Great Article on FCS/FBS Football

[EKU05]

Agreed......we need to make the playoffs and have a least one win there on a regular basis and soon ......then take the first fbs opportunity that comes our way

A playoff run or two wouldn't hurt, but I'm not sure it matters as much to the MAC or Sunbelt as much as one might think. I think facilities improvements would do much more. One of the main points of the feedback we got from the Sunbelt one of the times was that our baseball facilities just wouldn't cut it. Now, we've made a lot of improvements there, but our facilities still leave plenty to be desired. Improvements aren't easy to fund right now, unfortunately, but I think we're doing what we can with what we have.

[DannyHopesGhost]

Agreed......we need to make the playoffs and have a least one win there on a regular basis and soon ......then take the first fbs opportunity that comes our way

A playoff run or two wouldn't hurt, but I'm not sure it matters as much to the MAC or Sunbelt as much as one might think. I think facilities improvements would do much more. One of the main points of the feedback we got from the Sunbelt one of the times was that our baseball facilities just wouldn't cut it. Now, we've made a lot of improvements there, but our facilities still leave plenty to be desired. Improvements aren't easy to fund right now, unfortunately, but I think we're doing what we can with what we have.

Baseball facility is very nice and upgraded now. Football is getting there. Track may need improving. Soccer is pretty decent, softball is ok. We are getting there.

[ekugrad1970]

Any plans for the upper deck Roy Kidd Stadium

[DannyHopesGhost]

Any plans for the upper deck Roy Kidd Stadium

None current. I think it’s a long term goal though.

[Eternal Colonel]

...the unmentioned gorilla in the room is 25 miles north on I-75.

Neither Marshall, MTSU, Appalachian, etc. had to compete with the state flagship
in it's backdoor as do we. I'd like to think we could revive the crowds and intensity of
Saturdays from the late '70's to the early '90's; but is seems like forever ago.

The SEC so dominates the area where their schools reside; it would take more than
FCS playoff presence to generate interest and-hence income. I'm not as conversant
with the proximity of MAC/Sunbelt members to their state's flagship schools, but-
if there were any as close as we are, I'd love to see their attendance numbers.

Yeah-I'm all for a move up and-I certainly hope when it comes, it revives the program
we all love...

[ekugrad1970]

Agreed UK will always be more of a situation to deal with than the other schools......however, football fans like to see a winner.....until recently that has been a strength for EKU in comparison to UK.....if we
Can get back 8 and 9 win seasons consistently as well as dominating the ovc.....will take care of a lot of problems......I might also mention a 10 win season here and there does a lot too

[ekugrad1970]

Playing schools like Miami Ohio , Ohio u, Marshall and wku.....could see our attendance easily 15000 plus

[DannyHopesGhost]

...the unmentioned gorilla in the room is 25 miles north on I-75.

Neither Marshall, MTSU, Appalachian, etc. had to compete with the state flagship
in it's backdoor as do we. I'd like to think we could revive the crowds and intensity of
Saturdays from the late '70's to the early '90's; but is seems like forever ago.

The SEC so dominates the area where their schools reside; it would take more than
FCS playoff presence to generate interest and-hence income. I'm not as conversant
with the proximity of MAC/Sunbelt members to their state's flagship schools, but-
if there were any as close as we are, I'd love to see their attendance numbers.

Yeah-I'm all for a move up and-I certainly hope when it comes, it revives the program
we all love...

MTSU is just down the road from Nashville (35 minutes), and ETSU is just an hour and a half from Knoxville. All the others listed are more than two hours away from a school that would qualify as a state flagship. So I partially agree with this. Plus WKU has the fortune of being 45 minutes from Vanderbilt too, since Vandy football currently has the pulse of a morgue, so therefore many who would be their fans follow the Vols, WKU, or other schools.

[Eternal Colonel]

Of course, Knoxville-not Nashville is the site of Tennessee's flagship, ergo
MTSU isn't comparable-but MTSU has a larger on-campus census than UT
Knoxville.

ETSU is based in a metro area; the "Tri-Cities" MSA of Bristol, Kingsport, & Johnson City
population of over 500K to draw from. Richmond/Madison County ??? Nowhere near...

We've got a unique challenge; both Marshall and WKU have their own media
at their disposal; Richmond TV/Radio/Print is based in Lexington and give us
scant coverage.

I only hope we can win games, create excitement, and reduce the exodus
of alum and yes...students to Lexington and the allure of the SEC.

[Steve 82]

Thought I saw recently the track is bring resurfaced and upgraded.