[tennisfan]

Not sure if this is the correct forum to post this but football is definitely discussed. Enjoy!
The audio link:
http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm? ... ewsID=8799

Following a highly successful winter sports season that saw Liberty capture three more Big South titles, Flames Sports Network reporter Alan York had a chance to talk with Liberty Director of Athletics Jeff Barber.

During the near 10-minute audio interview, the two discussed a wide array of topics, starting with an update on the latest Big South Sasser Cup standings. Liberty widened its lead with titles in men's and women's indoor track & field and women's basketball during the winter and is trying to become the first athletics program in conference history to win five Sasser Cup titles in a row.

Barber also provided some insight into the various athletics facilities projects that are going on around campus. Ranging from projects that are in the planning stages (football practice field and a golf driving range), to those nearing the start of construction (baseball stadium) and others which are already well underway (basketball practice facility), construction around Liberty's campus will remain busy during the next year.

York also asked Barber to provide an update on where Liberty stands regarding its FBS feasibility study. Barber talked about how the study should be completed in the next two weeks. He also provided some insight into Liberty Athletics' future based upon the study's results and what the next steps would be if the university wants to pursue a move to the FBS level of NCAA Division I competition.

Finally, Barber talked about Liberty's new end-of-the-year awards banquet. The event will be called the Flamespy awards and will be modeled after ESPN's annual ESPY award ceremony. During the elegant event, which will be held in the Tower Theater, Liberty Athletics will celebrate both its on the field accomplishments and achievements in the classroom.

[Sly Fox]

Thanks for the link.

[flamehunter]

"Flamespy" awards? Really?? I think a better name could have been found, or even stumbled upon.

Other than that, I like the direction the entire athletics department is heading as a whole.

[LUconn]

Didn't we used to have one here? Or maybe that was on the athletics website. I think they called it the sparkies. Heck even Flamies would have been better, despite it sounding like an event that Atrain would attend.

[Rooster Cogburn]

Do you guys have to discect EVERYTHING? haha YES!

[Purple Haize]

Hopefully he award name isn't set in stone. The only worse name I could think of would be The Flamers.

[Rooster Cogburn]

I thought his comments on the FBS study were interesting. Seems as though this isn't as much of a slam dunk as some on here have hinted.

[Blessed1]

I think the feasibility report is sort of like a credit report, but only for athletics. It basically summarizes whether a university can participate with the "big boys" and it gives other conferences the opportunity to determine whether or not a particular school should be considered for an invitation. This is why when a school decides to do a feasibility report, it's considered a big deal.

[Sly Fox]

Barber on Facilities:

"We feel like we're running around campus with our hair on fire, if you want to know the truth. We are very blessed obviously to have all of this growth going on. And all we have to do, Alan, is look around the campus. And it is not just athletics. But it is academics and just every piece of the campus is having things renovated, new buildings built or whatever.

The practice facility for basketball, they did hid some rock behind Vines that did slow that down a little bit. So it is moving along but not quite where we would wanted to be at this point. We do expect to be in it by November. And it will be a great facility for those programs and volleyball will be able to use it as well.

Baseball stadium is, there's some work being done now and a lot of work being done behind the scenes. And there has been for quite some time on the design and the building phase of all that. There's a road being built right now that will be bringing in a lot of dirt. Just by the location, we have to bring in 90,000 cubic yard of dirt. And there will be a big retaining wall out behind the leftfield wall. But that's moving along nicely. We're really, really excited about that. It will be 2500 chairback seats, a couple of suites and a club room. A new baseball office building with hitting tunnels with weight room and training room and all. And we are opening up, I believe, it is February 22nd with Penn State. We do expect to meet that deadline, of course. Probably the baseball building would not be quite completed. But we expected that from the beginning. But the field and the pressbox and everything else should be. We have several concessions stands, restrooms, souvenir booth. Just a lot of different things there. It will look like a very, very nice minor league stadium. We're excited about that.

We're moving our golf driving range up to a road up on the mountain. We're in the process of getting that changed. So there's a lot going on and excited about that. We're very blessed."


Barber on FBS Feasibility Study

"Just because you do a study, it doesn't mean you are going to do it. There are a lot of schools that do the study and realize it is not the right time or whatever. Our study is about two weeks from being completed. We have a big conference call tomorrow afternoon on a bunch of issues we'll go through. But we expect in the next couple of weeks to get the final copy of their study. At that time it goes to the university and the chancellor. And the decision is made between him and the board and university officials if this is something we are going to do. Something that has changed as well is that now when you decide or make a public statement that you are going FBS, you're right it doesn't mean that you are. And now the NCAA has restructured the way teams move up into this level of football. And you have to have a bonified letter from a conference inviting you in. As we all know, there is a lot of activity going on right now with the Conference USA & the Mountain West looking at an alliance. What's it going to do to the WAC and what's it going to do to the Sun Belt? The WAC commissioner Karl Benson leaves and he's now the commissioner of the Sun Belt and they are looking to expand. You know there are a lot of things that are going on behind the scenes. And we will be a part of that at some point, I think. I wish I could say when. But I don't know. I just know that what we are doing here with the help of our chancellor and the university, that we are doing all we can do to move up into that level. To make all of the changes necessary and commitments in facilities, all that things you have to have. We're making that happen on our end. And now we are just going to trust the Lord that he'll open a conference for us at the right time. And we'll be able to move up and get this going if that is the way the university decides to go after the study comes back in."

[Blessed1]

From Barber's statements it seems like he is cautiously watching what he says because he knows being invited to a FBS conference is out of Liberty's hands. I don't think he's waiving a white flag like Florida Atlantic, but simply explaining in Layman's terms of how the process goes down.

The most important things Liberty can do is to keep winning and become a mainstay in the FCS playoffs. In essence, we must be in the mix of the FCS playoffs like Gonzaga and Butler are in the NCAA tourney. Does anyone think that Butler would be in the mix for joining the A-10 if they never made two Final Four runs? I don't think so. We want people to say "What about Liberty?" instead of thinking "Liberty?... Who else is on the list?"

[wideflame]

In reference to Football (and other sports) moving to FBS......What did Jerry want? If you know the answer to that, then you know the answer to" will we move up?". The question then becomes "when?"

[R i]

There are a couple of comments in there that make me think some things could have changed recently. Interesting...

[Hold My Own]

Not going to lie, I giggled quite a bit.

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[flamesfilmguy]

It does seem like Barber's tone has changed. My friend down here at GSU interviewed him about a month ago and sounded like there was obvious enquiries from at least one conference. Im not sure what has changed but it doesn't look good for us.