How Creighton made it to the big time

http://www.omaha.com/article/2013063...o-the-big-time

great find and thanks for sharing. i am extremely excited to have them as part of the conference. tomorrow...let the games begin

Me too. Their 17,000 plus average per game attendnance is really the smoking gun on the passion Creighton fans have for their team.

No offense to our guys from Omaha, but there is nothing else there. Good sized city with no pro sports: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL - nothing. They are into two things: Creighton basketball and Nebraska football.

Also a good part of why the College World Series is so huge there - there is nothing else to do sports-wise.

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Originally Posted by Jim Ganzer, "IWB"

No offense to our guys from Omaha, but there is nothing else there. Good sized city with no pro sports: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL - nothing. They are into two things: Creighton basketball and Nebraska football.

Also a good part of why the College World Series is so huge there - there is nothing else to do sports-wise.

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That's good for the BE as there will be a lot of interest in the BE. Hope they travel well for the BET. In the meantime, paraphrasing an old Cleveland joke: 1st place prize in a contest is a week in Omaha, 2nd place prize is 2 weeks in Omaha and 3rd place prize is 3 weeks in Omaha. Seriously, though, CU should be a good fit for BE BB.

Interesting how Fr. P is referenced often in this piece. Possibly more than the total # of times he's been referenced in the MJS since he arrived? LOL

Since moving to Eugene, Oregon I've paid more attention to Dana Altman, the former Creighton head coach and the current coach of the Oregon Ducks. He's a keeper and was highly underrated nationally during his years at Creighton and K State. He should be given major credit for getting the ball rolling in Omaha. I wonder if the Creighton program will maintain after the Jays lose Greg McDermott's son?

For a great background piece on Creighton's expansion into big-time basketball at a big-time arena (which was a battle and risk for AD Rasmussen), see the Omaha World Herald, Sunday January 20, 2013, Tom Shatel, "Decade of Prosperity at CU came grudgingly" (Rasmussen staked job on Jays move away from Civic [arena]). I cannot get the Omaha.com website to go into the archives back far enough for this January article. Maybe a more savvy poster can find it. It's very worth reading.

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Originally Posted by Jim Ganzer, "IWB"

No offense to our guys from Omaha, but there is nothing else there. Good sized city with no pro sports: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL - nothing. They are into two things: Creighton basketball and Nebraska football.

Also a good part of why the College World Series is so huge there - there is nothing else to do sports-wise.

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Nebraska-Omaha hockey also does pretty solid attendance wise. Last year number 4 behind North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Yes Sultan, because they don't have anything else.

beerhere6 - I wonder, had Lannon not been in Milwaukee when this all came down, would Pilarz be mentioned as often? Also, had his mother(?) not gotten ill causing him to want to get closer to home, I do believe Lannon would be the MU president and not Pilarz.

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Originally Posted by Jim Ganzer, "IWB"

Yes Sultan, because they don't have anything else.

beerhere6 - I wonder, had Lannon not been in Milwaukee when this all came down, would Pilarz be mentioned as often? Also, had his mother(?) not gotten ill causing him to want to get closer to home, I do believe Lannon would be the MU president and not Pilarz.

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Can Creighton repay their favor to us and let us trade presidents?

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Originally Posted by warriorfan4life

Can Creighton repay their favor to us and let us trade presidents?

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We would have to throw in future considerations to make that happen.

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Originally Posted by JDubMU

We would have to throw in future considerations to make that happen.

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I'd be willing to throw in mayor beluga if that would get the deal done.

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Originally Posted by ziggysfryboy

I'd be willing to throw in mayor beluga if that would get the deal done.

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The Mayor declines to waive the "no trade" cluase included in the free agent contract which brought Hizzoner over from Dodds' board. Interestingly enough, IWB also wanted the no trade clause to prevent Hizzoner from being traded to MU Scoop in exchange for Chicos, NateDogg, Puetro rican Nightmare and various other players to be named later.

Now that MU and Creighton are in the same conference doesn't that become a conflict of interest on athletic department issues for Lannon?

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Originally Posted by TulsaWarrior

Since moving to Eugene, Oregon I've paid more attention to Dana Altman, the former Creighton head coach and the current coach of the Oregon Ducks. He's a keeper and was highly underrated nationally during his years at Creighton and K State. He should be given major credit for getting the ball rolling in Omaha. I wonder if the Creighton program will maintain after the Jays lose Greg McDermott's son?

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I was at a Nike Coach's Clinic at the Dells, and Altman was one of the speakers. He had all his Creighton gear on and even stated how all the rumors of him leaving were false and how much he loved it at Creighton. I forget, but either that night, or the next day, he was announced at the new coach at Oregon. I think the Nike people got to him at the clinic.