CARSON-NEWMAN DROPS WRESTLING PROGRAM

[THEANIMAL]

CARSON-NEWMAN ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THEY ARE DROPPING THEIR WRESTLING PROGRAM. THIS IS NOT A LATE APRIL FOOLS JOKE. HERE IS THE INFO FROM THEIR WEBSITE:

 

 

Carson-Newman Wrestling Program to be Discontinued

Program will not wrestle in '09-'10

 

April 2, 2009

 

 

JEFFERSON CITY, TENN. - Carson-Newman College will discontinue its wrestling program beginning in the 2009-'10 academic year, Carson-Newman athletic director David Barger announced today.

 

David Barger, Athletic Director, Carson-Newman College: "The difficult decision to discontinue wrestling came out of a desire to ensure the fiscal viability of the overall athletic program...I informed Coach (Don) Elia of the decision and met with members of the wrestling team. I explained the situation, and expressed my deep regret to those student-athletes. We want to continue to serve their educational needs, but understand that some may seek to continue their wrestling eligibility at another institution. We are arranging financial assistance counseling for each student in hopes that they will complete their degrees at Carson-Newman...We will forever appreciate Don Elia and those who have been a part of Eagle Wrestling."

[WrestlingGod]

Sorry to hear this, another program lost to funding.

[coachknepper]

Wow--this came as a shock...not overall for the state of wrestling (as Portland St. is now done as well), but for this program.

 

Coach Elia...you have done a great job there at Carson-Newman. If there is anyway I could help you transition your team to our division (NCWA), let me know. The competition might not be as good as you are used to, but several other programs have done such in the past with very good results for their upperclassmen that might not be able to wrestle anywhere else. (i.e. Miami (OH) University in 1999--I believe their D-I holdovers finished 4th in the NCWA in 2000). Newbury College started as a NCWA program in 2005. The good thing about NCWA is that it doesn't require as much funding--the bad thing is that most coaches are volunteer (no compensation except for giving back to the sport).

 

Coach Knepper

MTSU Wrestling

[dcawrestling]

This is a sad day for wrestling in the state of Tennessee. As a former all american at Carson Newman in the 80's it saddens my heart to know that there will not be a program for Tennessee wrestlers to look forward to competing in. I had the privilege of wrestling for Coach Elia in what I would call the heyday of CNC wrestling. Several of us came down from the University of Kentucky when our program dropped, we picked up several wrestlers from Clemson when their program dropped as well as other surrounding schools. I wrestled with Brian Nelson who became our first National champ at 134 and we always produced several all americans every year. We had the oppurtunity to wrestle Nebraska, Michigan State, Clemson, Tennessee, LSU and other great Div. I programs. It was a wrestler on our team that took the time to share with me the love of Jesus Christ and led me to a saving faith in our Lord. Coach Elia stood by us and made sure that we all graduated and helped us to see that there was life after wrestling. The first semester that I was there I had to have knee surgery and coach Elia told me that if I never wrestled a match for him he was committed to see me through school. There are not many college coaches like that! I will always be grateful for the investment Carson Newman made in me and for a coach that saw young men and not just wrestlers.

[CHSRaiders]

Coaches, wrestlers, fans, and parents, do not accept this so easily. Try to put up a fight. Start by emailing athletic director David Barger at dbarger@cn.edu Express your disappointment, disgust and anger. Don Elia has proven to the administration at Carson Newman that wrestling brings in more students and tuition than any program offered at the college, including the football team, band, choir, etc. Fill AD Barger's emailbox.

[THEANIMAL]

THERE IS A NEW FACEBOOK GROUP SUPPORT CARSON-NEWMAN WRESTLING. CHECK IT OUT:

 

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=149...3662&ref=mf

[PUMMELKING]

Mr. Barger,

I am stunned from the shock of seeing that CN is no longer going to offer wrestling. I wrestled and played football as well as track there during my long 10 plus career years in Jefferson City. I am a high school coach now and have always tried toi sell CN to my athletes and students overall.

We even had one sign to a football scholarship this year, which makes me

sick now to know he will never have the joy of watching the home matches and the excitement of Rumble in Butler Blanc.

Other programs are striving in the state and even adding to their programs with the addition of girls divisions, such as King College with its coaches being former alumni and wrestlers of the CN program.

I believe other schools of the SAC have instituted wrestling and are doing exceptional with their programs. The wrestling team brings several kids to college with the idea of being able to participate in a college program but may never compete but give more to the school than their athletic ability.

Did you ever think about using alumi donations for the program rather than for the school funds, I am regarding just those donations from former wrestlers? Also how about giving it a grace period to survive with the money raised rather than just drop it?

What idea of all sports are equal in appreciation if it is no longer offered. Not to mention all the focus being put on the new football venue, which is magnificent, but the school has a track program but no facility for that?

[ArtusCimber]

I have just sent this to David Barger-probably won't hear back. Carson-Newman is not the same school I attended in the early eighties. When I returned to work on my teaching requirements in '89, I found the place to have become somewhat pretentious and self-important. This decision, in my mind, confirms that opinion.

 

Anyway, here it is for what it's worth.

 

Mr. Barger.

 

My name is Jeff Price. I am an English Teacher and Head Wrestling Coach at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, a 1983 graduate of Carson-Newman College, and a member of the first varsity wrestling program at Carson-Newman (1979-1981).

 

I am heartbroken to hear of the recent decision to drop wrestling at Carson-Newman. I understand that these decisions are not made lightly; on the other hand, it is important to me that you understand how Carson-Newman wrestling has enriched the lives of countless people in this area while at the same time strengthening wrestling in East Tennessee.

 

I was Coach Elia??™s sponsor when he was inducted into the Tennessee Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007. Allow me to share with you a press release I wrote for him at that time.

 

Don Elia, head wrestling coach at Carson-Newman College, will be inducted into the Tennessee Wrestling Hall of Fame on October 13, 2007. Don has been instrumental in preserving college wrestling in the Southeast. When many programs were falling victim to Title IX or just going away, Coach Elia kept the program at Carson-Newman alive. There have been periods over the past 28 years when Carson-Newman was one of, if not the only, non-Division I program in the Southeast. For many of those years it was the only small college program in Tennessee.

 

In addition, Coach Elia has been responsible for improving the quality of high school wrestling in East Tennessee. Until fairly recently, most of the wrestling programs were mentored by conscripted football coaches or just anyone who was willing to take the job. Most coaches had no wrestling experience whatsoever. Today, at least a dozen area programs are led by former Carson-Newman wrestlers. Three of Coach Elia??™s former assistants now coach at the high school level in East Tennessee.

 

Coach Elia has also helped promote the rebirth of college wrestling in our area. Campbellsville (KY) head coach Franky James and King College (TN) head coach Nate Moorman both wrestled and coached under Don.

 

High school and college wrestling in our area would simply not be where it is right now without the presence and efforts of Don Elia.

 

Submitted by Jeff Price

 

Head Wrestling Coach, Science Hill High School

 

Here is a list of Carson-Newman Wrestling Alumni who now coach in Regions One and Two (the area spanning Bristol and Knoxville)

 

Buzzy Mann-C-N Graduate Assistant 1988-89; now Head Wrestling Coach, Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett-also coached at Greeneville High School

 

Jeff Price-C-N Graduate Assistant 1989-91; now Head Wrestling Coach, Johnson City Science Hill-also coached at Jefferson County High School

 

Jon Renner-C-N Graduate Assistant 1988-89; now Head Women??™s Wrestling Coach, Johnson City Science Hill-also coached at Jefferson County High School

 

Randy Shelton- Head Wrestling Coach, Greeneville High School-also coached at Science Hill High School

 

Greg Foreman- Head Wrestling Coach, Pigeon Forge High School-also coached at Dobyns-Bennett High School and South Doyle High School

 

Tim Pittman- Head Wrestling Coach, Gibbs High School-also coached at Halls High

 

Shannon Sayne- Head Wrestling Coach, Halls High School

 

This is just a list of the people who coach in this immediate area. If the list is expanded to Tennessee and the Southeast, the number increases immensely. Many of us put down roots in this area because of our love of the sport of wrestling and the connection to East Tennessee we established at Carson-Newman.

 

From a more practical standpoint, how much money would a group of supporters have to raise to keep the program afloat?

 

It is disheartening that you have made this decision. High School wrestling in the Southeast will suffer for it. Please understand that the ripple effect of this choice will adversely affect not only the young men who are members of the team at Carson-Newman now, but the lives of countless high school wrestlers in this area.

 

Not presently proud to be a C-N graduate ,

 

Jeff Price

[MatTime]

A friend of mine's father played golf with some of the guys this morning. Everyone is very upset & said that there were 40 kids in the program, but only 6 -8 on scholarship. That it wasn??™t really that big of a cut and everyone needs to start bombarding the president of CN with emails and letters. Going to the athletic director won??™t help because he can??™t do anything. President is:

 

J. Randall Obrien

865-471-3202

Email ??“ robrien@cn.edu

[dunningrg]

Mattime is correct go straight to the top and email the President, heck call the guy just make sure you have what you are going to say down to about a minute or so. To the TN wrestling community which I am proud to be part of, don't roll over and take this...put up a fight. Here is what I wrote to the AD and President:

 

Gentlemen,

 

My name is Raymond Dunning and I am from Nashville. I currently attend

Adams State College, a Division II school in Colorado. I am a three time

All American for ASC and just capped my career with a runner up finish at

the NCAA tournament. I grew up wrestling in Tennessee and certainly

visited my fair share of tournaments in Jefferson County. As a good

friend of Coach Don Elia's, I would like you folks to seriously reconsider

the dropping of your wrestling program. Before you guys discontinued your

program, there were two NCAA opportunities for wrestling. With the

removal of CNC from the wrestling arena, there will now be only one left

in UTC. While there are a few NAIA opportunities in the state and

certainly no shortage of club teams, Carson Newman offered a small town

college opportunity for wrestlers that is hard to find elsewhere. I

myself was looking at CNC before I decided to try my hand at the United

States Military Academy. From a financial standpoint, I think your

college can gain a lot by keeping the wrestling program alive. Even if

the team only brings in 10 wrestlers a year, that is a roster of 40

students that you stand to lose by dropping the program. That is roughly

a 2% decrease in your current enrollment. How can you afford this cut?

Wrestling is a sport that has grown steadily at the high school level for

the past 10 years, but college programs have decreased steadily for that

same period.

 

In closing, I would ask you to reconsider this decision. Recheck the

numbers and see what you will lose with current and future enrollment.

With the state of the economy, now is the time to add sports to entice

students to attend your college.

 

Sincerely,

 

Raymond Dunning

dunningrg@adams.edu

[Beastin]

I as well have sent my concerns out to this outcome. I am extremly dissapointed in the action taken and am debating if Carson Newman is right for me any longer. I believe that we as Tennesseean supporters of wrestling can have the cut of the DII wrestling program over ruled. Lets go to great lenghts and KEEP WRESTLING STRONG IN TENNESSEE.

[curlytoons]

Thank you for your inquiry concerning the wrestling program. The college was charged by the Trustees to significantly downsize the institution??™s overall operational budgets. Difficult decisions were made and these deliberations are final. Respectfully, David Barger, AD

 

From: Gary Goldstein

Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 11:02 AM

To: David Barger

Subject: Wrestling Program

 

 

Dear Mr. Barger,

 

I am deeply disheartened that Carson-Newman has made the decision to discontinue its wrestling program for the 2009-2010 season. I understand the importance of fiscal viability of the athletic department, but the discontinuance of the most visible program Carson-Newman presents to high school athletes in the Southeast undermines the spirit of that decision. I truly believe that the university will suffer in the perception of the public by turning its back on young athletes, especially high school students who have their eye on attending the university.

 

I can??™t imagine that the wrestling program is a drain on the university and its viability. The meager financial savings in the face of the damning public perception of the people of East Tennessee and the entire Southeast of this decision makes this an unwise decision. My sons have wrestled in the gym and we have watched the teams have success. They have grown into fine citizens and wrestling under fine coaches, many Carson-Newman graduates.

 

The list of Carson-Newman graduates who have gone out and taken the sport to new levels by introducing the personal and spiritual achievements wrestling gives young people warrants a reconsideration of this decision. Higher Education athletics should not shortchange our young people in the name of athletic department profitability.

 

Very truly yours,

/

Gary L. Goldstein

 

GLG/gg