Category: College Football

Another Financially Draining Season for the CU Buffs

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The CU Buffs natives are restless.

This past Saturday, the following conversation was heard between two University of Colorado football fans at the Flatirons Mall.

The first fan looked at his cell phone and said “I just received an update of the score for the game between Arizona State and CU. The Buffs are only down 47-6 at half.”

The second fan quipped “The Sun Devils will be starting the second string cheerleaders in the second half.”

To which the first fan responded, “It sounds like the second string cheerleaders might have started the game for ASU. Didn’t you hear me say that CU scored 6 points in the second quarter?”

It is going to be another long and financially draining football season for CU Athletics.

Is a Division II Championship on Tap for the Campus in the Sky

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This past football season marked the 49th year that Fort Lewis College fielded a football team as a four-year college. Over that period they have won one conference championship and were victors in 32%, 152-322-3, of their games. On the field, they are the Chicago Cubs of Colorado football.

Earlier this year school leaders decided that it was time to enter the college athletics arms race by hiring former Arkansas football coach John L. Smith to head their program. Smith is reportedly being paid $67,000 a year to hunt, fish, ski, and coach football in Durango. (This is in line with FLC’s unofficial tagline, “Ski FLC and get a degree on the side”.)

This past summer Smith was interviewed for an article, “Mr. Smith Comes to Durango,” in The FLC Foundation Report – Summer 2013. In that piece Smith, outlined his three-step blueprint for bringing a Division 2 National Championship to the Campus in the Sky. The steps are:

  1. Recruit players from all of Colorado and parts of New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. Oh, and don’t forget to include Amarillo and Dallas. He also plans to focus on Native American tribes across the country. The coach indicated that it is important to recruit from within the region, so parents can get to Durango easily to watch their kids play.
  2. Provide a stable base for players by maintaining a quality and consistent coaching staff.
  3. Refine and upgrade facilities, in particular a an artificial turf, better stadium lights, and more weight rooms. FLC’s stadium holds 3,000 people and historically has more empty seats than spectators.

Smith pointed to the importance of academics because Division II players have a smaller chance of playing professionally. In other words, the need for a degree is much greater for FLC athletes than those at Division I schools.

The article sounds like spin that has been manufactured to justify the decision to hire Smith. Hopefully it will prove to be a decision that benefits the students and the college. Go Skyhawks!

Fort Lewis College Enters Athletic Arms Race

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On January 16th, Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado announced they hired former Arkansas football coach John L. Smith to head their program. A Skyhawk press release cited Smith’s friendship and previous work with Athletic Director Gary Hunter and President Dene Thomas as the reason he chose to come to the Campus in the Sky.

Hunter stated “Fort Lewis College is making a commitment to football. Many of our other programs have reached the pinnacle of success at the national and regional levels. We want our football alumni and fans to have the opportunity to enjoy that same success.” Hunter added, “Not only has Coach Smith had outstanding success on the field, but he has always stressed the importance of academics and community and campus involvement.”

This past season marked the 49th year that FLC fielded a football team as a four-year college. Over that period they have compiled a 152-322-3 record. They have won 32% of their games and are without a doubt the worst football team in the state.

Said differently the Aggies/Raiders/Skyhawks record can be summed up as follows:

  • They have had 9 winning seasons.
  • They were never undefeated nor did they ever have a season with one loss.
  • On two occasions they were 7-2.
  • During their 9 winning seasons they were 55-27-2, or they won 65% of their games.  They were impressive.
  • During their 40 non-winning seasons they were 97-295-2, or they won almost 25% of their games. They were depressing to watch.
  • They had three seasons with no wins and another six seasons with only one win. Those nine seasons they had 6 wins and 80 losses.

In other words, about 20% of the time, the team was successful, about 20% of the time they were an embarrassment, and the rest of the time they were bad.

This discussion of the dismal record posted by the FLC program is not intended as a criticism of the coaches, players, and administration, rather it is a reflection of funds available at the time and priorities of the administration. However, the recent decision to hire a major college coach (who has been a winner overall, but most recently had a losing record at Arkansas) to fill a D2 position raises a number of questions:

  • After 49 years, why did FLC suddenly decide to enter the college football “arms race” in its 50th season?
  • Why did they let such an unsuccessful program (in terms of wins and losses) go on for so long?
  • Will the new and improved football program “lift all boats on campus” and help make Ft. Lewis a world class liberal arts college? Will it help increase enrollment? Will it increase fundraising?
  • Will this lead to a campaign for a new stadium, locker rooms, or workout facilities for the football team?
  • About 25,000 people live in La Plata County; the college has a small, but slowly growing foundation and alumni base; and tourism is the area’s primary industry. Given scarce resources for Colorado’s small colleges, how is FLC going to pay for its commitment to excellence in football?
  • FLC has struggled with its identity. Prior to their move from Hesperus to Durango, they had a rural focus. After relocation, they were recognized for being a party school and a place where Front Range students would attend as a last resort. For many years the unofficial tag line for the school was, “Ski Ft. Lewis and get a degree on the side.” More recently, college officials have tried to market Ft. Lewis as a quality low-cost public liberal arts school. Sports such as lacrosse, cycling, mountain biking, soccer, and field hockey are more in line with that image than football. How does the new-found emphasis on football help add value to the academic balance sheet and image of the college?
  • Has Smith resolved his bankruptcy case in Arkansas with integrity?
  • Does anybody in Colorado remember the name Chuck Fairbanks?

Hopefully this works for the Skyhawks.

The WAC has been Whacked – What are the Implications?

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In late August, Jake Bullinger, prepared the special for SI.com, “How Conference Realignment Wiped WAC Football off the Map.” For the 2013 season the WAC will most likely not exist as a football conference. In fact it may not even exist as an athletic conference.

The Western Athletic Conference, (WAC) was formed in 1962 with BYU, Utah, University of New Mexico, Wyoming, Arizona, and Arizona State as its members. Over the years it membership changed drastically as new member joined on other members left for the Mountain West Conference, Conference USA, and the PAC 8 Conference.

Current membership includes:
• Louisiana Tech
• New Mexico State University
• San Jose State
• Seattle University
• Texas State
• University of Denver
• University of Idaho
• University of Texas at Arlington
• University of Texas at San Antonio
• Utah State

For all practical purposes the NCAA and the larger body of college football have no apparent reason to care about the loss of the WAC. None of its current members are serious threats to the teams in the top conferences nor are they responsible for significant revenue generation.

The demise of the WAC may mean that some students will lose scholarships or an opportunity to play. Coaches and staff members at some of these schools may be adversely affected if programs are scaled down or disbanded.

There is no doubt that college football is a great American tradition – even in the current version of the WAC. That is not the issue. Research shows that college football expenditures at many schools are trending on an unsustainable track. The whacking of the WAC raises a number of questions:

• Should all colleges and universities have football programs? Certainly schools such as the University of Denver, Colorado College, DePaul, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall and St. John’s would argue that it isn’t necessary.
• Football programs are big business. Is it financially possible to support athletic conferences for schools without football programs?
• Can the WAC football schools find other conferences to join or can they afford to be independents like Notre Dame?
• Have television rights, sponsorships, and advertising partnerships become more important than the players and coaches in the program?
• For schools with programs that are less successful, football programs are often money pits. Will they eventually spend themselves into bankruptcy as they try to keep up with the schools funded by Phil Knight and T.B. Pickens?
• Is the demise of the WAC yet another step in the formation of football super conferences for only the elite programs?
• Should college football formally become the farm system for the National Football League – funded by the NFL?
• What are the unintended consequences of the shutdown of the WAC or football programs at other smaller athletic conferences?
• As the chase for $$ accelerates, will college football go the way of the World Series – a great American tradition that has lost its luster?
• Will the loss of the WAC adversely impact scholarship and playing opportunities for kids in other sports?

Stay tuned!

 

Fans Rush the FIeld After First Conference Win

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The University of Colorado’s entrance into the Pac 12 has seen its share of bumps and bruises. The soccer coach has resigned. The volleyball team fought hard, but lost 19 straight conference matches.

The football team was outscored 154 to 79 in its first four conference games, before upsetting Arizona 48-29 in game five.

It is hard to tell if the season was harder on the team or the fans, who were excited to celebrate any good turn of events.

After winning the Arizona game, Buff fans rushed the field after the game (much as they did 20ish years ago when they qualified to play in the Orange Bowl for the national championship).

Afterwards, the Daily Camera (11/14) interviewed a student whose response to the fans’ celebratory mood was, “Oh, how embarrassing.”

Perspective is everything.

Enough is Enough – Jon Embree

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Washington State 31 University of Colorado 27!

The Buffs gagged! They choked! They stunk it up at the end of the game and Washington State took advantage of the opportunity provided them. That is why you play the game.

On October 5, 2011 the Daily Camera summarized Head Coach Embree’s locker room speech to his players after the loss. He is quoted as saying, “I asked them: ‘When is it going to be enough? When is enough, enough? You put in all of this work, you do all of this stuff that you have done from spring ball to training camp for this? This is what we did the work for?’

“Embree said, “So when is it enough? When are they going to get tired of losing? When are they going to get tired of finding a way to lose?”

“Because you know what? This staff, we’ve been here for five weeks, and I’m tired of it. So if you’ve been here for five years, you’ve got to be tired of it too.”

So was the coach wrong for being so frank about their performance? Will his words be immortalized in a movie?

Can you coach players with losing habits to develop winning habits overnight?

Is it possible that parents have been more blunt with their own children when they don’t practice their piano before their lessons?

Were his comments any more harsh than what a father would say to his daughter who came in two hours after curfew with her shirt on backwards?

Has society become so “politically correct” that such harsh words cannot be spoken?

Will someone step forward in the future claim that the coaches words caused d him psychological damage?

Should the Buffs have joined hands with WSU after the game and sang Kumbaya?

Will the coach’s words ultimately motivate the players to perform better? Or will his tough love cause some of the players to quit the team?

Wasn’t it more repulsive to hear Denver Bronco Head Coach, Josh McDaniels, swearing at his team during the NFL Network’s 2009 Thanksgiving night broadcast?

College sports is a form of entertainment. Lots of money is at stake for Embree and his staff and for the competing universities.

Enough is enough!