Looking Back as We Look Ahead

Written by Bill Culhane on 6:06 PM

For Bobcats all, 2010 was quite the historic year,
Championships, diplomas, and in our Texas State world the WAC did appear!
All recorded on our new website: video, audio, twitter, and text,
My small sampling of '10 will here follow next.

The men's hoopsters finished strong, a winning flurry to close last season's journey,
For the second slate in a row, onward to the SLC postseason tourney.
The Cats worked the Southland race to a record of nine and seven,
Victors in the last three, including Sam in OT, ah, a little bit of heaven.

Coach Ty and our baseballers proved they were the best Southland club,
Odd was the ending, with a questionable NCAA post season snub.
We did garner yet another regular season ring,
With promises to 2011 opponents that more pain is what we'll bring.

Coach Woodard's team shut down opponents and hit monstrous dingers,
Wins mounted weekly and more rings for their fingers.
One, two, now three championships in a row,
There's only one Southland softball dynasty that I know.

We witness Coach Chisum continue the trek along her trail,
700 career wins and counting as we all did hail.
A mix of veterans and youth, our Cats spiked and served,
Another win-filled season left the Bobcat opponents unnerved.

Coach Conner and our soccer team continued, great seasons the norm,
That's been the case since Texas State soccer took the SLC by storm.
Britney Curry ended a career by which all Bobcats we will now measure,
Leadership, skill, class, and goals - what a Texas State treasure.

Karl Benson made the announcement one fine day at Strahan,
Confirming our administration, students, athletics, and fans had one very fine plan.
When in came the call, Dr Trauth and Dr Teis, would proudly respond, "Yes!",
If there's been a greater day to be a Bobcat, it would be difficult to suggest.

Bobcat Pride is most clearly alive and doing well,
Take a look or a listen at the Loud Crowd and you can clearly tell.
All in and around Texas State willing to help carry the torch,
Doing all we can to grow and improve our university's "front porch".

The Bobcat faithful stepped up in '10 to support our Maroon and Gold,
Knowing we are all a part of Bobcat wins will never get old.
Best wishes to Bobcat Nation, near and far, one and all,
Indeed, our future is as bright as our shining star on Jackson Hall.

- Best wishes to you and yours for 2011 from the Bobcat mic.

Reminder: If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact me at lightthestar@gmail.com.

Eat em up Cats!

Bill

Blogging Maroon & Gold (December 16th, 2010)

Written by Brant Freeman on 9:09 AM

Bobcat fans and followers,

Brant Freeman here, ready to start blogging about all things Texas State! I've been the radio voice for the Texas State football program since 2003, doing everything from calling the play-by-play of the games on Saturdays, to hosting the weekly coach's shows and this season they actually decided to put me on television as co-host of "Inside Bobcat Football". You'll hear me behind the mic occasionally for other Bobcat Sports as well, such as basketball and baseball.

This is my first crack at the whole blog thing, so I hope I get my points across in a clear and concise manner. Keep in mind any "writing" I do is usually for broadcast form so here we go! (It took me 28 minutes to come up with those first two paragraphs)

Let's start by discussing football. The 'Cats haven't played a down in nearly a month and won't be taking the field again until September of 2011, yet football is an extremely hot topic at Texas State these days. Namely because the Bobcats are searching for their next head coach.

Before I get into the "new guy", I would first like to state that Brad Wright, as Texas State AD Larry Teis pointed out, is a good man and did some great things at Texas State. He was the only coach in Bobcat history (on the D-I FCS level) to both have back-to-back winning seasons ('08 & '09) AND win a Southland Conference Championship ('08). He is an alumnus of this great university and a former player who played for the late, great Jim Wacker. I, along with many of those associated with Texas State and its fans, wish Coach Wright nothing but the best.

So why the change?

Only the powers that be can truly answer that question. Best guess? With all the change about to occur at Texas State (i.e. the move up to the FBS in 2012), Texas State is simply looking for a fresh start and to hit the ground running. That doesn't necessarily mean a "name" coach (although if Bill Belichick were to call Texas State expressing his interest I would think the Bobcats would have to consider him), but the right fit. Maybe that's a coach who has a proven track record (W-L record) on the FBS level. Maybe it's an assistant coach somewhere in the FBS ranks that's "the next great coach" looking for his first head coaching gig. Maybe it's a coach with head coaching or assistant coaching experience that's proven to be one HECK of a recruiter. The bottom line is there are a lot of factors to consider when bringing in the "new guy". What would make a good fit at Texas State? Here are some questions to ponder...

CAN HE RECRUIT?
X's and O's are great, but if you have 1 or 2 star players running that playbook it's hard to get results. I don't have to tell you how competitive recruiting is in this state (but I will, just wait!). One would think that with the move up from the FCS to FBS, better players will start flocking to Texas State. I agree. But consider the recruiting competition (in no particular order): Baylor, Houston, UTEP, Rice, SMU, North Texas, UTSA, Texas Tech, TCU, Texas and Texas A&M. Those are just the in-state rival programs. Consider the 547 other schools that recruit Texas (I made that number up but you get the idea), AND add in the fact that 107 D-I FBS scholarships in this area just became available (UTSA's new program and Texas State's jump) and the recruiting war became that much tougher.

IS HE LIKABLE?
Yes, we've all heard nice guys finish last, but I'm not necessarily talking about being nice. I'm talking about being likable. Head coaches have to get along with donors, alumni, boosters, fans, parents, student-athletes, the media and me (please). Along with being the guy that decides whether or not to go for it on 4th down, college football coaches are also public figures. Sure, you want a bulldog of a coach on Saturday, to light into the players when necessary and to have a "killer instinct" come gameday and in the recruiting battles. But the more likable you are, it becomes infectious. People will want to be associated with your program, come to practices (and more importantly: games), give monetary support, cover your program in print, television and radio and simply: care. Let's face it, with Texas up north and UTSA down south, those two programs garner a lot of attention in the Austin and San Antonio markets respectively. This program needs to establish itself in a big way in the coming years and nothing does that more with a likable coach who wins.

DOES HE UNDERSTAND TEXAS STATE?
Is he aware of where this program wants to go (bowl games! Wow, did I just type that?) the importance of academics (if you're an alumni, be proud of that degree hanging in your office), what makes Texas State unique, the passion of the fans, the AD's and University's desire to take the program to heights it's never seen before? This isn't just a job. Ask those who are closely associated with the program and they'll tell you this is the most important hire in the history of Bobcat Athletics. Whoever comes in here needs to understand that.

Of course, I'm not on the hiring committee (I applied but was turned down), just someone expressing his own thoughts on the next hire. I can safely say that I'm just as excited as the rest of you on who the new head coach will be and where Bobcat Football goes to from here. Now can someone please get me Mr. Belichick's number?

Eat 'Em Up!

Brant

(contact me at txstradio@gmail.com)

From the Mic - Bill Culhane

Written by Bryan Miller on 6:49 AM

Hey Bobcat fans! I hope that you and yours have enjoyed a great, safe summer. Thankfully, the time has come to get back after it. For those of you new to this blog, this is where I give my weekly, or so, thoughts and observations on what's taking place around the world of Bobcat athletics. As the finishing touches are put on our outstanding txstatebobcats.com website, there will be a specific home for this blog and others. I hope you enjoy.

How 'bout we make '10-'11 a Maroon and Gold kind of year?!

So, where are your seats this season? Fact: Every single coach and student-athlete at Texas State speaks with sincere, unwavering appreciation on the positive impact our fans have on our Bobcats. This Fall, Coach Wright (football), Coach Chisum (volleyball), Coach Conner (Soccer) and there respective teams need you and your abundance of Bobcat Pride out at the games. Thanks for doing your vital part to light the star on Jackson Hall!

As our football team's Fall Camp 2010 came to a close this past weekend, Coach Wright expressed how excited he is about the upcoming season and that gets me even more fired up. If you aren't getting better, you're getting worse. There are plays, quarters, and games that are won in the offseason and, as Coach Wright and I talked about, that is a good thing for the 'Cats as 2010 approaches. I noticed all summer long that there were MANY Bobcat football players who committed themselves to the summer workout program and it shows (chemistry, speed, strength, athleticism, depth).

We look forward to seeing you at the football season opener @Houston. If you can't make it to Robertson on September 4th, then we will for sure have a nice spot waiting for you as we host Southern Arkansas on Sep 11th.

The new turf that makes up Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium is absolutely spectacular. Close your eyes and take a second to do a recollection of our football home five years ago. Now, go by and see it today...night and day folks. Congrats to Dr, Teis, Derek Grice, our Administration, others in the athletics department, and our loyal and supportive fans and friends for turning Bobcat Stadium into a jewel. As most of you know by now, the kicker is that Bobcat Stadium is only going to get better as we turn the pages of the calendar.

Trivia Question: The Bobcats won the SLC and went 8-5 in 2008, followed by a 7-4 record a season ago. Since entering the Southland Conference, when was the last time the Bobcat football team had three straight winning seasons? Check the next blog for the answer.

Reminder: If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact me at lightthestar@gmail.com.

Eat em up Cats!

Bill

Texas State Announces Plans For North Side Complex At Bobcat Stadium

Written by Jeff Rubin on 8:17 AM

San Marcos, Texas- Texas State University announced Wednesday that plans for building a new North Side Complex at Bobcat Stadium have begun.

The new complex will provide approximately 13,500 general admission seats for upper and lower levels that will connect the existing east and west grandstands. These additional seats will bring the capacity for Bobcat Stadium to between 28,000-30,000.

There also will be new concession stands, rest rooms and a first aid room built on the concourse of the new complex.

The new expansion project will include two elevators, one service elevator that will accommodate the Fields West Side Complex and a second passenger elevator for fans.

Furthermore, included in the project will be a large plaza that may serve as a space for public gatherings and special events.

The estimated cost for the project is $32 million with construction set to begin following Texas State’s 2011 football season. A completion date is yet to be determined.