If I were to write an open letter to Marshall’s next president, I guess it would have to start “To whom it may concern,†since we don’t know the name. Rumors are that incredibly successful donor/alumnus Brad Smith may want the job, but that is just a “man on the street†rumor.
My advice to the new president is to be aggressive when it comes to college athletics. Keep raising the bar and trying to be better. Marshall may never be a Power Five land-grant school, but it can be a Boise State or Gonzaga.
If you think it is silly to compare Marshall to Gonzaga, consider this: In the pre-Covid days before 2019, Marshall averaged 6,065 in home basketball attendance. Gonzaga averaged 6,000. In 2020, Marshall averaged 5,633 in attendance, while Gonzaga averaged 6,000. That’s very comparable. Gonzaga’s home arena is nice, but it is not as big as the old Huntington Memorial Field House.
I have been to many NCAA tournaments and have seen Gonzaga build its national brand. Mark Few, who loves fly fishing, has no ego and is a great coach. I have witnessed the rise of the Zags at the NCAA tournament. I always felt like the Gonzaga/Spokane fan reminded me of the Marshall/Huntington fan.
Marshall is different from many other mid-major programs. Athletics are important to the town, the community and the alumni. While the fan base is not large in number like some Power Five schools, Marshall has more passionate fans in football than a Wake Forest, Duke, Vanderbilt, Illinois, etc.
Passionate fans are why thousands of Thundering Herd followers traveled to Cary, North Carolina, for the men’s soccer national championship. That is why the Henderson Center was rocking for a postseason basketball tournament like the CIT in 2019. It was not a “consolation†tournament to the people of Huntington. Marshall was playing and that made it important.
With all of this in mind, Marshall fans would prefer a new conference. The fan base has fun traveling. They traveled large crowds in the old Southern Conference days. They traveled in the MAC and they would like to do it again. They would like to travel to road football games and the conference basketball tournament.
Mr. or Madame President (whomever you may be), it may be time to think outside the box and work to form a new conference. Don’t wait for it to happen. Try to make it happen. It will take time.
The task will be difficult. This needs to be done properly and professionally at the academic and presidential level. That is where you come in. Here is my wish list of schools for a new conference. These are all aggressive schools, eager for growth academically and athletically.
- Appalachian State: This a natural rival for Marshall.
- Charlotte, Old Dominion and Western Kentucky: These are also good natural relationships from Conference USA.
- Coastal Carolina: An up-and-coming school. Our state loves to travel to Myrtle Beach. Jamey Chadwell is making Coastal a national program. This is also the perfect spot for a new league’s basketball tournaments.
- FAU: For recruiting purposes, it is good to have a league with a Florida school. Boca Raton is a beautiful spot.
- James Madison: I admire this school greatly. JMU has solid enrollment. Athletically, it has a broad-based program. They are doing something right.
- Liberty: Liberty scares people because it has money and is aggressive. Liberty would bring national credibility in football and men’s basketball. It’s hungry and has incredible facilities. The school is only four hours away and its fans would help pack the Joan.
I realize this nine-team conference may sound unusual, but in today’s changing climate in college athletics, anything is possible.
Contact Frank Giardina at flg16@hotmail.com.
Contact Frank Giardina at flg16@hotmail.com.
