NIU
- Thread starter CoralSpringsCat
- Start date
Wait though. Coaches from the MAC in recent years have moved on up to NC State, Iowa State, Minnesota. It is easier to win at NIU then Temple and NIU is a top 3 job in the MAC Temple is no way top 3 in the AAc. . He is getting out of dodge plain and simple.
I don’t know if this will interest anyone or not. (probably not) I worked several Tuesday NIU games as the guy in charge of the orange arrow on the sidelines. Very important work. It was interesting that even with sparse crowds, it still seemed loud on the field.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Can’t see how anyone who likes Chicago wouldn’t love Philly. Like Chicago people don’t clear out at the end of the work day. A large gentrified core where millennials clamor to live. Plenty of restaurants, bars and entertainment. Plus as much as I like Chicago, Philly has more attractive and accessible suburbs. Although the lake is great I just never saw the appeal of the flat terrain found in most of Chicago’s suburbs.
Even the Temple campus which is located in what was commonly considered the worst neighborhood in the city is improving. More importantly it’s a short subway ride from Center City, which is how former coach Matt Rhule chose to commute to work.
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I’ll acknowledge I have not been to a philly in a few years but used to go pretty frequently 6-7 years ago. Last time I was there I found the whole town to be a few steps removed from being a decaying rust belt like city ala Saint Louis. Literally everything was falling apart, even in the touristy areas where you would think the city would keep up investment. I also thought the city was really dirty. Maybe I am spoiled but Chicago is immaculately clean relative to what I saw in Philly.
Lived in Philly until '68 and have visited since then. Recent changes downtrodden have changed the old skid row into a fashion plate. However, temple University is in the heart of the "gritty section", ,a place that night time strolls are not advised. Also, the stadium was in the north suburbs and not near campus. i don't know if that has changed, however. Good parts include sports, symphony, new restaurants, multiple medical schools, like Chicago, South Street. where i used to live, my childhood home, is now an empty lot...nearby Temple University, about 8 blocks away. The city has politics like Chicago, but not the money issues.
Temple has been playing its home games at Lincoln Financial, the home of the Eagles. There are plans to build an on campus stadium that has led to a lot of opposition. I’m not sure how that’s going to end up. With all the other entertainment options, Temple has had attendance issues. Not sure that an on campus stadium will have much of an impact with that issue.
I moved out of the suburbs into the city. I got sick-o'-more leaves in my yard
It's easier to win sure, but you probably don't need as many wins to get promoted to the Power 5 out of the AAC as you would in the MAC right now.
Maybe these things are cyclical but the MAC looks fairly weak right now relative to other Group of 5 conferences (their bowl records and non-conference records look to be among the worst of that lot right now); the fact that Carey is going to Temple should be proof of that at some level.
The guy won the MAC twice and 4 division titles while at NIU, how did he not get an offer from a Power 5 school?
Cannot argue with this, after spending time with clients in the NewTown / Yardley / Washington Crossing area, and around Phoenixville, I was drooling at the thought of cycling through those valleys. It’s very pretty.
My son, his wife, and three of my grandchildren live in a Philly suburb. I like Philadelphia a lot, but Chicago has something that Philly can’t match, Wildcat football.
NIU hires former NIU standout RB and current Ravens RB Coach Thomas Hammock as their next coach. I think this is an outstanding hire and will enable them to continue the consistent pattern of success the've had as a program dating back to when Jim Phillips was their AD. In addition to being a great RB at NIU in a career cut short by a career ending medical condition, Hammock was a very successful college coach and recruiter at NIU and Wisconsin before jumping to the NFL.
I wonder if we'll be saying similar things about Jeremy Larkin several years from now...
Perhaps. If memory serves me correctly Hammock was diagnosed with a heart condition just prior to his senior season after running for over 2500 yards in back to back seasons as NIU's starting RB.
