In 90s how did other schools catch up?

[Christopher Moen]

All this moralizing about effort and complacency and a lack of belief or too much belief and all of that is a bunch of crap.

I was on campus and at the games for a healthy chuck of the '90s and all of that mess is revisionist history. Those kids were just as dedicated to the program and worked just has hard as the ones who came before them and those who went after.

I was at NDSU from the Fall of 1995 to the Spring of 2001 (never change majors after three years kids) and I agree we had talented athletes, but part of the problem with that talent in my first two years was the few "bad eggs" that have been mentioned previously. For awhile during those early years, it seemed like the campus police and city police had a witch hunt mentality towards athletes for any kind of infraction (snowball fight). Granted, there were incidents that legitimately warranted arrests, but the little things didn't need to be blown up. I'm not a psychologist, but I believe this negative attitude towards athletes affected their psyche adversely.

Now, on the other hand, we can't forget that other schools in the NCC raised their game by getting better at coaching (Joe Glenn) and recruiting (Kleinsasser) because of the high standards NDSU had set in the 1980's. When this happens, the top-dog has to make sure they are constantly raising their game too. Did NDSU do this in the 1990's? That's arguable, but at least they're doing it now with coaching, recruiting and fundraising.

[MAKBison]

The entire university was in a funk not sure if that was by design or just occurred.

[td577]

All this moralizing about effort and complacency and a lack of belief or too much belief and all of that is a bunch of crap.

I was on campus and at the games for a healthy chuck of the '90s and all of that mess is revisionist history. Those kids were just as dedicated to the program and worked just has hard as the ones who came before them and those who went after.

Then the answer was talent and coaching.

My question wasn't really about pointing fingers at one generation over another. Every program has its ebbs and flows. There is absolutely no way you can go forever as the absolute best. A fourpeat almost didn't happen because of the SDSU game and I don't think anyone would have questioned the desire or motivation of the young men in the game. I am gathering there were still a lot of good teams in the 90s that didn't always have things go their way. There will come a day when we will all look back and say how did we lose the 14thpeat? With multiple championships spanning several decades, it has always been the tradition of this program to win and to win big games. It is tough when we judge a program as being less than spectacular when for around a 20 year span they had a winning record but no championships. The bar has always been pretty high.

I love this program. I give a lot to this program. I graduated a Bison and hold that as one of my own personal favorite achievements. I wasn't trying to discredit anything that happened during that time period but rather was curious as to some of the factors involved concerning the lack of championships. It was simply a time in my life I wasn't around because I was doing something else that kind of distracted my attention away from what was happening in this area at the time. If I brought up some bad feelings or some deeply rooted butthurt, I apologize. Overall, there were some good ideas thrown out there. There was a lot of turmoil in D2 college football in the 90s with trying to make the division more accessible to more schools which seems to have had a negative effect on the way NDSU had been doing business for a long time. I think we have since adjusted fairly well. I am willing to bet we will see another change in the way we do business again in the future and I do have the feeling we are capable of being a bit more fluid this time around. I have to think our remarkable D1 transition can be somewhat attributed to the adaptations necessary a decade earlier. It at least allowed NDSU to go back to doing business the way it was most comfortable.

[56BISON73]

Then the answer was talent and coaching.

My question wasn't really about pointing fingers at one generation over another. Every program has its ebbs and flows. There is absolutely no way you can go forever as the absolute best. A fourpeat almost didn't happen because of the SDSU game and I don't think anyone would have questioned the desire or motivation of the young men in the game. I am gathering there were still a lot of good teams in the 90s that didn't always have things go their way. There will come a day when we will all look back and say how did we lose the 14thpeat? With multiple championships spanning several decades, it has always been the tradition of this program to win and to win big games. It is tough when we judge a program as being less than spectacular when for around a 20 year span they had a winning record but no championships. The bar has always been pretty high.

I love this program. I give a lot to this program. I graduated a Bison and hold that as one of my own personal favorite achievements. I wasn't trying to discredit anything that happened during that time period but rather was curious as to some of the factors involved concerning the lack of championships. It was simply a time in my life I wasn't around because I was doing something else that kind of distracted my attention away from what was happening in this area at the time. If I brought up some bad feelings or some deeply rooted butthurt, I apologize. Overall, there were some good ideas thrown out there. There was a lot of turmoil in D2 college football in the 90s with trying to make the division more accessible to more schools which seems to have had a negative effect on the way NDSU had been doing business for a long time. I think we have since adjusted fairly well. I am willing to bet we will see another change in the way we do business again in the future and I do have the feeling we are capable of being a bit more fluid this time around. I have to think our remarkable D1 transition can be somewhat attributed to the adaptations necessary a decade earlier. It at least allowed NDSU to go back to doing business the way it was most comfortable.

Much has been talked about. All one has to do is look at the great football teams in history from across the nation. No team stays on top forever. Fact is nothing really happened as far the program itself. They had winning football teams just didn't win the natty during that time period. You cant win them all.

[Hammersmith]

The entire university was in a funk not sure if that was by design or just occurred.

We did have four different presidents during that span, so it could have played a role. Ozbun was at the end of his career. Plough comes in(bad fit) and leaves after just a couple years. Fischer felt his job (correctly) was just to hold down the fort for a year. Then Chapman comes in and takes a year to learn the lay of the land. That's a lot of instability and spinning of wheels.

[stevdock]

Much has been talked about. All one has to do is look at the great football teams in history from across the nation. No team stays on top forever. Fact is nothing really happened as far the program itself. They had winning football teams just didn't win the natty during that time period. You cant win them all.

While you are right nobody stay on top forever, it was so frustrating to watch our team be able to win a lot of games, but not win very many big games. I don't remember how long the Dome winning streak was when it ended, but I remember that UNO team came in and didn't look concerned at all and came out with the win. We had great players during that time, in fact too many to list, we just didn't win very many big games. I don't know if that was on the players or coaches or what, but it was frustrating to think we were going to have another great team go to UND, UNC, UNO, etc and have them derail one team after another.

[unbison]

While you are right nobody stay on top forever, it was so frustrating to watch our team be able to win a lot of games, but not win very many big games. I don't remember how long the Dome winning streak was when it ended, but I remember that UNO team came in and didn't look concerned at all and came out with the win. We had great players during that time, in fact too many to list, we just didn't win very many big games. I don't know if that was on the players or coaches or what, but it was frustrating to think we were going to have another great team go to UND, UNC, UNO, etc and have them derail one team after another.

Apparently the coaches couldn't land the clutch kids

[bisonaudit]

Apparently the coaches couldn't land the clutch kids

When I read that I see it in purple.

[unbison]

When I read that I see it in purple.

Well with me being a northern mn Scandinavian most things I say have some purple and it's why I refuse to use said color

[stevdock]

When I read that I see it in purple.

I'm sorry if this sidetracks this conversation a little, but how do you account for that?? I'm starting to agree with your thought process about whatever clutch is. But in the 90's it seemed like we lost almost every big game, and a lot of them by a TD or less. Flip the script, over the last four years especially, I never thought we were going to lose and we won basically every big game.