University of New Orleans moving to D2

[Young Drachma]

New Orleans pulls plug on Sun Belt membership - ESPN

The Sun Belt Conference announced Wednesday that the University of New Orleans, which is in the process of transitioning to Division III, has voluntarily withdrawn its membership.

New Orleans, a founding member of the conference in 1976, was authorized by the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors in December to withdraw from the Sun Belt by July 1.

The Sun Belt Conference Executive Committee voted to relieve the university from the associated fees of early withdrawal.

"It is unfortunate that UNO finds itself in financial constraints that have necessitated such drastic measures, but there is a time when tough decisions must be made," New Orleans chancellor Tim Ryan said in a statement. "While we are proud of our past membership in the Sun Belt Conference, the university has to make changes that will allow NCAA-sanctioned athletics to continue at the Division III level."

The university is still recuperating from losses caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and had suspended most of its sports programs while it rebuilt. The school obtained a waiver from the NCAA to remain in Division I despite having only six varsity sports through the 2007-08 season and nine through the end of the 2008-09 school year.

The waiver, however, expired and the school announced its plans in November to move to Division III.

In May, the university learned that it received a substantial financial gift from Logan Wickliffe Cary Jr., a wealthy UNO supporter who died in May. The amount of the gift was to be divided between Oklahoma, LSU and Tulane. UNO was in line to receive a third of Cary's net worth, but no one knew the exact amount or when the gift would get to the school after assets were liquidated.

"We didn't quite know how substantial he was," UNO athletic director Jim Miller told ESPN.com last summer. "We just knew he was a good guy who came to a lot of our games, most of our games, sat up in the stands, kept score with his scorebooks and pretty much kept to himself."

Miller hoped that Cary's donation would help keep the UNO athletic department viable as a Division I member. Miller also enlisted the help of New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn to help stir up financial support for the school.

Those efforts were to no avail.

"The last several years have been unquestionably difficult on the university and the athletics department," Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters said in a statement. "The university's assessment that has led to its withdrawal from the Sun Belt Conference has assuredly also been another difficult chapter for UNO. UNO is our third longest tenured member and they will be sorely missed.

Minus UNO, the Sun Belt will be comprised of 12 member institutions, of which nine play in the Football Bowl Subdivision. For the three Sun Belt sports with divisional play (men's and women's basketball and volleyball), teams will remain in their current divisions with each division now comprised of six programs -- Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Middle Tennessee, South Alabama, Troy and Western Kentucky in the East; and Arkansas-Little Rock, Arkansas State, Denver, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe and North Texas in the West.

[molson]

I wonder how the rest of the sun belt programs are doing financially. I think we'd get closer to a playoff if the whole conference dropped a division (or three).

[RainMaker]

When my Dad was in sporting goods, their hat was a huge seller one year. It just had a big NO on the front and was either big for gangs, women, or whoever.

[LloydLungs]

As a UNO alum who has been in the middle of all this for the last several months, I could type on this subject till my fingers fall off. Suffice it to say, it's very easy to spin this as "poor attendance/Katrina effect," but it has come about almost entirely due to a chancellor that is both incompetent and a miserable lying bastard.

Haven't missed a single home UNO basketball game since 1989. We had some great years back in the day. This sucks!

[RainMaker]

Is there a reason for not moving down to D2? Seems that would be more logical and you could compete well in it. As a fan of D2 hoops, there is some good basketball being played.

[LloydLungs]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Is there a reason for not moving down to D2? Seems that would be more logical and you could compete well in it. As a fan of D2 hoops, there is some good basketball being played.

D2 gives scholarships, D3 does not. Our aforementioned evil chancellor thinks scholarships are a financial drain, even though those are mostly students that wouldn't otherwise be at the school, so it's kind of a dubious claim. Also, he has said D2 is for schools that might aspire to be D1 and he doesn't want our fans getting their hopes up about a D1 reentry down the road. He's really quite the inspiring visionary. Frankly I'm not sure how much longer the school itself is going to exist under his "leadership."

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by LloydLungs

D2 gives scholarships, D3 does not. Our aforementioned evil chancellor thinks scholarships are a financial drain, even though those are mostly students that wouldn't otherwise be at the school, so it's kind of a dubious claim. Also, he has said D2 is for schools that might aspire to be D1 and he doesn't want our fans getting their hopes up about a D1 reentry down the road. He's really quite the inspiring visionary. Frankly I'm not sure how much longer the school itself is going to exist under his "leadership."

With the financial difficulties the state is in, I expect several schools to be merged within the next few years unless the financial situation changes unexpectedly positive.

[Tigercat]

The problem was never really too many schools, the locations of Louisiana's higher education institutions is fine, IMO. Louisiana just has too many universities. A few of them should have long been colleges/junior colleges/community colleges or the like. But with the financial situation, some communities that should have an assessable portal to higher educatiton probably won't anymore.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by molson

I wonder how the rest of the sun belt programs are doing financially. I think we'd get closer to a playoff if the whole conference dropped a division (or three).

Of all the programs at UNO, I think the baseball team will suffer the most. UNO doesn't have the best baseball program in Louisiana, but they are generally competitive. So much for that.

I really can't think of much else to say at this point. It sucks, and I'm unhappy about it.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by molson

I wonder how the rest of the sun belt programs are doing financially. I think we'd get closer to a playoff if the whole conference dropped a division (or three).

I suggested in the bowl thread that Division I should shrink, even to the point where the only D1 schools are the BCS conferences + Notre Dame. Then restrict those schools to only playing one another, no padding schedules with lower division cupcakes.

[JeeberD]

I never thought I would be saying this about cuervo, but here goes...

Asshat

[Young Drachma]

Dana O'Neil: UNO's stay in Division I is running short - ESPN

The state of college athletics in N.O.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

You know...I wonder if there are just too many "Division I" (FBS, whatever) teams. Take the BCS conferences (and ND), make them their own top division, and mandate that they can only play other schools in that superdivision. No Upper Middle Arkansas State, no more College of the Immaculate Potato Chip, no more Dewey College for Librarians.

Those schools can't survive w/o the money they now get for prostituting themselves? Fine - the bigger schools can just give them the same kickbacks from revenue sharing or NCAA dues or whatever.

Boise State, BYU, Utah, TCU and the rest of those guys then get their own playoff for their level.

Originally Posted by cuervo72

I suggested in the bowl thread that Division I should shrink, even to the point where the only D1 schools are the BCS conferences + Notre Dame. Then restrict those schools to only playing one another, no padding schedules with lower division cupcakes.

Originally Posted by JeeberD

I never thought I would be saying this about cuervo, but here goes...

Asshat

Conference Realignment Will Tear Us All Apart

But what kind of world will we be in when three (maybe four) mega conferences control the overwhelming majority of all college sports revenue? People always say that we should admit that big time college football is a professional sport, but for any school outside of those top gangs it soon won't be. They will all struggle to make a dime. Right now, non-BCS schools cannot compete for the TV dollars needed to have a truly successful program. And their piece of the pie is about to shrink even more. We'll have a de facto new division, above the old I-A and I-AA levels, that will completely change the way we think about the sports we follow.

Who's the asshat now???

[Young Drachma]

UNO eyes Division II for its athletic program | NOLA.com

Just kidding. Now they're headed to D2 instead.

[Pumpy Tudors]

My only real disappointment about a move to D2 is that varsity football probably won't come on board right away. A move to D3 would've made that possible, but it will have to wait at the D2 level. That's OK, I guess. We've still got the defending national champs in club football.

[LloydLungs]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

My only real disappointment about a move to D2 is that varsity football probably won't come on board right away. A move to D3 would've made that possible, but it will have to wait at the D2 level. That's OK, I guess. We've still got the defending national champs in club football.

I hate both options, but D2 with a plan for football in five years beats the HELL out of D3 with immediate football. This is part of a long-term plan to get back to D1 and do it the right way this time -- with football driving the train. There's no getting back to D1 from D3.

I'm going to be a fairly old man if it ever happens, but this leaves open the possibility of someday having what so many college sports fans take for granted -- Saturday afternoons in the fall watching my D1 alma mater play football in an on-campus stadium.

[cartman]

UNO athletic program to return to competition in NCAA Division I | NOLA.com

They are going to go back/stay in D1. Haven't announced any conference affiliation yet.