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Post by rgs318 on Dec 22, 2023 8:43:18 GMT -5
dharry, I agree with each and every point you make (even though I did not know as much about Mark Diffner as I would have liked - pre-internet). I am not going to wirry about who we will not get for 2024. My interest is in who we will get that will be opur team going forward. My only anxiety at this point comes from having to wait to hear who will be our staff.
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Post by rgs318 on Dec 22, 2023 8:47:08 GMT -5
BTW, seeing Mel Massucco's name brought back many memories. I was a sports editor of the "late" Crusader back then and confess I did not realize at the time all that was going on behind the scenes. I now believe he was not treated fairly, but still did a good job for HC when he was here.
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Post by hc1998 on Dec 22, 2023 8:56:34 GMT -5
Finally - Bob is gone. I'll watch from afar and wish his family health and happiness. But at some point I'd personally love to put this thread to rest. I agree, part of my motivation in posting isn't to address BC per se, but to address the next BC (who we hopefully already have). Unless and until HC moves up to FBS, which obviously isn't happening, we should be more than happy that coaches use us to be a springboard to a FBS/Top 25 program...if we can continually attract coaches who are qualified to coach on that level, and who do well enough on our level to be looked at, we will have a long run of success
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Post by sader1970 on Dec 22, 2023 9:01:06 GMT -5
Everyone has had enough time to add their two cents. So, yes, let's let this thread die a peaceful death as no one is adding any great insights that haven't already been posted.
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Post by hc1998 on Dec 22, 2023 9:29:44 GMT -5
Everyone has had enough time to add their two cents. So, yes, let's let this thread die a peaceful death as no one is adding any great insights that haven't already been posted. Agreed, because if there's one thing we don't do around here, its beat a dead horse
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Post by HC92 on Dec 22, 2023 9:36:41 GMT -5
Just catching up here. Chesney left?
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Post by lou on Dec 22, 2023 9:53:24 GMT -5
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Post by longsuffering on Dec 22, 2023 10:08:50 GMT -5
Forget the sizable increase in compensation, which can't be ignored. Coaches are as or more competitive than the players they coach...they want to win, they want to improve, they want the next challenge. If our coach is complacent and is willing to settle at HC for the remainder of his career, I don't want him. I guarantee if he does well at JMU he will continue to move up, perhaps even quicker than he did from HC and I can only hope we are having the same conversation about Dan Curran in a few years. For people upset at BC leaving us, I also want to point out a suspicion I have...I have ZERO inside information on this and its just speculation, but I also suspect he saw what he had coming back this year and shut down any interest anybody showed in him last year. His stock was as high, or higher, last year and we heard very little mention of him for any openings. I think he had a goal to come back, win a championship, then leave. He stayed committed to his top guys for an extra year. Fine opinions but HC just got beat at Polar Park by a coach who not only is willing to settle at his FCS school, he took a pay cut at an FBS school to get there. Holy Cross is that special a place for an excellent coach to want to stay also. The current arrangement of experiencing a new coach might be more interesting, I'll give you that.
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Post by longsuffering on Dec 22, 2023 10:13:47 GMT -5
BTW, seeing Mel Massucco's name brought back many memories. I was a sports editor of the "late" Crusader back then and confess I did not realize at the time all that was going on behind the scenes. I now believe he was not treated fairly, but still did a good job for HC when he was here. Perhaps HC was stuck on the part time coach, part time salary arrangement they had so long with Dr. Eddie Anderson and hadn't adjusted to modern salary and benefit trends for head coaches as quickly as WPI had at the time.
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Post by td128 on Dec 22, 2023 10:20:42 GMT -5
In re JMU, how big is their Indoor S/C space?
6,500 square feet
How big is the Holy Cross indoor S/C space?
10,000 square feet
How about JMU's Indoor Football facility? How big is that?
0 square feet
How about Holy Cross' Indoor Football facility?
64,000 square feet
In regard the HC Commit who chose to attend JMU, who was the last recruiting prospect prior to this individual whom HC lost to JMU? I am willing to bet that if there is one it may be the first.
With all due respect to JMU grads, in 40 years of working on and around Wall Street including Wall Street branch offices throughout the country including Atlanta, Charlotte, DC, I never once crossed paths with an individual whom I knew was a JMU grad. Not once with all due respect.
Point being, IMO 'Holy Cross is certainly not taking a back seat to JMU or any other school."
I wish all of those who left Worcester for points south and/or elsewhere all the best, now it is time to return to our regularly scheduled programming and Commitment to Excellence in helping our Crusaders win on and off the field.' As I stated previously, given all that I have gleaned over the past two weeks, I am as excited and actually even more so about the future of HCFB than I was at the end of the 2023 season.
As long as we continue to remain laser focused on the INPUTS, I am hugely confident that the OUTPUTS will ultimately take care of themselves.
Let's Win!!
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Post by football44 on Dec 22, 2023 10:25:46 GMT -5
In re JMU, how big is their Indoor S/C space? 6,500 square feet How big is the Holy Cross indoor S/C space? 10,000 square feet How about JMU's Indoor Football facility? How big is that? 0 square feet How about Holy Cross' Indoor Football facility? 64,000 square feet In regard the HC Commit who chose to attend JMU, who was the last recruiting prospect prior to this individual whom HC lost to JMU? I am willing to bet that if there is one it may be the first. With all due respect to JMU grads, in 40 years of working on and around Wall Street including Wall Street branch offices throughout the country including Atlanta, Charlotte, DC, I never once crossed paths with an individual whom I knew was a JMU grad. Not once with all due respect. Point being, IMO 'Holy Cross is certainly not taking a back seat to JMU or any other school." I wish all of those who left Worcester for points south and/or elsewhere all the best, now it is time to return to our regularly scheduled programming and Commitment to Excellence in helping our Crusaders win on and off the field.' Let's Win!! I agree td128. Everyone let's move on and focus on "our" team. Those who left, good luck in the future.
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Post by rgs318 on Dec 22, 2023 10:50:50 GMT -5
Let's remember to support all HC graduates wherever they may play in the future. I know the portal calls them "transfers" but how can someone who has graduated transfer anywhere?
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Post by newfieguy74 on Dec 22, 2023 11:43:40 GMT -5
I forget who said "comparisons are odious" (Shakespeare?), but although I like JMU (and wish Chesney nothing but success) there are few areas it matches HC. Its endowment is about 150 million, it has a pretty high acceptance rate. Sometimes when I extol the virtues of HC I say: HC has two sitting US Senators, one member of the House, and a Supreme Court Justice. Few schools can match that.
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Post by rgs318 on Dec 22, 2023 12:00:27 GMT -5
Newfieguy...way to "light a candle" (several in fact).
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Post by gks on Dec 22, 2023 12:02:50 GMT -5
I forget who said "comparisons are odious" (Shakespeare?), but although I like JMU (and wish Chesney nothing but success) there are few areas it matches HC. Its endowment is about 150 million, it has a pretty high acceptance rate. Sometimes when I extol the virtues of HC I say: HC has two sitting US Senators, one member of the House, and a Supreme Court Justice. Few schools can match that. You cannot compare a public/state school with a small private institution. They serve completely different students. One thing they do have in common is football. Kids and vast majority of coaches want to compete of the highest level. People can debate whether that's right or wrong.
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Post by HC92 on Dec 22, 2023 12:08:57 GMT -5
I forget who said "comparisons are odious" (Shakespeare?), but although I like JMU (and wish Chesney nothing but success) there are few areas it matches HC. Its endowment is about 150 million, it has a pretty high acceptance rate. Sometimes when I extol the virtues of HC I say: HC has two sitting US Senators, one member of the House, and a Supreme Court Justice. Few schools can match that. All true. JMU will be an interesting case study on the impact athletics can have on a college/university. We’ve seen what Villanova has done in terms of becoming much more selective since I was applying to college. I suspect JMU will be able to lower its acceptance rate quite a bit over the next decade.
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Post by hcpride on Dec 22, 2023 12:35:44 GMT -5
I forget who said "comparisons are odious" (Shakespeare?), but although I like JMU (and wish Chesney nothing but success) there are few areas it matches HC. Its endowment is about 150 million, it has a pretty high acceptance rate. Sometimes when I extol the virtues of HC I say: HC has two sitting US Senators, one member of the House, and a Supreme Court Justice. Few schools can match that. All true. JMU will be an interesting case study on the impact athletics can have on a college/university. We’ve seen what Villanova has done in terms of becoming much more selective since I was applying to college. I suspect JMU will be able to lower its acceptance rate quite a bit over the next decade. I don’t know if we can say national attention via guys like Massimino or Flutie is the cause of the school’s enduring increase in popularity (vis a vis Holy Cross ) but certainly it can’t hurt. (In fact, Nova’s climb was more recent than Massimo’s well publicized national championship). BTW JMU is already a pretty popular destination for Long Island kids (along the general lines of University of Delaware). Nice campus, nice weather. Not sure of JMU’s ultimate goals in terms of out-of-staters.
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Post by rgs318 on Dec 22, 2023 12:52:11 GMT -5
The comparison of JMU and Delaware is a solid one. They are similar institutions.
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Post by hc87 on Dec 22, 2023 13:48:14 GMT -5
The first time I ever heard of JMU was when they upset someone in the Big Dance in the late 70s/early 80s.
It has become a somewhat popular destination for kids around here (as have all Southern schools in general). Friend of mine's daughter is there....I think newtimholycross here had a kid go there. .
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Post by longsuffering on Dec 22, 2023 14:38:18 GMT -5
A little good news. When Coach Chesney turns around a program, it can stay turned around. The Salve Regina Seahawks went 9-2 this year with four shutouts. They beat WPI in Worcester in front of 1500. The beat Anna Maria in their last game of the season in the New England Bowl, a post season Bowl game sponsored by four conferences.
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Post by Ignutz on Dec 22, 2023 14:43:51 GMT -5
I forget who said "comparisons are odious" (Shakespeare?), but although I like JMU (and wish Chesney nothing but success) there are few areas it matches HC. Its endowment is about 150 million, it has a pretty high acceptance rate. Sometimes when I extol the virtues of HC I say: HC has two sitting US Senators, one member of the House, and a Supreme Court Justice. Few schools can match that. Especially an undergraduate-only college with an enrollment of 3,000+. And we haven't started to discuss alums in the C-suite of major corporations, highly accomplished medical professionals, senior partners of national law firms, a 2022 all-pro NFL player,............................(not enough room on the page).As someone said in an earlier post, we take a back seat to no one.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Dec 22, 2023 14:45:55 GMT -5
A little good news. When Coach Chesney turns around a program, it can stay turned around. The Salve Regina Seahawks went 9-2 this year with four shutouts. They beat WPI in Worcester in front of 1500. The beat Anna Maria in their last game of the season in the New England Bowl, a post season Bowl game sponsored by four conferences. "Bowl games" in DIII are actually common, or at least they were 15 years ago. One of my best friend played at Hartwick and played in something called the "ECAC Bowl". Wonder why its not a thing in FCS. HC-UNH would've been fun this year.
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Post by timholycross on Dec 22, 2023 14:50:15 GMT -5
The first time I ever heard of JMU was when they upset someone in the Big Dance in the late 70s/early 80s. It has become a somewhat popular destination for kids around here (as have all Southern schools in general). Friend of mine's daughter is there....I think newtimholycross here had a kid go there. . Yes, I visited the place I believe 4 or 5 times and every time I was there, something new had gone up. The new arena is top notch, the old one was not bad either. I think it's interesting Mel Massucco's name was brought up in this thread- what you have to understand is that there were two factors playing a key role in that fiasco: (1) lack of funds even for a smaller institution (2) the people running athletics knew NOTHING, especially in terms of what their competition was doing/planning. I do not believe either of those two factors exists today.
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Post by longsuffering on Dec 22, 2023 14:54:16 GMT -5
A little good news. When Coach Chesney turns around a program, it can stay turned around. The Salve Regina Seahawks went 9-2 this year with four shutouts. They beat WPI in Worcester in front of 1500. The beat Anna Maria in their last game of the season in the New England Bowl, a post season Bowl game sponsored by four conferences. "Bowl games" in DIII are actually common, or at least they were 15 years ago. One of my best friend played at Hartwick and played in something called the "ECAC Bowl". Wonder why its not a thing in FCS. HC-UNH would've been fun this year. There is good potential for post season play among "last out" level teams who still had great seasons with exciting players. Maybe the Ivies could even be coaxed into a one game bowl series. It would be convenient for NFL scouts to get a final look at players also. This year the New England Bowl had four teams selected out of 27 eligible in the four leagues playing in two games. What leagues could the PL partner with in a bowl consortium?
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Post by longsuffering on Dec 22, 2023 15:00:33 GMT -5
The first time I ever heard of JMU was when they upset someone in the Big Dance in the late 70s/early 80s. It has become a somewhat popular destination for kids around here (as have all Southern schools in general). Friend of mine's daughter is there....I think newtimholycross here had a kid go there. . Yes, I visited the place I believe 4 or 5 times and every time I was there, something new had gone up. The new arena is top notch, the old one was not bad either. I think it's interesting Mel Massucco's name was brought up in this thread- what you have to understand is that there were two factors playing a key role in that fiasco: (1) lack of funds even for a smaller institution (2) the people running athletics knew NOTHING, especially in terms of what their competition was doing/planning. I do not believe either of those two factors exists today. Maybe Dr. Anderson's plus skills as a coach papered over the lack of resources. There were great stories about Dr. Anderson such as him driving to football practice from his medical practice, seeing an auto accident, patching somebody up and continuing on to Holy Cross without skipping a beat.
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