I'd like to try another spin on the concept suggested by a list member
from Ohio, regarding the possible loss of Division I (maybe all?) hockey
at Kent State University.
 
I'm an old Mid-American Conference alum myself, having attended Ohio
University.  (Ohio had hockey in those days, 1959-63, and we played
several teams which are now in the CCHA, but I suspect none of them were
Division I or whatever passed for it at that time.  I think Ohio has a
club team now.) Anyway, the Mid-American Conference has ALWAYS been a
Division I league, and Kent State is a very long-standing member of the
conference.  (I say this because the previous poster made some reference
to Kent's not having a long-standing Division I athletic tradition,
unlike Bowliing Green, for example.) It's true that when it comes to
football, the conference has not been a cradle of powerhouses, although
some programs, especially Miami, have really had their moments.  (When I
was in Athens, you could almost bet that Miami would upset Purdue in
football each fall.) Unfortunately, Kent and my alma mater have in
recent years been the absolutely least successful Division I football
programs in the country.  (I actually saw a graphic to this effect in a
USA Today a few months back; Kent was #1 and Ohio U. was #2 in worst
winning percentage of all for the past five years.)   Having been
associated with Division I-AA football at my previous institution,
Eastern Washington University, I can say the Mid American conference is
probably a pretty good candidate for that level of play, just like the
Ivy League has become in fact.
 
To put it in perspective to those interested in the football
comparisons, the MAC is on a par with the PCAA on the west coast (San
Jose State, etc.); not really competitive with the true Division I
powerhouse conference schools, but capable of pulling an upset or three
every season against one of the big boys.
 
When it comes to other sports, however, the MAC is not so lackluster.
 
Anyway, what I'm thinking with respect to the Kent State hockey
situation is this: rather than the program's having little chance of
success because the school's overall athletic program is "too low
level," maybe just the reverse is true.  Kent has been an official
Division I athletic program in most sports for a long time.  Hockey, at
the Division I level, is a relative newcomer there, I believe.  I think
it's harder for the hockey program to have much prominence among the
long-established other programs, especially football and basketball,
than it is at the Division II programs like the one here at Northern
Michigan, where it's the ONLY big-time sports entertainment opportunity.
 
Incidentally, somewhat to my chagrin, it appears that a MAC newcomer (to
me), Ball State, has come to dominate the conference's football and
basketball (among other sports) competition in recent years.  (This year
was an exception, at least in basketball--Ohio University was the
champion!)
 
My guess is that as an expensive men's sport without a large and devoted
fan following, budget difficulties, compounded by Title IX concerns,
make hockey especially vulnerable at Kent.
 
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 *  Steve Christopher, NMU  ADSC@NMUMUS       GO 'CATS!!!             *
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