Congratulations Eagles! Ouch Wolfpack!

BC Eagles

StateFansNation would like to shout out a congratulations to our conference bretheren in Chestnut Hill as the Boston College Eagles have advanced to their third consecutive Frozen Four, hockey’s version of Final Four’.

Although many in the north – including a lot of the BC students – are more interested in hockey than basketball, I translate this into the equivalent of advancing to three straight College World Series in baseball (which is something that the UNC-CH Tar Heels may achieve this year).

In light of BC’s success we thought that we would share two statistics that are sadly mind-boggling of how the rest of the ACC achieves when compared to the shmables of Lee Fowler’s Athletics Department at NC State.

(1) Since Lee Fowler has become Athletics Director at NC State, the Wolfpack’s Athletics Department is the only ACC program to NOT have played in at least one National Championship game or won a team National Championship in any sport.

(2) Since Lee Fowler has become Athletics Director at NC State, Virginia – whose overall athletics program ranks near the top of the ACC with extremely strong, broad athletic success – and NC State are the only athletics programs in the ACC who have failed to participate in at least a Frozen Four, a College World Series, a BCS Bowl, or a National Basketball Championship game.

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40 Responses to Congratulations Eagles! Ouch Wolfpack!

  1. Girlfriend in a Coma 04/01/2008 at 9:45 AM #

    Advancing to the “Frozen Four” is not remotely comparable to making a CWS, let alone a BCS game or NCAA basketball title game.

    I think Fowler is a tool, but stuff like this actually hurts the case against him IMO.

  2. StateFans 04/01/2008 at 9:53 AM #

    So the two statistics at the bottom of this entry – which have little to do with the Frozen Four – are completely disregarded because you don’t think of hockey as a major sport because of your regional bias.

    Come on guys…the Frozen Four has nothing to do with the rest of this stuff…it was just the timely bridge as the catalyst to share these stats

  3. RAWFS 04/01/2008 at 9:55 AM #

    ^ Why not, GiaC? I would rate the interest in college hockey up north as being relatively equal to that college baseball in the south.

    In places like Minnesota and Wisconsin, it is THE college sport.

  4. highstick 04/01/2008 at 10:04 AM #

    College Hockey, the only place ACC officials don’t have a chance to participate!!

  5. Noah 04/01/2008 at 10:05 AM #

    I have a friend who is a Michigan alum and he and his wolverine bretheren are far more excited about college hockey than hoops. Even during the Fab Five days, he said that the Yost Center would be more popular than Crisler.

    I once looked to see if I could find the southern-most school to compete in a Frozen Four. Seems like it was University of Denver.

  6. GoldenChain 04/01/2008 at 10:05 AM #

    They show the scores on the crawler on ESPN so it must matter to someone.

    Take out hockey, still every other school has competed and succeeded more than NC State has athletically.

  7. Girlfriend in a Coma 04/01/2008 at 10:06 AM #

    ^ Hockey is a bigger college sport than basketball and football in those states? Really?

    SFN: YES! Absolutely. I was in a meeting with a BC alum yesterday in Arizona who is going to the Frozen Four in Denver. Says they sellout their arena (BASKETBALL ARENA) for some big hockey games about a half full for other games. Said that he “WISHED THE STUDENTS CARED ABOUT BASKETBALL AS MUCH AS THEY CARE ABOUT HOCKEY.”

    I politely submit that you guys don’t understand the importance of hockey to the folks in the north. In many places it would translate to a bigger sport than baseball in the south. Again, don’t let that tangent or your personal biases dilute the statistics in this entry

    Also, to make the point a different way, didn’t we win a bass fishing title?

    Again, I reiterate that Fowler is a tool.

  8. RBCRowdy 04/01/2008 at 10:07 AM #

    You are right with the college hockey/baseball comparison. Those who follow it follow it closely, and those who dont care couldnt tell you a thing about college hockey.

    But I agree with GF in coma, using this as a strike against Lee is a reach. BC is the only varsity hockey team in the ‘ACC’, but really there hockey team is in different conference for hockey.

    This is the equivalent of saying BC’s AD should be fired since he hasn’t won a bass fishing national championship. Its silly, the only important sports are football, basketball, and baseball in the ACC.

  9. WolfpackCoach17 04/01/2008 at 10:08 AM #

    I just wanted to weigh in on the subject based on some statistics. According to the NCAA, there are 287 division one baseball teams. That doesn’t compare at all to hockey, who only has 59 division one teams.

    I would say a much better comparison would be men’s lacrosse, which has 56 division one teams. Of course, NC State hasn’t advanced in either of these men’s sports because we don’t sponsor them, but the ACC has sent teams to the most recent final four in both of these sports. The most comparable Wolfpack sport would be wrestling (who has 87 division one teams) And despite some individual success, I don’t think we have ever been a top four team in that sport either.

    Here is the link to NCAA sponsorship numbers:
    NCAA sponsorship numbers

    sorry about the length of the link.
    Coach, I tried to fix it in a tag wrapper. If it doesn’t work follow the instructions here. – RAWFS

    The point and click path is:
    http://www.ncaa.org
    On the left hand side scroll over “Fall Sports” (or winter or spring) and click the first tab for “general information”
    Then “lists of NCAA sports sorted by school”
    Then “sports sponsorship summary”

  10. mafpack 04/01/2008 at 10:08 AM #

    If you’d like to ask why, please feel free to Ask the AD here:

    http://ncstate.xosn.com//quest/Questionaire.dbml?QID=1189&DB_OEM_ID=9200

    First question – Why are you OK with losing in every sport… isn’t the point to win?

    You guys can pick it up from there πŸ™‚

    Also, if linking to the above page is a no no, feel free to delete this post.

  11. packpigskinfan23 04/01/2008 at 10:12 AM #

    In my personal opinion the Frozen Four is a FAR better achievement then the CWS. Not only is hockey a more interesting sport to me, it is also much more difficult and physically taxing. Its harder to Coach and it seems that it could bring in much more revenue then college baseball. I would really like to see some stats on that, because its not fact, just what seems logical. How many people can attend a game at Doak Field in Raleigh? How many people could attend a hockey game at the RBC? Of course this IS the South, so more people would attend the baseball game, BUT Boston IS the North- and more people probably attend hockey games then football games at Boston College.

  12. RBCRowdy 04/01/2008 at 10:14 AM #

    Yost arena in Ann Arbor seats less than 7,000 people.

    SFN: By the same token, so does Doak Field.

  13. wufpup76 04/01/2008 at 10:19 AM #

    “College Hockey, the only place ACC officials donÒ€ℒt have a chance to participate!!”

    Awesome

  14. Girlfriend in a Coma 04/01/2008 at 10:21 AM #

    I’m just saying that the case against Fowler is made less effective, IMO, by the inclusion of this type of marginal point, because it trivializes the real case against him and thereby dilutes his actual failings.

  15. LRM 04/01/2008 at 10:22 AM #

    I would say our inability to compete for a Frozen Four has more to do with the fact we don’t have a hockey team, but I know better. If we played in a five-team league we probably wouldn’t be competitive.

    As for what’s important and what isn’t, it’s based on regional cultures and personal preference and everyone has different priorities and values when it comes to sports. I like college basketball (but I haven’t watched an NBA game in 15 years) but I don’t cheer for the ACC in the NCAAT; I’m a diehard Braves fan and love going to Bulls game, and I have a passing interest in watching college baseball but I couldn’t carry on a poignant conversation about it; I like the NFL, but prefer college football, and will always choose to watch an SEC game over an ACC game. I could care less about women’s sports or tennis, soccer and hockey.

    I imagine, though, up north making the Frozen Four is a big deal.

  16. packpigskinfan23 04/01/2008 at 10:25 AM #

    maybe so GiaC… but I love to talk hockey! =)

    Glad to see it a topic on my favorite site to visit.
    I also love to take any shot at Fowler I can.

    Buddy of mine is a student athlete here at State and said he has personally met Fowler and his family on a number of occasions. He said the ONLY reason Fowler is still around is because of the financial status of the athletics dept. THATS SAD.

  17. packpigskinfan23 04/01/2008 at 10:29 AM #

    we actually do have a competitive hockey team that is 7-4-2 in their league with a few other ACC teams, Georgetown and George Mason. Of course they dont get much school backing because they are forced into club status due to Title VIwhatever…

  18. packpigskinfan23 04/01/2008 at 10:31 AM #

    ah… I forgot the link

    http://www.ncsuhockey.org/

  19. 66pack 04/01/2008 at 10:38 AM #

    if we competed in hockey we would do no worst than we do in bb—last place.

  20. RAWFS 04/01/2008 at 10:52 AM #

    Title IX, Pigskin. It keeps us from having a D1 hockey team, true. I would bet if we did, the Hurricanes would be major donors.

    And it would be AWESOME to see ice back in Reynolds Coliseum. I bet a lot of you young whippersnappers have never ice skated in Reynolds. It used to be possible. πŸ˜‰

    The southernmost D1 college hockey team is UAH – University of Alabama at Huntsville. They’ve not gotten to the Frozen Four, however.

  21. Pack92 04/01/2008 at 11:02 AM #

    Isn’t interest for any weather influenced sport geographic? Hockey is King in the northern US and Canada. Baseball and football dominate in the SEC. There are high school football stadiums in the deep south MUCH bigger than any college baseball stadium in NC. For the better SEC teams you don’t normally see under 3-4 thousand at the baseball games and double that if it’s a rivalry game.

  22. packpigskinfan23 04/01/2008 at 11:13 AM #

    66pack- we were 3rd out of 7 teams in our division this year.

    RAWFS- unfortunately I have never had the chance to skate at Reynolds. I hear it was amazing. I have heard many stories about it. I also wish the NCSU hockey team could get enough funding to at least play at Dorton Arena instead of the RecZone. I am sure the Hurricanes would gladly donate time and money to a Division I team. The Hurricanes organization has done more then we could ever imagine for NCState. I know a lot of you guys dislike the fact that we have to share the RBC Center with them… more so because of location then anything else, but they are a true asset and partner to NCState. Its nothing to see these guys after games wearing State hats. Brind’Amour and his son are huge State fans.

  23. Astral Rain 04/01/2008 at 11:23 AM #

    That makes perfect sense to me- why can’t we have a men’s and women’s hockey team down here (or dump men’s soccer for hockey- since our men’s program is hopeless)

  24. Dr. BadgerPack 04/01/2008 at 11:30 AM #

    I know that in Wisconsin, after football Hockey is king. Heck, even the women’s hockey team was a huge draw. (Note: Bo Ryan is bringing folks around to making basketball on par with the others).

    My last year in Wisconsin, the men’s and women’s teams both won the frozen four. Only championships a school I have attended have garnered.

  25. BillyVest 04/01/2008 at 11:44 AM #

    You guys forgot the Cheerleading title we won in 2001. National champs in bass fishing and cheerleading…what more do you guys want? Bunch of whiners…

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