My in-laws are coming for a night. No biggie. Jackson is a bit closer to East TN than Millington. The kids get to see their grandparents. We will have dinner. All is good. Except for the boxes.
The guest room is (now was) full of boxes yet to be dealt with. We went through most of them. Stuff was put away. Some will be tossed. Some donated. Some stuff is now in the attic. Another phase of moving and unpacking complete.
I think we will be unboxing stuff forever. When we are finally settled and have our house like we want it, I will probably sit down in my chair to blog in celebration, and die! Unpacking seems never ending. Hopefully we will be finished soon. At least in time to...unbox the Christmas decorations!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Memphis Tigers to the Big East: Don't hold your breath.
Everyone who knows me well knows that I am a huge Memphis Tiger fan. Since I was small I have been going to tiger football games (although not this year due to our move to Jackson), and I have endured some of the most tragic and painful college football on the planet. For years I have hoped that one day my Tigers would land in a conference that would allow them to compete with the SEC teams in the surrounding area. Recently the Big East announced that they are preparing to expand in football. Could this be the opportunity for the tigers to finally move on up and join the BCS party? It could be. But I do not think it will happen. Here are some reasons why I do not believe that Memphis will ever move up to a BCS league.
1. Losing. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Memphis State was the second winningest independent football school behind Notre Dame. Teams such as Louisville, Florida State, Cincinnati, and Tulsa were routinely games that were counted as wins. After Spook Murphy left, Fred Pancoast sustained winning but moved on to Vanderbilt. Richard Williamson was in position to keep the school on track but had numerous issues that undermined his success. Ultimately he was replaced with Rex Dockery (a sitting coach in the SWC). He was killed in a crash. By this time it had been 8 yrs since Memphis State had been a consistent winner. Many schools surpassed us during the Williamson and Dockery years. What followed was a series of blunders, bad hires and probation. The 80s solidified MSU as a losing program. Chuck Stobart may have turned it all around but was too bland for the fan base. By the time Tommy West took over for Rip Scherer there were nearly 30 yrs of losing. A brief renaissance occurred but could not be sustained, and here we are again. Losing has eroded the fan base to a few thousand who are steadfast and loyal. The program does not look attractice on paper and looks worse on the field.
2. Lackluster Vision: There has never been a cohesive plan for football. Tiger Lane is the first new thing in years but is it too little too late. The idea of an on campus football stadium was nixed by administration from the get-go. The players practice at a satellite campus. Simply stated football has no on campus home. There is no reason for alumni to return to campus. A clear vision for where the athletic program is going could potentially inspire more community involvement, donations, attendence, and ultimately ownership and pride in the university.
3. Limited Perspective: The primary focus of the athletic department and fund-raising has been towards basketball in recent years. This is understandable given the on court success of the men's team under John Calipari and now Josh Pastner. The basketball team is easy to follow, they win, and at the highest level. However, limiting the perspective to hoops is very short-sighted. Football is king in college sports, not basketball. Consider that the amount of payout money for the NCAA championship game is less than a minor bowl. When it looked like the Big 12 might completely fall apart earlier this year, was anyone clamoring for Kansas to be in their league? Big 10-nope Pac-12-nah, SEC- no thanks. Kansas practically invented the game of basketball, but when it came time to start dividing up the haves and have not, they almost got left out. I can assure you, Memphis basketball, although good, is not Kansas. The focus of the athletic department in terms of landing in a BCS league should begin and end with the development of football.
4. Lack of Facilities: The majority of successful college programs play football on campus. An on campus stadium says your are ready to play with the big boys. The basketball facilities are fine, but other sports have been neglected. Soccer plays in Collierville. Baseball finally got a facelift, but it is still a far cry from SEC, ACC, PAC-10 facilites. Track and Field is abyssmal. Again everything is too spread out. The sports facilities do not bring the fans and alumni back to campus. The big time schools take every opportunity to bring folks back to campus. The football practice facilites are not in line with area schools even though they have been upgraded. Players have to drive to practice. A master plan for facility upgrades should have been developed after Lousiville and Cincinnati left C-USA, AND it should have been presented to the public.
5. Lack of Athletic Funding: The athletic budget at Memphis is around 36 million a year (according to USA today/not my father). This is smaller than every Big East budget except South Florida which is also 36 million. It is smaller than every SEC budget (although close to Ole Miss and MSU). Most Big East budgets are in the 55-60 million range. It takes agressive fundraising and ticket sales to get this kind of money. How do you get the money? That is a good question, and I believe it is through getting people behind your vision and need for facilites. It goes back to planning. People do not give money because you need it. They give because they believe in what you are doing. Funding is lacking because their is no faith in the product or leadership.
6. Lightly endowed: This does not come into play regarding athletics on the field, but university presidents look at the entire scope and mission of the school, including academic and research endowment levels. The University of Memphis total endowment level is around 180 million. Louisville is at 589 million and Cincinnati is 833 million. The avg endowment of Big East schools is 664 million. SEC schools avg 750 million, big 12 and big 10 each around 2 billion. To be fair conference usa is at 632 million, but this figure is skewed by SMU, Rice, and Tulane. From an overall funding standpoint, the University of Memphis is most similar to the Mountain West. We are behind the Big East but light years behind the Big 12 and Big 10. A great university must have the backing of its community. To be certain the University of Memphis is not supported financially as well as the schools it wishes to partner with. Bottom line: the Big east schools have surpassed us both athletically and financially.
7. Loss of Learning: Memphis is currently listed as a tier two university by US News. All of the Big East and SEC schools are tier one institutions. Academically the university is being surpassed as well. Allowing under qualified students admission, and trying to wear too many hats has eroded the academics at the university. Their needs to be an emphasis on cutting programs that are inferior and enhancing excellence, such as the biomedical engineering and college of business. You can't be everything, and when you try to be good at everything, you are excellent at nothing. The idea that university presidents do not look at the academic quality of an institution when considering conference expansion is ludicrous. It matters a lot. Right now the University of Memphis is not in the same league academically with Big East schools.
8. Legacy Leaving: Because of the above mentioned academic issues, coupled with lack of funding, and lackluster athletics, (and I am sure other issues) prior graduates are sending their kids elsewhere. I remember learning the words to Georgia Tech's Ramblin' Wreck fight song as a child..."...if I had a daughter sir, I'd dress her in white and gold, and put her on the campus to cheer the brave and bold..." I think about this, and know that I don't want my daughter to wear blue and gray. Why? Ole Miss grads send their kids back, so do UT, Miss State, Alabama, and Auburn. I want my kids to have a better college experience than what U of M offers. I want a fun game day atmosphere, active student body, strong Greek system, tough academics, and more opportunities for my kids. Sad to say, my university is not where I will look for it unless things change. I know that others feel like I do.
9. Leadership: The importance of college athletics should not be overstated, but it is a major recruiting tool for students. The exposure of a university through football, basketball, and other athletic events develops brand recognition. The president of the university must realize and embrace this fact. It is no surprise to me that three of the largest universities, that are academically superior, well endowed and tradition rich are Texas, Michigan, and The Ohio State University. They also have pretty good football. High end academics and top-notch athletics are not mutually exclusive. Dr. Lane Rawlins understood this. He developed the campus with numerous building projects and placed an emphasis on athletics as well. He hired John Calipari. In spite of the the recent NCAA sanctions and general animosity towards Cal; you would be hard pressed to find a tiger fan who does not think we are better off for him coaching here. The problem is that the vision is not ongoing. Current leadership seems satisfied with the status quo. There is no aspiration to bigger and better things. Leadership starts at the top. Presidents and Athletic Directors have to understand their university, athletic programs, fan base, and alumni. Then they must develop a vision and plan that those people can believe in. That is what Louisville did. That is what Ole Miss is doing. It is happening at Houston, Central Florida, TCU, Boise State. Why not Memphis?
I am afraid that we will be left at the alter again. Much like the NFL efforts of the 70s and 80s. We spend too much time trying to retrofit and make what we have work, instead of looking into the future and developing our capital giving, facilities, and coaching hires for what is coming. Charlotte and Nashville built new stadiums and have NFL teams. We built the FedEx forum and got the NBA. 7-8 years ago we should have been planning for today, now it is probably too late. Go Tigers! I hope I am wrong about this.
1. Losing. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Memphis State was the second winningest independent football school behind Notre Dame. Teams such as Louisville, Florida State, Cincinnati, and Tulsa were routinely games that were counted as wins. After Spook Murphy left, Fred Pancoast sustained winning but moved on to Vanderbilt. Richard Williamson was in position to keep the school on track but had numerous issues that undermined his success. Ultimately he was replaced with Rex Dockery (a sitting coach in the SWC). He was killed in a crash. By this time it had been 8 yrs since Memphis State had been a consistent winner. Many schools surpassed us during the Williamson and Dockery years. What followed was a series of blunders, bad hires and probation. The 80s solidified MSU as a losing program. Chuck Stobart may have turned it all around but was too bland for the fan base. By the time Tommy West took over for Rip Scherer there were nearly 30 yrs of losing. A brief renaissance occurred but could not be sustained, and here we are again. Losing has eroded the fan base to a few thousand who are steadfast and loyal. The program does not look attractice on paper and looks worse on the field.
2. Lackluster Vision: There has never been a cohesive plan for football. Tiger Lane is the first new thing in years but is it too little too late. The idea of an on campus football stadium was nixed by administration from the get-go. The players practice at a satellite campus. Simply stated football has no on campus home. There is no reason for alumni to return to campus. A clear vision for where the athletic program is going could potentially inspire more community involvement, donations, attendence, and ultimately ownership and pride in the university.
3. Limited Perspective: The primary focus of the athletic department and fund-raising has been towards basketball in recent years. This is understandable given the on court success of the men's team under John Calipari and now Josh Pastner. The basketball team is easy to follow, they win, and at the highest level. However, limiting the perspective to hoops is very short-sighted. Football is king in college sports, not basketball. Consider that the amount of payout money for the NCAA championship game is less than a minor bowl. When it looked like the Big 12 might completely fall apart earlier this year, was anyone clamoring for Kansas to be in their league? Big 10-nope Pac-12-nah, SEC- no thanks. Kansas practically invented the game of basketball, but when it came time to start dividing up the haves and have not, they almost got left out. I can assure you, Memphis basketball, although good, is not Kansas. The focus of the athletic department in terms of landing in a BCS league should begin and end with the development of football.
4. Lack of Facilities: The majority of successful college programs play football on campus. An on campus stadium says your are ready to play with the big boys. The basketball facilities are fine, but other sports have been neglected. Soccer plays in Collierville. Baseball finally got a facelift, but it is still a far cry from SEC, ACC, PAC-10 facilites. Track and Field is abyssmal. Again everything is too spread out. The sports facilities do not bring the fans and alumni back to campus. The big time schools take every opportunity to bring folks back to campus. The football practice facilites are not in line with area schools even though they have been upgraded. Players have to drive to practice. A master plan for facility upgrades should have been developed after Lousiville and Cincinnati left C-USA, AND it should have been presented to the public.
5. Lack of Athletic Funding: The athletic budget at Memphis is around 36 million a year (according to USA today/not my father). This is smaller than every Big East budget except South Florida which is also 36 million. It is smaller than every SEC budget (although close to Ole Miss and MSU). Most Big East budgets are in the 55-60 million range. It takes agressive fundraising and ticket sales to get this kind of money. How do you get the money? That is a good question, and I believe it is through getting people behind your vision and need for facilites. It goes back to planning. People do not give money because you need it. They give because they believe in what you are doing. Funding is lacking because their is no faith in the product or leadership.
6. Lightly endowed: This does not come into play regarding athletics on the field, but university presidents look at the entire scope and mission of the school, including academic and research endowment levels. The University of Memphis total endowment level is around 180 million. Louisville is at 589 million and Cincinnati is 833 million. The avg endowment of Big East schools is 664 million. SEC schools avg 750 million, big 12 and big 10 each around 2 billion. To be fair conference usa is at 632 million, but this figure is skewed by SMU, Rice, and Tulane. From an overall funding standpoint, the University of Memphis is most similar to the Mountain West. We are behind the Big East but light years behind the Big 12 and Big 10. A great university must have the backing of its community. To be certain the University of Memphis is not supported financially as well as the schools it wishes to partner with. Bottom line: the Big east schools have surpassed us both athletically and financially.
7. Loss of Learning: Memphis is currently listed as a tier two university by US News. All of the Big East and SEC schools are tier one institutions. Academically the university is being surpassed as well. Allowing under qualified students admission, and trying to wear too many hats has eroded the academics at the university. Their needs to be an emphasis on cutting programs that are inferior and enhancing excellence, such as the biomedical engineering and college of business. You can't be everything, and when you try to be good at everything, you are excellent at nothing. The idea that university presidents do not look at the academic quality of an institution when considering conference expansion is ludicrous. It matters a lot. Right now the University of Memphis is not in the same league academically with Big East schools.
8. Legacy Leaving: Because of the above mentioned academic issues, coupled with lack of funding, and lackluster athletics, (and I am sure other issues) prior graduates are sending their kids elsewhere. I remember learning the words to Georgia Tech's Ramblin' Wreck fight song as a child..."...if I had a daughter sir, I'd dress her in white and gold, and put her on the campus to cheer the brave and bold..." I think about this, and know that I don't want my daughter to wear blue and gray. Why? Ole Miss grads send their kids back, so do UT, Miss State, Alabama, and Auburn. I want my kids to have a better college experience than what U of M offers. I want a fun game day atmosphere, active student body, strong Greek system, tough academics, and more opportunities for my kids. Sad to say, my university is not where I will look for it unless things change. I know that others feel like I do.
9. Leadership: The importance of college athletics should not be overstated, but it is a major recruiting tool for students. The exposure of a university through football, basketball, and other athletic events develops brand recognition. The president of the university must realize and embrace this fact. It is no surprise to me that three of the largest universities, that are academically superior, well endowed and tradition rich are Texas, Michigan, and The Ohio State University. They also have pretty good football. High end academics and top-notch athletics are not mutually exclusive. Dr. Lane Rawlins understood this. He developed the campus with numerous building projects and placed an emphasis on athletics as well. He hired John Calipari. In spite of the the recent NCAA sanctions and general animosity towards Cal; you would be hard pressed to find a tiger fan who does not think we are better off for him coaching here. The problem is that the vision is not ongoing. Current leadership seems satisfied with the status quo. There is no aspiration to bigger and better things. Leadership starts at the top. Presidents and Athletic Directors have to understand their university, athletic programs, fan base, and alumni. Then they must develop a vision and plan that those people can believe in. That is what Louisville did. That is what Ole Miss is doing. It is happening at Houston, Central Florida, TCU, Boise State. Why not Memphis?
I am afraid that we will be left at the alter again. Much like the NFL efforts of the 70s and 80s. We spend too much time trying to retrofit and make what we have work, instead of looking into the future and developing our capital giving, facilities, and coaching hires for what is coming. Charlotte and Nashville built new stadiums and have NFL teams. We built the FedEx forum and got the NBA. 7-8 years ago we should have been planning for today, now it is probably too late. Go Tigers! I hope I am wrong about this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)