N'Eastern...Hofstra...Maine?!?

[bluehenbillk]

OK, I've heard this now at 3 different places, nothing in print to post a link to, but that football at Maine is coming to an end, just a matter of when.

Can anyone else speak to this??

[dbackjon]

I would hope not. Maine seems to at least support it's team.

[AZGrizFan]

Now THAT would truly suck. Maine is my #3 team, right behind Griz and ODU.

[dbackjon]

Oh, and

[JMU DJ]

Not in the CAA South.... Don't care.

[Col Hogan]

OK, I've heard this now at 3 different places, nothing in print to post a link to, but that football at Maine is coming to an end, just a matter of when.

Can anyone else speak to this??

Things could have changed...but right after Hofstra and Northeastern fell, Maine was one of the first schools to come out and say football is safe there...

Don’t worry, Black Bear fans. University of Maine football is alive and well.

That was the message Thursday from UMaine director of athletics Blake James in the wake of Hofstra University’s announcement earlier in the day that it is eliminating its football program.

The unanimous decision by the Hofstra University Board of Directors was handed down only 10 days after Northeastern University in Boston, another Colonial Athletic Association football school, pulled the plug on its program.

“Football is an important part of the University of Maine athletic program,” James said. “I’m excited about the young men that we have coming back to represent us on the field next year and look forward to competing for a championship in the CAA.”

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/131920.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[danefan]

I think Rhode Island will go down well before Maine ever will.

[Col Hogan]

I think Rhode Island will go down well before Maine ever will.

+1

[andy7171]

I think Rhode Island will go down well before Maine ever will.

I don't think URI drops the program. But I can easily see it joining the NEC.

[kdinva]

I think Rhode Island will go down well before Maine ever will.

I don't think URI drops the program. But I can easily see it joining the NEC.

+1

[danefan]

I agree. Rhode Island for Albany is an easy swap. I wouldn't be at all to see this happen in a few years. We'll have a better idea of the chances when we find out what kind of contract Albany signs with the NEC after this season. If its year-to-year, then I think it may happen by 2013. That is of course, assuming that the CAA wants to replace URI with anyone. They may be better content just letting URI walk.

[ccd494]

I have no idea where you heard this.... but not happening.

[UMaineD]

I hope it's not happening but my son told me the same thing when he came home the other day from there. Must be a rumor going on up there.

[danefan]

I hope it's not happening but my son told me the same thing when he came home the other day from there. Must be a rumor going on up there.

That can't be good. Rumors like that swirled around Northeastern for years before it happened. Even if not true, rumors like that have to hurt recruiting on some level.

[Rob Iola]

I hope it's not happening but my son told me the same thing when he came home the other day from there. Must be a rumor going on up there.

That can't be good. Rumors like that swirled around Northeastern for years before it happened. Even if not true, rumors like that have to hurt recruiting on some level.

I hear from numerous sources that Jerry Moore supplied LT with his "date"...

[danefan]

That can't be good. Rumors like that swirled around Northeastern for years before it happened. Even if not true, rumors like that have to hurt recruiting on some level.

I hear from numerous sources that Jerry Moore supplied LT with his "date"...

15's old in Appalacha!

[ccd494]

I think the issue here is that the University is about to cut a number of academic programs and departments. There is a strong, community based "why are we spending this money on athletics?" outcry. Which I kinda understand. And, honestly, Maine football isn't the ambassador for the school that it is a lot of times in the South. Our hockey team is the big name program getting Maine's name out there in the states Maine draws students from (pretty much just New England).

[danefan]

I think the issue here is that the University is about to cut a number of academic programs and departments. There is a strong, community based "why are we spending this money on athletics?" outcry. Which I kinda understand. And, honestly, Maine football isn't the ambassador for the school that it is a lot of times in the South. Our hockey team is the big name program getting Maine's name out there in the states Maine draws students from (pretty much just New England).

That could be the reason Maine football is in trouble though. A lot of schools don't have the other "marquee" sport. Maine is clearly a hockey school. If a school like Hofstra can just chop the program over night, every program is really at risk.

[MaineBlackBear]

It's not going anywhere.

[HenZoneNation]

I hope this is just a rumor...however, two of my former students are current members of the team and have heard that there is a possibility of cutting the program. Hopefully it's just kids talking out their *** and not events to come.


That would be terrible.

[danefan]

I hope this is just a rumor...however, two of my former students are current members of the team and have heard that there is a possibility of cutting the program. Hopefully it's just kids talking out their *** and not events to come.


That would be terrible.

If its a rumor amongst players, then the school has problems. Hopefully someone will address is (either way) and move on. Putting kids in limbo is a mistake.

[ccd494]

I think the issue here is that the University is about to cut a number of academic programs and departments. There is a strong, community based "why are we spending this money on athletics?" outcry. Which I kinda understand. And, honestly, Maine football isn't the ambassador for the school that it is a lot of times in the South. Our hockey team is the big name program getting Maine's name out there in the states Maine draws students from (pretty much just New England).

That could be the reason Maine football is in trouble though. A lot of schools don't have the other "marquee" sport. Maine is clearly a hockey school. If a school like Hofstra can just chop the program over night, every program is really at risk.

This is why I would be disappointed, but understanding. The state's flagship university exists to serve the population of the state, and the state would be better served by providing a wide range of academic programs than by playing FCS football.

Hockey is the golden goose, it isn't going anywhere. Baseball is a.) cheaper and b.) has a much richer history than football. And with the men's athletic program already stripped to the bone, I would think a cheaper men's program would need to be added to prevent a reverse Title IX situation (maybe reviving soccer?).

I hope this is just rumors, though.

[danefan]

Some insight on the issues that may have sparked this rumor (if in fact its only a rumor):

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/139693.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The proposed changes would result in 80 fewer faculty positions by 2014. The report also calls for a reduction in undergraduate majors from 86 to 70, with the university retaining undergraduate minors and the capacity for instruction in most of those academic areas. The number of master’s degrees would decrease from 64 to 58.

Seven degree programs would be merged into three. Whatever changes are approved would be phased in between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2014. Students now enrolled would be able to complete their programs. The total planned reductions amount to 15.4 percent of this year’s total budgets for colleges that will be affected by the changes. Hunter said the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences took the biggest cuts, at around $4 million.

PROPOSED CHANGES:
Transformative and cost-saving actions under consideration include the following:

• Elimination of the Dept. of Public Admini-stration and its undergraduate and graduate degree programs
• Downsizing the Master of Arts in Teaching program
• Elimination of the Master's in Instructional Technology program
• Elimination of three undergraduate and three graduate degrees in engineering by restructuring the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Depart-ment, the School of Engineering Technology, and the Spatial Information Science and Engineering De-partment
• Elimination of the Women's Studies major and graduate concentration, while maintaining courses and the minor
• Elimination of foreign language majors (French, Spanish, German and Latin), while maintaining ca-pacity for foreign language instruction
• Elimination of the theatre major, while maintaining theatre instruction and the minor
• Elimination of the music and music performance majors and the music master's program, while maintaining music instruction and the music education major
• Elimination of distinct bachelor's degrees in aquaculture, wood science, forest operations and forest ecosystems science/conservation, while combining those programs with other degree options to create efficiencies
• Merger of three departments into an integrated School of Food and Agriculture
• Merger of anthropology and sociology
• Merger of physics and astronomy with chemistry to form a School of Physical Sciences

[LastMinuteman]

Hockey is the golden goose, it isn't going anywhere. Baseball is a.) cheaper and b.) has a much richer history than football. And with the men's athletic program already stripped to the bone, I would think a cheaper men's program would need to be added to prevent a reverse Title IX situation (maybe reviving soccer?).

I'm not familiar with Maine baseball history, but I have difficulty seeing the point of maintaining a baseball team in upstate Maine when the NCAA keeps pushing the start of baseball season up into mid-February. Maine baseball is playing 38 road games and only 16 home games this year, but 2 of the home games are against local Division III teams, and the Division I home schedule is mostly double-headers, packed into just 8 days. It's barely more home dates than football, with average crowds of about 400 people. It seems the baseball team mostly exists to serve the needs of other university's athletic programs rather than UMaine's.

Maine should sooner cut basketball than football, nevermind baseball. What do you need 2 indoor winter sports for? Go ski.

[MaineBlackBear]

I hope this is just a rumor...however, two of my former students are current members of the team and have heard that there is a possibility of cutting the program. Hopefully it's just kids talking out their *** and not events to come.


That would be terrible.

Well coming from someone involved with the team I can tell you these rumors were squashed months ago, its not happening football isn't going anywhere. Football at Maine breaks even every year there is no financial loss, with the 1A game we play we end up not losing any money.