|
Post by Old Catamount on Oct 1, 2018 18:28:07 GMT -5
Kennesaw State's athletics department's budget is at least twice WCU's and they have the Hope Scholarships (Georgia kids are free). This year, they will draw $18 million from their student activities fee and overall budget is just shy of $30 million (WCU's budget is $13 million). Their scholarships cost them virtually nothing. Also, they are located in the middle of one of the most fertile high school football territories in the nation. And, MOST IMPORTANT, they have a football friendly administration.
|
|
|
Post by mtncat1 on Oct 1, 2018 18:43:15 GMT -5
All of these posts are well stated and I agree with all of you. First, the season is not lost and WCU CAN make a great run. Second, changes must take place in the admin building and at the very top in order for athletics and the football program to be taken to a higher level. How did the culture get like that at the WCU admin building? When did it start? How are we constantly hiring these types of minds? Did this start in the 80's? The 70's? The 50's? I mean, tons of other schools that seem much more "liberal arts" and "we hang our hat on academics" seem to have admins that value athletics enough to make their programs successful. ASU, Wake Forest, Furman, Wofford, the list goes on and on. I mean, right in our own back yard, WCU admin has two case studies with ASU and Wake Forest that either 1-Took their program to a new level or 2-Turned around a dismal football program and poured resources into it to make it competitive and relevant. The former, ASU and the latter, WFU. Granted, Wake financed their stadium facelift with a HUGE naming rights contract with BB&T. But guess what? They won an ACC championship in 2006 before they broke ground on the stadium facelift!! Someone, or many folks, had a vision, hired Grobe, got to winning again and things happened. Well, Speir, of sorts, is OUR JIM GROBE! He's turned the culture around and got us winning again but he's facing an admin at WCU not willing to help him garner the resources to take our football program to the next level, or at least to the next level on a consistent basis. Sad, very sad.
|
|
goat
Walkon
Posts: 93
|
Post by goat on Oct 2, 2018 6:41:09 GMT -5
What is Kennesaw States magic sauce? Is this only their 3rd or 4th season? Just asking. I believe it's a few things - 2 of my kids graduated from there and my youngest was recruited by them. They are located in the middle of the 4th best state for football recruits. Georgia High School football is awesome and loaded with talent! Secondly, with well over 30,000 students, their athletic fees are huge. They also have their own TV contact. But, most importantly, they have an outstanding culture.........Culture is belief, behavior and experience, and culture's job is to create the behavior that wins! Every organization is perfectly designed to get the results they're currently getting. From Top to Bottom, Kennesaw is committed to winning, and everyone behaves in that manner! I have heard, "let me watch your behavior and it will tell me what you believe" - think about that statement for a moment, and what it reveals about WCU! When you really care about things, you get better at them (Alabama, NE Patriots, ND State). Last week, before the Samford game, Kennesaw kicked their best OL off the team for talking back to the coaches! Proving, you're either all in or all out! Lastly they do play in a very poor conference now that Liberty and Coastal Carolina have moved up to FBS.
|
|
|
Post by wcatradio75 on Oct 2, 2018 8:22:02 GMT -5
What is Kennesaw States magic sauce? Is this only their 3rd or 4th season? Just asking. I believe it's a few things - 2 of my kids graduated from there and my youngest was recruited by them. They are located in the middle of the 4th best state for football recruits. Georgia High School football is awesome and loaded with talent! Secondly, with well over 30,000 students, their athletic fees are huge. They also have their own TV contact. But, most importantly, they have an outstanding culture.........Culture is belief, behavior and experience, and culture's job is to create the behavior that wins! Every organization is perfectly designed to get the results they're currently getting. From Top to Bottom, Kennesaw is committed to winning, and everyone behaves in that manner! I have heard, "let me watch your behavior and it will tell me what you believe" - think about that statement for a moment, and what it reveals about WCU! When you really care about things, you get better at them (Alabama, NE Patriots, ND State). Last week, before the Samford game, Kennesaw kicked their best OL off the team for talking back to the coaches! Proving, you're either all in or all out! Lastly they do play in a very poor conference now that Liberty and Coastal Carolina have moved up to FBS. You are correct. However, that isn't putting butts in the seats. They have ONLY a 9,000 seat stadium on a 30,000 student campus in a county of 600,000 and a metro area of 6,000,000, and they can't get STUDENTS to come. I get that Atlanta has 5 college football teams in the metro area (if you include GA Tech as a football team - ouch), but with a playoff oriented team you would think they'd get more backing from students. They were giving away tickets to veterans two weeks ago, and they have averaged well under 9,000 over the past two seasons. The team and the team culture is great. Getting students to feel the fire on a suburban/commuter campus however, is tough.
|
|
|
Post by BigCat on Oct 2, 2018 18:36:10 GMT -5
Did anyone read on the other board, that Randy had funding lined up for a press-box, etc. and indoor practice field, and Dr. Belcher shout it down? I like everyone else thought Belcher was a friend of athletics, turns out is was all show. I just lost a lot of respect that I previously held for him.
I this does not prove the folk in the white building are NEVER going to do anything for athletics, nothing will.
|
|
|
Post by purplecat on Oct 2, 2018 18:48:05 GMT -5
Did anyone read on the other board, that Randy had funding lined up for a press-box, etc. and indoor practice field, and Dr. Belcher shout it down? I like everyone else thought Belcher was a friend of athletics, turns out is was all show. I just lost a lot of respect that I previously held for him. I this does not prove the folk in the white building are NEVER going to do anything for athletics, nothing will. If this is true, it makes me want to keep my money at home or give it to a charity, obviously WCU does not need my dollars, no matter how much the beg.
|
|
|
Post by 83wasagreatyr on Oct 2, 2018 18:51:25 GMT -5
Speaking of the White Building, did they ever power wash or paint that eyesore??
|
|
|
Post by hampton on Oct 2, 2018 18:57:21 GMT -5
I had heard this before and everyone that was giving Randy a hard time I felt it was misplaced. It should have been aimed at the administration. Between this and the administration turning down the GA transfer that would have helped on the defense immediately I thought about just walking away from Western, but after thinking more, "I'M READY TO STAND UP AND FIGHT".
|
|
|
Post by catamountfanatic07 on Oct 2, 2018 19:42:44 GMT -5
I can tell you all with 100% certainty that the lead the way campaign was supposed to have a large chunk for athletics....mostly the indoor practice facility which was then axed by Belcher. I have heard it from Randy and others high up. Randy’s hands are tied with no chancellor in place at this point. It pisses me off that the admin will raise 60 mil for academics and not do a campaign for athletics. It’s disgusting.
Don’t stop giving to the catamount club because of this though. Remember we are giving what we give for the student athletes. I’d love to sit in a club level or suite as much as anyone but don’t pull your cat club donations due to the administration. You are only hurting the athletes and i can promise you the admin doesn’t care and won’t blink an eye.
|
|
|
Post by catamountfanatic07 on Oct 2, 2018 19:43:56 GMT -5
Randy is a great guy, albeit blunt at times to people, but he cares deeply about the university and wants us to succeed, but if your hands are tied and your bosses keep axing initiatives we have to go higher than him to complain
|
|