Post by fiupike on Apr 15, 2008 14:39:16 GMT -5
I was going to keep my mouth shut on this issue... History lesson, prior to the 1983 College Football Season the Hurricanes were neither a powerhouse or contender for a championship. I was at games in the late 70s and early 80s as a kid, before the 1st championship. They were playing soft teams back then (East Carolina and Houston) and were not in a conference. UM did not have state of the art facilities and still don't today.... They did not get 4 and 5 star blue chippers either, but they had a young and hungry team that wanted to win. The coaching staff was quite young to some extent as well.
FIU has to WIN FOOTBALL GAMES. THIS IS A FOOTBALL TOWN.
USF was selling games out last year after beating Auburn and West Virginia, TAMPA is not a college town...
WINNING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ALUMNI SUPPORT. ***Players and coaches will take this team to the next level. Once we show that we can knock off a few strong programs at home or on the road, I think you will see alumni coming around. The fact is, people want to be associated with a "winner" - look at the dismal attendance numbers for the HEAT this year. The Dolphins squeaked out a WIN and still managed to sell out all the home games...
Just imagine if FIU is 2 - 0 after knocking off Kansas and Iowa...USF comes to our house a little worried. A 3 - 0 start and tons of local media attention change the entire dynamic. However, a 0 - 3 start and an uncompetitive team is the same uphill battle we have sustained for 6 years.
This is a young program and we will see better years, but patience is required. YES alumni support is important, but that does not change the results on the field. **BTW - from what I have heard, our field house and workout/training/medical facilities that is being built in the west end zone dwarfs anything that UM has.....
No excuses though, this team is capable of beating other Sun Belt teams and has enough talent to give USF some trouble. I am excited for the upcoming season.
If you ask coach why the team was 1- 11, I'm sure he'll make a reference to talent/players. We are getting there. I don't expect blow-outs like last season.
End of the day, the support will emerge once people can get excited about FIU Football winning games against teams the general public recognizes...
FIU has to WIN FOOTBALL GAMES. THIS IS A FOOTBALL TOWN.
USF was selling games out last year after beating Auburn and West Virginia, TAMPA is not a college town...
WINNING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ALUMNI SUPPORT. ***Players and coaches will take this team to the next level. Once we show that we can knock off a few strong programs at home or on the road, I think you will see alumni coming around. The fact is, people want to be associated with a "winner" - look at the dismal attendance numbers for the HEAT this year. The Dolphins squeaked out a WIN and still managed to sell out all the home games...
Just imagine if FIU is 2 - 0 after knocking off Kansas and Iowa...USF comes to our house a little worried. A 3 - 0 start and tons of local media attention change the entire dynamic. However, a 0 - 3 start and an uncompetitive team is the same uphill battle we have sustained for 6 years.
This is a young program and we will see better years, but patience is required. YES alumni support is important, but that does not change the results on the field. **BTW - from what I have heard, our field house and workout/training/medical facilities that is being built in the west end zone dwarfs anything that UM has.....
No excuses though, this team is capable of beating other Sun Belt teams and has enough talent to give USF some trouble. I am excited for the upcoming season.
If you ask coach why the team was 1- 11, I'm sure he'll make a reference to talent/players. We are getting there. I don't expect blow-outs like last season.
End of the day, the support will emerge once people can get excited about FIU Football winning games against teams the general public recognizes...