Bill Martin on Justin Feagin and the Recruiting Process
http://www.annarbor.com/sports/bill-martin-michigan-will-re-evaluate-it…
Bill Martin speaks on the Justin Feagin situation, how RR handled it (perfectly), and U of M's recruiting process as a whole.
A few quotes:
Martin, who didn’t learn of Feagin’s problems until after he was dismissed, said he plans to get a group together to discuss if any changes need to be made in the screening of recruits. He didn’t say who would be involved in the talks or when they would take place.Also,
If a coach discovers “arrests, citations or any other potentially embarrassing incidents” that might signal “a lack of character,” he is required to report the issues to the athletic director.I guess I didn't really realize that Bill Martin would be involved with recruiting. Anyways, there is a few other interesting quotes within. Take it for what it's worth.
August 11th, 2009 at 9:47 PM ^
I've got to admit he's handled this one pretty well. I wouldn't expect him to call out RR, who is still his guy, but instead of just ignoring the whole situation and waiting for the air to clear (which it will by next week) he's saying, in effect, let's see if we can learn from this. Maybe he should have invited everyone to his house for a beer.
August 12th, 2009 at 10:36 AM ^
Apart from sailing the good ship lollipop when he should've been hiring a coach, all Bill Martin has done is: eliminate Tom Goss's deficit, put the athletic department on sound financial footing, upgrade much of the athletic campus physical infrastructure, and, for the most part, made the right decisions.
Yes, Tommy Amaker was a mistake. Twice - hired and then not fired soon enough.
Oh, and we need to reduce the creampuffiness of our football nonconference schedule. Beilein's crew is manning up and playing anyone anywhere. Football should follow suit soon.
Other than that, when we look back at his tenure 20 years after he's gone, most every building on the athletic campus will have his stamp on it.
August 12th, 2009 at 11:30 AM ^
A few minor disagreements, but I do think that Martin is going to be an AD on the level of Canham - and quite the opposite of Goss.
The Amaker hire at the time was widely praised, so it is difficult to "blame" Martin for it. The obvious disaster that was left by Elerby made it difficult to tell that Amaker was not working out. I think realistically Martin could have pulled the plug on Anaker 1 year earlier, but that is a matter of opinion based on 20-20 hind sight.
Regarding the football and the non-conference schedule, the most important thing Martin has done during his tenure as AD is the RR hire. RR's success will mean mean a successful Martin AD, and if RR fails, Martin's time at AD will be viewed as, if not a failure, then less of a success.
And given the present state of things in the football program, RR need wins. Not blow-out wins, not quality wins over top 10 opponents. Just wins in the next 2 years. Given that, RR's job security will be better, recruiting will be better, and then the talk will not be winning seasons, but competing for the Big Ten championship and, on occasion, the NC.
But first RR needs wins, and a week out-of-conference schedule should provide him with that. In a larger sense, with the BCS not really rewarding big wins, there really is not much incentive at all in scheduling better opponents. Michigan just has to start beating those "creampuffs."
Regarding Martin's sailing and the search for a HC; I don't know what really transpired and when, and I am not sure that anyone here on this blog does. Given that he ended up with RR as head coach, perhaps before the next time I go to hire an employee, I should take up sailing.
August 12th, 2009 at 11:53 AM ^
Good post, although I don't think we can put anyone on the level of Canham-- that guy revolutionized college athletics, for better or worse (I think mostly better). I would also include the Stadium and other facilities renovations (baseball/softball included) as a big part of Martin's tenure, and the Beilein hire was a massive coup on his part. Now we just need to upgrade the basketball facilities, and make sure football gets back to winning as quickly as possible, and I think Martin will walk away with a strong legacy. Oh, and I think his annual salary is $1.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:16 PM ^
Canham was a great AD, and there is a line that Ufer use to say (but I can't remember) about "the house that Yost built, Canham ... and Bo..." That probably doesn't give you much to go on.
Canham was revolutionary, but his tenure as AD wasn't perfect. There was the loss of Johhny Orr to Iowa State and the subsequent hire of Bill Frieder, who was not, shall we say, pure of character.
As I recall, head coach Bud Middaugh baseball program became the very first program at Michigan to be slapped with NCAA sanctions. This might have been when Bo was just starting as AD, but was going on during the end of Canham's time as AD.
[A side note - at the beginning of both Bo's and Canaham's time at Michigan, they were great friends and of 1 mind, but something happened in the early to mid '80's and they became quite distant.]
There where also continual struggles of the many of the non-revenue sports, particularly women's sports. I suspect that if there was a "Director's Cup" back then, Michigan would not have been a perennial top 10 performer like it is now under Martin.
Regardless, both have left a great mark on the school. Michigan has been fortunate to have had both.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:10 PM ^
I thought it was "The hole Yost dug, Canham carpeted, and Bo filled" or something.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:15 PM ^
I think that is it, or very, very close to it.
I think it is on one of the CD's I have of his; now I don't have to find them.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:36 PM ^
"The hole that Yost dug, Crisler paid for, Canham carpeted and Bo Schembechler fills every cotton-picking Saturday!"
BTW, I think Canham's tenure really needs to be split in two. The first decade (1968-1978) he hired Bo and revolutionized sports marketing. The second decade (1978-1988) he started to fall asleep at the wheel. We started falling behind in facilities during this time, allowed a good basketball coach (Johnny Orr) to leave for Iowa State (!), and then corruption started to take root in the basketball program (though it did not reach Ed Martin levels yet).
August 12th, 2009 at 1:59 PM ^
I should have known Ufer would incorporate his favorite adjective, "cotton-picking" into that oft-repeated saying.
Totally agree regarding Canham and there being a split in his tenure there. What is interesting is that in the second half, when he was less active in the AD, Bo became more powerful and his influence went beyond football. Could Bo's power exceeded Canhan's, with the result of it leading to a vacuum? And thus the result of Canham's 2nd decade as AD?
August 12th, 2009 at 2:09 PM ^
That's an interesting thought.
August 12th, 2009 at 2:06 PM ^
I have heard from people I know who've been involved with the Athletic Dept. that Canham, for all his genius, was regarded by many as a real jerk.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:05 PM ^
I concur that the Amaker hiring was praised and was likely the best he could have done at the time, given the train wreck of the Brian Ellerbe years. I'd argue 5 years was enough for Amaker...by that time it was obvious that our players were not developing (and in many cases, regressing) under Amaker, that he was a poor in-game tactician, that he had no concept of offense (unless passing the ball around the perimeter for 33 seconds and jacking up a bad three is an offensive philosophy), etc. All said, Amaker was a disappointment, and Martin realized that and cut his losses. I realize I'm quibbling about timing, but I do think Martin ultimately got it right. Beilein was a steal.
His facilities/infrastructure work is fantastic, and once they get the bball practice facility done and upgrade Crisler, the whole athletic campus will be a shining testament to Martin's management of the athletic department.
I also agree RR's hiring and the turnaround of the football program from last year's debacle will impact people's opinions than anything else he's done or will do. If RR works out (and I think he will), Martin goes down in history as Canham's peer. If RR doesn't, Ann Arbor Torch & Pitchfork equity is looking like a buy.
The sailing comment was admittedly snide, but intended as tongue-in-cheek.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:13 PM ^
Regarding Amaker/Beilein, timing is everything. If Amaker was fired a year earlier, would Michigan still ended up with Beilein (a year earlier), or someone else?
It is interesting to think how different the bball program could be in this case.
August 12th, 2009 at 11:58 AM ^
Manning up would not be smart with the way the BCS is set up. you win and your in, no matter who you play if your are in a BCS conference.
August 11th, 2009 at 11:36 PM ^
I like this a lot. We are Michigan, and we hold ourselves to a very high standard. Clearly it's impossible to avoid every situation like this, but it's great to know that everyone all the way up to Bill Martin is trying to make this a growing experience. I'd love to see some football coaches start an ethics committee (if they haven't already) to try to figure out how to avoid these situations in the future, or at least make sure that they're not walked into willfully by the universities.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:42 AM ^
Now if only he could schedule a home and home with Texas.
Seriously, though, Martin seems like a quality dude.
August 12th, 2009 at 12:03 PM ^
I think he handled this specific situation perfectly and have rarely been disappointed with the decisions Martin has made. At the time, even the Amaker hire seemed great.