From: The Coloradian by Sean Duff
As posted in LetsGoDU two weeks ago, Colorado State University graduate Brett Tatman wants his alma mater to add an NCAA Division I hockey team. But resistance from the CSU Athletic Department makes the dream a longshot at best.
A local online petition to gather support for his proposal has gathered decent support in the past two weeks.
Tatman, president of Snaptron, Inc., in Windsor, has received more than 700 signatures on his petition and hopes to have a few thousand by the time he meets next week with Colorado State University athletic director Paul Kowalczyk and director of development Mike LaPlante.
“I played hockey growing up, and I played (club) hockey at CSU,” Tatman said. “I have two sons that play youth hockey. Seeing the (Colorado) Eagles and their success really prompted me to push to see if we couldn’t get a higher level of hockey here.”
CSU has had a club team for years that has been successful on the ice and off. The Rams have won national club titles and routinely play to big crowds at EPIC.
"It pains me to see Division I hockey at schools such as Nebraska-Omaha and not at CSU,” Tatman said. “Colorado is a hockey state. Nebraska is a state with half the population of the Denver metro area, and they support NCAA hockey. Surely Northern Colorado can do the same.
“It is my belief that not only would Division I NCAA ice hockey survive in Northern Colorado, but it would flourish.”
CSU AD Kowalczyk doesn’t think now is the time for CSU to add hockey or any other sport.
“We don’t support our current sports programs well enough to even consider adding sports at this point,” he said. “Our current sports have been underfunded for years, and until we get them to a position of solid funding and excellence, there won’t be any other considerations.”
Three Colorado schools play Division I hockey: Air Force, Colorado College and the University of Denver. Others, like CSU and the University of Colorado, have club teams.
Tatman, a 1997 CSU graduate, envisions the team playing the Budweiser Events Center, home of the Eagles. The Central Hockey League team has sold out every game at the 5,380-seat Bud Center since its inception five seasons ago.
Tatman acknowledges that it will take more than signatures to field a team. For example, Title IX regulations likely would force CSU to add a women's team in any sport if it added men's hockey or another men's sport.
"At this point I'm just trying to get signatures," Tatman said. "I'm meeting with Paul and Mike on Tuesday, and after our meeting we'll decided what hoops we need to jump through."
To sign the online petition that supports CSU adding an NCAA Division I men’s hockey team, go online to ramhockeypetition.weebly.com
A local online petition to gather support for his proposal has gathered decent support in the past two weeks.
Tatman, president of Snaptron, Inc., in Windsor, has received more than 700 signatures on his petition and hopes to have a few thousand by the time he meets next week with Colorado State University athletic director Paul Kowalczyk and director of development Mike LaPlante.
“I played hockey growing up, and I played (club) hockey at CSU,” Tatman said. “I have two sons that play youth hockey. Seeing the (Colorado) Eagles and their success really prompted me to push to see if we couldn’t get a higher level of hockey here.”
CSU has had a club team for years that has been successful on the ice and off. The Rams have won national club titles and routinely play to big crowds at EPIC.
"It pains me to see Division I hockey at schools such as Nebraska-Omaha and not at CSU,” Tatman said. “Colorado is a hockey state. Nebraska is a state with half the population of the Denver metro area, and they support NCAA hockey. Surely Northern Colorado can do the same.
“It is my belief that not only would Division I NCAA ice hockey survive in Northern Colorado, but it would flourish.”
CSU AD Kowalczyk doesn’t think now is the time for CSU to add hockey or any other sport.
“We don’t support our current sports programs well enough to even consider adding sports at this point,” he said. “Our current sports have been underfunded for years, and until we get them to a position of solid funding and excellence, there won’t be any other considerations.”
Three Colorado schools play Division I hockey: Air Force, Colorado College and the University of Denver. Others, like CSU and the University of Colorado, have club teams.
Tatman, a 1997 CSU graduate, envisions the team playing the Budweiser Events Center, home of the Eagles. The Central Hockey League team has sold out every game at the 5,380-seat Bud Center since its inception five seasons ago.
Tatman acknowledges that it will take more than signatures to field a team. For example, Title IX regulations likely would force CSU to add a women's team in any sport if it added men's hockey or another men's sport.
"At this point I'm just trying to get signatures," Tatman said. "I'm meeting with Paul and Mike on Tuesday, and after our meeting we'll decided what hoops we need to jump through."
To sign the online petition that supports CSU adding an NCAA Division I men’s hockey team, go online to ramhockeypetition.weebly.com
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