Holy Cross Hockey and
Hockey East
Holy Cross Basketball
and
"The Catholic League"
With all the conference shake-ups around the country many
schools are affiliating with new leagues that better meet their needs.
Hockey East just added Notre Dame as its 11th member and needs to add one
more member to make it an even 12 for scheduling purposes. Meanwhile
the schism between the football and non-football members of the Big East is
making the latter members seriously consider breaking away and forming a new
"Catholic League" that could be a promising home for HC basketball and,
perhaps, all sports other than football which would remain in the Patriot
League. Will Holy Cross make such moves?
An October 13, 2011 Worcester Telegram article by Nick
Kotsopoulos reported that the Worcester City Council supports HC "upgrading"
to bid-time league affiliations:
WORCESTER — With college athletics being turned
upside down nationally through the redesigning of many conferences, the City
Council is reaching out to Holy Cross to see what interest, if any, it might
have in becoming part of a major conference in basketball and ice hockey.
If the college is at all interested, the council wants Holy Cross officials
to know that the city would be willing to work with them and see how it
could help achieve such a move.
City councilors firmly believe that Holy Cross’ admission to a major
conference would provide many economic opportunities for the city as well as
reinvigorate community spirit.
They said Crusader teams could play at the DCU Center, which would make it a
vital component to such a move.
“Holy Cross athletics is a valuable asset that has been under a rock the
last several decades,” said Councilor-at-Large Frederick C. Rushton. “Holy
Cross is a first-class institution that has been a source of community pride
for a long time. We want the Cross to know that if they see the change that
we see taking place in college athletics, we will be there for them if they
need our assistance.
“Having Holy Cross become part of a major conference would be an economic
boost for the city because of the big-name schools that would be coming to
Worcester to play here on a regular basis,” he added. “It would also restore
the kind of community pride that existed in Worcester during the heyday of
Holy Cross athletics.”
Worcester Telegram & Gazette - telegram.com - Councilors yearn for big-time
basketball, hockey
At first Holy Cross denied it had any interest in
changing league affiliations: See October 13, 2011 article:
Worcester Telegram & Gazette - telegram.com - Holy Cross douses Catholic
league talk
However, less than a month later, HC is more open to
changing leagues, at least in Men's Ice Hockey. It has been
reported that Holy Cross has notified Atlantic Hockey that they are
exploring joining the Hockey East:
Connecticut, Holy Cross Explore Hockey
East Option
by
Mike
McMahon/Staff Writer of College Hockey News
November 3, 2011
Both Connecticut and Holy Cross have informed Atlantic
Hockey officials that they are exploring the possibility of joining Hockey
East.
RPI has also been discussed internally by members of
Hockey East.
Hockey East has expressed a desire to reach 12 teams,
following the recent addition of Notre Dame as an 11th member as of the
2013-14 season.
According to a report in the Worcester Telegram last
month, the city of Worcester is willing to help Holy Cross in its Hockey
East bid, including providing the use of the DCU Center for home games.
Both UConn and Holy Cross currently play home games in
arenas that would be significantly smaller than other rinks in the league
(Holy Cross' Hart Center seats just 1,400 people).
Michael Germain, Councilor-at-Large for the city of
Worcester, a Holy Cross alum and one-time hockey star there, is making a
push for the 10,000-plus-seat DCU Center to host Crusaders games. That
would theoretically make things more attractive for Hockey East.
"Clearly, we cannot speak for Holy Cross, nor should
we, nor should we try," Germain told the Telegram. "If Holy Cross wants to
do it, it would need to move its (home) games from the Hart Center because
it is too small. They would have to play at the DCU Center, and that is
something we as a city might be able to help the college out with.
"The economic spinoff from something like that is
something to consider because hockey is huge in this city," he added.
"There is a lot of support in this area for Holy Cross hockey. ... Let's
not miss out on this opportunity."
Even with the DCU Center, however, it's not clear
whether Hockey East would find Holy Cross an attractive option.
According to multiple sources, Hockey East is not close
to making a decision or announcement on a 12th member
College Hockey News: Connecticut, Holy Cross Explore Hockey East Option
This is a great opportunity for Holy Cross to compete in
the nation's premier hockey league.
So is the Hockey East Interested: Holy Cross
has been identified as a "likely candidate" for Hockey East:
Likely candidates for Hockey East's 12th team | TheMackReport.com | a hockey
blog covering Merrimack College, Hockey East, the NCAA and the NHL
Opportunities to change leagues are rare. CROSSPORTS
urges Holy Cross to carefully review whatever opportunities present
themselves and to TAKE TIMELY AND APPROPRIATE ACTION so that such
opportunities do not fall though our fingers. These actions will
include upgrading HC's facilities.
Strategic Plan for Athletics
Holy Cross's current facilities are not fit for either
Hockey East of the Catholic League. However, according to Holy Cross's
Strategic Plan for Athletics, The Hart Center will be upgraded in
basketball and possibly hockey. Perhaps such plans could be
accelerated if we are given the opportunity to upgrade our conference
affiliations. In the meantime, the Worcester City Council has
offered use of the more than adequate DCU Center for Hockey and Basketball
games.
In October, Father McFarland sent a letter to members of
the Presidents Council in which he stated:
Athletic programs play a large part in the institutional
strategies of many colleges and universities. The institutions see
them as a means of creating spirit among the student body while engaging
alumni and other supporters and engendering a sense of school pride.
Many institutions also use athletics to promote
themselves to a much wider audience. High-profile programs like Ohio
State, Notre Dame and the University of Southern California are constantly
in the public eye, bringing instant recognition and an aura of excellence
and success to these schools. This enhanced reputation attracts more
applicants for admission, makes alumni and other potential supporters more
interested in associating with the school and raises the overall perception
of the school's importance.
Father pointed to the success of Gonzaga University's
athletics and how it helped Gonzaga overall. He then warned that we
must be vigilant to avoid the abuses of big-time athletics.
Father points to the many successes HC has had in recent
years from the Hockey Team's win over Minnesota to Dominic Randolph's
leading the football team to a PL championship. He then
acknowledged the problems the school faces because of inadequate support of
athletics:
The inadequate support shows. While we have had
modest success in recent years in football, baseball, ice hockey, crew and,
until the last couple of years, basketball, overall our record in varsity
sports has been pretty dismal. Even in the Patriot League, where we
are playing schools with similar admission standards, philosophies and
resources, we have not done well. We are generally last in the league
in the President's' Cup, based on the cumulative record of each school in
league-sponsored sports.
HOWEVER, HELP IS ON THE WAY. Father then revealed
the Strategic Plan for Athletics:
In discussions for our new strategic plan, one area of
emphasis has been athletics. It is time to address the inadequacies in
the programs. We owe it to our student athletes to give them what they
need to be competitive and to have a positive experience. Moreover, it
is important that our athletic program reflect the standards of excellence
we expect in everything we do.
The plan, approved by the trustees in June, runs through
2020.
The most dramatic initiatives are for facilities.
The plan first proposed to renovate and expand the Hart Center, improving
the basketball arena with better seating and other amenities, adding a
separate practice court and expanding offices, locker rooms and training
facilities. The next step is to add a new structure with a 200-meter
indoor track and a 60-yard turf field. This will be attached to the
Hart Center on the side of the basketball arena and extend north down the
hill toward Hogan. this facility will provide much better practice
space for the many varsity teams currently crammed into the old field house
during the winter and be available for recreational use as well. It
will also free up the field house in the short run for intramural, other
programs and informal pickup games.
The next step will be "replacing the Field House with a
facility adjacent to Hogan, to the southeast, extending into what is not the
parking lot towards the Hart Center. . . .These two new facilities. .
. will provide a corridor that closes the gap between Hogan and Hart and
will fill in what is not mostly a wasteland of parking" (a new parking
garage under the track will replace the lost parking spaces). Coaches
salaries will also be raised.
Diagram courtesy of Pakachoag Phreek
Here is a link to a 2007 plan for the new facilitites:
http://www.dlmplanners.com/Promosheets/Holy Cross CP.pdf
Comments on the CROSSPORTS message board are very supportive
of the Strategic Plan. CROSSPORTS urges its readers to express support
of this plan both verbally and financially through contributions to HC and
its Athletics funds and by attending Holy Cross athletic events so that the
administration will know that "if they build it, they will come" and that
the benefits from investing in sound athletic programs will be realized.
Almost 16,000 fans attend first night game in
Fitton Field History. Game televised nationally on CBS Sports channel
The first of many? This was such a
success that HC Athletic Director, Dick Regan, suggested that next year's
UNH game may be switched to a night game at Fitton.
“I'm not sure we'll do it every year,” HC athletic
director Dick Regan said, “but we'd like to do it a lot of years, depending
on the schedule. It'll depend on who the opponent is, but I think we'll do
it often.”
Regan indicated next year's opener against New Hampshire at Fitton Field
likely will be under the temporary lights.
Read the full article at:
Worcester
Telegram & Gazette - telegram.com - Energy fills Fitton Field
NAD on WCHC
Our own Non Alumni Dave (NAD) was a special guest at
halftime on WCHC during HC's Senior Day win over Lehigh (Sader1970 photo)
.jpg)
Anyone have a transcript?(Sader1970 photo)
CROSSPORTS EXCLUSIVE
12 Essential Questions with . . . Coach Milan Brown
Coach Milan Brown
graciously agreed to respond to the 12 Questions submitted by Bill Cambria
'69 on behalf of all CROSSPORTS posters (and indeed all fans of Holy Cross
basketball). As you will see as you read through the questions and answers
below, Coach Brown has given us a mixture of intelligence and humor, a
pretty good dose of pride to be the custodian of our great basketball
tradition, and some insight into how he will guide the Holy Cross basketball
program into the future. Thank you, Coach Brown! Be assured that we will
be supporting you every step of the way!
The College of the Holy Cross: America's
Highest Ranked Catholic Liberal Arts College*
*Based on the Rankings of the U.S. News and
World Report
Link to Rankings
Ranked #8 Best Value of all colleges and
universities in the US by Kiplinger Magazine:
Link to Rankings
Top 10 Most Beautiful Campus in the United
States:
Princeton Review Link
National Champions
Holy Cross has National Championships in Basketball, Baseball
And Football
1947 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions
1954 NIT Champions
1952 NCAA Baseball Champions
HC Head Coach John Barry
HC's top three hurlers at Omaha: Ronnie Perry, Jim O'Neill
and Dick Bogdan
The 1952 NCAA Men's Division I College World Series (CWS) involved 8
schools playing in double-elimination play to determine the national
champion of men's NCAA Division I college baseball. It began on June 12, and
ended with the championship game on June 17. A total of 15 games were played
at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.
The tournament participants were selected by the NCAA baseball committee,
with one team coming from each of the eight NCAA districts.
The College of the Holy Cross won the national championship with an 8-4
victory over the University of Missouri in front of 6,914 fans.
Senior pitcher Jim O'Neill of Holy Cross was named the CWS Most Outstanding
Player.
1987 NCAA 1-AA Football National Champions*
1987 Final NCAA football Poll:
1. Holy Cross
2. Appalachian St.
3. La.-Monroe
4. UNI
5. Idaho
6. Ga. Southern
7. Eastern Ky.
8. James Madison
9. Jackson St.
10. Weber St.
11. Western Ky.
12. Arkansas St.
13. Maine
14. Marshall
15. Youngstown St.
16. North Texas
17. Richmond
18. Howard
19. Sam Houston St.
20. Delaware St.
*The Patriot League did not allow its members to
participate in the 1AA playoffs during its early years so the Crusaders were
prevented from their inevitable triumph in the playoffs. However, it was
clear to most that Holy Cross was the best 1AA football team in the Nation
in 1987. They finished first in the National polls; the Sporting News
declared them National Champions, Head Coach Mark Duffner was named the
Eddie Robinson Award National Coach of the Year and Holy Cross dominated
every team they played:
Army
34-24
Lafayette
40-11
Lehigh
63-6
Colgate
49-7
Dartmouth
62-23
Bucknell
48-10
Brown
41-0
Massachusetts 54-10
Harvard
41-6
William & Mary
40-7
Villanova
39-6
(Nationally Televised Thursday Night Football ESPN)
Question:
How many colleges have won the national championship in
basketball and baseball, and played in a major football bowl game (e.g.
Orange, Sugar, Cotton, & Rose)?
Answer:
Michigan NIT:1984,1997,2004 / NCAA Basketball:1989 /
NCAA Baseball:1953, 1962 / Rose: & others
Ohio State – NIT: 1986 / NCAA Basketball: 1960 / NCAA Baseball: 1966/
Rose & others
Stanford – NIT:1991 / NCAA Basketball:1942 / NCAA Baseball:1987, 1988
/ Rose & others
California – NIT:1999 / NCAA Basketball: 1959 / NCAA Baseball:1947,
1957 / Rose & others
Arizona:
1980 Baseball, 1997 basketball, 1994 Fiesta
Oklahoma State:
1959 Baseball, 1945-46 basketball, 2003 Cotton
LSU - NCAA
Basketball:1939, NCAA Baseball 1991,1993,1996,1997,2000,2009/ Sugar, Cotton,
Orange & others (Thanks to Delton D who sent CROSSPORTS this info on LSU)
And of course ...
Holy Cross – NIT:1954 / NCAA Basketball:1947 / NCAA Baseball:1952 /
Orange:1946
If you wish to find old versions of CROSSPORTS going
back to 2002 go the the www.archives.org
"Wayback Machine" Here is a link:
Internet Archive Wayback Machine link
Ceremony to honor the first recipient of the Purple Crested
Blazer
Non Alumni Dave is the first winner of the Purple Crested Blazer Award
for his many contributions to CROSSPORTS including his recent joining of the
Perry Millenium Club, his vocal support and his traditional, annual "Twas
the Night Before Christmas Holy Cross style." Here he is
wearing the hallowed jacket prior to the recent Men's basketball game versus
Bucknell. Here he is with Bob C. who generously donated the jacket.
Here NAD is being presented with the Blazer by Bob C. Of course, the
ever popular Mr. George Kennedy, a big CROSSPORTS fan, took part in
the ceremony. Here Mr. Kennedy is escorted by his host: Ray.
Dave was honored to receiver the award terming it "A tradition like no
other!"
Hornet Mom Photo
ATTENTION: Mrs.
CROSSPORTS (also know as Hornet Mom, unofficial photographer of
Mansfield (MA) High School Football: Brett McDermott's High School) is in
the process of posting over 200 Photos of the Georgetown Game on the
Kodak Site. Here is a link:
Hornet Mom Photos
Annie Hussey, our former basketball
columnist has matriculated to Dominican in River
Forrest, Illinois where she is a manager of the Women's basketball Team.
Her travels with the team last January brought her to Duke where she posed
for this photo at the Heart of Blue Devel's nation and was kind enough to
share it with us.
Interviews with:
Read Bill Cambria's latest interview
with
Milan Brown: Head Men's Basketball Coach:
Link to Brown Interview
HC Athletic Director Dick Regan:
Link to Regan Interview
Tom Gilmore: Head Football
Coach: Link to
interview
Wally Carew (author of "A Farewell to
Glory," the history of the Holy Cross-Boston College Football rivalry):
Link to interview
Ralph Willard: Former Men's Basketball Coach:
Link to interview
Check out all Past interviews on our
12 Essential Questions Page
Link to Fan Photo
Page
Holy Cross Equestrian
Team Schedule posted. See
Link
Back-up Message Board
Voy.com, the service we use for our message board, has had some
problems and is intermittently down. CROSSPORTS has developed a BACK
UP BOARD so that we can stay in touch during down times
LINK TO BACK UP BOARD. Please use the main board but, if its down,
click on this link.
CROSSPORTS Needs you!
CROSSPORTS IS run by HC Fans.
The more you contribute, the better this site will
be. If you have sports information that you would like to share, you
can post it on the Message Board or you can email it to me at
Crossports@Crossports.com and
I will consider it for publication here. So if you have information
about a non-revenue sport, recruits, players, photos, game reports, etc.
please send it in. If you are creative and want to send in art work
(Your version of the Crusader or how about battling mascots -- with HC
winning of course). How about an editorial?
Your help is appreciated. GO CROSS!
Want to write for
CROSSPORTS? Got an interesting article, photo or letter you would like to
see here? Submit it to
CROSSPORTS@CROSSPORTS.com
Fan Photos: Check out LINK
to see photos sent in by readers.
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