It Never Hurts to Dream

[Coyote Fan]

We can all dream but could you imagine the following

1) Kurtis Riggs takes over as football coach in 2011 and we see a competitive team in the Mo Valley in 2012.

2) A new radio crew all around with a dynamic play by play voice to lead the Yotes into the future. RJ continues to be the voice of women's basketball.

3) Groundbreaking on a new basketball arena and football expansion all within the next 2 years.

4) A new USD record sellout crowd on Nov 8th, 2013 of 17,500 including standing room only at the Dakota dome for the MVFC clinching game with a stirring 31-28 last second win over South Dakota State on a 57 yard field goal at the gun. In a game with new levels of excitement and thousands of students and alumni storming the field and tearing down the goal posts as the players mingle around the field in embrasses and helmet pumping chants.

5) In 2015 on a December night in Chatanooga, Tennessee USD with a 13-1 record takes on Appalacian State in the D1 FCS Championship game. In a game of precision passing and aggressive defense South Dakota takes home the national championship with a 37-20 victory

6) In March of 2016, USD basketball wins the Summit League tournament championship before a sellout crowd of 14,300 at the Sanford Events Center in Sioux Falls, SD. In the first round game USD as the #7 seed defeats 2nd seeded IUPUI on a put back dunk with 6 seconds left to advance with a 71-69 win. In the semi-finals the Coyotes knock off #3 seed Oakland of Michigan in a hard fought 64-58 battle to advance to the title game. In the finals USD defeats #4 seed SDSU in a stirring 96-93 Double OT win. In regulation the Coyotes overcome a 16 point defecit with 13:00 to go by hitting a three point shot from 28 feet at the buzzer to tie it up. In the second overtime USD hits a basket and one with 2.5 seconds left to take a 3 point lead. SDSU's desperation heave from half court hits the backboard and USD advances to the NCAA tourament for the first time.

In the tournament USD becomes the first ever #16 seed to knock off a #1 making history with a 73-67 win over #1 seed Kentucky before a pro Kentucky crowd at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in the Midwest regional. The Coyotes had fans from all over cheering them on including those from Oklahoma State and UCLA not to mention many Indianapolis locals. USD follows it up with a win over #8 Oklahoma State to reach the sweet 16. USD's cinderalla run finally comes to an end at Ford Field in Detroit Michigan in the sweet 16 by losing to #5 seed Texas by 14.

The point is, if we want to think small we will get small results. If we think big anything is possible. It's never going to happen without having a vision. This would be having our cake and eating it too but could you imagine the culture change at USD if even half the things happened to us that I outlined above.

[#1CoyoteFan (Admin)]

There is a big difference between dreaming big and being delusional.

Kurtiss Riggs? What qualifications does he have to be a head coach! What recruiting does he do in college? Even though USD plays in a Dome, this isn't the IFL, this is FOOTBALL with five linemen and actual defensive schemes! I would rather have Ed than Kurtiss Riggs! He is a great guy, but this is a WHOLE different ball game!

In terms of the 16 seed, first problem with that is it will never happen because by 2016 1s and 16s prolly won't play each other. Good try though, but Kentucky is also a stretch because Johnny C will have them in the NCAA jail haha.

I like the idea of a bball arena, but within two years might be a stretch. I would say three years. Never trust construction at USD to be on time haha.

[Yote 53]

And the FCS championship game is in Frisco, Texas now, a Dallas suburb. At least for the next 3 years.

[HadleyCoyote]

Coyote Fan,

Dream BIG. Set BIG goals. Have BIG expectations. That's the point of your post. Not nit-picking the details.

Of course those things won't happen like that, but as far as the sentiments ... I'm with ya.

...just think...maybe something even more fantasic will happen...

[usdlaw]

I like the dreams, but how about a little reality. We're going to build the new basketball arena starting in 2012 and with that Dome renovations to the West side. Some whole new bathrooms and concessions. Big things are happening Yote fans. There's no dreaming about it, it's going to happen. A few details need to fall into place, but it will happen.

Coyote Fan, with the exception of the Kurtis Riggs comment, I like your post. Good job on thinking positive.

[Yote 53]

March 2016 we're a 7 seed in the Summit tournament? First of all, no way, we'd be a one or two seed, at least a 3. If we're not at least a 6 seed in 2012 I'll be disappointed.

On Nov 2013 we won't need a last second field goal to win, we're going to pound SDSU into the ground in a statement making game that sends shockwaves through the MVFC and the FCS that USD is a serious national contender and stakes the claim that there is ONLY ONE dominant D1 school in South Dakota. A 42-3 win is more what I'm thinking.

I'm thinking bigger.

USDLaw is correct, those projects are soon to be a reality.

[bopelini]

That's all good stuff. I'll take a pass on Kurtis Riggs though and go after Joe Glenn to take the Coyotes on to the next level.

[#1CoyoteFan (Admin)]

I realize my post may have come across a bit wrong Coyote Fan.

I like the post and the only delusional part to me was Kurtiss Riggs. The other two things were more of jokes.

Yeah, I agree with Yote 53. Hopefully no last second field goal is needed against SDSU and USD is better than a 7 seed.

I think it's either Oral Roberts or Oakland that has a game on during the 25-hours of basketball. Anyone else that stayed up and watched the St. John's game? Oh yeah.

[Yote 53]

I was on the couch, slipping in and out of consciousness after the MNF game. Caught the end of a couple of the overnight games. Too lazy to get off the couch the crowd roaring woke me from my slumber. Then I slipped back into la la land.

USD would be a good place for Joe Glenn to resurrect his career. I'm pulling for Ed to step up in the future, though.

[#1CoyoteFan (Admin)]

Joe Glenn is definitely an interesting choice that I would like to see as well. If he wants to do it, I feel like the job would be his, even though the pay would be below what he would prolly won't, but still.

[Coyote Fan]

I started this topic for two general reasons. One, to simply try to start conversation and secondly to see how people react to it.

Generally there are two sides of thought on this. It's the think small group where an old school sense of reality has to always turn it's head away from the dream. Then there are the BIG thinkers group who were probably more for D1 in the first place. Hadley Coyote said it best, it's not in the details what I am trying to convey here, it's a perception. I did not write this post to be nitpicked, whether it be the #7 seed, the location of the football title game etc. That is beyond the point and irrelevant to the discussion.

Take this post and compare it to the football season. Look what happened when USD decided to dream a little. Look what happened when they were loose against Minnesota. They just let it all hang out there and didn't let the thought or reality or the thought of losing enter their mind. It resulted in good play calling, it resulted in confidence and it resulted in an unlikely victory. It's like the Yote football program had a lapse in memory that luckily lasted about 3 hours.

When you read what I wrote was your first impression to smile a bit and to imagine what a situation like that would really be like. Did you imagine that it could happen someday. It would be miraculous but not impossible. The only things that are impossible are the things that cannot be dreamt. Than the other side that would say, no way that cannot happen, lets get back to reality for a second.

If anyone hasn't watched the movie miracle about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, it's one of the best sports movies ever made and it is all about belief and all about perseverance. Every sports team should watch it together. Herb Brooks was a master motivator and he taught the team to believe in itself even when the odds were stacked as high against a team as possibly could be. If the confidence would not have been instilled in the team, if the belief hadn't been slowly made to reality there is no way the shocking miracle on ice could have ever happened.

When it comes to USD football the first thing that should be thought of when taking the field is "what are we going to do to win this game. What are we going to do that the opponent will have trouble with. What can we do now (such as in practice) to be ready for the last minute of the UC-Davis game that is going to allow us to win the game. When calling plays what are we going to do to get first downs and to score touchdowns. It shouldn't be "what are we going to do being short handed on the D-Line to put pressure on the quarterback. How are we going to avoid their runningback getting his 150 yards rushing. How can we avoid from getting beat by their big receiver when it gets down to the red zone"

It's all a matter of perspective and I saw a USD team worried more about stopping what the other team was doing right than making the other team worry about stopping what USD was doing right. It's all about confidence.

As far as reality is concerned, many people said it wasn't realistic for Butler to get to the national championship game. Well guess what, the small thinkers reality is different from the big thinkers reality. Big thinkers won't have everything go right but they will give themselves a chance to succeed and many successes will naturally occurr. Small thinkers will defeat themselves before they even get onto the field to play the game. As a fan I suggest being a big thinker. I suggest having HIGH expectations and I suggest not allowing yourself to fall into the trap of a small South Dakota thinking mentality.

That is why I have been as critical as I have been at times. It's not because I want to be so negative eventhough it's perceived that way, it's actually because I have a very high personal platform that I think USD can reach if the people on the inside can grasp that same way of thinking as I do.

[coyote09]

Nov 15, 2010 23:38:20 GMT -6 Coyote Fan said:

We can all dream but could you imagine the following

1) Kurtis Riggs takes over as football coach in 2011 and we see a competitive team in the Mo Valley in 2012.

2) A new radio crew all around with a dynamic play by play voice to lead the Yotes into the future. RJ continues to be the voice of women's basketball.

3) Groundbreaking on a new basketball arena and football expansion all within the next 2 years.

4) A new USD record sellout crowd on Nov 8th, 2013 of 17,500 including standing room only at the Dakota dome for the MVFC clinching game with a stirring 31-28 last second win over South Dakota State on a 57 yard field goal at the gun. In a game with new levels of excitement and thousands of students and alumni storming the field and tearing down the goal posts as the players mingle around the field in embrasses and helmet pumping chants.

5) In 2015 on a December night in Chatanooga, Tennessee USD with a 13-1 record takes on Appalacian State in the D1 FCS Championship game. In a game of precision passing and aggressive defense South Dakota takes home the national championship with a 37-20 victory

6) In March of 2016, USD basketball wins the Summit League tournament championship before a sellout crowd of 14,300 at the Sanford Events Center in Sioux Falls, SD. In the first round game USD as the #7 seed defeats 2nd seeded IUPUI on a put back dunk with 6 seconds left to advance with a 71-69 win. In the semi-finals the Coyotes knock off #3 seed Oakland of Michigan in a hard fought 64-58 battle to advance to the title game. In the finals USD defeats #4 seed SDSU in a stirring 96-93 Double OT win. In regulation the Coyotes overcome a 16 point defecit with 13:00 to go by hitting a three point shot from 28 feet at the buzzer to tie it up. In the second overtime USD hits a basket and one with 2.5 seconds left to take a 3 point lead. SDSU's desperation heave from half court hits the backboard and USD advances to the NCAA tourament for the first time.

In the tournament USD becomes the first ever #16 seed to knock off a #1 making history with a 73-67 win over #1 seed Kentucky before a pro Kentucky crowd at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in the Midwest regional. The Coyotes had fans from all over cheering them on including those from Oklahoma State and UCLA not to mention many Indianapolis locals. USD follows it up with a win over #8 Oklahoma State to reach the sweet 16. USD's cinderalla run finally comes to an end at Ford Field in Detroit Michigan in the sweet 16 by losing to #5 seed Texas by 14.

The point is, if we want to think small we will get small results. If we think big anything is possible. It's never going to happen without having a vision. This would be having our cake and eating it too but could you imagine the culture change at USD if even half the things happened to us that I outlined above.

Dude, you have WAY to much time on your hands. Get a life.