Sometimes things just need a kickstart... UCSB Football

[bojeta]

It looks like the discussion is heating up throughout the former Big West/PCAA Football Conference. A "Bring back UCSB Football" campaign has been launched as well as campaigns at Long Beach, Northridge and Fullerton. There are always plenty of reasons why something can't be done. Only takes one good reason why it should be along with a lot of hard work and determination. This is how great things happen!! Good luck to all involved. Go Gauchos! Go 49ers! Go Titans! Go Matadors!
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[TwinTownBisonFan]

It looks like the discussion is heating up throughout the former Big West/PCAA Football Conference. A "Bring back UCSB Football" campaign has been launched as well as campaigns at Long Beach, Northridge and Fullerton. There are always plenty of reasons why something can't be done. Only takes one good reason why it should be along with a lot of hard work and determination. This is how great things happen!! Good luck to all involved. Go Gauchos! Go 49ers! Go Titans! Go Matadors!
http://bringback49erfootball.blogspot.c ... 7703194979" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My conversations with profs at both Fullerton and Northridge in recent weeks (I play fantasy baseball with them) haven't been too positive.

The administrations are dealing with the state being a financial nightmare - cuts abound as it is... adding an fcs-level program, while a popular idea among alums - has seemingly little support in the administrations of these schools. Fullerton in particular is (apparently) concerned about the impact on baseball. (I would suspect Long Beach is in the same boat)

However, there are positives to look at - the best bet for all of this is to get a conference (or at least part of one) to start up together - trading on traditional rivalries and providing a home for Poly and Davis that makes sense. There is a deep recruiting base in southern California that would mean competitive teams fairly quickly.

However, until they get the administrations on board, and unless some very wealthy alumni step up to fill the financial gaps... it seems like a quixotic long shot.

(personally, I'd love to see it, when I was a guest lecturer at Fullerton for a day, I noticed that for a school so big, it didn't even feel like a university - it felt like an oversized community college - there just wasn't a vibe on campus and the profs were telling me that - "it's just a huge ass commuter school"

[bojeta]

I think a football program would go a long way toward giving Fullerton a collegiate feel and a sense of identity. I've been checking out facilities at the various campuses on Google Earth and was surprised to see that Fullerton has a 10,000 seat stadium that appears to in relatively good shape. UOP has a 28,000 seat stadium, but is seriously neglected. Northridge doesn't appear to have much left of its former field. Long Beach appears to have nothing!! 10,000 is definitely adequate to begin an FCS program. Would need to push toward 20,000+ as soon as the program gets rolling. Cal Poly's expansion of Spanos Stadium is on hold for right now. Currently 11,600. Expansion will take them to 23,000+ I know it's a tough time to bring up stuff like this, but the best time to plan is before things get better and you're stuck in line with everyone else.

[SuperHornet]

Long Beach USED to have a field. It now belongs to Long Bech City College. But you can't fit that many people into Veterans Memorial Stadium because there are stands on only ONE side of the field. If a heated rival comes to town, you're asking for fights.

While stationed in SoCal, I watched two Sirens road games there against the California Quake. (The Quake have the league record for longest field goal at 44 yards, and there's YouTube footage of it.) Very easy to get burned there if you don't wear sunblock. The field itself is nice, but would LBSU want to take it back? They'd have the distinction of playing on a juco field. Not many schools would like that idea....

[SDHornet]

What TTBF said. Hell we have a football program and Sac State is still considered a commuter school. On-campus dorms is the only way to break that stigma.

[S F State Gaters]

Nice to see all of these springing up!! I think a lot depends upon the vote at the end of the month at Long Beach State- if it's a win or close, there'll be more movement in this direction; if it's defeated handily, i think the issue will be tabled.

That said, I think UCSB is probably the ideal school for this. Unlike the Beach or Fullerton, it's not a commuter school, it has a real campus identity and freaking DP on friday night for recruiting... it's like an episode of Blue Mountain State with less canadia. Seriously, that UCSB doesn't have a football team always baffled me. DP! Friday night!

[bojeta]

Nice to see all of these springing up!! I think a lot depends upon the vote at the end of the month at Long Beach State- if it's a win or close, there'll be more movement in this direction; if it's defeated handily, i think the issue will be tabled.

That said, I think UCSB is probably the ideal school for this. Unlike the Beach or Fullerton, it's not a commuter school, it has a real campus identity and freaking DP on friday night for recruiting... it's like an episode of Blue Mountain State with less canadia. Seriously, that UCSB doesn't have a football team always baffled me. DP! Friday night!

Hey, I used to go to all those DP games too! Most of my friends played for DP. I went to Bishop and played for the Cardinals. BTW, DP did finally put in lights and bleachers on their own field and no longer play at Harder Stadium. I grew up about 2miles from Harder. I remember watching them build the stadium and then expand it a few years later. I went to all the UCSB games, the Green Bay Packers and then the San Francisco 49ers summer camps. I played in the YFL Jamboree games there, played a couple of games there myself in high school, watched All Star games there, CIF Championship games between Carp and Indio, Saw the Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac and others play there. Heck I even got my first kiss there in 8th grade. I was there when they renamed it Harder Stadium. I watched many of the club, DIII and DII games there in the late 80's. Harder Stadium has seen a lot over the years and it will be around long enough to see football return. If not now.... sometime in the not too distant future. I can guarantee you this; if I haven't passed on to the great football field in the sky, I will be there opening day!

[Fresno St. Alum]

UCSB played D-II ball back when that was allowed, where you're D-I in some and D-II in a sport or 2. CA cutbacks and UCSB having to add schollys to be D-I in fb. Basically killed it. I say you should take this fight to the UCSB Ad's e-mail account