2024 Military Classic of the South

conrack said:
Hard to get excited when you beat a winless doormat except when its the biggest rival; Samford kinda beat themselves with penalties and turnovers. No Evening students play sports, I think only 11 grad transfers on this years team but seems like a fair tradeoff when you are a small military school trying to compete with the big guys.
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I was being sarcastic. My DS is a knob. Just poking fun at others who complain about non-cadet athletes. As you note, they are the small minority.
 
Honestly, don't know why VMI participates in this anymore. It's 1500 cadets from VMI playing against The Citadel's 2000 civilian students and 2000 cadets. There might be an occasional "good year" here and there, but the notion of this being a "rivalry" game between 2 military colleges is long gone. This is a small military school (VMI) playing against a comprehensive college with an ROTC or military program (The Citadel). The Post and Courier had an article about it recently...
The original "Military Classic of the South" was between VMI and VPI (Virginia Tech). That rivalry was old-school and went on for decades and was played on Thanksgiving every year. It stopped being played in the 80's because VT became huge and the games were typically one-sided. As long as VMI remains a small, old-fashioned military college, I don't see the point in playing in something that is most definitely NOT a "military classic." Just one opinion, please don't shoot the messenger, and I'm going to VMI if I get in!!!
 
A close friend of mine, her son is on a sports team at Citadel (not football). I actually recently had dinner with him and his room mates. All of them are athletes, not in the Corps, live off campus and take classes online. None are grad students, all are undergrad transfers who came in via the transfer portal. I don’t have a dog in the fight, but I would be curious what the ratio is.
 
NavyHoops said:
A close friend of mine, her son is on a sports team at Citadel (not football). I actually recently had dinner with him and his room mates. All of them are athletes, not in the Corps, live off campus and take classes online. None are grad students, all are undergrad transfers who came in via the transfer portal. I don’t have a dog in the fight, but I would be curious what the ratio is.
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Well I know for a fact one member of the baseball team is a former VMI Cadet who left VMI and is now playing for The Citadel as an online transfer student.
 
18 of the current 105-man roster on the football team are grad students (non-cadets)-roughly 18%. The transfer portal has helped The Citadel at some key positions, but any notion that it has given them a leg up on VMI doesn't align with the facts. Cadets currently make up a majority of our athletic teams and will continue to do so as nobody is lining up to be a night student and play football at El Cid.
 
The Citadel has always been bigger than VMI and the transfer portal only works one way at VMI. The Citadel's advantage athletically is obvious and apparent. However, The Citadel is the closest peer to VMI and therefore, a rivalry. The Citadel is clearly not tops in the Southern Conference. So, VMI has had some wins and is usually competitive. Having two corps adds interest to the game. I'm not sure what The Citadel's objectives are as far as using the grad school and online/night school for athletic transfers. I can't see them building a powerhouse with that model. Cadet admissions for both schools is a challenge so I assume that The Citadel relies on the grad school and online/night schools for revenue. Consistent, competitive D1 athletics at VMI just keeps getting more remote for VMI with the transfer portal, NIL, and NCAA changes. I watched the last Va Tech victory in 1981. It was televised in Blacksburg, VA the Friday after Thanksgiving. Keydets won 6-0 in the snow. The last game was 1984 54-7, Va Tech.
 
NavyHoops said:
A close friend of mine, her son is on a sports team at Citadel (not football). I actually recently had dinner with him and his room mates. All of them are athletes, not in the Corps, live off campus and take classes online. None are grad students, all are undergrad transfers who came in via the transfer portal. I don’t have a dog in the fight, but I would be curious what the ratio is.
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Wow—this is exactly why words such as “military classic” should NEVER be used in these games! VMI needs to be done with a game played for a “silver shako” when half the other team’s never worn one!🤣
And I respectfully disagree with anyone who says the schools are close “peers.” Truth is, VMI is closer in size, etc. to schools like Wofford or Presbyterian College. This is a joke.
Time for this “rivalry” to go away.
 
Honestly, I did not know online students at the Citadel could play sports. Thought it was just the day and night students. I’ve known the Citadel had online degrees for years, but just had no idea those folks were playing on their sports teams. Seems greasy.
 
ELCID1995 said:
18 of the current 105-man roster on the football team are grad students (non-cadets)-roughly 18%. The transfer portal has helped The Citadel at some key positions, but any notion that it has given them a leg up on VMI doesn't align with the facts.
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Disagree, there was a 10 or 15 year period of time when VMI lost every year (or just about every year 2003-2018) in the non-military classic!
105 man-roster includes everyone on the team and the 18 number is incorrect as the citadel lists some on the roster as "seniors" when they are part of the day or online programs. Also, If you want to talk percentages, the non-cadets on the team are mostly STARTERS not scrubs or traditional cadets, so I suspect the percentage of starters on the team who are not cadets is much higher.
Hey, they're taking advantage of their additional programs to win games and be more competitive. I get it and nothing wrong with that. But from my perspective (just being honest here) Citadel alum try to keep it under wraps or flat out deny it (maybe they don't know). Trying to minimize it or cover it up doesn't seem very honorable...
 
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Tac-p21 said:
Honestly, I did not know online students at the Citadel could play sports. Thought it was just the day and night students. I’ve known the Citadel had online degrees for years, but just had no idea those folks were playing on their sports teams. Seems greasy.
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You continue to suffer from a bad case of CDS (Citadel Derangement Syndrome). From what I understand, much like Trump Derangement Syndrome, there is no cure.

Thought you'd "appreciate" this shirt.

T Shirt.jpg
 
BurLap08 said:
Disagree, there was a 10 or 15 year period of time when VMI lost every year (or just about every year 2003-2018) in the non-military classic!
105 man-roster includes everyone on the team and the 18 number is incorrect as the citadel lists some on the roster as "seniors" when they are part of the day or online programs. Also, If you want to talk percentages, the non-cadets on the team are mostly STARTERS not scrubs or traditional cadets, so I suspect the percentage of starters on the team who are not cadets is much higher.
Hey, they're taking advantage of their additional programs to win games and be more competitive. I get it and nothing wrong with that. But from my perspective (just being honest here) Citadel alum try to keep it under wraps or flat out deny it (maybe they don't know). Trying to minimize it or cover it up doesn't seem very honorable...
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Not trying to minimize or deny anything-just stating simple facts. The obsession of some VMI folks on this board with The Citadel's athletic roster make up is quite amusing. Have seen both schools and they are the most similar of any of the SMC's.
 
ELCID1995 said:
The obsession of some VMI folks…
Have seen both schools and they are the most similar of any of the SMC's.
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Different view here:
1. Calling a spade a spade is different than an obsession.😉
2. I’ve seen them all and think Norwich and Citadel are most similar. VMI seems to be in a league of its own, not really an SA, but WAY different from SMCs like Norwich, Citadel, Texas A&M.
 
ddiamond said:
Different view here:
1. Calling a spade a spade is different than an obsession.😉
2. I’ve seen them all and think Norwich and Citadel are most similar. VMI seems to be in a league of its own, not really an SA, but WAY different from SMCs like Norwich, Citadel, Texas A&M.
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1. I just think it matters a whole lot more to some people than others.
2. I can't see The Citadel as very similar to Norwich or Texas A&M. I mean, the A&M comparison is ridiculous. There are 120,000 undergrads at A&M, and a couple thousand cadets. At Norwich, there is a "traditional" student body that lives right alongside the cadets. At The Citadel, the online students and grad students are essentially invisible. In other words, go to campus on any day and try to find the non-cadets. You won't! The only students who are allowed to attend in-person with the SCCC (South Carolina Corps of Cadets) are veterans and active-duty personnel. Yes, there is a graduate program, and yes, there is an online "degree completion" program for students who started bachelor's programs elsewhere, but the SCCC is completely insulated and a Citadel cadet does not have the option to simply switch from the corps of cadets to being a regular college student like they do at Norwich.

I'm not saying The Citadel is exactly the same as VMI. VMI is significantly smaller, and I understand its "cadet-only" atmosphere offers a variety of advantages and disadvantages. I'm just saying The Citadel is, as many have pointed out, probably the most similar to VMI of any of the SMCs. And yeah, I get that some VMI people "don't like that."

I'm just a parent, and I'm sure my interest in all this will wane when DS's time at The Citadel is done. I won't be invested for life like an alum would be, but I doubt the rivalry is going away anytime soon.
 
pa-outdoorsman said:
From what I understand, much like Trump Derangement Syndrome, there is no cure.
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Not surprised, but pretty sure that’s a political statement and we try to keep clear of politics here.
Call it a rivalry or whatever, but “MILITARY classic of the South“ isn’t accurate and just doesn’t fit… unless you’re only talking about the Virginia Military Institute.
Also, sorry your son didn’t get into VMI😎
 
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Tac-p21 said:
Not surprised by what party you support, but pretty sure that’s a political statement and we try to keep clear of politics here.
Call it a rivalry or whatever you want, but “military classic of the South“ isn’t accurate and just doesn’t fit here.
Also, sorry your son didn’t get into VMI😉
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1. I wasn't being political. Simply using Trump to draw a parallel of how some people become irrationally obsessed with things. I would imagine The Citadel takes your attention as a compliment.
2. If it's not a rivalry, why are you obsessed with bashing The Citadel? LOL
3. He did. VMI is a lovely school. They made a VERY generous financial aid offer to complement DS's AROTC scholarship. We enjoyed our visit. He just decided The Citadel was a better fit for him, for a variety of reason, including location and a personal connection with the Army ROO. As I have said repeatedly, I don't have a bad thing to say about VMI, and I believe cadets at both schools are worthy of our respect.
 
pa-outdoorsman said:
1. I wasn't being political. Simply using Trump to draw a parallel of how some people become irrationally obsessed with things. I would imagine The Citadel takes your attention as a compliment.
2. If it's not a rivalry, why are you obsessed with bashing The Citadel? LOL
3. He did. VMI is a lovely school. They made a VERY generous financial aid offer to complement DS's AROTC scholarship. We enjoyed our visit. He just decided The Citadel was a better fit for him, for a variety of reason, including location and a personal connection with the Army ROO. As I have said repeatedly, I don't have a bad thing to say about VMI, and I believe cadets at both schools are worthy of our respect.
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I get your point and was just having a bit of fun. 🤩
I respect the heck out of kids that are bettering themselves at any senior military college or SA… And anyone trying to grow their education or profession at any college, whether it’s online or in person. However, I’m also of the opinion that a “military classic“ should be a game which is played between cadets. That’s all.
The army navy game is a perfect example. The size of their schools and their athletic teams look very similar.
VMI’s athletes and teams look a whole lot different than The Citadel’s, that’s all.
And good luck tomorrow with the election!😎
 
Most of the football players on either team are not commissioning. The Military Classic of the South is how the game is marketed to generate interests. It’s the highest attended game for both teams. It’s a rivalry in-conference game. Go on both campuses. Very similar feel other than mountains vs beach. The Citadel is much closer to VMI than West Point or Navy. The odds of VMI winning are less but that’s why you play the game. I wish every team that VMI played was against 4 year students that went through a ratline but that never happens.
 
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