Classy letter from UM A.D. to Herbstreit

CelticCat · Post by **CelticCat** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 5:19 pm

Any response from Jerkstreet?

grizzh8r · Post by **grizzh8r** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 6:01 pm

BozoneCat wrote:I have to agree with the griz fans on this one. Personally, I thought O'Day wrote a very good letter, and he was classy enough to complement MSU a couple times in there. Sure, he made a point to promote his school in the letter, but that is what any good A.D. would do. I would also agree that there is not another I-AA school in the country that can come even close to matching the gameday atmosphere in Missoula, especially inside the stadium. Outside the stadium, I would think that Bozeman and Lake Charles could mount some competition.

I too must agree. Of couse O'Day is going to give props to the Griz' gameday experience, and it is warranted.

CARDIAC_CATS · Post by **CARDIAC_CATS** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:10 am

info197176 wrote:Would it have been any different if he had said MSU instead of UM?? The point is the same grasshopper....Kirk should not badmouth a level of football that he has never experienced...even bobcat football saturday is a much better exp. then many 1A venues...

Okay I will lay off. I'm a little bit snippy this week

Last week still hasn't rubbed off yet

I just didn't like that last sentence, could have done w/o it.

Bleedinbluengold · Post by **Bleedinbluengold** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:58 am

BozoneCat wrote:
Cat Grad wrote:I'm still partial to Statesboro and Youngstown State doesn't have too bad a deal going and of course Findley Stadium isn't bad except the hometown program usually has a pretty crappy team and I kind of like Boone and of course several A-10 schools will argue that point...oh what the hell...they'll just talk us to death until we agree just to get rid of them...
Well, I'm sure there are quite a number of I-AA schools across the country that have great gameday atmospheres, and you certainly named some of the supposed best. I think it is pretty cool that MSU is now considered to be a part of that group! It is still pretty hard to argue that anyone has a better all-inclusive gameday atmosphere than Missoula, however.

I guess I just didn't see the letter as O'Day writing a UM propaganda letter to Herbstreit, I saw it as a defense of I-AA football and all the great things we offer. He offered Missoula as an example because that is what he knows - and I would say Missoula would certainly make I-AA proud if ESPN ever decided to go over there.

In my opinion, the only thing that a Missoula game day does not have compared to the top I-A venues is, "population." Pound for pound, Missoula has to be at or near the top of any gameday experience. However, I would also say that Montana State's gameday experience is the fastest growing gameday experience in the country, and will rival anyone elses when the stadium becomes the horseshoe kind.

Any criticism of O'Day's letter in regards to pontificating about the griz, is completely mis-directed. That's not his style at all.

catatac · Post by **catatac** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:44 am

Bleedinbluengold wrote:
BozoneCat wrote:
Cat Grad wrote:I'm still partial to Statesboro and Youngstown State doesn't have too bad a deal going and of course Findley Stadium isn't bad except the hometown program usually has a pretty crappy team and I kind of like Boone and of course several A-10 schools will argue that point...oh what the hell...they'll just talk us to death until we agree just to get rid of them...
Well, I'm sure there are quite a number of I-AA schools across the country that have great gameday atmospheres, and you certainly named some of the supposed best. I think it is pretty cool that MSU is now considered to be a part of that group! It is still pretty hard to argue that anyone has a better all-inclusive gameday atmosphere than Missoula, however.

I guess I just didn't see the letter as O'Day writing a UM propaganda letter to Herbstreit, I saw it as a defense of I-AA football and all the great things we offer. He offered Missoula as an example because that is what he knows - and I would say Missoula would certainly make I-AA proud if ESPN ever decided to go over there.
In my opinion, the only thing that a Missoula game day does not have compared to the top I-A venues is, "population." Pound for pound, Missoula has to be at or near the top of any gameday experience. However, I would also say that Montana State's gameday experience is the fastest growing gameday experience in the country, and will rival anyone elses when the stadium becomes the horseshoe kind.

Any criticism of O'Day's letter in regards to pontificating about the griz, is completely mis-directed. That's not his style at all.

Bowling in the South End zone should happen in 08 from what I've been told. Next expansion will take the capacity to around 19,000.

Swilly3224 · Post by **Swilly3224** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:41 am

Bleedinbluengold wrote:
BozoneCat wrote:
Cat Grad wrote:I'm still partial to Statesboro and Youngstown State doesn't have too bad a deal going and of course Findley Stadium isn't bad except the hometown program usually has a pretty crappy team and I kind of like Boone and of course several A-10 schools will argue that point...oh what the hell...they'll just talk us to death until we agree just to get rid of them...
Well, I'm sure there are quite a number of I-AA schools across the country that have great gameday atmospheres, and you certainly named some of the supposed best. I think it is pretty cool that MSU is now considered to be a part of that group! It is still pretty hard to argue that anyone has a better all-inclusive gameday atmosphere than Missoula, however.

I guess I just didn't see the letter as O'Day writing a UM propaganda letter to Herbstreit, I saw it as a defense of I-AA football and all the great things we offer. He offered Missoula as an example because that is what he knows - and I would say Missoula would certainly make I-AA proud if ESPN ever decided to go over there.
In my opinion, the only thing that a Missoula game day does not have compared to the top I-A venues is, "population." Pound for pound, Missoula has to be at or near the top of any gameday experience. However, I would also say that Montana State's gameday experience is the fastest growing gameday experience in the country, and will rival anyone elses when the stadium becomes the horseshoe kind.

Any criticism of O'Day's letter in regards to pontificating about the griz, is completely mis-directed. That's not his style at all.

Fastest growin in the country? Not a chance.

bobcatgrad2005 · Post by **bobcatgrad2005** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:46 am

Swilly, consider how it was 4 years ago. Now the althletic department has to put numbers controls on it.

Who else would you call the fastest growing?

GrizinWashington · Post by **GrizinWashington** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:52 am

Bowling in the South End zone should happen in 08 from what I've been told. Next expansion will take the capacity to around 19,000.

That will be very cool.

CARDIAC_CATS · Post by **CARDIAC_CATS** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:45 pm

bobcatgrad2005 wrote:Swilly, consider how it was 4 years ago. Now the althletic department has to put numbers controls on it.

Who else would you call the fastest growing?

Very very good point. We had to reign it in this year it was growing so fast

I like it!

WalkOn79 · Post by **WalkOn79** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 1:02 pm

I also agree that Mr. O'Day was representing all of 1-AA. What an improvement in personality from Hogan. This guy is a keeper!!

JahGriz · Post by **JahGriz** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 2:48 pm

O'Day does seem to be doing a pretty darn good job, and to think there were a lot of Griz fans who thought that just because some of the other candidates came from I-A schools, that they would automatically be better, mostly by virtue of having I-A experience. Wierd huh. Maybe they would be better, but just because they came from Oregon or Hawaii, certainly isn't the proof.
I'm off on a tangent, living in the past, with this post, but whatever.

WalkOn79 · Post by **WalkOn79** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:09 pm

I'll also cut him some slack for being a Cut Bank guy. Not my favorite fans in the world at the HS level.

Swilly3224 · Post by **Swilly3224** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:17 pm

bobcatgrad2005 wrote:Swilly, consider how it was 4 years ago. Now the althletic department has to put numbers controls on it.

Who else would you call the fastest growing?

Since I dont want to go school by school with stats on who is growing the fastest I couldnt answer that but I seriously doubt that its the fastest growin in the country.

PapaG · Post by **PapaG** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:19 pm

Jim O'Day is one of the classiest individuals I've ever had the pleasure of meeting on a personal level, and he does now and will continue to represent not only the UM but also the state of Montana and 1-AA football as nothing but the strongest of advocates.

PERIOD

Thanks for the letter Jim.

WolfPtCat · Post by **WolfPtCat** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 3:04 pm

Perhaps I am misunderstanding the whole situation. Did Herbstreit simply say "...I-A schools should never schedule I-AA opponents..."? If so, I would agree. From the point of the I-A school, there are many disadvantages and few advanatages.

Why should an atlhletic director from Colorado care that small town kids from Montana would really like the opportunity to play inside a Big 12 stadium??

I would not schedule a I-AA school if I were a I-A AD. You are basically paying another school a ton of money while running the risk of completely and utterly embarassing your own school. It is one thing for someone like Colorado or California to lose a fluke to San Jose State or Utah State. It is a whole other thing to lose to have a home loss to Montana State or Portland State.

I could see the need for such a letter from O'Day if Herbstreit had said something to the effect of "..I-AA schools don't DESERVE to play against I-A schools..." or "I-AA football and its institutions are NOT EVEN COMPARABLE to I-A football and its instituions". However, if Herbstreit is saying that it is a risk vs. reward situation and the risk is not worth the reward. Therefore a I-A school should never take the risk of playing a I-AA school......then I would agree.

Billings Cat · Post by **Billings Cat** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:34 am

WolfPtCat wrote:Perhaps I am misunderstanding the whole situation. Did Herbstreit simply say "...I-A schools should never schedule I-AA opponents..."? If so, I would agree. From the point of the I-A school, there are many disadvantages and few advanatages.

Why should an atlhletic director from Colorado care that small town kids from Montana would really like the opportunity to play inside a Big 12 stadium??

I would not schedule a I-AA school if I were a I-A AD. You are basically paying another school a ton of money while running the risk of completely and utterly embarassing your own school. It is one thing for someone like Colorado or California to lose a fluke to San Jose State or Utah State. It is a whole other thing to lose to have a home loss to Montana State or Portland State.

I could see the need for such a letter from O'Day if Herbstreit had said something to the effect of "..I-AA schools don't DESERVE to play against I-A schools..." or "I-AA football and its institutions are NOT EVEN COMPARABLE to I-A football and its instituions". However, if Herbstreit is saying that it is a risk vs. reward situation and the risk is not worth the reward. Therefore a I-A school should never take the risk of playing a I-AA school......then I would agree.

The reality is that unless there is centralized scheduling done on behalf of all institutions, D1-A schools will ALWAYS need to schedule D1-AA teams to fill out their schedules. Herbstreit's quote is like saying, "You should never drive when the roads are slick in Montana." Sometimes you really have no choice. Obviously, the risk versus the reward is weighed when every schedule is put together by D1-A schools and fiscally (because it really is a business) it makes much more sense to schedule a game as opposed to letting the stadium sit empty on a Saturday.