Grade Warde Manuel's tenure
So we're going on 3 calendar years in March and this is his third full athletic season.
Talking about the AD was all the rage back in the day here (for all the wrong reasons)
Pros: Strong hires for M Lax, W Lax, convinced M Tennis coach Adam Steinberg to not go to Arizona State when he accepted the job, staved off the Pistons and got Beilein to sign an extension (along with WBB coach Kim Barnes Arico). Said 'no' to Friday night Football games home or away. Hired Mel Pearson away from his alma mater and named Yost's rink after Red Berenson.
Cons: Hasn't gotten the rivalry games flip flopped on the FB schedules, the poor handling of the Rhonda Faehn hiring by sneaking her in essentially and hoping no one noticed then retroactively sending out a release, hasn't done much in the form of backing up his head football coach (see: 2016 OSU ref scandal)
B
January 16th, 2019 at 8:26 PM ^
A. Has kept Harbaugh and Beilein happy and on board. Hired A caliber hockey coach. Facilities are first rate. Other sports are more than competitive. No hint of scandal. Big issues handled very well. Everything else is nitpicking
January 16th, 2019 at 8:32 PM ^
Agreed. I'm not a fan of the ND scheduling or the fact that MSU/OSU are away in the same year. But overall, I don't hear about Warde much and that's exactly how it should be.
January 16th, 2019 at 9:06 PM ^
ND is back on the schedule. (Was that Warde?)
I want to win all of the games, but because of Raghib Ismail, I actually care about beating ND first and then OSU, and MSU in that order. There are a lot of OSU people where I live now, but the god damned catholics are everywhere (I mean that with rivalry love.)
Wisconsin and PSU are second tier rivals.
I like the brown jug.
Northwestern is a good school and Fitzgerald is the man.
January 16th, 2019 at 9:09 PM ^
Harbaugh wanted ND on the schedule.
Warde should have told him no.
January 16th, 2019 at 9:38 PM ^
Agree with this. First, fuck ND. Second it does us no good to beat ND but it hurts us if we lose. We should never play ND again in the regular season unless they are a member of the Big Ten
January 17th, 2019 at 5:17 AM ^
This. Totally. Logged in to up vote.
January 17th, 2019 at 8:22 AM ^
Agreed although I do not want to see any more “non Big Ten” teams in the Big Ten. Rutgers? Maryland? Nebraska? Others... Notre Dame??? They can join the ACC.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:44 PM ^
IDK, how were we really hurt this year by losing to them? Had we beaten OSU and B1G, we still would have gone to the playoffs. Overall, I don't think our bowl destination or overall season outcome would have been strikingly different if we had beaten Arkansas rather than lost to ND.
January 17th, 2019 at 10:34 AM ^
I don't understand why people don't like ND on the schedule. It's a fun game, a great rivalry, and I certainly enjoyed going to 3-4 of those games over the years. Not being snarky here, why don't people want them on the schedule?
January 17th, 2019 at 10:42 AM ^
Warde should have told him he'd arrange it only if he could get a favorable scheduling. I still shake my head in bewilderment that we allow ND to negotiate scheduling with us as if they're the ones doing us a favor.
January 17th, 2019 at 10:54 AM ^
Fellow West Quadder who is burnt more by those leprechaun shenanigans of the late 80s and early 90s. When State and tOSU beat us, it's usually fair and square and they don't bring "we're Jesus' favorite team" nonsense which offends non-Catholics and Catholics alike. I have no rivalry love, though. I want us to beat the snot out of them at home next year and deliver a desist letter right after and be done with it. Warde has been much better than average - missteps that he has taken are understandable and don't have the stink of incompetence or arrogance.
January 17th, 2019 at 12:06 PM ^
When State and tOSU beat us, it's usually fair and square and they don't bring "we're Jesus' favorite team" nonsense which offends non-Catholics and Catholics alike
While MSU/OSU don't necessarily play the religion card, 1990 MSU (the trip), 2001 MSU (Spartan Bob) and 2016 OSU (eh, you know) were pretty dodgy outcomes. To say nothing of the 2015 MSU insanity.
January 17th, 2019 at 1:05 PM ^
Dodgy for sure with MSU - but within the rules of football and they'll be the first to tell you they don't care - existence of an omnipotent being playing favorites or not.
January 16th, 2019 at 11:13 PM ^
I truly do not understand the willful ignorance of many people on this board regarding the football scheduling.
Michigan is in the same division as PSU, MSU, and OSU. Math and logic dictate you will play two of those three on the road every other year. Look up the historic performance of those three programs and please tell me which two you want on the road in the same year.
If you have any common sense... are not hung up on nostalgia....are not still pissed Michigan had to play at MSU twice in a row over five years ago (under a different AD and coach)...I garauntee you your answer is MSU and OSU.
Had Michigan had to play OSU and PSU on the road either this year or last year, the same people who bitch about the current schedule would bitch about that schedule even more.
Warde is doing the right thing regarding B1G football scheduling by not caving to the stupidity of wanting PSU and OSU on the road in the same year.
January 16th, 2019 at 11:28 PM ^
You miss the obvious other choice - staee and ped state on the same cycle and THEEEE ohio opposite.
January 16th, 2019 at 11:43 PM ^
The downside to that option is what your home schedule looks like every other year. OSU, Indiana and either Maryland or Rutgers. Yuck.
January 17th, 2019 at 8:53 AM ^
Better than Penn State, Indiana and either Maryland or Rutgers.
January 17th, 2019 at 11:27 AM ^
This! I really don't get all of the bitching about OSU and MSU being on the same cycle. Don't forget that Michigan currently has Wisconsin and Nebraska on the schedule, too. Michigan will play OSU in Columbus every two years and they'll have to play others on the road as well. MSU is as good of option as many other teams. MSU has won 53% of its games over the past three years. To quote Mark Dantonio, "Where's the threat?"
January 17th, 2019 at 7:59 AM ^
I don't think he was seen cutting down the nets at last year's regional win. That's an improvement.
I give him a B+ so far. He's no Don Canham, but then again, nobody is.
January 16th, 2019 at 8:42 PM ^
If we’re giving Warde’s tenure an A then we truly do only deserve 10 win seasons. First of all, you cannot watch the majority of Michigan hockey games on television. This is our third sport and is supposed to be a revenue producer. Warde clearly couldn’t give a shit about it.
Beyond that, he hasn’t cleaned up the conference schedule, hasn’t scheduled well out of conference, hasn’t managed soccer coaching well, hasn’t bumped Harbaugh’s assistant salary pool, and then folded to the media on this most recent gymnastics hire that the student athletes supported.
On the plus side, he said no to Friday night games. I can’t think of anything else that is value above a median replacement. People are just in charge of things. C-
January 16th, 2019 at 8:57 PM ^
Great point on TV consumption. That pays the bills. Of course, some more than others.
January 16th, 2019 at 9:30 PM ^
Good point on tv stuff. You would think Michigan hockey (and other teams like baseball maybe) could get on TV more. Fox sports Detroit has 2 channels and basically only plays wings and pistons games. There has to be air time for Michigan sports.
Disagree on him not increasing Harbaughs assistant pool. Harbaugh and Beilein have basically had carte blanche to sign any assistants they want. This is how you end up with Pep being one of the highest paid assistants in the country. I don't remember a coach leaving because we wouldnt pay a fair value.
January 16th, 2019 at 10:18 PM ^
Minnesota has a deal with Fox Sports North to do all their home games. It's a joke that Warde has done nothing for Michigan Hockey.
There have been 4--FOUR!--TV games so far this season.
January 16th, 2019 at 11:04 PM ^
There’s no money in college hockey for FSD. They can’t get a big UM-MSU package like they used to have because BTN owns the rights. FSN has the rights to Minnie games because they used to broadcast EVERY Minnie home game and a fair number of their road games and people up here actually watch in significant numbers. It’s a completely different market and always has been.
Change needs to come from BTN, not from Warde.
January 17th, 2019 at 6:38 AM ^
THIS ^^^^^
BTN is a problem and always has been. Not that that is exactly what SRJK is saying in his post, but to piggy back.
January 17th, 2019 at 10:09 AM ^
The issue is not FSD or BTN. It's Michigan. Warde needs to wield his leverage. Bundling is standard fare in media deals. We need to tell the B10 that we are taking our rights to all non-broadcast hockey games if they won't air them. There are a lot or options for airing/streaming the games. I just don't think the ADept. is getting good counsel on the media landscape. And hockey is just a blip on the radar of the changes that are coming in the broadcast/streaming world.
January 16th, 2019 at 11:05 PM ^
I know there is a current joke about emailing the AD/coaches, but I’m going to send an email about hockey broadcasting to the AD. If what you say is true about Minnesota hockey, then I’m truly baffled that we don’t have more televised Michigan hockey broadcasts.
January 16th, 2019 at 11:59 PM ^
Whoa. Let's not compare Minny fans to UM fans when it comes to hockey. In Minnesota you could televise *high school* hockey and the natives would watch.
January 17th, 2019 at 6:36 AM ^
Lmfao C-
January 17th, 2019 at 6:36 AM ^
Double doodie
January 16th, 2019 at 8:28 PM ^
Giving jimmy the wrong meds after The Spot. Not telling jimmy to ditch the horn rimmed Woody glasses.
January 16th, 2019 at 8:39 PM ^
....or the skinny block M.
January 16th, 2019 at 9:17 PM ^
January 16th, 2019 at 9:20 PM ^
Bo wore the skinny block M. That’s good enough for me.
Lloyd’s second biggest mistake (after not going with Brady full-time in ‘99) was wearing a fat M hat.
January 16th, 2019 at 10:20 PM ^
His changed to the regular logo M hat in 2004--when the skid against osu began.
/x files music
January 16th, 2019 at 9:30 PM ^
Wow. Blasphemy.
January 16th, 2019 at 10:07 PM ^
My only problem with the "skinny" block M hat is that Harbaugh doesn't require the entire coaching staff to wear it
January 16th, 2019 at 8:28 PM ^
Incomplete because the amount of things he has done publicly has been minimal. I know that he is well liked by people in the athletic department and the university as a whole though.
January 16th, 2019 at 8:29 PM ^
I still prefer his predecessor.
January 16th, 2019 at 9:06 PM ^
Yes, Dave Brandon was quite talented as AD; increasing revenue, firing RR, playing concussed players (which garnered media attention, always a plus) and overall being a down to earth, likeable chap.
January 16th, 2019 at 9:14 PM ^
er... Jim Hackett
January 16th, 2019 at 9:20 PM ^
Thanks!
January 17th, 2019 at 5:29 PM ^
I've wished James Hackett was back.
January 16th, 2019 at 10:13 PM ^
He was interim, doesn’t count
January 16th, 2019 at 10:30 PM ^
The "interim" that doesn't count re-established Michigan's athletic integrity, signed the largest Nike apparel contract ever handed out (at the time), and also hired Jim Harbaugh. But he doesn't count...
Not even a good try at face saving. Dummass.
January 16th, 2019 at 11:17 PM ^
Hackett was a far better AD than Ford’s current CEO.
January 17th, 2019 at 7:51 AM ^
When you’re interim it’s like you dont exist
January 16th, 2019 at 9:14 PM ^
His predecessor was Hackett...
January 16th, 2019 at 9:20 PM ^
Thanks
January 16th, 2019 at 10:14 PM ^
Interim