How many other Brandon disciples will Hackett get rid of?
Now that Dave Satterfield and Hunter Lochmann are gone, it seems like Hackett is serious about changing the culture from making money to winning. Are there any other Brandon era employees that are bringing the department down that you'd like to see replaced?
December 17th, 2014 at 10:39 AM ^
I hope this would be based on actual job performance, and not just "associated with DB."
December 17th, 2014 at 10:44 AM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 11:45 AM ^
My knee-jerk reaction is "all of them," but Brandon may have actually hired a few people who are capable of doing a good job. Ultimately, I have a feeling that everyone hired by DB should be updating their resumes soon.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:54 AM ^
I worked in media/marketing for 18 years, so I saw my fair share of incompetence...and also my fair share of great ideas and effective campaigns.
On more than one occasion, I was hired or promoted by someone who could be compared to DB...but it wouldn't have been fair to evaluate me just because I was associated with those folks.
Just because DB is a DB, that doesn't mean that he only hired asshats.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:41 AM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 10:55 AM ^
Hackett at first, but he really impressed me at his press conference. Also, FWIW, a friend used to work for Hackett at Steelcase for many years before retiring-he spoke very highly of him on a professional and personal basis. We are lucky to have him, now get JH!
December 17th, 2014 at 11:55 AM ^
wash away the Brandon toxicity completely before hiring someone and have that person have to deal with it. Makes sense to me. Fix the culture, set it on the right path, and hire someone who matches that philosophy and approach.
December 17th, 2014 at 1:10 PM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 10:42 AM ^
Three
December 17th, 2014 at 10:59 AM ^
One for each Michbro
December 17th, 2014 at 10:42 AM ^
I may be reading too much into the situation, but Lochmann's resignation seems to indicate that Hackett is going to be doing a multi-year overhaul of the ADAs far as the possibility of Hackett having the outline of a deal with Harbaugh in place, I think that's a very good sign.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:43 AM ^
I expect Hackett and his successor to have different priorities and a different style. The higher up the DB acolyte, the more likely I'd expect them to be moved on. Also, I'd guess that the Department of Derpy Promotions will be closed down, and worthwhile people given a shot at other jobs in the department.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:43 AM ^
I do not know enough about the athletic department to know specifics. We had heard that Brandon swept a lot of people and then expanded the AD so he has a lot of people loyal to him. I imagine that any employee that is not willing to embrace a culture shift away from Brandon will eventually get weeded out. But I don't think Hackett is the type to just fire someone because they were hired by his predecessor. That would be a douche move.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:48 AM ^
But I don't think Hackett is the type to just fire someone because they were hired by his predecessor... or was best man at his wedding...
December 17th, 2014 at 10:47 AM ^
It's one thing to speculate on head football coaches and athletic directors, whose firings or "resignations" leave them with multi-million dollar severance or buyout packages. It's another thing to speculate on every day athletic department employess who work for more normal salaries, let's leave them alone and not speculate on things we know nothng about.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:45 AM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 10:45 AM ^
There's going to be a lot of excess fat to trim here in the near future. Brandon's hiring bonanza left the department with a LOT of extraneous low- to mid-level employees with little real value to the bottom line. There's only so many young gun marketing gurus you really need, but Brandon seemed to want to hire every one whose resume hit his desk.
We won't hear about it, but I suspect you're going to see a much leaner department going forward under Hackett/his successor.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:48 AM ^
How many are there left?
That's how many I'd like to see go.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:48 AM ^
We can reduce some of the salaries of office staff and move it to Harbaugh. Lochmann was paid 215K a year to come up with ideas that we all hated. We don't really need a chief marketing officer.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^
But isn't Hackett a Brandon disciple himself...?
December 17th, 2014 at 11:10 AM ^
I believe you are wrong.
December 17th, 2014 at 11:11 AM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 12:23 PM ^
Pretty sure the intern ad's are the kids who have to make the coffee runs.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:54 AM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 10:55 AM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 10:57 AM ^
How many? Whatever it takes.
December 17th, 2014 at 11:03 AM ^
or second, based on needs and financial decisions. DB did expand the Athletic Department and especially Athletic Development. So, some re-organization is expected.
December 17th, 2014 at 10:59 AM ^
it seems like Hackett is serious about changing the culture from making money to winning.Hopefully a culture can exist where those two things are not mutually exclusive. I imagine if Hackett can get the winning part up and running, the making money part will follow.
December 17th, 2014 at 11:10 AM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 11:36 AM ^
This x 1,000. Having a winning team allows you to sell tickets without having to make an effort attract "families of four from grand rapids who go to one game a year". Win games and try not to ruin the gameday experience and you will have no problem pulling in revenue from all over the place.
All the advertising and scheming (and hiring a whole office full of marketing folks) can't replace winning in terms of cash-flow.
December 17th, 2014 at 12:02 PM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 12:21 PM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 2:06 PM ^
Wasn't marketing taken from Lochmann and given to her a couple of weeks ago? That would have been an odd move if she were about to be let go.
December 17th, 2014 at 2:35 PM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 2:35 PM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 12:24 PM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 12:25 PM ^
Fire the people responsible for all the bullshit noise piped into the stadium.
December 17th, 2014 at 12:51 PM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 1:19 PM ^
but when they make buckets of money for doing dumb shit, then I dont feel as bad. I wish everyone the best but this shit has to be done...this program is in need of a huge jump start and I am starting to see it.
December 17th, 2014 at 1:56 PM ^
1. The position for which he was hired is not needed, so he added no value.
2. He was causing obvious harm to the department, both in his frequent and misguided marketing ploys and in his overt dismissal of the importance of former student athletes.
Anyone who fits either of these descriptions, let alone both, should find themselves sitting on the curb on State St. next to the box that contains the contents of their desk.
December 17th, 2014 at 2:08 PM ^
You really think Brandon, Lochmann, etc. weren't focused on winning?
Winning makes money. DUH.
They were just douchebags who didn't know what they were doing. They had no idea how college athletics should be run.
It wasn't about making money over winning. That's silly.
December 18th, 2014 at 3:05 AM ^
This is the whole reason Hackett is being kept on as a long term interim. The whole point of Hackett is to purge the department of all these grossly overpaid marketing types Brandon filled the department with. Then, they can hire the new guy who can walk in without having an army of DB-loyal snakes waiting for him, or without having to be the bad guy who fired everyone.
Maybe some of these guys are good at marketing, but they're all an absolute waste of money at Michigan.