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Happy 2 Year Anniversary.

It was a great day! Still glad I skipped Gameday and stuffed myself silly at Roadhouse instead before the game...

Gameday was a once in a lifetime experience and I am so glad that I went. My buddy and I looked at the horrible weather forecast and decided not to get there until halfway through the telecast, but walking up that hill to where all the people were is something I will remember forever. Watching Jennings’s plane land at the airport on the tv monitors, Corso putting on the Bronco head, good times indeed. Our wives skipped gameday and got us a table at University Roadhouse so we had somewhere warm to go in between the telecast and the actual game. At one point when we were at the Roadhouse (upstairs bar) a group of recruits came walking through the bar and everyone was chanting “Row The Boat” to them. Love or hate Fleck, the whole thing was an amazing time that will probably never happen again.

Ahhh yess back when Buster was Buster.

Good times, indeed! My son and I got up early and drove to Kalamazoo for Gameday. I believe we arrived just after they went on air -- we still had a decent spot for arriving late. I flew our WMU flag in the background -- the same flag we fly on our front porch every game day. Kinda funny looking back at the video and seeing our flag. I wish we had gone to the Roadhouse but ended up spending our time at BW-3's before kickoff. It was damn cold that day but an event I'll always remember.

I forgot to put out our flag the last 3 games which have all resulted in losses. I put it out tonight hoping to bring luck to the senior class tomorrow!

Game Day was awesome and unforgetable. Glad my wife and I and brother and his wife went early and endured the cold morning. Had my Bronco flag stolen when I squeezed into the pit area. That day, our win over Northwestern, and the Cotton Bowl will always be great memories. Never thought it would happen at WMU, doubt if it ever will again. We can only dream it will.

And we have one gentleman to thank for all of those great experiences!!! And I agree, 2016 was the best!!! I went 12 out of the 14 games. I only missed @ Illinois and @ Ball State. Lifetime memories for sure!!!!

(11-20-2018 07:19 AM)BroncoBen Wrote:  And we have one gentleman to thank for all of those great experiences!!! And I agree, 2016 was the best!!! I went 12 out of the 14 games. I only missed @ Illinois and @ Ball State. Lifetime memories for sure!!!!

I know this is just stirring the pot a little bit, but I think it is kind of a chicken or the egg sort of thing. It was a perfect storm of circumstance and opportunity. There are so many fans in the college football world that have never lived the experience that we had. Regardless of history, conference affiliation, etc. I am so glad to have been able to experience it.

I think that PJ was (is) sincere when he thanked WMU on his way out. I think even he knows that it took this perfect situation with the right plays at the right time by the right players to help realize what we did.

I would guess that in moments of quiet introspection, he realizes that he could have built his dream of another Boise State in Kalamazoo. He had all of the pieces in place.

Either way, I'm glad it happened to us and that we were all smart enough to appreciate it while it was happening!

It was definitely a surreal season to experience. For one year, we stepped into the fan shoes of a mid-to-upper tier P5 program. Even the Indianas and Vanderbilts and Oregon States of the P5 world don't have that kind of season, and perhaps never will in our lifetimes.

Barring any changes in the current NCAA structure, I'd estimate only one MAC team per decade will get an NY6 bowl. And even then, it's not assured you'll get treated with Game Day or an undefeated season. NIU fans are the only ones who have experienced a similar season, and they dropped their opener during their Orange Bowl year.

I believe everyone was realistic enough to understand that sort of height was a one-time fling (although UCF is ready to make it back-to-back). But it's made consecutive 6-6 seasons a bit harder to swallow. 2016 was like a drug binge.

Still, it was great to be Cinderella and go to the Ball even for one season.

(11-20-2018 08:25 AM)AFLAGWA Wrote:  

(11-20-2018 07:19 AM)BroncoBen Wrote:  And we have one gentleman to thank for all of those great experiences!!! And I agree, 2016 was the best!!! I went 12 out of the 14 games. I only missed @ Illinois and @ Ball State. Lifetime memories for sure!!!!

I know this is just stirring the pot a little bit, but I think it is kind of a chicken or the egg sort of thing. It was a perfect storm of circumstance and opportunity. There are so many fans in the college football world that have never lived the experience that we had. Regardless of history, conference affiliation, etc. I am so glad to have been able to experience it.

I think that PJ was (is) sincere when he thanked WMU on his way out. I think even he knows that it took this perfect situation with the right plays at the right time by the right players to help realize what we did.

I would guess that in moments of quiet introspection, he realizes that he could have built his dream of another Boise State in Kalamazoo. He had all of the pieces in place.

Either way, I'm glad it happened to us and that we were all smart enough to appreciate it while it was happening!

He was never interested in being at WMU for more than 3-5 years. I'm not saying that's a bad thing but it's true.

I do imagine he might be a little upset watching the program nosedive since 2016.

Quote:He was never interested in being at WMU for more than 3-5 years. I'm not saying that's a bad thing but it's true.

I dunno -- I wouldn't say that. Too little information. I think initially he didn't have any agenda like that, as nobody would, but him going to a good mid-major (NIU) -- I would assume it wouldn't have been scratched if/when getting too ahead of himself. But with the affair-divorce controversy, thankfully for him (and us going undefeated) that being under the radar to the media, Being in Kzoo probably made him want to scratch that idea if we got big here in Kzoo over some years.... although at the same time, it was quelled + he wasn't so sought-after. So it's hard to say it'd be totally scratched. Especially when it comes to someone who loves the national attention, and has had it with no problems, they're less apt to be concerned about potential media issues that were not only quelled, but in-the-past.

However, with a winning team Minnesota coming off a crazy debacle and having to fire the coach and a clean sweep needing to be done -- he was the "right man for the job" in a sense, and he saw opportunity. That being said, the contract we offered him though I'm sure made him think twice and the next-Boise idea was under consideration. Yet, going to the B10 -- he's a daring guy, and if anyone's going to get a steady flow of good recruits up there without a great record during a reboot -- it's him, and he was confident in that. Overall, I think one would have to err on the side of torn-to-some-degree.