Univ. Northern Iowa drops baseball

624323DP

Our US government should "BAIL OUT" UNI Baseballs team just like they have done for insurance companies, banks and other hands out that do not deserve a penney.

What a waist of our hard earned tax $$$ that these bottom feeders have screwed us for years

Give the money to the High School and College programs that need it not only for academics but for athletics as well.

If there is a fund raiser please let me know I will help.

I hope UNI can continue to PLAY BALL!!!! for many more years.



What a waist of our tax $$$ going to

This is very sad.

Here is the site to make a donation. We are now going to hire a lobbiest to take this to the Governer and Board of Regents. There is more to the story than what people are hearing.

http://www.supportunibaseball.com/

Thanks PGSTAFF

My donation will go in this week. I will also spread the word to others for help. UNI will play ball for many more years.

Here's a reply to a plea:




following is sent on behalf of David Miles, President of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

Dear Mr. ***xx:

Thank you for your email regarding the elimination of the intercollegiate baseball program at the University of Northern Iowa.

The Board of Regents regrets that the University of Northern Iowa is in the difficult position of eliminating one of its athletic programs. All of our institutions are facing very difficult decisions as they are forced to deal with budget reductions for the current year and decreased revenue projections in the next fiscal year. At the March 19 Board of Regents meeting, the institution heads will discuss their strategies for facing these issues with the Board.

While it is very difficult to freeze salaries, eliminate programs, and likely take other measures to deal with this economic uncertainty, the Board supports President Allen in the exercise of his judgment in this matter.

Your inquiry was referred to the University and inserted below is additional information provided in response to your inquiry.

Your sincere concern for the University of Northern Iowa is deeply appreciated. While we recognize that reasonable people can and will disagree about which steps are appropriate in response to the fiscal crisis facing our country, please be assured that President Allen and the Board of Regents share your commitment to UNI and to its students.

Sincerely yours,

David W. Miles



The following message is from Troy Dannen, Director Athletics Administration at the University of Northern Iowa:



Thank you for your note in support of baseball at the University of Northern Iowa. This decision was certainly a last resort; however, the current financial conditions have resulted in significant cuts to the UNI athletic budget, which are being addressed, in part, through elimination of this program.



While the administration at the University of Northern Iowa supports the continued enhancement of participation opportunities, fiscally we can no longer offer an 18-sport intercollegiate athletic program.



Again, thanks for your note.










__________________________________

Marcia R. Brunson
Policy and Operations Officer
Board of Regents, State of Iowa
11260 Aurora Avenue
Urbandale, IA 50322
(515)281-6418 (phone)
(515)281-6420 (fax)
mbruns@iastate.edu
http://www2.state.ia.us/regents/index.html

My son is the head coach of the UNI club team and an assistant at Cedar Falls high school where UNI is located. He said baseball is officially dead. Pretty sad that a state has 3 D1 schools and only 1 has a team, yet all 3 have club teams. This might help some of these club teams if all the players can't find a place to play next year.

Rick Heller, formerly HC at UNI, has accepted the HC position at Indiana State.

Sycamores name new Head Coach

Congratulations, Coach Heller!

I'm glad to see Heller got a job. He was at Creighton for a very short time as a hitting instructor. Creighton new that he was looking for a head position and was fine with it. Supposedly Heller beat out Rod Delmonico for the job. I had read somewhere that he was 1 of the candidates. Funny that the Sycamores are in the same conference that UNI used to play in.

Delmonico accepted Assistant job at FIU on July 8.
Meggs resigned on July 27.

How could he have been a candidate?
Unless his contract at FIU allowed him to continue looking for a Head Coach job?

Rick Heller Hiring at ISU

Heller stays in Missouri Valley, makes ISU home
By Todd Golden
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — When the Indiana State baseball job opened up on July 31, Rick Heller was already packed up and ready to go.

On his way to his new job … as a Creighton assistant coach.

The former Northern Iowa coach had weighed his options after the UNI baseball program was eliminated after the 2009 season concluded. When Creighton head coach Ed Servais got booster support to add him to the Bluejays staff, he decided Creighton was the destination for him.

Until the head coaching job at ISU opened up. Then it was time to scramble.

Two weeks and three interviews later, Heller was introduced as ISU’s coach on Friday. His is the 28th coach in the Sycamores’ 113-year baseball history.

“We didn’t even unpack our stuff. We rolled the dice, kept our stuff in a POD, and we’ve been living out of a box ever since,” said Heller, whose house in Cedar Falls, Iowa, had already been sold and occupied by its new owner. Heller said the U-Haul was packed and on the move to the Omaha area when Lindsay Meggs left ISU to take the job at Washington.

Heller said he “camped out” at a friend’s house until his situation was determined. But the ISU job was one he was willing to sacrifice for.

“I wasn’t going to take just any job. After 22 years as a head coach at two places where it was difficult to have success, I felt like the next job I took would be a perfect fit. One where the athletic director wanted to see success as well as the upper administration, who cared about athletics and wanted to run it in a family environment,” Heller said. “The whole situation is absolutely perfect for me.”

Contract details have not been finalized. ISU Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman said particulars will be ironed out next week, though he said it was likely to be a 5-year contract.

Heller beat out a field of four finalists. Lincoln Trail coach Mitch Hannahs, ex-Tennessee coach Rod Delmonico and ex-East Carolina coach and current TCU recruiting coordinator Randy Mazey were the other three who nearly got the job.

“We interviewed people that had played for the final candidates, we interviewed parents of those who had played for the four final candidates, we interviewed administrators, assistant coaches, athletic directors, compliance people, secretaries, anybody who could be associated with their programs,” said Prettyman, who noted that Heller is very well-respected within the Missouri Valley Conference.

Thanks for sharing the article!

It's a merry-go-round out there for these baseball coaches.