Bad News for the I-Bowl, Good news for the WAC and Boise St.

[Dawgpix]

You're right on the money with that post. I was at that game and I will still say it was the greatest turnouts of support for Tech we've ever had. We were challenged to show up for the game and we did. I'll never forget the sea of red and blue in the stadium that night. That game put the I-Bowl on sound footing. I for one, would hate to see it go away. They were dealt a bad hand when Arkansas lost to LSU and South Carolina decided not to go to a bowl. They probably would have had Alabama if there hadn't have been the fight between the Clemson and the gamecocks.

And don't forget the sea of Boy Scouts and Barksdale airman used to fill in the gaps at the Tech-Maryland I-Bowl.
tm

[glm47]

I have been pretty hard on Jim's football schedule the past couple of weeks but if the truth be known, I think Jim has done one heck of job throughout his career.

Jim's only downfall that I see from afar is "COST" is the 1st thing that comes to his mind when dealing with anything.

Jim needs to think TOP LINE just a little bit more.....but then that is what Ronnie is good at!

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[Dwayne From Minden]

We finished the regular season about the 14th of Nov that year -

The Bowl wasn't played until Dec 27th -

Paul Miller had laid the ground work and got the door open - ALOT of people in the sporting community were SHOCKED when he was released from TECH - epsecially knowing that the new conference would soon come to fruition - we were tied at the HIP to USM - if anyone hasn't noticed NO NEW contracts have been signed with USM since -

Paul Miller's hand was FORCED on the Jerry Loyd hiring - if you will remember the players threatened a revolt when Miller wanted to open the job to an outside search - the President and Athletic Council stepped in and Loyd was hired to soothe the players egos -

Remember that team was suppose to be better than Malone's 84-85 team and they didn't want to rock the vote -

Like it or not - under Miller's watch EVERY sport on campus won and won often - and remember he may have hired Torbush, but he also helped Torbush out the door when he saw the writing on the wall and had the foresite to hire Peace to right the ship and get TECH the foothold it needed in D-1A -

Under Miller we also didn't prostitute ourselves out at every opportunity available and signed "reasonable" schedules that teams could compete with in football -

And Miller was basically shown the door because of a change in President and he wasn't Dan's "man"...

[DarboneDon]

Dwayne,

Do you really believe that Dan runs the show????

[Bill Pup60]

Dwayne,

Do you really believe that Dan runs the show????

If not Dan, then who would that be??????? Fill us in!

[Dwayne From Minden]

For the most part he has a very heavy hand on what CAN'T be done -

Which is what I don't understand -

Our management style is not what you CAN do, but what you CAN'T do - atleast on the athletic side of the road -

[DONW]

We finished the regular season about the 14th of Nov that year -

The Bowl wasn't played until Dec 27th -

Paul Miller had laid the ground work and got the door open - ALOT of people in the sporting community were SHOCKED when he was released from TECH - epsecially knowing that the new conference would soon come to fruition - we were tied at the HIP to USM - if anyone hasn't noticed NO NEW contracts have been signed with USM since -

Paul Miller's hand was FORCED on the Jerry Loyd hiring - if you will remember the players threatened a revolt when Miller wanted to open the job to an outside search - the President and Athletic Council stepped in and Loyd was hired to soothe the players egos -

Remember that team was suppose to be better than Malone's 84-85 team and they didn't want to rock the vote -

Like it or not - under Miller's watch EVERY sport on campus won and won often - and remember he may have hired Torbush, but he also helped Torbush out the door when he saw the writing on the wall and had the foresite to hire Peace to right the ship and get TECH the foothold it needed in D-1A -

Under Miller we also didn't prostitute ourselves out at every opportunity available and signed "reasonable" schedules that teams could compete with in football -

And Miller was basically shown the door because of a change in President and he wasn't Dan's "man"...

Dwayne, no matter how hard you try to spin that stuff about Paul Miller, I still say he was one of the biggest assholes I have ever met. I don't remember any kind of programs he had to raise money, either. Also, ULM made it to D-I in football, so that's not a big thing. Since Maxie Lambright served as AD, we have not been able to keep an AD over 2-3 years until Jim Oakes. I remember one guy we hired from Texas A&M not lasting a year, and Clay Henry, who came with Beightol did not last a year.

[glm47]

Dwayne, no matter how hard you try to spin that stuff about Paul Miller, I still say he was one of the biggest assholes I have ever met. I don't remember any kind of programs he had to raise money, either. Also, ULM made it to D-I in football, so that's not a big thing. Since Maxie Lambright served as AD, we have not been able to keep an AD over 2-3 years until Jim Oakes. I remember one guy we hired from Texas A&M not lasting a year, and Clay Henry, who came with Beightol did not last a year.

Sorry Don, it ain't spin. Had we not fired Paul Miller we would in all likelyhood have been a charter member of CUSA. Miller had his faults, but he was head and shoulders above anything we have had since.

[RealityCheck]

Also, ULM made it to D-I in football, so that's not a big thing.

A flippant statement like that makes me question how well you really knew Paul Miller. You obviously were not close enough to the program during Tech's I-A transition to truly appreciate how much effort went into the successful move. I was lucky enough to find out from Miller that Tech had earned I-A status just moments after he heard the news from DR, and I can guarantee you wouldn't ever call him an a-hole again if you had seen how happy he was that night.

Back in the late '80s there were over 20 fewer I-A schools than there are now. That made scheduling SIGNIFICANTLY tougher than it has been in the last ten years for schools making the transition from I-AA. Also the NCAA made sure every i was dotted and t was crossed before schools were awarded I-A classification during the time Tech made the move.

The NCAA standards have been relaxed considerably during the last ten years as evidenced by several schools that have been allowed to move up and remain I-A that have no business being in I-A (Buffalo being a prime example). And now Florida Atlantic is being called a provisional I-A member even though its highest average attendance season ever--this year--is still over 4,200 below the I-A minimum.

[glm47]

A flippant statement like that makes me question how well you really knew Paul Miller. You obviously were not close enough to the program during Tech's I-A transition to truly appreciate how much effort went into the successful move. I was lucky enough to find out from Miller that Tech had earned I-A status just moments after he heard the news from DR, and I can guarantee you wouldn't ever call him an a-hole again if you had seen how happy he was that night.

Back in the late '80s there were over 20 fewer I-A schools than there are now. That made scheduling SIGNIFICANTLY tougher than it has been in the last ten years for schools making the transition from I-AA. Also the NCAA made sure every i was dotted and t was crossed before schools were awarded I-A classification during the time Tech made the move.

The NCAA standards have been relaxed considerably during the last ten years as evidenced by several schools that have been allowed to move up and remain I-A that have no business being in I-A (Buffalo being a prime example). And now Florida Atlantic is being called a provisional I-A member even though its highest average attendance season ever--this year--is still over 4,200 below the I-A minimum.

I remember it vividly. The man actually broke down and cried.