In The Game |
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In May,
Dubois began a series of meetings in Wyoming communities to discuss the plan and
to gather the thoughts of Wyoming residents about the specific recommendations
of the plan in specific and UW athletics in general. During his presentations he
explained that the full value of intercollegiate athletics, as he described
during his installation remarks, can be realized only through successful
participation at the highest levels of NCAA athletics. Dropping to Division I-AA would result in ejection from the Mountain West Conference and the loss of traditional opponents such as BYU, Colorado State, and Air Force; the likely loss of outstanding student-athletes, such as Marcus Bailey and Casey Bramlet, who have the ability and desire to play at the highest levels of competition; and the certain loss of coaches such as Joe Glenn and Steve McClain, who came to UW to lead Division I-A programs. This step also would result in significant losses to UW. Division II would result in even more dramatic revenue losses and would further lower the level of competition and skill-level of UW student-athletes. Fans also should know that UW’s basketball team would be bypassed for March Madness, as Division II teams are not invited to “The Big Dance.” Potential athletics opponents at Division I-AA and Division II are illustrated below:
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