OT: Texas AD remains in the hottest of water
I thought many here would find this interesting as this all-too-familiar story at Texas just continues to get more and more unreal.
http://www.scout.com/college/texas/story/1586647-sources-fenves-close-t…
September 14th, 2015 at 10:01 AM ^
I hope he gets shitcanned soon just like Brandon. What are they waiting for?
September 14th, 2015 at 10:36 AM ^
"What are you doing in my waters?"
September 14th, 2015 at 11:35 AM ^
I'm old Gregg!!!!
September 14th, 2015 at 11:47 AM ^
What do you think of me? Make an assessment.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:54 AM ^
a potential recruiting dynamo to be strong. We try to get Texas players.
September 14th, 2015 at 11:28 AM ^
Yeah, I don't mind a crappy Texas. Their having their own TV network bothers me.
It is eerie how similar this guy is to Brandon though.
September 14th, 2015 at 11:40 AM ^
By all means Texas, please keep Patterson around and continue to send all your Zach Gentrys to us.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:01 AM ^
Interesting but I try not to think about it. Stability and success are all too fleeting in college athletics. For every Hackett there's a Brandon, for every Gordon Gee there's a Gordon Gee.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:20 AM ^
Gordon Gee was the President of the school not the AD I thought
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September 14th, 2015 at 10:46 AM ^
Yeah you're right.
September 14th, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
But he still worked for Tressel.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:03 AM ^
to be finalized
September 14th, 2015 at 10:06 AM ^
I wonder if he and Dave Brandon have ever met?
September 14th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
That meeting would endanger the space-time continuum.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:31 AM ^
you'll know they're meeting.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:37 AM ^
It's funny to me because Brandon always talked about Texas being a school he measured Michigan to. It makes sense now.
September 14th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ^
And they use the same language - "Athletics is fhe front porch of the university."
September 14th, 2015 at 11:04 AM ^
Moreover, have you ever seen them in the same room together?
Didn't think so.
September 14th, 2015 at 1:21 PM ^
They would talk for a long time, mind you, but it would be something along the lines of gaining alignment and a shared vision of a value-add mission statement to create synergies and identify opportunites with the space of the business of football.
Or something.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:06 AM ^
None of UT’s major men’s coaches report directly to Patterson. Football coach Charlie Strong, basketball coach Shaka Smart and baseball coach Augie Garrido all report to associate AD Arthur Johnson, who then relays any of their concerns to Patterson.
Wow, that's amazing. If there's one thing we've learned over the past few years here, it's that the relationship between the Athletic Director and the Head Coach can really make or break the whole program.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:21 AM ^
At least Patterson isn't in the film room making personnel recommendations to Strong.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:56 AM ^
He's probably reveiwing film on his own, then sending the critiques through the associate AD.
September 14th, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^
Well considering how well the team has been playing, it sure couldn't hurt.
September 14th, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
He apparently scared off Bielema, his hand-picked successor, lost Gary Anderson after only two years (although Anderson and his family's poor cultural fit in Madison appears to have been a big factor) and hired Paul Chryst, who wasn't more than mediocre at Pitt.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:07 AM ^
Last year was bad. I am soooo glad UM is beyond it and in an upswing! Having to read this gives me the willies.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:10 AM ^
To me, that's the craziest part of the whole article. Maybe it's more commonplace than I'm aware of, but all of the coaches report to an assistant AD, who then communicates to Patterson.
I can understand the administrative argument (delegation, focus on initiatives, blah blah blah), but no wonder he's hopelessy out of touch. It smacks of Dave Brandon-esque confusion of an athletic department for "just another business" and the AD fancying himself the "face" of sports for the school.
This dysfunction is a LOT more amusing when it's not a Michigan!
September 14th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
Maybe someone more in tune with our athletic department can chime in, but I always thought that our football and basketball (and possibly hockey, baseball and softball) coaches reported directly to the AD, but the other sports had an associate AD that they reported to.
Can anyone confirm the org chart for our athletic dept.?
September 14th, 2015 at 10:28 AM ^
I can remember DB saying he was in charge of football, basketball and hockey. Obviously he was the head of the AD but those three sports were his primary responsibilities
September 14th, 2015 at 10:26 AM ^
"Those complaints have come from dozens of angry donors, including some of Michigan’sTexas’top givers, sources said. Those donors feel Brandon Patterson is running UM UT like a cold, unfeeling pro sports franchise that views UM UT faithful as faceless customers – not passionate alums.
As a result, 10,000 football season ticket holders didn't renew for 2015 after an average cost increase of 21.5 percent, coming off a 5-7 6-7 season and a five-year record of 38-26 36-28.
Michigan Texas generously announced a crowd of 86,458 (capacity 109,901 100,119) for the Wolverine’s Longhorns' 42-28 win over Indiana Rice Saturday."
September 14th, 2015 at 10:10 AM ^
He should be fired for this alone:
"Asked if he’s done what he’s been asked to do by Fenves, Patterson said:
“We are asked to run an athletic department that operates with integrity, competes at the highest levels, graduates our students and helps change these student's lives to effectuate positive outcomes so they can go out and change the world.""
That may be the most cold, disconnected, CEO-ish quote ever...
September 14th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
wouldn't that mission statment apply to the athletic department of pretty much every Division 1-A school? Is there any school out there (ignoring the SEC I suppose) that wants to NOT have integrity, NOT graduate their students, or NOT compete?
September 14th, 2015 at 10:18 AM ^
OSU gave Cardale Jones the impression that they didn't have to "play school".
September 14th, 2015 at 10:18 AM ^
Exactly. It's like he got it from an "AD for Dummies" book and just reprinted it unedited...
September 14th, 2015 at 10:12 AM ^
Texas is exactly where we were a few years ago. They hired a coach who is a terrible fit, the program is underacieving, they've been surpassed by small time schools from their state, and now their AD is on the hot seat. John U Bacon mentioned some other parellels a few weeks ago and said he hopes someone down there writes that story because there's more than enough material.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:23 AM ^
genuinely wondering why you consider strong a bad fit. do you think it's scheme related or more to do w/ the way he started running the program?
September 14th, 2015 at 10:33 AM ^
I haven't done any real in-depth analysis on what's at the root of it. My comment is just based on his record at UT the fact that he was a successful coach and coordinator prior to taking that job. And its not as though his teams are winning close games and success is just around the corner. They look lost and incompetent, just like Michigan did under Rodriguez.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:32 AM ^
Strong will succeed there if he is allowed to coach the way he wants to and has competent people (i.e., an AD with a clue) around him. If he is allowed to stay for a fourth season, Texas football will be fine with him there.
September 14th, 2015 at 1:48 PM ^
"Bad fit" is just Swahili for "Too many alums and donors are going to act like jilted trust fund babies about this hiring and they will do everything they can to make sure he is gone ASAP."
September 15th, 2015 at 9:34 AM ^
it sure makes their job easier when he's failing to win games though
September 14th, 2015 at 10:12 AM ^
So nice to have a that behind us and a coherent plan moving forward. Patterson needs to go. Bring back Shaggy Bevo
September 14th, 2015 at 10:20 AM ^
It's a whole bunch of Millionaires having a pissing contest with other Millionaires.
It's rich, entitled people moaning about how bad they have it while at an extravagant party on top of the Hancock Building...smh
September 14th, 2015 at 10:26 AM ^
The sources told HornsDigest.com one of Fenves' top concerns is the number of donors - small and large - who have expressed they will no longer give to athletics as long as Patterson is in place.
Those donors feel Patterson is running UT like a cold, unfeeling pro sports franchise that views UT faithful as faceless customers – not passionate alums.
As a result, 10,000 football season ticket holders didn't renew for 2015 after an average cost increase of 21.5 percent, coming off a 6-7 season and a five-year record of 36-28.
Fire that motherfucker.
September 14th, 2015 at 11:03 AM ^
I nearly had painful flashbacks reading that.
September 14th, 2015 at 1:51 PM ^
Thanks for the trigger warning asshole!
I just spent the last 20 min breathing into a paper bag.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:27 AM ^
Endzone should be required reading for every hiring group inside the university system now and forever. The situation in Texas is exactly like what M just went through and if the students down there decide to protest it will get the same attention.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:43 AM ^
If you read it and come out thinking Brandon had it going, it's not a good thing.
September 14th, 2015 at 6:21 PM ^
Someone should air-drop 50,000 copies of End Zone on the next Texas home game.
September 14th, 2015 at 10:28 AM ^
Wifey threw a fit lol.
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September 14th, 2015 at 10:34 AM ^
We might get to hear another version from Iowa in the not-too-distant future, only at an even higher level. There's been a lot of concern among Hawkeye faithful about the new president J. Bruce Herrald. Might be a lot of complaining over nothing, but the initial signs are a little ominous (apologies if this made the board before):
Slate article link: http://tinyurl.com/nwvpu22
September 14th, 2015 at 11:06 AM ^
Bizarre situation that's very reminiscent of the Brandon hiring. Three candidates with deep experience in the demands and criteria of the job and the fourth candidate with no relevant experience gets hired. Strange changes in the search procedure late in the process.
The weird thing is that his business experience (president of Boston Market and v-p of IBM) isn't even that impressive, nowhere near as impressive as Brandon's, and he's being hired into a more important, and more complicated job.
Really doubtful this has any kind of successful outcome. The faculty senate has already voted no confidence in the board of regents in response to his hiring.