Byline: Steve Campbell
ALBANY -- Stow the attitude, the loser's mindset, the can't-do spirit that could sentence Albany to an eternity as SmAlbany. The world is not flat. The sky is not falling. The light at the end of the tunnel doesn't have to be an oncoming train with balky brakes and a blind-drunk conductor.
Now is not the time to huff and puff and blow smoke about the University at Albany plunging into an undertaking too ambitious for its own good. Undertakers are business partners with death, decay, deterioration. In plotting to join the ranks of Divsion I athletics programs, UAlbany is guilty only of pursuing life to its fullest.
Sure, there are reasons not to even contemplate such a thing. The Albany Patroons, the Albany-Colonie Yankees and the Albany Choppers are three cautionary tales that instantly come to mind. They are no-longer-living proof of the perils of trying to capture the attention -- and loyalty -- of 850,000 Capital Region residents. There are plenty of reasons not to get out of bed every morning, too, if you insist on looking at a half-full glass as half-empty.
The thing is, half-glassed people lead half-glassed lives. The Albany River Rats and Albany Firebirds prove that there is a market for energy, ingenuity and entertainment.
Is 38-year-old athletic director Milt Richards setting up UAlbany to fail by putting the pieces in place to enter Division I by 1999? Perhaps. But he's also setting up UAlbany to succeed in a way it never could as a Division II or Division III entity.
``This town wants big-time and what they perceive to be big-time,'' Richards said. ``That's why Division I matters to people in this town. That's why some of the minor-league franchises have had trouble.''
Remember, Knickerbocker (now Pepsi) Arena had no trouble selling out the first two rounds of the 1995 NCAA basketball tournament. Remember, too, that the Siena Saints drew home crowds of 12,808 and 15,727 for the 1994 National Invitation Tournament. Just last year, plenty of locals doubted the Capital Region's ability to convince the New York Giants to bring training camp to UAlbany. The school welcomed some 40,000 visitors during the 18 days the Giants were in camp -- a development not lost on UAlbany president Karen Hitchcock, who has the final say about the prospective foray into Division I territory.
Right or wrong, UAlbany will never receive the recognition or reputation it craves without a vibrant athletic program. And make no mistake: Division I status is far more likely to help than hinder UAlbany's academic stature. Otherwise, the Ivy League would have severed all Division I athletic ties long ago.
``Sports is the one thing that can unify a community,'' Richards said. ``Everyone can relate to sports.''
So much has happened since a 1991 Division I proposal drowned in the red ink of state budget cuts. Richards arrived in the summer of 1993, giving up a job as the Kansas State athletic director to take over a Division III program that didn't bother selling season tickets or charging admission to all its athletic events. He didn't make the move because he had early retirement in mind. Going Division II in 1995 was just a baby step toward his vision of the promised land.
``This town is absolutely big enough -- and there are enough sports fans -- for two good Division I programs,'' said Richards, who likely would try to land UAlbany in the Patriot League, the Northeast Conference or America East Conference. ``Will people perceive the Patriot League to be big-time? I don't know. But I know one thing: When Siena won, when it had a quality product, it sold.''
The timing couldn't be better for UAlbany to cut in on the Siena market. The Siena basketball program has been -- to put it politely -- charismatically challenged since the arrival of Bob Beyer in 1994.
Now Siena must brace itself to compete with an ambitious program that has all kinds of fan-friendly ideas. UAlbany brought in the Bud Light Daredevils to perform at halftime of a men's basketball game Thursday night and drew 2,358 fans. Siena has averaged only 2,543 fans for its on-campus games the past three seasons.
``I think we can move up to Division I, and I think we can have success,'' Richards said. ``And I don't think it takes 10 years to have success. I'm not going to be satisfied until we win national championships in everything. That's the goal. The goal is to win in everything.''
There is, after all, no room at the top for a can't-do spirit. So don't be afraid to get caught up in the UAlbany spirit, and party like it's 1999. Steve Campbell's column appears four times a week. To reach him, call 454-5496.
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