OT/Kinda: Texas AD Told to 'Change Personal Style'

Submitted by Geaux_Blue on

http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/07/15/texas-longhorns-steve-pat…

Slightly on-topic given our Brandon debacle...

Earlier this summer, reports suggested Patterson was facing backlash from some Texas boosters who felt he was alienating the school’s coaches and fans. A report from HornsDigest.com said some prominent boosters felt Patterson was prioritizing money over athletes and coaches, “misleading football season ticket holders” and “alienating longtime donors as well as faculty and staff.”

The Morning News report on Wednesday said Patterson had not yet “reached the point of no return” with university president Greg Fenves, who replaced Bill Powers in June. Fenves and Patterson are scheduled to talk again on Friday as part of regularly scheduled meetings; according to the report, Fenves has in previous meetings “told Patterson of the need to change an approach that some see as impersonal or even arrogant.”

FormAFarkingWall

July 16th, 2015 at 6:15 PM ^

Don't think you were trying to put the store closing on Brandon's shoulders, but for informational purposes, ToysRUs made the decision to close the Manhattan FAO Schwarz in mid-May, before Brandon was hired in early June. 

http://time.com/3881634/toy-store-fao-schwarz-closing/

http://www.wsj.com/articles/toys-r-us-names-david-brandon-as-its-next-ceo-1433257729

 

 

NRK

July 16th, 2015 at 5:04 PM ^

 

Official Texas statement, or something like that:

"Steve Patterson is a great AD of ours and had been set for a limited time as AD for Texas, for a Texas Longhorns retail activation aimed at corporate America. Due to a miscommunication in the approval process, this promotion should not have run as is. As a result, he is being talked to immediately. However, his contract may or may not be honored by Texas."

East German Judge

July 16th, 2015 at 5:11 PM ^

So you are telling me that the AD of a large school with a large and wealthy alumni base can not be a total prick and piss everyone off and still keep his job and/or not get slapped around by the University president? 

Apparently, this clown did not see what happened to Brandon.  Wait till he starts issuing press releases at 1 am.

State Street

July 16th, 2015 at 5:56 PM ^

Literally the only things you have to do as AD is NOT piss off donors and make fans marginally happy.  How guys like Brandon and Patterson manage to fail at these tasks with such ease is remarkable.  

Mr Miggle

July 16th, 2015 at 7:24 PM ^

When AD's screw things up like Brandon, we'd prefer someone who did almost nothing. But they would still be a poor AD. It's a big job, with a big budget and the need to generate a lot of revenue. The business of college sports has changed a lot over the years and ADs need to keep up. Brandon and Patterson realize this, but don't seem to able to understand their customer base. They might actually be decent ADs if not for their epic level of arrogance. 

LSAClassOf2000

July 16th, 2015 at 6:03 PM ^

A recurring theme has been an emphasis on money over anything else, from increases in ticket prices, changes in faculty tickets and a focus on international branding. The concern, sources say, is less the message than Patterson’s approach, sources said. Most of the goodwill surrounding his hire has pretty much been exhausted. - from the Dallas Morning News

If the approach really is "Eff the students and faculty, but be damned if I can't have my game against Presbyterian in Lagos in 2021", then yeah, I get the constant meetings with the university president to make sure we're still in the neighborhood of human (from the sound of some Texas fans, we've let the human ship sail already). 

SamirCM

July 16th, 2015 at 7:26 PM ^

Is purely on the AD? I imagine that if Texas was winning the BIg 12 consistently or at least staying ranked, the arrogance of the AD would be ignored, but I could be wrong. 

UMProud

July 16th, 2015 at 7:36 PM ^

I'm not sure that even if Texas were doing well this guy wouldn't be having some problems.

The fact that something like this is public knowledge including his private "review" sessions speaks volumes as to how much rope the guy has used up.

Like what was mentioned earlier it's so amazing how these new breeds of ADs are enraging donors and alumni so quickly.  Our current AD aside, for the most part, an effective AD was one whose name you never knew.

Ronnie Kaye

July 17th, 2015 at 7:44 AM ^

I know comparing Patterson to Brandon is the thing and there are certainly parallels but I think DB is significantly worse. Patterson has a background in sports, albeit professional. Brandon's a pure boardroom suit. And obviously, the Charlie Strong and Shaka Smart hires are a million times better than the Hoke hire was on paper.