Jim Gazzolo column: FBS or bust for Schroyer
McNeese A.D. Heath Schroyer stands atop the basketball revival at his school and the league. (PJ Mitchell/McNeese Athletics)
There is no question that Heath Schroyer has accomplished amazing things in his five years at the head of McNeese State athletics.
He has brought the department back from the brink of collapse, restored the facilities from destruction, and transformed the program's finances from a debacle to a profitable venture.
All of this was accomplished while rebuilding from hurricane devastation, addressing academic issues in football, and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
No person in the nation has done this much in such a short period of time. He's steadied a ship in rough seas.
It's been said — in this column, to be exact — that nobody has done more to rebuild the community since those 2020 storms than Schroyer. The school's athletic future has never been brighter, and interest — nationally and locally — has never been greater.
Both have been led by Schroyer's vision, drive and ability to persuade people to believe in and invest with him.
However, this is no time for pats on the back or a victory lap. As of today, Schroyer's impact has been great but somewhat temporary. If the next athletic director doesn't follow suit — and one day there will be a next athletic director — then this might all go away.
For Schroyer to have a lasting impact on McNeese, one final move remains to be made. It will be his grand finale, the big one, the pièce de résistance, and perhaps the hardest to accomplish.
And now might be the perfect time for Schroyer to try and pull it off.
If he is going to have a lasting impact on the university, he must elevate the athletic program to the next level, that of the Football Bowl Subdivision. That's where the money is, that's where the future must be.
Schroyer has to do all he can, work all his magic, and find a way to convince an FBS league — are you listening, Conference USA? — that McNeese is a perfect fit.
If not now, it might never happen.
Without such a move, the rest that's taken place on and around campus is nothing but pretty window dressing and will disappear as quickly as a hurricane blew away the old press box above Cowboy Stadium.
You get the feeling this is Schroyer's final big prize. Now that the $2.8 billion House vs. NCAA settlement is complete, and there is some direction as to where college sports are headed, this seems like the best time for the Cowboys to make the big move.
It will be the correction of a missed opportunity from two decades ago. Cleaning up that mistake is McNeese's final and Schroyer's last piece to the puzzle.
If you don't think it's a big deal, look at Monroe. The school's president and AD doubled down last week, saying, despite its financial woes, the athletic program had no intention of moving down.
That came even after Louisiana-Monroe announced last week it was dropping its women's tennis program for financial reasons. ULM officials said they could not afford to revert to the Football Championship Subdivision level.
The same goes for McNeese, and Schroyer is aware of it. With the future of smaller schools in greater question than ever, the Cowboy AD must do everything he can to find a path upward.
As for why now? Simple: Everything is in place.
The major programs are in good shape, the school president is on board and willing to move forward, and facilities have been upgraded to the point where they align with those of the larger schools.
Now it's up to Schroyer to sell his vision to the right people. He's done it before. He's sold his ideas to the Southland Conference. He has garnered area business and community support for his programs.
Given everything he has done, it might be harsh to say Schroyer's long-term legacy depends on this final move, but it does.
It's the one that, above all others, will have lasting effects on the athletic program.
It's also the hardest to accomplish.
•
Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@yahoo.com
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