Championship Subdivision Football | FCS Football | Stadiums | Blogs | Forums

Alumni roars while S.C. State still silent

By THOMAS GRANT JR. T&D Senior Sports Writer | Posted: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 8:11 pm

It’s been over a week since South Carolina State University gave its official ‘response’ to the Legacy Bowl speculation.

Since releasing a statement which, for the most part, came across as political in stating both arguments about the proposed contest pitting the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference champions without taking a side, the administration has kept a silent, low-key profile.

From a public relations standpoint, it appears school and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference commissioner Dennis Thomas still don’t get it. If the goal was to placate the fears of Bulldog nation about taking away an opportunity to participate in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, then to quote CSI Miami’s Horatio Caine “Mission Not Accomplished”.

If anything, the neutral public statement has Bulldog fans “howling” at the moon. The various websites like scstatefans.com, meacfanzone.com or onnidan.com have posts galore devoted to the controversy and the T&D mailboxes have enjoyed an high level of responses from S.C. State fans from New York to California.


http://www.thetandd.com/news/opinion/bl ... 002e0.html

If the MEAC decides to follow through with this, the MEAC will lose all relevance in the FCS world.

Pitbull - Would it be possible for SCSU (and maybe FAMU) to remain in the MEAC for all sports except football?

I'm certain the Big South would happily welcome SC State into the conference, for football or all sports.

ATrain wrote:I'm certain the Big South would happily welcome SC State into the conference, for football or all sports.

haha, yeah seems like a no brainer. But for some reason I have a feeling that our great commissioner will likely goof it up somehow.

SDHornet wrote:If the MEAC decides to follow through with this, the MEAC will lose all relevance in the FCS world.

By your above statement are you implying they are relevant? Other than making an officiating mockery out of playoff games, the MEAC hasn't been relevant in FCS in a long time.

bluehenbillk wrote:

SDHornet wrote:If the MEAC decides to follow through with this, the MEAC will lose all relevance in the FCS world.

By your above statement are you implying they are relevant? Other than making an officiating mockery out of playoff games, the MEAC hasn't been relevant in FCS in a long time.

S.C. State gave App all it could handle the last two years in the playoffs. I hope some other team gets to experience that irrelevance this coming season.

AshevilleApp wrote:

bluehenbillk wrote:
By your above statement are you implying they are relevant? Other than making an officiating mockery out of playoff games, the MEAC hasn't been relevant in FCS in a long time.

S.C. State gave App all it could handle the last two years in the playoffs. I hope some other team gets to experience that irrelevance this coming season.

thanks ashvilleapp but we are only trying to grow as a program even if our own conference doesnt want us too, and plus i would thuroughly enjoy a reg season game against yall this time at scsu, we are tired of goin up to boone lol

AshevilleApp wrote:

bluehenbillk wrote:
By your above statement are you implying they are relevant? Other than making an officiating mockery out of playoff games, the MEAC hasn't been relevant in FCS in a long time.

S.C. State gave App all it could handle the last two years in the playoffs. I hope some other team gets to experience that irrelevance this coming season.

SCSt is vitually alone in the MEAC in that regard. They want to play with the rest of I-AA. Hampton was close to doing that a couple years ago and FAMU was there before they decided to move up and then come back down. IMO, the best thing SCSt could do is find a new home for football.

And the Big South is waiting with open arms

89Hen wrote:

AshevilleApp wrote:

S.C. State gave App all it could handle the last two years in the playoffs. I hope some other team gets to experience that irrelevance this coming season.

SCSt is vitually alone in the MEAC in that regard. They want to play with the rest of I-AA. Hampton was close to doing that a couple years ago and FAMU was there before they decided to move up and then come back down. IMO, the best thing SCSt could do is find a new home for football.

Collectively we as supporters, students and alumni have all discussed it but its ultimatley the head of our athletics where we have most of our battles, like for them to even contemplate a game like this where the projected payout for each team in the conference is less than 70,000, and even the non-football schools( umes and coppin ) even have a vote in this..ive been readin all kinds of fans boards the fans of the big south say they wouldnt mind having us in the conference and some socon member said to same thing as well, plus it would cut travel cost in half(money saved) create instate rivalries( coastal, citadel, wofford, furman) inturn which means more fans(money gained) and a higher strength of schedule in the fcs

Sometimes you have to leave what you are familiar with behind in order to grow and get stronger. Since MEAC leadership has no vision whatsoever it may be time to look at some other options. Our SCSU leadership need allow total transparency when making this decision.



SPREAD THE WORD – THE LEGACY BOWL WILL DESTROY OUR PROGRAM IF WE DON’T LEAVE THE MEAC! IF YOU ARE GETTING THIS EMAIL PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL VOICING YOUR OPPOSITION TO THE FOLKS BELOW. I’M BEGGING YOU ALL TOO PLEASE SEND YOUR EMAILS TODAY, TOMORROW AND EVERYDAY FROM THIS POINT ON. ASK OUR PRESIDENT/BOT/AD TO TAKE A STAND AGAINST THIS ASININE IDEA.



John Pinson (BOT Chairman) - jpinson@scsu.edu
President Cooper - president@scsu.edu
Charlene Johnson, AD - cmjohnson@scsu.edu
James McClinton, Athletic Marketing - jmcclin1@scsu.edu
Maurice Washington, BOT - tmanagement@scsu.edu
Walt Tobin, BOT - wlttobin@yahoo.com
Robert Nance, BOT - robert.nance@mail.house.gov
Linda Edwards Duncan, BOT - lke@bellsouth.net
Lance Wright, BOT - lance@nationaldirectnow.com
Dr. McIntyre - LAMcIntyre@scsu.edu
Patricia Lott, BOT - lott6813@bellsouth.net
Karl Green, BOT kgreen@na.ko.com
Matthew Richardson, BOT - MRichardson@wyche.com
Reggie Gallant, BOT - reggie.gallant.gz8g@statefarm.com
Verna Wade, STATE Club President - wadev@carolina.rr.com

Nathaniel Howard, SCSUNAA President - nathoward@optonline.net





WITH BULLDOG TENACITY!

The MEAC Commissioner has a gag order in place for the entire conference for a reason. This could very well be that reason.

I just heard from a credible source about the following payout plan for the Chittlin Bowl:

MEAC Office - Will get 50% of the cut. ($750,000)
Remaining $750,000 will get divided by 11 shares ($68,181 per share)
10 Football Playing Teams will get - $68,181 (We would be forgoing the playoffs for this amount or a little more,)
2 Non-Football Playing schools will split a share and get - $34K

My source says there is a chance the MEAC champion could get a little more than the other teams...
But after the MEAC Office takes a big sloppy bite out of it you see what we have to work with.

This is the guaranteed money. I know they are hoping to get some sponsors so the dollar figure could go up...But that's not guaranteed...

Is this the “significant funding” our leadership said they would have to consider?

I would love for our leadership to correct me if I have been misinformed.

So you see this Chittlin Bowl is not really a major money maker for the school(s)…it’s a cash cow for Dennis Thomas and the MEAC Front Office…..If it was such a great idea then why does Dennis Thomas have gag order in place?

bluehenbillk wrote:

SDHornet wrote:If the MEAC decides to follow through with this, the MEAC will lose all relevance in the FCS world.

By your above statement are you implying they are relevant? Other than making an officiating mockery out of playoff games, the MEAC hasn't been relevant in FCS in a long time.

MEAC as a whole yes. But if SCSt gets anyone other than Appy in the first round, ...

jcmanson wrote:And the Big South is waiting with open arms

like my fellow bulldog "pitbull" said we would appreciate u guys support from around the fcs for either a conference move or no go on the whole legacy bowl, maybe they'll appreciate and outsiders opinion, i know its a lil much to ask but any kinds of help would be great appreciated

any updates on this stupid idea or on scsu maybe heading to the big south?

That $68,000 is ridiculous. Looking at average attendance (17,027) if you host a playoff game, and draw average attendance, you can sell tickets for $4 and make the same amount of money. That bowl game seems like a GREAT idea. It sounds to me like the MEAC Front Office is just looking for money, and they have no problem trading the national relevance of the conference for it. Without having a team in the playoffs, they will fall off the FCS map real quick.

Just think what a hard sale the legacy bowl would be for a recruiter. Come to SCSU and you can never play for an FCS championship but you can ........uh uh uh.

http://www.thetandd.com/news/local/arti ... 03286.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What looked like a full-speed effort toward holding the Legacy Bowl has apparently slowed down for now.

On Monday, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Commissioner Dennis Thomas said the conference's executive council is still involved in the vetting process on the viability of the joint venture with the Southwestern Athletic Conference. It now appears a final vote on whether to participate in the ESPN-sponsored postseason football game will not take place in the fall as Thomas previously indicated, but instead will be pushed to as late as March 2011.

In Thomas' response, he confirmed the $600,000 guaranteed payment the MEAC would receive and share among its members for sending the regular-season champion to face the SWAC champion on Dec. 17, 2011, in Atlanta.

Thomas also indicated the representing school at the Legacy Bowl would have to use portions of the guaranteed money to cover all team, band and cheerleader expenses, but that does not prohibit negotiating with other sponsors to offset costs.

Why in the world would they push it off? Dont wanna give SC State time to find a conf before next season?

The game that probably makes the most sense for SCSU that is not currently being played is an annual rivalry with GSU.

The schools are 80 miles apart and both top level FCS programs. It would be a big draw at both stadiums. There is no reason other than politics for this game to not be played annually.