I’ve been cleaning up and going through some old papers from college and found this copy of The Utah Statesman from December 1986. Front page news that USU’s Institutional Council voted to keep our football program. Regardless of whether or not we win the CCG next Saturday, nobody in 1986 thought we would be playing in the WAC. 3.1 and most certainly at this level of competition.

WOW I didn't realize this, sad. Glad things worked out for us, took us a while to find our niche, looks like we're a good fit in the Mnt West, all we needed was for our "peers" in the state to find some success in order for us to succeed as we well. It was bound to happen. Oh and screw them!

I was the student body president in 86/87 and a full voting member of the Institutional Council (the only student member) - the budget cuts the University faced from the Legislature and Governor were unbelievably painful. We cut full programs from the University firing even tenured professors. That football would survive was not a given (and certainly not a easy question, the Faculty Senate voted to cancel it if I recall correctly). I know many on here have lambasted President Cazier for his treatment of football, but I can assure you that without his support the program would not have survived the Institutional Council vote. There was a tremendous amount of work and effort that went into keeping the program functioning. Also the NCAA was putting pressure on USU to downgrade the program from D1 status. It claimed we did not have enough attendance at games to merit being a D1 school - there was some very creative "counting" that the University engaged in to even retain D1 status. Which, since the NCAA was actively trying to downgrade us, was extremely difficult to pull off. The times then were simply very tough sledding for the football program (and USU sports in general).

The program has been on life-support several times in my lifetime which makes where we are now extra gratifying.

Yes, those were the years I was at USU, and man they were ruff! 2 years previous in basketball we were the shiz Haussen! Only won 4 games that year. Funny thing though one of our wins was against BYU in Logan.

One of the things that really chapped me back then was I had 2 Geography professors that wouldn’t be caught dead going to an Aggie football game in Logan but they had season tickets to the BYU games in Provo! That just pisses me off and still does. They always say well it’s the Church you know, yet they themselves wouldn’t be caught dead in Church. When you think about it, our culture is just weird! I grew up in the Valley, and I was taught the right way. Love the Aggies and Loathe BYU and Utah. Plus I learned to Loathe Weber State when Neil Macarthy was there!

We’ve got to get this Aggie - BYU series turned around in basketball. Yes they have a really good team but heck there were times when they had Ainge, Or a Roberts, or a Kite, or a Haws, etc. and we still would beat them! That apology has got to go! We need to kick butt and take names this year! Was it Tai Wesley years the last time we beat them? Got to start winning again before I take a dirt nap!

I had a gender studies class 6 years after the Council vote. She would go off on how the university valued football over education and that women's basketball was superior to men's because women's basketball was stayed true to the fundamentals of the game. She would also rant about the money used to add the endzone seating to keep up with a new rule at the time of 30k stadium to remain D1 and the lights. USU just beat K-Sate when she made these comments at home. I also learned from the class that the one thing that unites all women is male aggression towards women. Great class. That is when I realized some not all courses or degrees are useful.

akaggie wrote: ↑

November 29th, 2021, 1:09 pm

I had a gender studies class 6 years after the Council vote. She would go off on how the university valued football over education and that women's basketball was superior to men's because women's basketball was stayed true to the fundamentals of the game. She would also rant about the money used to add the endzone seating to keep up with a new rule at the time of 30k stadium to remain D1 and the lights. USU just beat K-Sate when she made these comments at home. I also learned from the class that the one thing that unites all women is male aggression towards women. Great class. That is when I realized some not all courses or degrees are useful.

Holy Shizit, I seriously wonder if we were in the same class. I forget the name of the professor, but it was a 300 level course "Women in History" (I had enough credits to graduate but needed a few 300/400 level courses in the spring of 1992). She ranted about the same things and how she had to wait to get new carpet in her classroom so the football team could new equipment. She reminded us of this often if anyone tried to sneak a soda into the room lest they spill and ruin her precious carpet.

The apathy of the students when I was there was palpable, but I don't blame them (or myself). The product on the field was horrible with the exception of a few outstanding players like Kendall Smith, Patrick Newman, Roger Grant, Del Lyles and Brent Snyder, who was a pretty good QB.

I'll admit- I thought a move to the Big Sky back in the early 90s was a better option than being on life support in D1A. Playing against regional teams sounded better than playing North Texas, Louisana Tech, etc. Playing Wyo, CSU, UNM, UNR(after they joined the WAC) as a conference mate seemed like a pipe dream.

Yes indeed the football sucked, but hey, we had Tequila Day!!!!

88USUAggie wrote: ↑

November 29th, 2021, 3:19 pm

Yes indeed the football sucked, but hey, we had Tequila Day!!!!

I remember being promised said Tequila day on my first day at USU, boy was I sorely disappointed. I was also told "this is a party school" at which point I looked around and said, "well I grew up near a party school, and this place looks NOTHING like Isla Vista, I don't see no empty kegs lining the streets" which is where I was met with a "oh, they don't allow kegs here in Utah, you have to go to Idaho for those, and they wont let you take them over the border" and I was like "well, then this isn't no party school!" Good times!

ViAggie wrote: ↑

November 29th, 2021, 4:58 pm

88USUAggie wrote: ↑

November 29th, 2021, 3:19 pm

Yes indeed the football sucked, but hey, we had Tequila Day!!!!

I remember being promised said Tequila day on my first day at USU, boy was I sorely disappointed. I was also told "this is a party school" at which point I looked around and said, "well I grew up near a party school, and this place looks NOTHING like Isla Vista, I don't see no empty kegs lining the streets" which is where I was met with a "oh, they don't allow kegs here in Utah, you have to go to Idaho for those, and they wont let you take them over the border" and I was like "well, then this isn't no party school!" Good times!

I don’t know about the campus at large, but the Greek houses celebrated (with gusto) National Tequila Day every year I was there. The best year was a game against the y when three SAEs dressed at a Cuervo bottle, a lime and a salt shaker got on the field and ran around making asses of themselves until security tackled them. Security was pretty lax back then, and there were dozens? hundreds? of empty tequila bottles in the stands after the game.

ViAggie wrote: ↑

November 29th, 2021, 4:58 pm

88USUAggie wrote: ↑

November 29th, 2021, 3:19 pm

Yes indeed the football sucked, but hey, we had Tequila Day!!!!

I remember being promised said Tequila day on my first day at USU, boy was I sorely disappointed. I was also told "this is a party school" at which point I looked around and said, "well I grew up near a party school, and this place looks NOTHING like Isla Vista, I don't see no empty kegs lining the streets" which is where I was met with a "oh, they don't allow kegs here in Utah, you have to go to Idaho for those, and they wont let you take them over the border" and I was like "well, then this isn't no party school!" Good times!

You never visited the Triple Nickel? Always a keg, or two...or three...or four...

I'm not sure when you arrived but I do recall administration throwing a wet blanket on the party image in the spring of '89 after an incident at a frat house over spring break. Afterwards, the frats weren't allowed to have open parties, thus ending the days of house hopping for beer.

This is what I heard anyway; I never participated as I spent all my free time at the library.

NVAggie wrote: ↑

November 30th, 2021, 10:34 am

There have been a few tragic incidents in the last few decades that have, thankfully, removed the party tag from USU.

Yeah, the one I'm referring to resulted in the fraternity losing its charter and the house itself becoming an administrative building within a few weeks. I remember walking up the hill from the stadium on the way to class and remarking, "...wasn't that a fraternity house?" and then being filled in on the details.