Dave Brandon appreciation thread
For all the unwarranted criticism he gets around here, Dave Brandon is an exceptional human being.
He donated more than 4 Million dollars to build Mott Children's hospital, and contributed to the Michigan Stadium renovation fund before he even took the office. He earned the Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 2007, The Bennie Oosterban Award for Service, Dedication and CEO Coach of the Year in 2008. He raised 3 sons and a daughter, and "enjoys spoiling" his 7 grandkids.
He took a 3 Million Dollar pay cut to take over an athletic department that was hemorhaging credibility like a stuck pig. He was tasked with cleaning up his predecessor's disastrous 3,5,7 win football hire and a basketball team that after finally breaking into the tournament seemed to be sinking back into mediocrity at 15-17.
Brandon provided strong leadership and a stronger backhand through one of the darker(albeit ridiculous) chapters in Michigan football history.
He hired a coach who immediately breathed life into a program on the ropes. That coach took a 5 win/yr team to an 11-2 record and a BCS bowl win.
There have been some disappointments since then of course, but think where the program would be if that injection of credibility hadn't have happened.
He hired this man
And this man
Who have helped bring Michigan to the Championship game and the Elite Eight a year later.
He took this guy from the Ravens(and paid him)
And this guy from the 'Tide
(folks around these parts seem a little excited about that one)
He oversaw the rebuilding of Crisler Arena
which continues to help land elite recruits.
I think it is a fair assumption that Brandon has done more for Michigan athletics and the world at large than 99% of us on the board, a fact that can get lost in petty vendettas and very real differences of opinion.
In this man's opinion, Brandon has made very real sacrifices and deserves a great deal more respect than he gets on this board.
fuck Dave Brandon
I wonder how life is treating this young fella.
Why?
Why so serious?
Why?
But ... Why screw with the system for student tickets - general admission and different point structure? Why not have the escalating price model for football game tickets include a step back in price for poor on-field performance? Why make people who have had seats at The Big House for decades pay extra for seat cushions? Why always offer me extra opportunities to donate and gain points when those don't open any doors?
I sadly feel that Dave Brandon, for everything he has done to improve Michigan, has pushed aside the fans - whether your a new student, recent grad, grabbing a single game ticket, alumni, or long time sports ticket holder - for the almighty dollar.
I want my Christmas bonus and not enrollment in the jelly of the month club, Mr Shirley.
this post puts a serious hole in my "Dave Brandon is the AntiChrist" hypothesis.
You don't think Lucifer is making all of the ASPCA commercials?
not all of them- just the Sarah McLoghlin one
And who's making the "RR appreciation" thread? Bill Martin appreciation? Mary Sue Coleman appreciation?
how about the Hello: New Prez post?
this could be a whole new revenue stream for the blog
We miss you cookie pizza.
We wouldn't care about the petty crap everyone whines on this blog about.
Students are showing up in droves for basketball, and no one cares that those tickets cost more.
The issue is that they on field prouct has been lacking.
However, the dude who sets the ticket prices should understand that he's serving up bullshit pie when he pretends that the on-field product and home schedule are worthy of big price hikes.
I care about Bball ticket prices. I'm somebody, damn it.
methinks you protest too much. Brandon gets no credit for hiring of asst coaches in bball or fball. In fact, he is on record as saying Nuss was 100% Hoke's call. I don't doubt he's done a good job in some areas but he's been brutal in others. There is also no doubt that he has an inflated ego that rubs people the wrong way. The guy has a parking spot at Schembechler Hall closer to the building than the football coaches even though DB's office isn't there. One small example of many.
I think it's carefully worded. Hoke choosing Nuss was 100% his call, but I get the sense that firing Borges was 100% Brandon's call.
First, I don't think he should be replaced. I think the good he has done far outweighs the things we're complaining about.
That being said, there are some things he could do better. Sending the band to neutral site games shouldn't even be a debate, for one. He could also maybe take some time off the "Brandon's Blog" thing and maybe be a little more hands-off the football program.
I don't think the Hoke hire counts against him. He followed it up with shelling out the cash for whoever Hoke wanted on staff. Not every AD does that. (Martin didn't do it for RR.)
I also emailed Brandon back in 2011 about the helmets being changed and uniforms going all yellow and how I was worried about this, and he actually took the time to write me back and assure me that, on game day, the football team will remain consistent with Michigan tradition and history. Okay, so some of it was a little condescending (we know better than you type stuff), but I was impressed that I even got a response. Most ADs don't give emailers (even if they're alumni) the time of day.
Do I think Brandon has some things he could improve on as AD? Yes. Do I think we should maybe back off him a little bit and appreciate the good things? Sure. He's not the monster or incompetent moron that some people make him out to be. While some of the people here might think that they could do a better job on certain things, I personally don't think any of us could do a better job overall.
Just my two cents.
I too emailed DB back when he scheduled the AppState rematch. While I apppreciated his taking the time to write a lengthy response, it was completely overdone. He spent some time telling me why I was wrong about scheduling the game but the vast majority of his reply was aimed at me and how he wouldn't presume to tell me how to run my business because he doesn't know it as well as I do. I found that comical on a few levels but mostly because you don't have to be an A.D. to know the AppState game will conjure up old wounds by national media folks and (God forbid) should we lose that game, the program will suffer greatly. For a "brand" guy, it was idiotic that he didn't recognize the potential perils in scheduling this game. His arrogance is apparent even in emails.
Sounds about the same as my interactions with Brandon on the hockey side of things. The Dekers board met with one of his many Office of Development yes men. The yes man went on and on about how they would do anything to help booster clubs like the Dekers. Yet, here we are in 2014 and the Dekers are the last of the athletic booster clubs after the softball Diamond Club went under recently. Dave decides to do the exact opposite of helping us out, relegating us to a tiny corner of Yost and charging us the full cost of advertising inside Yost while giving the family discount the University Health System and other preferred organizations. Our entire goal is to raise funds for an endowed hockey scholarship. Pretty much everything we do now except for the annual post-season banquet is unofficial. Dave killed our board and jumbotron advertising, 50/50 (while sparty's and the Ohio State's equivalent organizations continues there 50/50's), and took over the homecoming hockey rally. We were willing to work the athletics support staff and Office and Development in any capacity necessary.
Until the 99% thing. Anyone who has ever coached, played for, or been the AD at Michigan has done more for Michigan than 99% of this board. But you are comparing him to pretty much the lowest commmon denominator. Even if you hate RR. He did more for Michigan than 99% of this board. As did Chris Webber. That doesn't change the fact that they are polarizing figures that many people don't like.
Good post and I agree with most of what you said. However, this is probably the wrong crowd to try to convince DB isn't the devil.
Dear everyone,
Despite what the NCAA says, Athletics are about money; providing more revenue for the other sports in order to provide a more well-rounded college experience and for funding academics. Does anyone have a problem with Dave Brandon making money in order to fund getting a new field for lacrosse that can't possibly make enough money on their own to do it? Does anyone have a problem with a portion of the money that Dave Brandon's policy's make going towards academic funding? So please stop whining about Dave Brandon trying to do his job by trying to make more money.
Also, Uniformz! are cool to those of us who aren't trying to become more crochety and using TRADISHION! as an excuse.
How many of us were that angry that the band wasn't going to get to go to Dallas? I for one come to watch the football team.
Football ticket sales have everything to do with Rich Rod to Hoke loses.
So, if you want to say Brandon isn't making enough money, so be it! But all the other arguments are so tired. This is a GREAT thread.
That was therpeutic.
I can guarantee that I did not drop my season tickets due to Wins/Losses. Dave constantly raising ticket prices did my family in. It is no longer affordable for a secondary educator salary. With my low opinion of Brandon I would rather give my money to a scalper on gameday for most likely half the cost.
I'm with you 100% on that.
I have nothing of value to add that hasn't already been said (in a negative tone toward him), but I will say I get extra irritated because when we hired him, one of my few Sparty friends predicted this exact scenario. Alienation of the fans, reduced results on the field, and Sparty on the rise. Granted some of that wasn't difficult to predict and he didn't exactly predict the Basketball turnaround. Every time he gets a chance, he reminds me that "that's what you get for hiriing the pizza guy".
that this thread exists really shows how low most opinions of Dave Brandon are.
I also think that the lovefest for DB on the part of some should be tapered as someone who is closing in on the not able to afford tickets anymore. I'm sure it's very obnoxious for those who have purchased tickets for a long time but can not afford it anymore to hear about how great DB is.
If you give him credit for Mattison, you have to give him credit for Al Borgess as well.
But your argument is that there was any decent offensive coordinator who would have taken that 11-2 team and won three games? Even knowing that the 11 win team was the first year of a transition from a spread-to-run/read-option offense to a west coast pro-style offense?
I mean, holy freeking balls, dude, if we're just going to compare things Dave Brandon did with the worst hypothetical post-nuclear moonscape doomsday interpretation of events that may have occured in the most twisted, hellish alternate universe you can draw up, then sure, Brandon has been swell.
I propose that RR is the Savior of Michigan Football. Can you imagine what would have happened if Carr had stayed and proceeded to lose every game for the next 5 years? Thank you RR for saving Michigan Football!
Had I not stood helplessly as the hypothetical post-nuclear moonscape doomsday twisted hellish alternate universe unfolded before my weeping eyes.
holy freeking balls, dude
I've learned not to take anything for granted.
My issue with Brandon is threefold. One: that he treated me like a bottomless pit of money willing to hand over anything to him to fund sports I dont personally care to support. For all the talk on the board about how wonderful the non-revenue facilities are now - how many people actually...you know...ATTEND any of their games? I don't and I resented and ultimately rebelled at the idea that I had to support them (through my wallet) if I wanted to maintain my football season tickets.
My second issue is that despite supporting the athletic department financially for the better part of 25 years through six season tickets, mulitiple bowl games and thousands of dollars of indivicual giving - neither he nor anyone in the department could be bothered to respond to any of my three emails expressing my displeasure over issue #1. A simple "we hear you but this is why we're doing this" would've gone a LONG way in keeping me in the fold. But they didn't - they were too busy crafting their latest e-blast campaign to implore me to buy even more tickets to worry about responding to talking to me on any level.
My third issue is how badly he's treated the students who are the very lifeblood of our future support. Dave has given them all a collective middle finger acting like they dont matter and they do. This is their team and their school (just like it was mine from 78-81) and the distain and disrespect Brandon provides them is appalling. I don't know if a student boycot of a game this fall is for real or not but if it actually happens it's 100% in response to Brandon's scorched earth policy towards the student base. I feel like I owe the students an apology on behalf of my generation thanks to Brandon.
So fuck Dave Brandon. I truly hope all those supporters in this thread have lots and lots of money and lots and lots of friends with money cause a whole lot of people like me have checked OUT of financially supporting the football team because of him.
I'll address your gripes.
1) Non-revenue sports are important at Universities. Just ask any non D1 school. They bring in smart kids on scholarship and are in the true spirit of college sports. That said, I don't watch them either, but legally, Michigan has to comply with Title 9.
2) What do you want him to say? He's smart for not responding to your emails. You would immediately post them on MGo. Legally, he needs to give a PR response. It's common sense.
3) Students would rather party than see Michigan play shitty teams and (very sadly) maybe even lose to these teams. We are not the powerhouse we were. When students can be assured that Michigan will beat a decent team >75% of the time, then they will come to games and enjoy them. That's sadly not the case.
Your third point is a complete gneralization. Not every student (myself included when I was a student and still don't as a young alum) parties like a drunken sailor. Dave's GA policy made it as difficult as possible for students to enter the stadium. The logistics of the GA policy was complete bunk to the point where it was scrapped halfway through the season. Finally, the about face Brandon performed after the season scrapping the entire GA policy while also raising ticket prices for students speaks to his lack of transperancy to have the students involved in the football experience. Sorry, I am calling BS on your post.
as I studied way too much. However, my point is that when the team is bad, there are other things to do (not necessairly pre-game), but watch on TV, hang with friends, or study. When the team is generally assured to win against good competition, the trend is make games a top priority.
If you disagree, just look at Basketball attendance from the mid-90s until like 2010.
Fair enough.. However, I also believe ticket prices and the attractiveness of 60 in LED's in air conditioning has a major effect on attendance. Not just at Michigan, but at most universities. Which gets to my point that Brandon's policies are not helping to combat the attractiveness of the home environment. My opinion is if you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem.
Basketball seating is a different animal than football. Dave didn't scrap GA student seating but stuck with it. It became streamlined unlike football (a logistical nightmare). Yes, winning helps.
You and I are from roughly the same era. This Fall marks my 30th anniversary of arriving on campus as a freshman. We have similar feelings and expriences and I respect your response over someone who lazily types "Fuck Dave Brandon".
How about if I energetically type "Fuck Dave Brandon?"
FUCK DAVE BRANDON. I just typed that with great thought, motivation, 100% effort, and all around verve.
so I guess I'm not a cool kid on MGo.
1) Revenue up is a big deal - hiring Nuss, paying the b-ball coaches, and new facilities are all significant factors in Michigan being where we are today
2) Scheduling is decided years in advance, so we can't blame him
3) RU and MD are solid adds IMO. Both are respectable schools (certainly better than Indiana or Iowa) and bring in an expanding marketplace (huge B1G alumni in both cities). Also, it's join an expanded conference or die. Even ND is basically alligned with the Big East
4) People are only angry because the football team sucks. That's not Brandon's fault. Hoke needs another year or 2 before he should be fired.
What about him do you like? You've only got coaches.