U of Buffalo. A possible DI program?

[eastcoastvb]

Found this on another forum. Thought it was an interesting read.


DATE: February 9, 2007

RE: Community Forums on the Future of UB Athletics

The future of the University at Buffalo is guided by its plans for academic excellence and growth as identified in the UB 2020 initiative and supported by the comprehensive physical plan. UB’s vision for its intercollegiate athletics program is also one of excellence, with student athletes competing successfully in the classroom and competing for championships on the playing field.

In June 2005, Mr. Gene Corrigan, an experienced and widely respected former athletic administrator and consultant in intercollegiate athletics, delivered a report to President Simpson assessing the state of UB’s athletics program and offering a series of recommendations and issues for the university’s consideration. To date, the university’s action steps in response to the report include the affirmation of its commitment to Division I-A football; the hiring of the highly skilled Athletics Director, Warde Manuel; and the appointment of several head coaches, including Turner Gill as football coach. Ongoing efforts are addressing issues such as student athlete welfare and academic performance, capital needs of the athletics program, and resources for supporting a Mid-American Conference championship caliber athletic program.

During the fall semester, President Simpson charged a university committee of faculty, staff, and students to conduct a comprehensive review of the Mr. Corrigan’s report and to deliver further recommendations regarding plans to move UB’s athletics program forward. I am serving as Chair of the committee and Mr. John N. Walsh, III, of the UB Foundation, is serving as vice chair.

Among the issues being considered by the committee are the role of the university’s athletics program within the Buffalo Niagara region, the right mix of sports to be sponsored in the intercollegiate program, and the appropriate strategies that might be implemented to increase the
success of the university’s intercollegiate teams.

The committee actively seeks the input of members of the local community to inform its work. We would welcome your participation in one of two community forums at which members of the committee will meet with educators, business and civic leaders, students, coaches and others to discuss issues of importance to the future of UB athletics.

Forums will be held:
Thursday, February 22, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
United Way of Buffalo and Erie County
742 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo
(corner of Summer Street, parking available behind building)
Tuesday, February 27, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
UB Center for the Arts
North Campus, Amherst
(Coventry Road entrance, off Millersport Highway, parking in university
lots near building)
Please feel free to share this correspondence with anyone in the community who you think might be interested in UB athletics or in attending the forums. In addition, we welcome your comments
electronically to be directed to [e-mail]. We appreciate your interest in intercollegiate athletics at the University at Buffalo, and we look forward to seeing you or hearing from you soon.

319 John Lord O’Brian Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260-1100
Tel: [phone] Fax [phone] E-mail: [e-mail] Web: www.law.buffalo.edu

[gobears]

These folks at Buffalo hosted men's club nationals a number of years back, and did a wonderful job. Tons of volunteers and local town fans and corporate sponsors and players who really had their act together, as I recall. They organized the heck out of the 3 day event.

No reason why this school shouldn't go D1 for Men's vball with what sounds like a supportive
forward thinking group there.

[CityTechLegend]

The Buffalo Rochester area is a hot-bed for volleyball. On top of that UB (or SUNY-UB) has always had a great tradition when it came to it's men's club VBall teams. It wouldn't surprise any me or anyone if they do start a varsity men's program. Heck with the amount of talent in that area (Pacebootlegger, Eden, Powerstation etc) alone they could field a solid team in the first year. Now them being competative might take sometime, but that's a big school with big school dreams. It would definately bolster to the MIVA and Men's volleyball to have UB add a men's volleyball program.

[eastcoastvb]

While the Buffalo-Rochester area is a hotbed for boys VB. I mean look at the talent that is playing DI at PSU. The area is also a boys lacrosse power in NY. I wouldn't be surprised if they were leaning that way.

As a VT community we should email this committee at UB and have them know that the rest of the nation is watching.

For instance an email from GoBears about what was just posted would have the committee looking at the National picture.

[golddigger]

We need to all look at this seriously...and do something about it. This would be a HUGE step for Mens NCAA volleyball.. Please do what you can do help.

[gobears]

Just back from Far Westerns out here, I will email the folks on this committee with my comments on their successful prior men's club vb Nationals and that this school would be super for D1 ball, and an example to the rest of the country. I also have the email of the person at US VB in charge of working on new NCAA men's programs and am forwarding this thread to him.

[cyberVBmidwest]

gobears said:

I also have the email of the person at USVB in charge of working on new NCAA men's programs and am forwarding this thread to him.

Good idea, I forgot about him for this situation. I have been corresponding with him regarding boys program growth. He should also mention the USAV grant program for new programs...

[CityTechLegend]

gobears said:

I also have the email of the person at USVB in charge of working on new NCAA men's programs and am forwarding this thread to him.

I will couple this by writing our AVCA Representative here in NY to help push the idea even further. Hopefully, we as a community can help push the way the UCSD students pushed the resolution for the addition funds.
Keep that in mind folks. Lets ALL make trhis happen.

[bbk]

One thing to remember is that the facilities would not be great when Hoops is in session as there are no real adequate facilities for the team to play at on that campus. From those in the know, they feel that VB may be third or fourth on the list of sports. The other sports in consideration are Lacrosse, Ice Hockey, and Soccer.
There are enough boys to easily field a squad as many young men from Long Island have attended the University. UB would be one of the only NY state schools sponsoring a VB team and the only one at the Division I level. They could easily be a contender inside of 4 years. But do not hold your breath as this is not the 1st time this has been brought up. One of my sources said this was first considered in '93.

[CityTechLegend]

bbk said:

One thing to remember is that the facilities would not be great when Hoops is in session as there are no real adequate facilities for the team to play at on that campus. From those in the know, they feel that VB may be third or fourth on the list of sports. The other sports in consideration are Lacrosse, Ice Hockey, and Soccer.
There are enough boys to easily field a squad as many young men from Long Island have attended the University. UB would be one of the only NY state schools sponsoring a VB team and the only one at the Division I level. They could easily be a contender inside of 4 years. But do not hold your breath as this is not the 1st time this has been brought up. One of my sources said this was first considered in '93.

That's right I remember that...I was planning on transfering there that year, IF they brought on a team....

Hmmm, I wonder how the new athletics director feels about volleyball. Youknow that the idea for which team gets the push truly comes from him/her.

[gobears]

As I recall when they held Nationals there, they had a huge # of vb courts set up.
While none may be state of the art these days, they certainly can figure out how to set up a D1 level court to start with.
And you schedule your home matches when the basketball teams are on the road. Even men's and women's bball can work with a men's vball team. Or else you schedule a game or match at 1pm or 2pm and the other at 7pm.
We do it a lot here in Haas.
Women's bball regularly schedules for 2pm on Sat and we did our Men's Alumni Match at 6pm with no problem same day.
It is a matter of the AD and the coaches committing to work together.

If the bball coaches are full of themselves, it might be a problem, but it certainly does not have to be.

In the fall, women's vball schedules matches when men's/women's bball are in definite preseason with matches also scheduled. It works.

Whichever D1 league Buffalo would be in, the commissioner of THAT league needs to be meeting early and often with the folks at Buffalo, in person, and even the Head Coach of the NT should make a visit/.....
Which happened out here in Berkeley when this was an issue at the top of the agenda in l998.

Other issues intervened. But if/when this comes around again here, there will be a full court press put on by the vball VIPS and MPSF coaches/schools/ADs etc etc.

[donneyp]

USAV may have been a factor in bringing about the forums. UB finally returned USAV's phone calls when they had the forums to announce.

Also, there are parents (I think of Eden players) who have been pushing UB to make this move for a couple years now. The talent out their is tremendous. When I restarted the men's club team at UAlbany I was pushing them to do the same thing. For a SUNY school with $13k/yr in state tuition, even without scholarships it would be cheaper for a NY kid to go to UB than to leave and take a partial to Penn State or Ohio State. If you can find a coach who can keep the Clar's, O'Dell's, Freier's and Hackett's in state you will have an outstanding team in a hurry, and I honestly think a DI SUNY program would be able to push Penn State for that final four bid.

Another reason UB is more likely than Albany or Stony Brook is because they are near Ohio and have the option of joining the EIVA or the MIVA.

[future]

www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20070301/1069018.asp

Nice article in the buff paper. Hopefully every volleyball fan, coach and player is shooting a quick email to the board in charge.

The option of hockey and lacrosse are indeed great sports but they are way too expensive and for a school to start from scratch and be competitive in those sports is daunting. Men's volleyball is a great choice for this institution I would think. This list of players that have come out of the Eden and Pace programs alone is impressive and we all know there are loads of really good players around the country dying to play DI ball.

[Mac]

future said:

www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20070301/1069018.asp

Nice article in the buff paper. Hopefully every volleyball fan, coach and player is shooting a quick email to the board in charge.

The option of hockey and lacrosse are indeed great sports but they are way too expensive and for a school to start from scratch and be competitive in those sports is daunting. Men's volleyball is a great choice for this institution I would think. This list of players that have come out of the Eden and Pace programs alone is impressive and we all know there are loads of really good players around the country dying to play DI ball.

Wow... I think this is an article every club program who desires to go D-1 should send to their school's respective ADs, saying these are very compelling reasons to install a Men's Volleyball program. But add:

- The fact that there are so few men's programs nationally means that with the right coach, the school can vie for national recognition very quickly. This is something one can NOT say about almost any other sport.

- The fact that there are so few programs for the plethora of talent that exists and sits idle on second and third teams in current programs bodes well for the ability to attract quality talent in year one and certainly year two.

[newburyvball]

I just sent them an email.