cooperstown,

 

I can't recommend the school highly enough. If he is anything like me, he would DEFINITELY question the small school/town atmosphere.

 

After attending school for a few months, I realized how easily it was to visit and partake in the large cities around the campus (i.e. Louisville 1 hour away, UofK 30 minutes, and UC around 1.5 hours).

 

Frankly, if it wasn't so easy to get to "big time college towns" I would not have chosen to attend the small school. I would have been influenced by my friends and their enthusiasm for partying.

 

If he wants to stay around the Kentucky area, a Centre degree will in fact land him jobs without going beyond "hello" in an interview.

 

The financial help is tremendous and so are the academic scholarships. I found out after a few months of school that I should have applied because almost everyone who applies gets rewarded some kind of scholarship.

 

Anyhow, if he would like to hear more information about the school and/or meet with Andy Frye (the head football coach) please let me know.

 

I'm willing to do just about anything for a kid considering Centre (as you will find is the case for most Centre Alum).

 

Wherever he goes, I'm sure he will have made the right decision!

 

Thanks much. He's spoken/met Coach Powell and Coach Frakes (my son is a DB) and gotten numerous mailings from Coach Frye. In fact, he got one today regarding the recruit meeting at Taft on March 4. I really don't know what he'll pick. I'm leaving it up to him, though he knows there are some limitations on what I'd pay out of pocket for a "non-Centre" school. Centre is different - he knows I'm willing to spend a bit more for a school like that.

 

I wonder if any Centre alum ever has anything bad to say about the school? I'm being serious - I have talked to quite a few people about their experience there and every single person raves about it. You'd think there's at least one person somewhere that wasn't overwhelmed, but apparently not. :lol: :thumb:

This time every year I'm always surprised by the amount of high school football players from this area that commit to play at small D3 & NAIA schools. Unless you just absolutely love football & can't imagine not playing a few more years, I don't see the benefit. What do you all think?

 

As I see it:

 

Pros: get to play football a few more years, comradery w/ peers, an excuse to stay in shape, takes up spare time - less chance for getting in trouble.

 

Cons: very large time drain from academics, likelihood of severe injury, likelihood of wear & tear on joints that will limit physical activity later in life, little to no fan support from student body (often much less than in HS), very little recognition outside of own program.

 

With a sport like baseball where the likelihood of sustaining injuries that will hinder later-life activity is much lower, I guess I can see it. But with football, I just don't see the upside.

 

As far as your cons go, why play football at any level?

I turned down several offers to play small college football and instead choose to go to a college where most of my friends were at. I regret this decision every day! My major was beer and women and that eventually caught up with me, so after five years I dropped out without a degree. I feel that if I would have taken one of the offers and played football I would have been taught the disipline that I needed to attend class and get a degree.

I turned down several offers to play small college football and instead choose to go to a college where most of my friends were at. I regret this decision every day! My major was beer and women and that eventually caught up with me, so after five years I dropped out without a degree. I feel that if I would have taken one of the offers and played football I would have been taught the disipline that I needed to attend class and get a degree.

 

Are there any post-graduate programs for that?

I can't wait to read newarkcatholicfan's response to this question.

Why is that?

I turned down several offers to play small college football and instead choose to go to a college where most of my friends were at. I regret this decision every day! My major was beer and women and that eventually caught up with me, so after five years I dropped out without a degree. I feel that if I would have taken one of the offers and played football I would have been taught the disipline that I needed to attend class and get a degree.

 

You make an excellent point. Student athletes generally graduate from college at a higher rate than the overall student population for the very reasons you pointed out.

 

After 2 years as a collegiate student athlete, I transferred out to a larger school and opted not to play sports. My grades fell. After another transfer, I did finish my degree, but had to finish my final year taking 18 hours per semester, working a part time job, playing music in bars with a wife and an infant son. Had I stayed at the smaller school and continued as a student athlete, I have no doubt I would have graduated in 4 or no more than 4 & 1/2 years. While I am very happy with my life and family and wouldn't trade them for ANYTHING in this world, to stay would have been the smarter decision.

I've gotta agree with mexitucky on this one especially with the finite amount of time you're able to play. I LOVE LOVE FOOTBALL. I'm 25 and still in pretty good shape and still to this day I have dreams about being able to play still in just one more big game. It's crazy that you can fall in love with a sport that really can tear you apart from limb to limb.

Why is that?

Because I know that you are passionate about some D3 schools and seeing players have an opportunity to play and attend those schools.

Because I know that you are passionate about some D3 schools and seeing players have an opportunity to play and attend those schools.

 

It true I am but I have learn that trying to get this point through to those who are not for it can lead to problems on these boards.

 

I will keep doing what I do behind the scenes and read this thread to try and learn new thoughts.

I am curious how many kids go to these schools to play and only end up playing 1 year before realizing that it wasnt all it was cracked up to being and enjoying the college experience without football was more important.

 

I know of a bunch of kids in NKY who went somewhere and now I am hearing that they no longer participate, which is fine but I was just curious.

 

I know when I got out of HS I had a chance to possibly walk on in a sport but decided I had enough and wanted to enjoy the college experience without all the dedication that sports requires.

My perspective: I also played at Centre. I reported my frosh year. To be honest, I was burnt out on football. Highlands football program is and was pretty demanding (although it was nothing close back then compared to how demanding it is now) and I was tired of the sport. Nonetheless, I showed up. 3 other Highlands players decided after the first week to hang it up. I stuck with it another week and then hung it up. It wasn't because the conditioning was too tough. Actually, compared to Highlands, it was a walk in the park. It wasn't because I found myself way down on the depth chart. I was first on the depth chart at a linebacker position. I was simply tired of playing football. Plus, as those that come from powerhouse high school programs can understand, playing for your high school team with all it's community support and tradition was much, much different than playing for a college team. I dreamed since I was a little kid of playing for Highlands and winning a state championship. I never once dreamt of playing for Centre and winning a conference championship. I came back and played my sophomore year because in part, I missed the sport , and to be frank, in part because I got tired of some of the football players in my fraternity (the Dekes) and in other fraternities talking about how good they were and how I couldn't cut it. I took great joy in knocking the heck out of one fraternity brother in particular my sophomore year who liked to run his mouth and talk about how good he was. I played my last three years, started all three years, made All Conference, lead the team in tackles and was selected as a Captain. Some would surmise then that I really had a great time playing and would encourage all to play football in college if given the opportunity.

 

Not so. As others have pointed out, even at D-3, football takes a lot of time, particularly in season. Lots of practice time each day. Even when you get finished, you are tired unless you coasted during practice. Which affects your ability to study in the evening. Centre academics was no walk in the park (and its even worse now I'm told). There are away games, which means missing classes on Friday and getting home very late on Saturdays. Tough to study much on Sundays when you are very sore and worn out from the game on Saturday and the long bus ride home. Yeah I know you can study on the bus. But on the way to the game I was going over the game plan. On the way home, I was too tired to get any meaningful studying in. Plus, attempting to study on the bus with a lot of other people not so inclined was not the most productive study atmosphere. I

 

understand the time management skill thing and there is some truth to it, but when one considers the amount of time invested in football, even if you use great time management skills to study, you are still missing out on things. There are only 24 hours in a day. Looking back, I wish I'd have gotten involved in other college things that I just didn't have time for. Yes I enjoyed playing football, but playing football in college really didn't help me "broaden my horizons" or experiences. When it was over, other than saying I played college football, I really didn't have any thing to show for it.

 

My older son played his frosh year at Centre. When he expressed his ambivalence of playing his sophomore year, I talked him into not playing and have no regrets of having done so. My logic was simple: if he didn't absolutely love playing college football, there was no reason to invest the time in it that it required. Rather, I thought and explained to him that he should use the free time to study more and to get involved in campus activities that I didn't have the time to do. Plus, I was concerned about the impact (pardon the pun) of 4 more years of playing football would have on his body. My knees hurt (even after having both scoped in the past 9 months) and my shoulders hurt to the point I rarely sleep through the night. Given the recent studies about the impact (there's that pun again) of repeated head blows on the brain, I had that concern also. Face it, four more years of playing football meant four more years of helmet to helmet hits. And while it's only D-3 football, the hits in college are more fierce and brutal than they were in high school.

 

I'm not saying that people shouldn't play college football. Not close to saying that. But if you don't truly love and enjoy college football, then one should carefully weigh the advantages and dis-advantages of playing. One should not play just because one has the opportunity to play in my opinion. My younger son is heading off to college next year. If he elects to play, I will be fully supportive. If he elects not to play, I'll fully understand and will support that decision just as strongly.

 

Just my perspective.

Thanks much. He's spoken/met Coach Powell and Coach Frakes (my son is a DB) and gotten numerous mailings from Coach Frye. In fact, he got one today regarding the recruit meeting at Taft on March 4. I really don't know what he'll pick. I'm leaving it up to him, though he knows there are some limitations on what I'd pay out of pocket for a "non-Centre" school. Centre is different - he knows I'm willing to spend a bit more for a school like that.

 

I wonder if any Centre alum ever has anything bad to say about the school? I'm being serious - I have talked to quite a few people about their experience there and every single person raves about it. You'd think there's at least one person somewhere that wasn't overwhelmed, but apparently not. :lol: :thumb:

 

Hanover, man...Hanover

Thanks much. He's spoken/met Coach Powell and Coach Frakes (my son is a DB) and gotten numerous mailings from Coach Frye. In fact, he got one today regarding the recruit meeting at Taft on March 4. I really don't know what he'll pick. I'm leaving it up to him, though he knows there are some limitations on what I'd pay out of pocket for a "non-Centre" school. Centre is different - he knows I'm willing to spend a bit more for a school like that.

 

I wonder if any Centre alum ever has anything bad to say about the school? I'm being serious - I have talked to quite a few people about their experience there and every single person raves about it. You'd think there's at least one person somewhere that wasn't overwhelmed, but apparently not. :lol: :thumb:

 

Those that do speak poorly about Centre get taken out by the Centre mafia, to be heard from never again.

My perspective: I also played at Centre. I reported my frosh year. To be honest, I was burnt out on football. Highlands football program is and was pretty demanding (although it was nothing close back then compared to how demanding it is now) and I was tired of the sport. Nonetheless, I showed up. 3 other Highlands players decided after the first week to hang it up. I stuck with it another week and then hung it up. It wasn't because the conditioning was too tough. Actually, compared to Highlands, it was a walk in the park. It wasn't because I found myself way down on the depth chart. I was first on the depth chart at a linebacker position. I was simply tired of playing football. Plus, as those that come from powerhouse high school programs can understand, playing for your high school team with all it's community support and tradition was much, much different than playing for a college team. I dreamed since I was a little kid of playing for Highlands and winning a state championship. I never once dreamt of playing for Centre and winning a conference championship. I came back and played my sophomore year because in part, I missed the sport , and to be frank, in part because I got tired of some of the football players in my fraternity (the Dekes) and in other fraternities talking about how good they were and how I couldn't cut it. I took great joy in knocking the heck out of one fraternity brother in particular my sophomore year who liked to run his mouth and talk about how good he was. I played my last three years, started all three years, made All Conference, lead the team in tackles and was selected as a Captain. Some would surmise then that I really had a great time playing and would encourage all to play football in college if given the opportunity.

 

Not so. As others have pointed out, even at D-3, football takes a lot of time, particularly in season. Lots of practice time each day. Even when you get finished, you are tired unless you coasted during practice. Which affects your ability to study in the evening. Centre academics was no walk in the park (and its even worse now I'm told). There are away games, which means missing classes on Friday and getting home very late on Saturdays. Tough to study much on Sundays when you are very sore and worn out from the game on Saturday and the long bus ride home. Yeah I know you can study on the bus. But on the way to the game I was going over the game plan. On the way home, I was too tired to get any meaningful studying in. Plus, attempting to study on the bus with a lot of other people not so inclined was not the most productive study atmosphere. I

 

understand the time management skill thing and there is some truth to it, but when one considers the amount of time invested in football, even if you use great time management skills to study, you are still missing out on things. There are only 24 hours in a day. Looking back, I wish I'd have gotten involved in other college things that I just didn't have time for. Yes I enjoyed playing football, but playing football in college really didn't help me "broaden my horizons" or experiences. When it was over, other than saying I played college football, I really didn't have any thing to show for it.

 

My older son played his frosh year at Centre. When he expressed his ambivalence of playing his sophomore year, I talked him into not playing and have no regrets of having done so. My logic was simple: if he didn't absolutely love playing college football, there was no reason to invest the time in it that it required. Rather, I thought and explained to him that he should use the free time to study more and to get involved in campus activities that I didn't have the time to do. Plus, I was concerned about the impact (pardon the pun) of 4 more years of playing football would have on his body. My knees hurt (even after having both scoped in the past 9 months) and my shoulders hurt to the point I rarely sleep through the night. Given the recent studies about the impact (there's that pun again) of repeated head blows on the brain, I had that concern also. Face it, four more years of playing football meant four more years of helmet to helmet hits. And while it's only D-3 football, the hits in college are more fierce and brutal than they were in high school.

 

I'm not saying that people shouldn't play college football. Not close to saying that. But if you don't truly love and enjoy college football, then one should carefully weigh the advantages and dis-advantages of playing. One should not play just because one has the opportunity to play in my opinion. My younger son is heading off to college next year. If he elects to play, I will be fully supportive. If he elects not to play, I'll fully understand and will support that decision just as strongly.

 

Just my perspective.

 

 

The one major drawback to DIII sports are the bus rides. We only had to do them 5-6 times a year. Centre's away games are way further than ours were. The DIII basketball players are the ones that I really admire. They have to take 13 of those bus rides per season, at least, and they also have to miss a lot of Christmas break and into Spring Break...ouch!

Those that do speak poorly about Centre get taken out by the Centre mafia, to be heard from never again.

 

Cute. :laugh: