Mercer Bears and Incarnate Word Cardinals

[nickgyp]

Finished watching the 3rd  round of the Masters from the spectacular Augusta National Golf Course. Decided to check out any college football games that may still be playing this spring. Both Mercer  and Incarnate Word were hosting home games against East Tennessee State University and Northwestern State University respectively. Both schools' games were being televised on ESPN+. I recalled in 2011 when Mercer reinstated its football program after a 70 year hiatus with plans to play in the Pioneer Football League with non-scholarship players against schools like Butler and Dayton, mercer had no stadium at the time but now play in a nice concrete10,000 seat stadium built in 2013 for 14 million dollars, They moved up from the Pioneer League and play scholarship ball with only 4000 undergrads. Incarnate Word in a Sisters of Charity school in San Antonia that started scholarship football in 2009 and it plays in a 6000 seat home facility. Both are succeeding and yet Xavier doesn't even field a non-scholarship team. I miss Xavier stadium and Corcoran Field and wish the Muskies played again. Apparently other schools are able to do it financially and in the face of Title IX concerns.

I get that these schools are not basketball powers but schools like Butler and Villanova pull it off.

I will keep the candle lit.

[Bruce]

I will keep the candle lit.

Someone has to!


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[nickgyp]

Bruce:

As Pete Gillen said, "Never say never."

And it is not like it is a votive candle in church.

But if ever there becomes a patron saint of intercollegiate football then I have plenty of coins to place down the slot (paper money (even though it is worth more and might yield better ecclesiastical results) tends to get stuck which is a problem when the wooden sticks have all been burned down to stubs and cannot be used to push the bills completely down the slots)....

Say, has Mary ever been known as Our Lady of Victory Parkway??

Inquiring minds want to know!