and d) work around (or through, as necessary) any restrictions that might have kept them from accomplishing a, b, and c.

They should drop T&F if it's alum are not active. Former runners need to raise money and be active in the running program. If they don't raise money and remain the program doesn't deserve to exist. As much as I love running for the life of me I don't understand why former college runners do not have an active group raising money to help support the program then when the program gets dropped they scream how unfair.

These predictions are pretty flimsy at best. While YSU isn't "on the map" in track/cc they are fairly competitive in Ohio (not saying much these days).

In their favor are the following:

Tressel does NOT hate Olympic sports - he gets it.

YSU has been 1st or 2nd time and time again in the Horizon League - that does count for something.

They just built an indoor 300m track a few years ago - it is a top notch facility.

They just re-did their outdoor track last year. Those are a lot of investments to suddenly drop.

The coach does allow leniency on training - no doubt on that, however they had 2 guys sub 9:00 last spring in the 3000sc...how many other Ohio schools can say that??

YSU had a dominant program in Football for years. Bo Pelini was born in Youngstown. The idiots at Nebraska still have to pay him almost 8 million dollars over the next couple years.

What better opportunity for YSU and Bo Pelini to take the job at YSU and return them to prominence. When he does that, he can get another high paying job at a major university in 2-3 years. I don't think this has anything to do with YSU wanting to go to the FBS. They just want to return to being the best in the FCS.

They can say they want to move up all they want - until such time as they get an invitation from an existing conference, they ain't going anywhere. See: Liberty, James Madison.

You're an idiot. They won't drop track. Look at whose name is on their indoor track facility. Don't think you get much more protection than that.