Kay Dalton has been around Northern Colorado athletics since 1989, when he joined the football program as the offensive coordinator, later to become head coach. Dalton has had many big on-field victories in his tenure, but nothing, he said, to approach the impending announcement of UNC’s move to the Big Sky Conference, expected to become official Tuesday.
“It’s the best thing that’s happened since I’ve been here,” Dalton said.
Added men’s basketball coach Craig Rasmuson, whose program will begin playing for the Big Sky’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth in 2008, “It’s been buzzing around here, just an awesome couple weeks.”
Big Sky members include Montana, Montana State, Idaho State, Weber State, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, Eastern Washington and Portland State.
UNC officials believe the move will solidify the school’s transformation from Division II to Division I in all sports except football, where it will continue to compete in I-AA. The official announcement is scheduled to be made Tuesday during the Big Sky’s spring meetings in Portland, Ore.
“We’re going to sign a deal and we’ll be members July 1, 2006,” UNC athletic director Jay Hinrichs said. “We have done our homework, and the Big Sky fit the University of Northern Colorado profile very well. I don’t see any negatives or drawbacks.”
The last big piece to gaining Big Sky admission came April 6 when UNC students passed a referendum to increase annual student fees that will produce $15 million in athletic infrastructure improvements over the next two years.
Committed to step up
UNC has been playing as a Division I independent, having abandoned the Division II North Central Conference in 2002, in all sports but football. Dalton’s team plays in the Great West Football Conference, a I-AA league, the same as the Big Sky.
Hinrichs said UNC is financially committed to making the move a success on the field of play. He said the athletic department budget, around $4.9 million for the school’s current fiscal year, would be increased to $7 million by July 2007, when the Bears’ five-year reclassification period from Division II to Division I ends. By 2008, his goal is to have revenue exceed expenses for athletics based on three criteria: increased fundraising, more gate receipts and conference revenue.
UNC, which is ending its third year of reclassification to Division I status, will be the conference’s ninth member beginning in 2006-07. But the Bears won’t be full-fledged members until 2007-08, when they can compete for all championships. In the 2005-06 school year, they again will be a Division I independent and play football in the GWFC.
But Dalton said playing the first-season spoiler role in 2006 would be a good way to establish rivalries.
“Once we get established and competing at their level, hopefully at the top level (of the conference), we should have some real rivalries,” Dalton said.
Big Sky commissioner Doug Fullerton calls UNC a good geographic and demographic fit. The commissioner said UNC is committed to increasing football scholarships from the 50 it currently offers to 63, and adding men’s and women’s indoor track and field and men’s cross country.
“Many of these conditions Northern Colorado has understood since this process began,” Fullerton said. “The presidents want to make sure UNC is fully committed to this endeavor. We are all very excited about Northern Colorado (joining).”
Hinrichs said UNC intends to up football scholarships to 57 by the fall of 2006 and 63 by 2007. UNC currently offers seven men’s sports and nine women’s sports, with the goal of having nine men’s sports and 10 women’s sports by the 2007-08 school year.
Facilities upgrade ahead
One big challenge for UNC becoming competitive in the Big Sky is improving its facilities. UNC administrators hope to do that with the money raised from the increase in student fees. The April 6 referendum will increase student fees between $151 and $163 annually. Students currently pay $520 annually.
“We’re very thankful to our students for passing the referendum,” Rasmuson said.
The $15 million will be used for the following upgrades:
Nottingham Field expansion. The football stadium currently seats 8,500, primarily on the west side. Construction is underway to add about 2,500 seats as well as restrooms and concession stands on the east side.
The basketball arena, Butler-Hancock Hall, will be changed from a 3,000-seat pullout bleacher venue to one with theatre-style seating to accommodate as many as 5,000.
Other planned improvements include a new soccer stadium at Jackson Field on the east side of campus, and artificial and natural turf practice fields for varsity and intramural programs.
The infrastructure improvements are scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2006. Hinrichs said a private athletic fundraising campaign – “Making an Impact for the Student Athlete” – recently was started with a goal of raising $10 million to go toward three areas: academics, strength and conditioning, and sports medicine.
Attendance has lagged
UNC has struggled to attract fans in recent years. It averaged just 4,562 fans in six football games last year, and the men’s basketball team played before an average of 1,089. Hinrichs has set a goal of doubling those figures in order for the athletic department to break even.
Moving to the Big Sky will increase the travel budget. Hinrichs projects the budget for Big Sky travel would be $980,000 in 2007-08, about $180,000 more than what the Bears are budgeted to spend in their current fiscal year.
“But when we go to the same cities in basketball every year and football every other year, we can have some economies of scale with a lot of travel partners,” he said. “They know they’re going to see us every year. Right now, all of our teams are traveling extensively because we’re independent. We’re all over the map.”
Big Sky Conference
[Division I for all sports except football (I-AA)]Commissioner: Douglas B. Fullerton
Office: Ogden, Utah
Member schools
Eastern Washington
Location: Cheney, Wash.
Enrollment: 9,506
Notable: Advanced to quarterfinal round of football playoffs last year.
Idaho State
Location: Pocatello, Idaho
Enrollment: 13,263
Notable: Has won three recent Big Sky women’s soccer titles.
Montana
Location: Missoula, Mont.
Enrollment: 13,352
Notable: Has won two national I-AA football championships and made playoffs the past 13 years.
Montana State
Location: Bozeman, Mont.
Enrollment: 12,500
Notable: Advanced to I-AA football playoffs in 2002 and 2003.
Northern Arizona
Location: Flagstaff, Ariz.
Enrollment: 20,000
Notable: Has won the past four conference women’s cross country titles. … Athletic director Jim Fallis is a former Northern Colorado AD.
Portland State
Location: Portland, Ore.
Enrollment: 23,117
Notable: Big Sky women’s golf champions the past three years.
Sacramento State
Location: Sacramento, Calif.
Enrollment: 27,972
Notable: Hornet Stadium, which seats 21,000, is a world-class track and field facility that hosted the 2004 Olympic trials.
Weber State
Location: Ogden, Utah
Enrollment: 18,000
Notable: Has won 16 Big Sky men’s basketball titles.
Northern Colorado
Location: Greeley
Enrollment: 11,855
President: Kay Norton
Athletic director: Jay Hinrichs
Sports: Football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s cross country, softball, women’s swimming and diving, baseball, wrestling. Sports to be added: Men’s cross country, men’s and women’s indoor track and field
Football stadium: Nottingham Field (opened in 1995, currently being expanded to capacity of 11,000)
Basketball arena: Butler-Hancock Hall (opened in 1975, currently being expanded to capacity of 5,000)
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
