Now we all know our university would never have the set to even look into starting football, so this is just hypothetical, but will all the discussion of viability of adding new members to the conference do the posters here think that UALR football would be a good addition to the Belt?

(05-27-2012 10:46 AM)eh9198 Wrote:  Now we all know our university would never have the set to even look into starting football, so this is just hypothetical, but will all the discussion of viability of adding new members to the conference do the posters here think that UALR football would be a good addition to the Belt?

Nobody else is jumping in on the topic, but frankly, if this were an option, it would be a better option than any other option on the table, that includes the GSU, and TSU additions as well as better than adding App or Ga Sou. I say that because UALR is a traditional team in the SBC, so teams in the conference are already familiar with them. Add that they have a great market to pull from (you know how conferences chub all over big markets these days), decent to good support in other sports,having a great working model to follow in USA as to how to move up appropriately, and lastly making the conference into a real all sports league with no basketball only members, would make this not just a good move, it would be a no brainer homerun.

I'd like to visit Little Rock for football games. I'm originally from Arkansas and I have family in Conway.

I thought about it reading through the UT-Arlington thread and quite honestly it wouldn't be a bad idea.

The state of Arkansas only has 2 FBS programs in it so UA-Little Rock can give the fans more product to watch.

If the SBC could hold pat on membership and get both Little Rock and Arlington to add football that would likely be the ideal situation.

Georgia Southern, App State, Lamar ect.. should be reserved for the next time the SBC is raided (5-10 years).

I agree with Louis Kitton that having UTA and UALR add football is the ideal situation for the Sun Belt.

I've never been to Little Rock, but I am aware that there is a stadium there that the Razorbacks use every once in a while:

War Memorial Stadium

That seems like it would be an ideal home for UALR, maybe a bit large with a capacity of 54,120. So as things are right now, they have a conference home, a probable stadium, and they might even have a head coach in mind:

Former USF Bulls coach Jim Leavitt

Quote:Chris Peterson, the AD at Arkansas-Little Rock, was an athletic department official at Kansas State while Leavitt was there and said he has gotten calls from schools looking into hiring him.

"As I told them, if I needed a football coach, I would hire Jim Leavitt yesterday," said Peterson, whose school does not field a football team. "I can't say enough good things about Jim Leavitt; his passion for the game, his care and concern about the student-athlete.

Now all you need is the uniforms and the scholarships.

(05-27-2012 12:11 PM)BullsFanatic Wrote:  I agree with Louis Kitton that having UTA and UALR add football is the ideal situation for the Sun Belt.

I've never been to Little Rock, but I am aware that there is a stadium there that the Razorbacks use every once in a while:

War Memorial Stadium

That seems like it would be an ideal home for UALR, maybe a bit large with a capacity of 54,120. So as things are right now, they have a conference home, a probable stadium, and they might even have a head coach in mind:

Former USF Bulls coach Jim Leavitt

Quote:Chris Peterson, the AD at Arkansas-Little Rock, was an athletic department official at Kansas State while Leavitt was there and said he has gotten calls from schools looking into hiring him.

"As I told them, if I needed a football coach, I would hire Jim Leavitt yesterday," said Peterson, whose school does not field a football team. "I can't say enough good things about Jim Leavitt; his passion for the game, his care and concern about the student-athlete.

Now all you need is the uniforms and the scholarships.

Yeah War Memorial is really nice.

I'd rather get existing non-football members to start football than add new members.

Considering UALR already has a place to play, adding football would be relatively inexpensive. Both sets of Trojans in a championship game perhaps?

I just hope Arkansas politics wouldn't put a damper on it....

Btw, is there any substance to this? Has UALR discussed this or brought it up? Or is this just us chewing the fat?

(05-27-2012 12:40 PM)Tiguar Wrote:  I'd rather get existing non-football members to start football than add new members.

Same here. I think UALR is at a prime spot for yielding a football team, with a great football stadium in their backyard and a head coach already in mind. I'd definitely like to see UALR field a team - and I'd much prefer an already-existing conference member to sponsor football than to jump 1,000 miles away and invite someone else just for the sake of having another football playing member.

And if I had to guess, I'd say such a move would be well-met by most SBC schools and their fans. USA started their football program, and they're already a quite anticipated addition. I'd expect something similar if UALR started a program. And with only 2 FBS schools in the state... that's a lot of potential, especially in a city the size of Little Rock without its own FBS team.

(05-27-2012 01:24 PM)Ohiofan23 Wrote:  I just hope Arkansas politics wouldn't put a damper on it....

Btw, is there any substance to this? Has UALR discussed this or brought it up? Or is this just us chewing the fat?

This is just talking hypothetical. The UALR Administration (and most of it's old guard fans) would never dream of adding football. They all think it would cost too much money and that no fans would come to the games because it's such a Hog-centric state. I'm one of the few who think it would work.

(05-27-2012 01:43 PM)eh9198 Wrote:  

(05-27-2012 01:24 PM)Ohiofan23 Wrote:  I just hope Arkansas politics wouldn't put a damper on it....

Btw, is there any substance to this? Has UALR discussed this or brought it up? Or is this just us chewing the fat?

This is just talking hypothetical. The UALR Administration (and most of it's old guard fans) would never dream of adding football. They all think it would cost too much money and that no fans would come to the games because it's such a Hog-centric state. I'm one of the few who think it would work.

That's just flat out the wrong thinking. UL is positioned in a state dominated by LSU, 50 minutes away from Lafayette who puts twice as many people in the stands as Arkansas does, and we just put 29k in our stands for this last season. Just like the driving force for this last bout of movement in realignment, perception is reality, and for UALR, they have a perception of a second tier program, even in an FBS conference, because of the lack of a football team. We are still in the south, Football is king, and having 2 Football programs in FBS in a state that only would have 3 FBS programs would give the SBC a good share of Arkansas as a market.

Aside from all of that, I think that the UALR administration should look at the recent movement in realignment and realize that what happened to the WAC could happen here (not saying it will, not even close to that actually), but Just as a hypothetical, if the SBC should dissolve, UALR athletics as a whole would be put back further than any other program in the belt because of the lack of a FB program, it would hurt them from being able to find a suitable home to land their sports programs.

Unfortunately they are UALR instead of ULR and would have the same issues as UAB has only worse.

FWIW, I'd like to see it. If they started it like USA did (taking baby steps) it should work well for UALR. Of course this is our first year of a full FBS schedule (-Nicholls State), so we'll see how that goes. It would be great for the conference if the other Trojans jump in.

(05-27-2012 03:27 PM)JoeJag Wrote:  FWIW, I'd like to see it. If they started it like USA did (taking baby steps) it should work well for UALR. Of course this is our first year of a full FBS schedule (-Nicholls State), so we'll see how that goes. It would be great for the conference if the other Trojans jump in.

I agree. Doing it right will make a great program. USA has had lots of success, and they provide a great example for UALR to follow when/if they do decide to create a football program.

I just don't see the fan support in lr to do this. I don't see enough talent in the to fill out the roster.

Basically, we would be competing with uca and asu for talent. Personally, i think most kids would rather win at uca then play 8 road games and play 4 home games in front of about 1000 people.

This is a bad idea.

Take those resources and make the basketball team top 2 in the sbc and try to get the ncaa and win a game.

(05-27-2012 03:34 PM)insideualr Wrote:  I just don't see the fan support in lr to do this. I don't see enough talent in the to fill out the roster.

Basically, we would be competing with uca and asu for talent. Personally, i think most kids would rather win at uca then play 8 road games and play 4 home games in front of about 1000 people.

This is a bad idea.

Take those resources and make the basketball team top 2 in the sbc and try to get the ncaa and win a game.

Just a question: If the SBC required all members to participate in all sports including football, would UALR rather join a basketball only conference. I'm not a fan of mixed conferences. JMO

The current AD would probably sooner join the NAIA than start football, and I'm of the opinion that we would not compete more than nominally against UCA for recruits. They're FCS.

Football at UALR is a great idea.

This recent realignment stuff has me thinking that either we add football or we sink to a lower conference.

(05-27-2012 01:43 PM)eh9198 Wrote:  This is just talking hypothetical. The UALR Administration (and most of it's old guard fans) would never dream of adding football. They all think it would cost too much money and that no fans would come to the games because it's such a Hog-centric state. I'm one of the few who think it would work.

The same reasoning everybody used to delay USA football for decades - everybody's either a Bama or Auburn fan and it'd never work in Mobile. OOPS! Wrong-a-MUNDO (as you can see, USA's attendance has been quite impressive). The athletic department needs to be more forward thinking at UALR and go ahead and pull the trigger on UALR football IMHO.

Who do you think are the owners of those 15,000-26,000 butts in the seats? That's right -- those Bama-USA/Auburn-USA hybrid fans the naysayers said for decades would never exist (or co-exist), rabidly grateful for their very own hometown football team. Guess what happens in the next 10-20 years? That's right, those kids the hybrid fans are bringing to their VERY FIRST D-IA FOOTBALL GAME EVER will be like "Auburn who?"; "Alabama who?" "GO JAGS!"

That's how it works. I'd love to see UTA & UALR both add football... like yesterday.

(05-27-2012 04:06 PM)airtroop Wrote:  

(05-27-2012 01:43 PM)eh9198 Wrote:  This is just talking hypothetical. The UALR Administration (and most of it's old guard fans) would never dream of adding football. They all think it would cost too much money and that no fans would come to the games because it's such a Hog-centric state. I'm one of the few who think it would work.

The same reasoning everybody used to delay USA football for decades - everybody's either a Bama or Auburn fan and it'd never work in Mobile. OOPS! Wrong-a-MUNDO (as you can see, USA's attendance has been quite impressive). The athletic department needs to be more forward thinking at UALR and go ahead and pull the trigger on UALR football IMHO.

Who do you think are the owners of those 15,000-26,000 butts in the seats? That's right -- those Bama-USA/Auburn-USA hybrid fans the naysayers said for decades would never exist (or co-exist), rabidly grateful for their very own hometown football team. Guess what happens in the next 10-20 years? That's right, those kids the hybrid fans are bringing to their VERY FIRST D-IA FOOTBALL GAME EVER will be like "Auburn who?"; "Alabama who?" "GO JAGS!"

That's how it works. I'd love to see UTA & UALR both add football... like yesterday.

If I were a UALR student or Alumnus I would be all over the fan forum and campus raising hell to start football. Perhaps your ad is a razorback fan. But it sounds like the fans may be a little "yeller" afraid to go up against UCA of all schools. That's funny.