RRCC Football. Should it stay or should it go?

I went to RRCC for three years, two of those years were spent doing the pseo program that is offered for students who are still in high school. I loved my experiences at RRCC and I honestly believe that having the opportunity to attend classes there instead of high school prepared me more for college than high school ever could, no matter how many AP courses that were offered. It did wonders for my self responsibility as well as teaching me to actually care what I did in school.

That being said, i have to be brutally honest and say that even though i had many positive experiences at RRCC i also have my fair share of negative ones--particularly with several of the football recruits. I understand that the football program does its fair share of holding our small college together, but at what cost? As most people know many of the football recruits we aquire come from the southern United States, particularly from the African American Community. Our small town is indeed lacking diversity and this brings an opportunity to our town so that we might be able to break out of our small box of isolation and get to know people of other cultures, because lets face it, small town mindsets and mentalities are like night and day to big city ones. That being said i feel that this also creates situations of misunderstandings as well as stereotypical attitudes. I find that the reasons the recruits we bring here have such a hard time settling in is because it is ultimately a culture shock. Its like expecting a fish to live out of water.
When i attended the college i spoke to many guys on the football team as to how they felt about transplanting themselves from their home all the way to little old Ifalls. Many were under false impressions of what RRCC was really like, as well as what IFalls was like. Some even felt they were lied to. I have no idea if this was the case, but some of the guys did feel they were misled. I also feel that the recruitment tactics is one, if not thee biggest sproblem our football program faces. For being IFalls' only college it appeared strange to me that there was only 2 players on a team of about 50 that were even remotely close to our area. I think that by recruiting guys in our area we could form a more cohesive team that could actually win some games. Thats just my opinion, I will say up front that i am no sports expert (obviously).

The last thing i want to say is that the type of recuits we seem to obtain for our RRCC sports teams (this is my opinion from my personal experience at RRCC) whether black or white seem to lack character and overall manners. I cannot tell you how many times i have been in the RRCC weight room doing my own thing and have been continually harrassed and bothered, even after I made it clear I was not interested. After a while I didn't even feel comfortable going in there alone, I almost felt threatened in a way, Which is weird because I am not a pushover or shy. I am fairly confident in doing my own thing, and yet i still felt uneasy, no young girl should have to feel threatened in her own college weight room. This was the case in many other sitations as well. I also have to say that this is not just the feeling of me individually, i know many other female students who feel the same way. I dont want this to become a race issue, because it is not, its a recruitment issue. Every college wants to have quality students that work to their full potential, and if you ask me RRCC has not done a very good job in persuing that.
I love RRCC, i have made the best memories of my young life there, as well as meeting some of the coolest people that i still keep in touch with today. Friends that I would never have met had it not been for the PSEO program. They helped me broaden my horizens both intellectually and socially.

Im not exactly sure what Hibbing did with their current football team, if anyone knows please post.

Thanks Shannon for the heads up on Hibbings program, I almost feel the same should happen for our program at RRCC. If decent players cannot be found locally or out of state it is not worth it to the community, or the college. IF the college cant stand on its own feet without the football team, there really has to be other means with which to help RRCC survive, because in all reality the cons outweigh the pros if things continue to stay at status quo.
Its almost a sad thing because so many people go off to college and end up changing their major or coming back to town, either because they dont like living away from home or because of financial reasons. I think Rainy River could really build upon the fact that students can save thousands and thousands of dollars by attending a Jr. College for the first two years in attaining their generals.

I for one am very interested to know how the professors themselves feel about the football team. I would hazard a guess that it would be truly difficult to hear how they truly feel, especially with the political correctness thats expected within academia.

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I agree that the teachers (possibly anonymously) could give us some insight about the team and why (or whether) they want it here for another season. I also believe that the players or coach could give us some insight.

Low grades NO football. It's simple if the grades are that low what is the reason to keep the sport. The money used to recuit and keep the players here could be used for scholarships. I also don't believe many of the young men have stayed here or support the children that they have fathered. Sad but true.

REB... I agree 100% with GOPHER60 ! In fact, I go even further and say, "bunch all the sports programs at RRCC" as far as making them a "major" item!!! It is way tooo much of an expense and a bigger problem than any benefits for the area! Some simply get obsessed with the games....

I mean, I like little brown babies as much as the next person, but this is getting a bit ridiculous.

Our city is trying to embrace diversity, but it is a fact of life at the present time that we are slow to accept diversity, which is odd considering we are a border city. Our city was built by every kind of person there is. It made us strong. We cannot let a few bad apples take us off the path of growth. Perhaps RRCC football is doomed. Perhaps we will continue to live the 1950's. I feel terrible that people have been hurt, physically, financially and emotionally, but we are a football/hockey town. Let us keep the football program and recruit kids who want to study and play here, and let us get rid of those who give us a black eye. (no pun intended).

By "it" i mean the football program, not rrcc itself

Oh, and the comment on "little brown babies"? I took offence to that. That was not called for. Is it more wrong for a colored dad to leave his baby? Seems to me I see unwed mothers everywhere I go.

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I do understand. I just didn't like the "little brown babies" comment. Yes, the whole football program needs revamping. Now, someone just needs to do it.

Wake up IFalls residents. I graduated @ 35 years ago from Falls High, joined the Navy and ended up living in the southern part of the U.S. Before I joined the Navy I had never talked to a black person, so the only image I had of Blacks was what I saw on TV. But now that I have lived in the South for over 30 years, I see what the majority of the Blacks are all about. Sure there are quite a few exceptions, but for the most part many of them are quite happy to live off of the system, which is why RRCC has ended up with them. I have witnessed what they have done to the schools here in S.C,, causing us to be ranked 47th out of 50 nationwide in education. As you have witnessed in the Falls/RRCC, they just want to "attempt" to play football, have sex with as many "trophy" Falls white girls, live off your welfare state, and then go on to the next welfare opportunity. I don't get back to the Falls that often, but I was in town at the begining of last football season, and I watched the football team work out, and I could tell the black players just didn't give a flip. I actually felt sorry for the coach, because I could tell he really wanted to get the team in gear. I also went by the players dorm and it looked like a "ghetto". And then I went with my wife into Hardee's and got to watch the black players in action. I recommend that you get RRCC back to being a school where people can go for a "safe" education, and say "to hell" with the sports teams. Those of you who think it is so cute, having this "diversity" in the Falls, need to wake up and see what it is doing to your town. I really miss the "old Falls".

I say get rid of it.

Thanks Gopher60!!!!
What has happened to the parents in the Falls?? In the 1960's if a girl was knocked up, she was looked down upon. But now it appears to be acceptable to get pregnant at 16 yrs/old, (with a 1/2 black baby), and then live on Minnesota welfare. I would like to correct my previous comments, regarding the sports programs at RRCC. I do think they should scrap the football, and get the hockey back. I used to visit from South Carolina, just to watch the Bronco's and RRCC play some hockey. And don't the city leaders get the big picture, and I mean the city council, police, etc .... Let's get the Falls back to being a nice tourist town, and forget about the politically correct, BS!! I wanted to retire in a few years and spend part of the year in the Falls (God's Country), but not now, with all of the P.C. BS ruining the city. I think the Resident's need to get together and organize a meeting, and make the City Leaders, knock off the B.S.!! Stop ruining this great city!!