RU & UD on parallel tracks through 1973

[Randal7]

Really interesting perspective from a Delaware grad in this week's Scarlet Knights vs Blue Hens preview on Boardwalk Sports Talk.

The crux of it is, Rutgers and Delaware were on parallel tracks in football through the early seventies, having played one another roughly every other year between 1901 and our last meeting in 1973. It was Rutgers decision at that time to invest in athletics and football which propelled us to the Big East, and eventually to pay dirt in the Big Ten, which seperated the two programs.

Delaware fans today point to Rutgers as a great analogue for what they might pursue and accomplish if they make the move up from FCS and commit to investing in FBS level sports, notably football.

"It's hard to get up for Maine and James Madison; it's real easy to get up for a Big Ten opponent"

Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podca...ens-preview-with/id1544327445?i=1000535581352

 

[mdk01]

Hard for a public university that size to make the investment to go to FCS. Most of the schools that size that do are private like Stanford and Northwestern.

 

[Randal7]

Hard for a public university that size to make the investment to go to FCS. Most of the schools that size that do are private like Stanford and Northwestern.

You mean FBS right? Yeah it takes a commitment there’s no doubt. But it’s interesting they envy our investment (which we routinely criticize)

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Unless the state legislature makes it a law that residents must attend games, where are they getting people to buy tickets ?

 

[mdk01]

You mean FBS right? Yeah it takes a commitment there’s no doubt. But it’s interesting they envy our investment (which we routinely criticize)

Correct. And I think that where the criticism might differentiate stems from the fact the RU New Brunswick is roughly 2.5 time as large as UDel, which should increase the funding capability.

 

[brgRC90]

Delaware seems way too small to support a program at that level. West Virginia is a small state, too, but even they have double the population of Delaware.

 

[Scarlet16E]

And Rutgers, as we all know, did not really make the financial commitment until very recently.
50 years later.

 

[rufancoe00]

UD (18k UG, 4k PG) is comparable in size to Washington State (20.2k UG, ~4-5k PG). U. Oregon (18k UG, 4k PG), Nebraska (21k UG, 5k PG) and quite a few other public FBS schools.. the state is very small, but sandwiched between Philly - Balt/DC. If they had made the move up in the 70s they may have succeeded.

 

[CollegeObserver]

If they had made the move up in the 70s they may have succeeded.

As a long time UD fan, alum, and donor, I agree with this statement. I was a long time resident of NJ, until recently retiring and moving to Newark (New Ark). The state of DE has under one million residents, which is less than Monmouth and Ocean counties combined. The $2 Billion+ endowmwent is not going to be expended on FBS. We also do not have New Jersey's "creative" accounting. We are awakening athletically with the current prez and athletic director, but it will take a major change in landscape to get to the next level. Our former conference mates, UConn, Umass and ODU have pretty much spectacuarily failed in that quest.
I do think that that program that made out best in realignment, without a doubt, is RU.

Looking forward to a fun day tomorrow.

 

[anon_ivydyf0amkzay]

It’s cute how they pronounce Newark!

 

[CollegeObserver]

It started out as two words, and it is certainly a nice variation from the "other" one.

 

[17Q66]

And Rutgers, as we all know, did not really make the financial commitment until very recently.
50 years later.

Not merely the financial commitment - the institutional commitment. A lotta faculty never bought in, and at least a _majority_ of alumni didn't, either.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

I just think it is really cool that we are playing one of our traditional rivals again after all this time.

 

[RU76]

Delaware can finance a top tier FBS program with Rt 95 tolls.

 

[e5fdny]

Not merely the financial commitment - the institutional commitment. A lotta *faculty never bought in, and at least a _majority_ of *alumni didn't, either.

Those *two seem to be changing as the yearly B1G allotment grows along with a changing of the guard for the faculty. Same with the alumni.

At some point they are only going to know a B1G Rutgers.

 

[Scarlet83]

You mean FBS right? Yeah it takes a commitment there’s no doubt. But it’s interesting they envy our investment (which we routinely criticize)

We have too many overly critical people that seek to overly criticize.

 

[29PAS]

It started out as two words, and it is certainly a nice variation from the "other" one.

Can't believe I mispronounced Lewes for so long. And I grew up in So Jersey! Took a friend to move there to set me straight.

 

[REDRICH65]

Delaware people are happy being a bigger fish in a small pond rather than the other way around. A lot of people here think big time FB is Penn State and a few still ask “What’s a Rutgers “. About to find out. Not your father’s Rutgers.

 

[RUnTeX]

UD (18k UG, 4k PG) is comparable in size to Washington State (20.2k UG, ~4-5k PG). U. Oregon (18k UG, 4k PG), Nebraska (21k UG, 5k PG) and quite a few other public FBS schools.

Indeed there are multiple public flagships that aren't very large in terms of enrollment. Just staying on the east coast, U of Virginia keeps a lower enrollment perhaps as part of a strategy to maintain an air of eliteness and public Ivy image with only 18K undergrads and 9K graduate students, basically not much larger than UDel, just more grad students.

On the other end of the spectrum, some public flagships are more than twice as large as UVa (approaching 60K or more at their main campus) include the likes of Ohio State, Texas A&M, Arizona State.

 

[G- RUnit]

There was a fun atmosphere tailgating today. UD was competitive. I would like to keep the series alive. Enjoyable day.

Kudos to RU for a well oiled machine today all over. Still too much DJ. Want to hear the students and band but better than Temple.