Barry Alvarez is a bozo. Always has been, always will be. He just happened to produce winning football teams. Would any of us have wanted him to represent NU's football porgarm or athletic department? His departure is good news all the way around.
Why Barry Alvarez retired, and Why it matters to us
- Thread starter CatManTrue
- Start date
Remember what I was saying about PF? New AD that hopefully wants to build his reputation and bigger and better opportunities can’t have losing programs both at FB and MBB plus arrogant, stubborn and underperforming coaches leading the squads. He also has no connection to either coach.
The question was the Pres. Marty has been a boon for NU sports and a PF supporter. The new one looks like far less. No relation to PF and probably believes his significance to overvalued. So if his arrogance is giving a bad look to the school, I can see her cut bait.
Only friend of substance that PF may have left is Ryan. And that’s if he doesn’t mind losing and jerks.
I think next year could really become more significant. I think all seats get warm, PF loses some control if his teams sucks and if he resists, he may be shown the door. 2022 is lining up to be full of change.
He’s no JONS. We have higher standards for our coaches at NU - what were his graduation rates? Did everyone get a participation trophy? Was he overly loyal?
I love CMT’s energy taking on the klique. You go CMT! You seem to be squashing multiple homers and seemingly not breaking a sweat. Some folks simply cannot handle reality that conflicts with their preferred reality.
I take no pleasure in shattering false perceptions, but the truth must be spoken. No matter how many names I’m called!
It’s very likely that our president takes one look at her admissions and thinks “that’s fine” and let’s Gragg run things as he sees fit. But she will definitely be a much different president than Morty.
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I always had a lot of respect for him and what he accomplished with the FB program. He also oversaw the continuation of the program through a couple new coaches and did the same with BB and both programs have maintained their success and descent graduation rates.. Everything I have seen indicates that the programs are both clean and successful. You act like he just fell into it. I would have been fine with him representing NU both with the FB program and athletic department.
Gary Andersen was a terrible hire by Alvarez. Had one good season (out of four) at Utah State. Have you checked out what he has done since he left Madison? Acrimonious dismissals after short stints at both Oregon State and Utah State. I think he bailed on Wisconsin because the University wouldn't let him load up on unqualified jaycees. Perhaps our incoming President had something to do with that and the Badgers seem to be doing just fine without going that route.
I highly, HIGHLY doubt Wisconsin is placing academic restrictions in excess of NCAA minimums on their football players in any way.
Even the hiring of Anderson was not that bad as he had two good seasons at WIS and was 19-7 Any deficiency, he corrected it in Spades with the hire of Chryst. BB hires not bad either
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That 19-7 record was built with players from the past coaching staff (like Melvin Gordon). Andersen himself said he left over a disagreement about players he wanted to bring in. He built his one winning season at Utah state (11-2) with jaycees. He was an utter failure at his next two stops and had some other issues as well. A bad hire by Alvarez who otherwise has made good ones. Wisconsin is the third highest rated academic school in the Big Ten, behind only NU and Michigan. I'm sure they cut corners like Michigan does but I believe they do actually try to graduate their players.
Speaking of Gordon, remember the big upset the Cats pulled a far superior Andersen team when he ran wild (266 yards?) but with a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, first and goal at the seven, Andersen's team decided to have their QB throw the ball and had it picked off by Igwebuke.
Speaking of Gordon, remember the big upset the Cats pulled a far superior Andersen team when he ran wild (266 yards?) but with a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, first and goal at the seven, Andersen's team decided to have their QB throw the ball and had it picked off by Igwebuke.
Wisconsin currently has the number 2 football APR in the Big Ten at 986. Michigan is fifth at 980. Alabama's, by the way, is 990.
I am almost certain that Wisconsin is not placing any kind of academic restrictions on their players whatsoever, and neither is Michigan, likely. The football coaches themselves at really good programs will put character and academic limitations on their players. Scholarships are valuable and limited, when guys don't work out it leaves to holes on rosters and bad seasons. Teams can't afford to have a rash of guys flunking out or getting into off field trouble simply because it increases the odds that they don't pay off their investment of a scholarship slot. It's the lesser teams that have to take risks on guys who are talented but have a heightened chance of flaming out due to off the field stuff. The fact that Anderson was going after risky kids at a program that doesn't have to only further shows Wisconsin was lucky to get out from that deal. His approach was lazy and lesser than Wisconsin's program strength.
I don't see CCC as arrogant or stubborn, but surely underperforming. I actually have hopes for an overall .500 record this year. TBH, I don't follow the program nearly as closely as football, so I have just assumed he isn't a good coach, not that he's a jerk.
Not saying he was a good long term hire. Just that performance under him was descent and this was after a sudden departure of Bielema who was also an Alverez hire both as an assistant and as HC. And in any event they moved on from him and found a stud in Chryst. You are not going to hit a HR every time but he has hit a few and even on ones he missed on not much damage was done. Overall pretty good job as AD
It is about the truth. As a steward of the law, perhaps you could lay off the name calling and appreciate that NU’s academic restrictions won’t be lessening in the new regime as some hoped. If anything they’ll get tighter.
Which is why NU is a tough place to coach and why replacing Fitz or CCC would be very challenging. What was it that Jim Calhoun once said when offered the NU coaching gig: "I don't do miracles"
We all saw Anderson's coaching ability when he abandoned the run when RGIII was running for over 250 yards behind a huge, talented OL and tried to pass in the red zone with a mediocre QB in 2014. One of the worst games in terms of play-calling I've ever seen. He was a terrible fit for UW.
And you would be wrong...again. UW has a more stringent requirement for core courses than the NCAA minimum requirements.
They did under the prior president. We’ll see what happens in the NIL era. Bucky needs bucks too.
These schools are getting richer and richer! Marx was correct about dialectical materialism! Their jaws will be dropping when we have a US currency collapse which Wrassler and Jim Rickards ( two smartest dudes on subject) both predict will happen no later than 11 years from now! Barring a matchstick event, which can exasperate/ exacerbate the collapse sooner!
I would expect a good Econ professor and fundraising oriented University President would understand that Athletic success can improve visibility of the University, attract more of the top students and be a positive for fundraising. The idea that your can “save your way” to a higher endowment by squeezing athletics is short sighted accounting without understanding the halo effect on alumni support and national visibility. Notre Dame and South Bend IN did not become an academic power house based on their location of academic leadership. It built a brand on football that attracted national attention and support. Same with Duke Basketball strengthening the entire University and attracting the best students. I suspect she understands this, and trustees hiring her certainly do.
When you look at the schools that are ahead of NU on most rankings
you’d be hard pressed to argue that excellence in football is the secret sauce that got them there.
While many NU trustees value athletics I would think that they care more about where NU stands in relation to its peer institutions and what can be done to improve that position.
While winning the Big Ten in football would raise awareness for NU it wouldn’t necessarily allow them to raise more money. U Chicago didn’t need football to effectively fundraise in its last campaign, and neither would NU.
you’d be hard pressed to argue that excellence in football is the secret sauce that got them there.
While many NU trustees value athletics I would think that they care more about where NU stands in relation to its peer institutions and what can be done to improve that position.
While winning the Big Ten in football would raise awareness for NU it wouldn’t necessarily allow them to raise more money. U Chicago didn’t need football to effectively fundraise in its last campaign, and neither would NU.
I will give you an example that athletic excellence has a positive influence on a school's academic standing and the quality of students that are attracted to it.
Georgetown was a small private school in the early 70's with a terrible basketball team(One beautiful cheerleader though). They hired John Thompson, an obscure HS coach, whose first hire was Mary Fenlon as academic advisor. Georgetown recruited black BB players. Coach Thompson ran an extraordinarily disciplined and successful program with his players graduating and representing the university well. He had one player, who failed to graduate and another was asked to leave the team, in the first 10 years of his tenure. It was not until Alan Iverson left early that a star player did not graduate, He was criticized for his aggressive style of play and that he recruited mostly black players, who were stereotyped as thugs because of their color. My personal experience with these players revealed them to be polite respectful young men, anything but thugs
The end result for Geogetown was a tremendous increase in applications, higher quality admissions and a significant rise in their academic rating. This occurred because an authoritarian coach demanded academic integrity and provided the resources for his players success. Ms. Fenlon sat on Georgetown's bench every game and probably had as much influence on the team as Coach Thompson
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