TERRE HAUTE —
Dreams are dreams until someone has the wherewithal to make them come true. When it comes to success and the Indiana State football program, dreams are about all anyone’s had for the last decade or more.
But Saturday, a group of ex-football players took a much-needed and long-overdue step to make the dream of ISU football success become a reality. Eleven former Sycamores, representing seven different decades, had a morning meeting with ISU President Dr. Daniel J. Bradley, ISU Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman and members of the ISU Foundation.
The goal? To clear the air about the future of the ISU football program and get on the same page about its future.
The ex-players, led by former ISU offensive lineman David Allen, had a pre-arranged agenda they presented to the administration regarding their thoughts and their commitment to the future of ISU football. The agenda is ambitious — including a proposal to change the out-of-state residency requirement for athletes to one year, a competitive advantage ISU’s opponents in Missouri Valley Football Conference have that ISU doesn’t have.
But what the players really wanted to hear was a commitment on the part of university officials that football is here to stay. And in that respect, they deemed the day a success.
“To us we felt like we heard everything we wanted to hear. It was very positive, it was very collaborative. We’re extremely confident in going back to our fellow players and delivering the positive support of the university. It was very exciting. There wasn’t a guy there who didn’t walk away feeling very, very good,” said Allen, who attended Saturday night’s Blue-White Game. “We all have a common ground which is to make this football program work.”
If getting on the same page sounds like an easy exercise, it isn’t. Communication between the various factions ... and the factions within the factions ... and the factions within those factions — ex-players, administrators, coaches, etc. — that influence the future of ISU football has been scant at best and nonexistent at worst since the late 1980s, which is the most agreed upon time that fortunes began to change.
And whenever there’s an absence of information on any topic, the vacuum is filled by rumors, innuendoes and half-truths that are too often treated as fact.
For years, many former football players (and fans) have doubted whether the administration had a commitment to football, despite no official comment that suggested otherwise. Additionally, recriminations have been rampant about who was responsible for getting the football to the low state its been in for the last decade-plus.
Past is always prelude, but pointing fingers about who was responsible for the past doesn’t really solve a darn thing. It was in that spirit that the ex-players, whether they verbalized it this way or not, wanted to bury any hatchets and stand united for football’s future if the administration was with them.
“One of the goals was that if we’re going to do this, all parties were going to walk out with a consensus. We needed a group hug. We had to tell each other, ‘Of course we want this to work.’” said Allen, who is the CEO and General Counsel of Strategic Benefits Consultants, Inc. in Lombard, Ill. “So much of this is about communication. When you don’t have communication, you have polarization.”
Prettyman conceded that it was important for the players to hear straight from the horse’s mouth that the university was committed to the sport.
“Our commitment to football has been unwavering,” Prettyman said. “But I think it was important for those guys to hear a verbal commitment in addition to seeing what we’re doing with the facility.”
The summit between the ex-players and administration is vital because the ISU Foundation is about to launch a capital campaign for the benefit of the football program.
According to Darian Westerfield, ISU Foundation Director of Development For Athletics, the campaign’s goal is to raise approximately $250,000 per year. The money would be used to help fund the football practice facility that is near approval, to enhance the football program’s operating budget and to better fund summer school programs and travel for the program.
Of course, all parties would like to exceed the stated goal. Allen, who would like to see low to mid six-figure dollars amounts raised, thinks that with the ex-players in the university’s corner, it will be a much easier challenge for the Foundation to meet.
“The numbers are so realistic, I’d be shocked if we’re not able to raise it. We don’t think it’s asking too much, even in this economic climate,” said Allen, referring to commitment from the ex-players. “If we don’t [get this done], shame on us. We’ve been given the opportunity and we have the support. It’s time for us to step up.”
Allen said that since the university has met face-to-face with them and made the same commitment to football that the ex-players desire, now it’s incumbent upon the ex-players to deliver on their promise to help make the Foundation’s campaign successful and to be a voice in ISU’s football future to nurture it to the successful state they all want it to be in.
“Both sides wanted to know that we were all committed. It’s a double-edged thing. They wanted to know that we were willing to help and we wanted to know that they were there for us,” Allen said. “There’s a lot of work ahead, but it’s something we know is very accomplishable. The players can do our part to make it happen.”
If the ISU football program gets to the day where it is playing in the Football Championship Series, if the football program gets to the point where it is consistently drawing crowds and is an integral part of the fabric of the university and Terre Haute community then Aug. 21, 2010 is a day everyone should look back as one of the most important days in program history.
“What’s past is past, however we got here, it’s done, it’s behind us. It’s the dawn of a new day,” Allen said.
Todd Golden is sports editor of the Terre Haute Tribune-Star. He can be reached at (812) 231-4272 or todd.golden@tribstar.com. Check out Golden’s blog at blogs.tribstar.com/downinthevalley.
College Report
From the Press Box: ISU brass, ex-players united on ISU’s football future
- College Report
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Catching up as the school year winds down
Odds and ends from here and there as the school year quickly winds down. For starters, high jumper Nick Jaeger of Terre Haute South was named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s male track & field newcomer of the year:
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College Report: Lively earned collegiate upgrade with strong play
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Lively was impressive enough to earn a Division I scholarship to Southeast Missouri State of the Ohio Valley Conference, and both her future and past college coaches think she will continue to succeed there.
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Etling, Meggs enjoying great year
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Former Terre Haute resident Jack Meggs quarterbacked the Bellevue Wolverines football team to the Washington Class 3A state championship this fall, culminating with a 35-3 win over Sammamish Eastside Catholic — Bellevue’s fifth straight crown.
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Melanie Boeglin, an All-American who played on the women’s basketball team at Indiana State from 2002-2006, will be inducted into the 21st class of the Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday.
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COLLEGE REPORT: North grad leading DePauw volleyball in winning streak
DePauw’s volleyball team has won seven straight matches entering this weekend’s DePauw Invitational, including four straight wins last weekend to capture the Rose-Hulman invitational title.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Engle moving up football coaching ranks
Michael Engle graduated from DePauw University in the spring of 2011 with a degree in political science and future plans to advance his studies in law school.
Being a coach’s son and a competitive athlete by nature, Engle has put those plans on hold for now. -
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Adriane Wunderlich and Katelyn Bishop both turned stellar high school careers at Terre Haute South into Division I collegiate careers at Indiana State and Southern California, respectively.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Former prep athletes getting ready for fall college season
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COLLEGE REPORT: SP’s Boetjer is Indiana’s Miss Softball
South Putnam’s Brooke Boetjer, who will be a freshman on the Indiana University softball team next spring, was named the 2012 Indiana Miss Softball last month between games at the North/South All-Star games in Carmel.
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College report: North grad Mayhew is second team all-American at IU
Indiana University running standout Zach Mayhew of Terre Haute North was honored earlier this month as a second-team All-American by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
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College report: Bloomfield runner to join IUPUI track, cross country teams
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COLLEGE REPORT: Roberts takes coaching position at UNC-Greensboro
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COLLEGE REPORT: Valley grads playing role for No. 13 Vincennes
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COLLEGE REPORT: Shouse making his mark for Danville Community College
Derek Shouse definitely flew under the radar in his one season of playing for the Terre Haute South boys basketball team last winter.
Not highly recruited, he made his way to Danville Area Community College as a walk-on with the hopes he could find his way onto the court at some point. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Bullock finds sunny home to continue tennis career
Most college athletes progress along similar paths to get to their final destinations athletically, but Terre Haute South grad Taylor Bullock’s route to the Eckerd College women’s tennis team was a little different than most.
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COLLEGE REPORT: TH South QB entertains Division I offers
Danny Etling’s trek to being a big-time college quarterback took a huge step this week when the Terre Haute South junior picked up a scholarship offer from Purdue, according to 247sports.com.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Seibert stepping up her game
Terre Haute South grad Haley Seibert has seen the usual ups and downs of her freshman basketball season at Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne and is making the most of her opportunities this season.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Vikings Waters, Barton excited about college basketball
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