D1 Tarleton State (TX) has a Head Coach?

[1032004]

Based on his tweet history I’m guessing Leeth will enjoy living in Texas much more than California

[bnwtwg]

4 hours ago, 1032004 said:

Based on his tweet history I’m guessing Leeth will enjoy living in Texas much more than California

Texas and Silicon Valley + NorCal are 100% interchangeable if you are comfortable swapping Patagonia vests and cowboy cosplay.

[TexRef]

9 hours ago, bnwtwg said:

Texas and Silicon Valley + NorCal are 100% interchangeable if you are comfortable swapping Patagonia vests and cowboy cosplay.

Stephenville is the "Cowboy Capital of the World". Plus Stephenville has about a third of the population of Palo Alto. That is a big move in hopes that we can raise enough money. Fingers crossed. 

[TitleIX is ripe for reform]

Even if Tarleton State doesn't go the NCAA route, a club coach could conceivably earn a respectable living while making a favorable difference in a substantially underserved region for the sport (s)he loves.   

Liberty University's former wrestler (and now coach) Jesse Castro remains at the helm of the Flames' post-elimination club program:

https://ncwa.net/teams/lib

He was in charge when they were still NCAA D1, too.   I am not aware that he's a volunteer.   And they have a women's program now, too, suggesting more team growth's on the horizon.     

Texas is within driving distance of his native Missouri, but as for Palo Alto:  not so much.      

[Show_Me]

On 10/11/2023 at 9:37 PM, TitleIX is ripe for reform said:

Texas is within driving distance of his native Missouri, but as for Palo Alto:  not so much.      

Not sure I would categorize a 650-700 mile trip from Stephenville TX to either Kearney or Columbia (MO) as being “within driving distance”.  Lol.

[CHROMEBIRD]

On 10/9/2023 at 8:05 PM, billyhoyle said:

Turning "Tarleton State," which few people outside of Texas have ever heard of, into a successful program is a completely different challenge. Why is Tarleton State the place where there is now support to start a program...Is there any chance at Texas A&M, Rice, Texas Tech, UT Austin, Baylor, etc? Or is the plan that once Tarleton state has a program, it could motivate some of the more marquee Texas universities?

Hard to imagine A&M adding sports, even with next year's ESPN money, now that they have to deal with Jimbo Fisher's insane buyout. 

Where are the wrestling hotspots in Texas? Maybe UTEP or UTSA? I thought both regions had a pretty good wrestling culture at the prep level. Strong for Texas, that is.

[TexRef]

8 hours ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

Hard to imagine A&M adding sports, even with next year's ESPN money, now that they have to deal with Jimbo Fisher's insane buyout. 

Where are the wrestling hotspots in Texas? Maybe UTEP or UTSA? I thought both regions had a pretty good wrestling culture at the prep level. Strong for Texas, that is.

In Texas, the programs are only in the metropolitan areas. Unless there has been a new HS program added, the nearest HS program to Stephenville is over an hour away.  The north region of Texas has more wrestling than the central region, so UTSA would a hard sell. UTEP would have a bunch of talent to pick from, but the traveling would be horrible. 

[1032004]

6 minutes ago, TexRef said:

In Texas, the programs are only in the metropolitan areas. Unless there has been a new HS program added, the nearest HS program to Stephenville is over an hour away.  The north region of Texas has more wrestling than the central region, so UTSA would a hard sell. UTEP would have a bunch of talent to pick from, but the traveling would be horrible. 

Well Bo Nickal said he moved to Allen because their wrestling team was good, so what about Baylor or North Texas?

[SetonHallPirate]

1 hour ago, TexRef said:

In Texas, the programs are only in the metropolitan areas. Unless there has been a new HS program added, the nearest HS program to Stephenville is over an hour away.  The north region of Texas has more wrestling than the central region, so UTSA would a hard sell. UTEP would have a bunch of talent to pick from, but the traveling would be horrible. 

UTEP is actually only a six-hour drive from Arizona State, believe it or not. (Heck, UTEP is closer to Arizona State than Tarleton State)

[TexRef]

10 hours ago, 1032004 said:

Well Bo Nickal said he moved to Allen because their wrestling team was good, so what about Baylor or North Texas?

Neither of those schools are interested in having a wrestling program. The University of North Texas (UNT) had a club team that was run by Andre Metzger and he finally got tired of hearing them say "No thanks" that he left. 

[Fudge Tunnel]

12 hours ago, TexRef said:

Neither of those schools are interested in having a wrestling program. The University of North Texas (UNT) had a club team that was run by Andre Metzger and he finally got tired of hearing them say "No thanks" that he left. 

UNT didn’t even have a practice facility, they had to use  Liberty Christian’s room.  Not to mention, Denton ISD doesn’t even have wrestling.  It would be a tough sell there.  However, a D1 program in DFW makes the most sense - that area has the best overall HS talent, proximity to Oklahoma and the panhandle, hopefully spark some of those mid-sized high schools to start up programs, etc

Edited November 14, 2023 by Fudge Tunnel

[TexRef]

2 hours ago, Fudge Tunnel said:

UNT didn’t even have a practice facility, they had to use  Liberty Christian’s room.  Not to mention, Denton ISD doesn’t even have wrestling.  It would be a tough sell there.  However, a D1 program in DFW makes the most sense - that area has the best overall HS talent, proximity to Oklahoma and the panhandle, hopefully spark some of those mid-sized high schools to start up programs, etc

They had a gym on campus for a while, and then they were at Lewisville HS. I didn't know they were at LC. Denton ISD's superintendent has said they will never have wrestling. 

[SetonHallPirate]

15 hours ago, TexRef said:

They had a gym on campus for a while, and then they were at Lewisville HS. I didn't know they were at LC. Denton ISD's superintendent has said they will never have wrestling. 

Because...puppy defense?

[1032004]

17 hours ago, Fudge Tunnel said:

UNT didn’t even have a practice facility, they had to use  Liberty Christian’s room.  Not to mention, Denton ISD doesn’t even have wrestling.  It would be a tough sell there.  However, a D1 program in DFW makes the most sense - that area has the best overall HS talent, proximity to Oklahoma and the panhandle, hopefully spark some of those mid-sized high schools to start up programs, etc

Are there any other D1 schools in the DFW area that I’m not thinking of?

Edited November 14, 2023 by 1032004

[SetonHallPirate]

10 minutes ago, 1032004 said:

Are there any other D1 schools in the DFW area that I’m not thinking of?

Full list of D-1 schools in the metroplex (don't have the time to look through the whole thread): Southern Methodist, Texas Christian, Texas-Arlington, North Texas

[bnwtwg]

59 minutes ago, SetonHallPirate said:

Full list of D-1 schools in the metroplex (don't have the time to look through the whole thread): Southern Methodist, Texas Christian, Texas-Arlington, North Texas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_the_Dallas–Fort_Worth_metroplex

This wiki includes all levels of athletic participation (if applicable)

[SetonHallPirate]

24 minutes ago, bnwtwg said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_the_Dallas–Fort_Worth_metroplex

This wiki includes all levels of athletic participation (if applicable)

Texas A&M-Commerce is REALLY stretching the definition of metroplex there…might as well include Baylor and Tarleton State if you want to include TAMU-Commerce.

[Fudge Tunnel]

18 hours ago, TexRef said:

They had a gym on campus for a while, and then they were at Lewisville HS. I didn't know they were at LC. Denton ISD's superintendent has said they will never have wrestling. 

Metzger would use any room that would allow him in.  I’m surprised he’s not holding a sign on the side of the road that reads “will wrestle for food”. 
 

That is one of the reasons we left the Denton ISD (Lantana)   

 

 

[wrestle87]

On 10/9/2023 at 10:38 PM, SetonHallPirate said:

If Dallas Baptist were to start a wrestling program, unless they moved their entire athletic department to Division I, DBU would be a Division II program.

It can be done.  Hopkins has D1 lacrosse, all the other sports are D3.

[Jason Bryant]

It can be done.  Hopkins has D1 lacrosse, all the other sports are D3.

Those teams are all grandfathered in. You can’t just “do it” these days. The handful of D3s who play D1 hockey (there is no D2 hockey). There’s the lax schools and of course, F&M in wrestling.

[TexRef]

19 hours ago, 1032004 said:

Are there any other D1 schools in the DFW area that I’m not thinking of?

I believe your list is correct. Dallas Baptist is D2 and that would a nice addition. 

[TexRef]

On 10/10/2023 at 1:30 PM, Tom formerly Tofurky said:

I do not know that, but I have to imagine that the lure of becoming a head coach of a(n eventual) D1 program is appealing to a young coach.

That is true. I hope his wife likes small towns lol 

[1032004]

Apparently Tarleton State needs to raise $2 million?

Hopefully Leeth took some notes on Koll’s fundraising skills…

 

[TexRef]

Koll use to do the phone a thon and make good money. 

[Olehickry]

On 10/10/2023 at 2:02 PM, TitleIX is ripe for reform said:

Meanwhile it has to be appealing having the opportunity to help bring D1 college wrestling back to life in the region.    Neighboring Louisiana apparently lacks D1 wrestling just like Texas, and nearby Mississippi barely even has high school wrestling (and has no D1 wrestling).   Furthermore, to the west, I'm not aware that neighboring New Mexico has D1 college wrestling, either.   Tarleton State is rather centrally located for that underserved land mass.   It can inspire the growth of our sport at various levels.   Coach Leeth is from Missouri, by the way, but reportedly he almost wrestled at Duke instead of Mizzou.   Injuries and bad luck repeatedly set him back.   May he flourish at Tarleton State.   Incidentally Schreiner U. (in Kerrville, Texas) started off as an NCWA club program (for men & women) about a decade ago and then successfully transitioned to D3.   

 

Late to this party, but this is 100% correct... Here in Louisiana, we've had high school wrestling since 1945, but we don't have a single college wrestling program (Title IX ended LSU's team in 1985, which Kevin Jackson was a member of). Football is King and Baseball is a close 2nd. All attempts to start a program from the JUCO level to NAIA to D3 and D1 have all been shrugged off...Even with assistance from the NCWA  

Don't even get me started on Mississippi...last I remember, other than Ocean Springs they had maybe just shy of a handful of high school programs...

Essentially, you're just not going to create a new program in the South without a TON of self-funding, support and backing, like Greg Hatcher was luckily able to provide in Arkansas...