CC: Sam and Ira Saying "Balance" Could Keep UM From Landing Harbaugh

but what is the source of the above Sam & Ira "discussion".  I'd like to understand the full context.

 

on interpreting Schlissel's comments.

Schlissel noticed the balance between academics and athletics is off here because Brandon was operating like the AD was a commercial business, not part of the school. That was seen in the way he treated the students and how they responded. I think it's meaningful that the only policy change Brandon made on the way out was lowering student ticket prices. I'd bet that was completely Schlissel's doing.

Reading into that how much we'll pay a new coaching staff is a big stretch. I think it's fair to say we won't be sacrificing our principles in order to win. Paying for top quality coaches or facilities doesn't contradict them. Schlissel specifically mentioned his learning the importance of our athletic traditions. One of them involves having the winningest footbal team.

I won't be surprised to see a change from having football players concentrated into the same major. That's something our president and Jim H can agree on.

This is Sam and Ira freaking out. Nothing what they say makes sense in light of what UM has  invested into the program.

This fear is an old fear going back to the Duderstadt days. He too sought to de-emphasize football. Did that work? Uh, no.  Michigan football is an integral part of the universities image. They are not going to let it slip to Northwestern's level. Not with 100,000 seats to fill and a $200 million bill to pay off.

If it's true then Schlissel would be headed back to Brown. Hiring a Pat Fitzgerald would be terrible for the athletic department financially.

Why are people assuming "balance" means that athletics will get worse to be on par with academics?? I would argue Schlissel meant the opposite - academics at M have been and will continue to be top notch. It is the football program, in particular, that has failed to live up to the standard of excellence that we all expect out of everything the University of Michigan does. Thus, balance means improving those areas that have not been performing up to the level of excellence that is expected from Michigan.

The coaches salary comes out of the athletic budget, doesn't it? It's not like they have to tap into other funds. Besides, Harbaugh is big on athletes education...see his comments when LC was coach.

This was just Sam's opinion.  He is very plugged in with respect to recruiting.  He is not very plugged in with respect to the AD. 

Something that doesn't add up to me: Sam was focused on the cost buyouts for Hoke, Nuss, Mattison.  But wouldn't some like Ross (or a group of Rosses) just write a check? 

I would take the idea that Michigan won't pay for a major coach much more seriously if JUB said it. 

Schlissel has to know how this will reflect on him if he doesn't go out and get the best candidate for the AD job. Academics will always be important, but I don't see why we can't get a grand slam hire to go along with it. Hiring a top notch football coach who leads your team to wins does more than just hoisting trophies.

-Donors pony up more money, whether for the academic or athletic side. People are in a more giving mood when your team wins.
-Application rates and interest in the school go up exponentially, as they have at Alabama.

Schlissel had to know when he signed on the dotted line that this school cares A LOT about its athletics, and it's not going to change. To turn into a Northwestern-like program that sees athletics merely as a leisurely activity would never mesh with our fans. If you asked me, I'd wonder why he wouldn't want to get a slam dunk hire in both the AD and football coach positions. If both of those guys take care of their own business and produce winning products, that allows him to devote his time to what he'd rather focus on: academics. If he hires lame ducks, he'll be dragged through this process again in a few years, and his name could be dragged through the mud along with it.

Does it really matter if you pay Harbaugh 7 million a year if it comes from the athletic department? That seems like a no brainer to me since he values academics and athletics both as a coach and wins too.

Politics.

Here's my best guess, if this happens we will also be looking for a new president.

When you have the largest stadium in the country and play in the biggest rivalry game in college football, 'balance' means something completely different.....I posted something about this in the "win out" thread, If the thought is to go the Northwestern road and just be 'competitive' then Schissel will be shown the door before too long.  In this day and age with big time economics and big time sports driving much of those economics, de-emphasizing football and sports will be the kiss of death.   That stadium doesn't exist to be 'competitive'.  Leaders and Best doesn't mean 'competitive.   The ath dept give multi-millions of $$ to the general university every year.  If the football program is merely competitive and there is a 'balance' then the university can kiss those $$ goodbye because it doesn't happen if the Athletic Dept. isn't in the black and it won't be if the football program doesn't improve significantly.  FIRE Hoke & Co. and hire Harbaugh!  Stop screwing around.  Stanford has a great balance and their academics are at least if not better than Michigan's.

Don't want to say too much without actually having heard them.  But this sounds like a whole lot of groundless speculation on their part based on very little, and then a little more spectulation on the part of the OC.  All smoke, no fire.

Sam Webb toeing the party line to preserve his access.  Par for the course.

This is just asinine to even discuss.

I think that if schlissel has learned one thing since taking the job as Michigan's president it is how serious the alumni, students and entire fan base are about winning. He acted quickly on getting rid of Brandon and I believe will do the same in finding the next athletic director who will hire this school's next great football coach. And what is Sam implying he won't see us hiring a Harbaugh or Saban type coach because of "balance"? I'm sorry because last time I checked I'm currently attending the best damn public university in this country (well top 3). If we had a true balance, we would have great football right with great academics. That's "balance"

I think that's a plus for Jim, considering his gripes about Michigan a few years back were as follows:

“College football needs Stanford. We’re looking not for student athletes but scholar-athletes. No other school can carry this banner. The Ivy League schools don’t have enough weight [because of their low athletic level]. Other schools which have good academic reputations have ways to get borderline athletes in and keep them in.”

“Michigan is a good school and I got a good education there, but the athletic department has ways to get borderline guys in and, when they’re in, they steer them to courses in sports communications. They’re adulated when they’re playing, but when they get out, the people who adulated them won’t hire them.”

In order words, Jim wants exactly the thing that Sam and Ira are saying might keep him away.

Balance = Winning Football Games while keeping acdemics high.

Paying $4M to Hoke is way off balance.   Paying $6M to Jim seems very on balance to me.

Weren't we a top notch athletic and academic program in the 70s through 90s. Why can't we go back to that. Everyone's happy. We're not the University of Chicago where we can't have both.

Here's a coach who sits and lobs bombs at his own University for steering football players into easy majors (essentially having them major in football) instead of trying to get the kids into programs that will set them up for the right skills in life.  I would think a University President would LOVE to hear talk like that from a football caoch.  A coach who wants to make sure his kids get the right degrees to be successful?  Who doesn't just care that they show up at 4:30 PM practice eligible to play?

 

Now, some of what Harbaugh said can be written off as self-serving babble because he was the coach at Stanford and was thus saying things to try and make Stanford look good, and pretty much all they had to look good at the time was their academics.  But still, it's pretty clear that Harbaugh isn't going to be a rubber-stamp, "get 'em whatever degree keeps 'em on the field playing for me and who cares what happens to them when they are done" kind of coach.  Not that ANY of Michigan's coaches have ever been like that--obviously Lloyd Carr cared deeply for his player's futures, as did Bo.   I'm just saying, I don't think Schlissel will read what Harbaugh has said in the past and think this isn't a guy he would want representing Michigan.

It's not rocket science. Good Football Team = More Donations = More $ for all Michigan athletics.

but this appears to be posturing to get donors to pay the new coach's salary.

When did "balance" suddenly become "doesn't care about football"? I think this goes to the same reflexive (and bullshit) argument that "only Michigan Men can coach Michigan." Ipso facto, because our new University President came from Brown, he doesn't "care" about football.

Sam, et al, must think that Schlissel's actions against Brandon are more like a blind squirrel finding a nut than the product of thoughtful deliberation and astute observation.

If Schlissel thinks this he is not as smart as we all thought.

We were paying Brady Hoke 4 million. That's off balance to me.

this had better be nonsense talk.  my wife and i donate to the scholarship funds, not the athletic department, but we donate because of our connection to the university, which as alumni, is largely about the football and basketball team and visiting AA.  if the football team was mediocre, we probably wouldn't visit as much, our connection could diminish and we might not donate as frequently.  we aren't big donors, but i bet there are a lot of alumni who send a few $50 checks per year who feel the same way.

I guess it's time I start donating money so that I can dry up my funds if Schlissel actually does screw this up as badly as we're fearing.

If I'm not mistaken, at the DB presser. Schlissel something along the lines of "striving for excellence in every sport." Im paraphrasing but certainly didn't sound like he doesn't want a successful football program.