When Bernard Muir was selected Georgetown's athletic director in 2005, there were more than a few Georgetown people worried that a 36 year old rising star like Muir could one day be the target of another school. But I doubt anyone had Delaware on a short list.
Muir's departure has set off all sorts of talk on the Internet, and, I suspect, in college athletic departments as well. Athletics is a close-knit community, so they tend to follow the water cooler talk. Fans may assume it's as simple as (choose one)...a) Delaware made a can't -miss offer, b) There is something big about to happen at Delaware, or c) there is something wrong at Georgetown, and particualrly when it comes to Georgetown football.
But I'll choose d): none of the above. It's a little more complicated like that.
The job of athletic director at Georgetown has changed a lot since the days of Jack Hagerty, and Muir took it a step further. He saw the need to run the athletic department more as a business than a department of student affairs, and with that change let go of a number of long-time staff in favor of a new group of administrators around college athletics. In his first two years he replaced over a half dozen head coaches and built up the compliance and support staffs. He was, in effect, the CEO of a $28 million enterprise, albeit a CEO who worked 60-70 hour weeks out of an undersized office in McDonough Gym, who traveled with teams, represented Georgetown in numerous Big East, PL, and NCAA settings, was a sounding board to every parent, alumnus, or donor that pulled him aside, and still had to balance a budget in the process. Oh yeah, and figure out how to solve the Georgetown Paradox.
And he didn't.
The Georgetown Paradox wasn't cited in any of the media reports on Muir, or in Jack DeGioia's comments, or even in the praise afforded him by the Delaware press. It's somewhat invisible to the fan base who sees a Big East game or buys a Georegetown cap or t-shirt, but ask any player who's gone through the system in any sport, and while they might not know it as the Paradox, they know the issue.
Georgetown is a square peg in the round hole of major college athletics. To some, it wants it both ways: it wants to be Columbia during the week and Notre Dame on the weekends, attracting world class talent with high school facilities, to compete with the very best with good coaches and good intentions, but not much more. It's not that Georgetown doesn't want these things, but amidst the short and long term struggles of an underendowed, overleveraged university, athletics often falls behind the priority of the monent. "Maybe in the next campaign", they'll say.
That imbalance is a common refrain at Georgetown--"23rd in US News, 78th in endowment." There's no rational reason Georgetown would be on the same stage as the Ivies, Stanford, Northwestern and Duke, but there they are, a mixture of good timing, a great location, and a niche as a internationationally relevant university that draws students and scholars within walking distance of the centers of power. If Georgetown were located in Parkersburg, WV, this would be a totally different conversation.
But so it is with athletics--the Georgetown community expects great things but the school isn't ready or able to commit large sums to the ingredients that surround it: scholarships, training, gameday facilities, and institutional support. That would mean to some Georgetown is serious about athletics, which is assumed in some musty quarters as becoming less serious about their own sometimes arcane academic pursuits. Georgetown is serious about annual support, but things keep getting in the way on capital projects.
And it's not just fans, but the Big East conference that expects more. The conference has stepped up its requirements for schools to provide minimum schoalrship and coaching support for all its teams, not content to be just a good basketball conference. During Muir's tenure, Georgetown's athletic budget grew by nearly 40 percent to a level comparable with some I-A schools. But most of its sports remain under-funded relative to its peers, even at Big East minimums, and its facilities do not stand the test. The paradox:
Georgetown is a school which expects to excel in athetics.
Georgetown is a prestigious school.
Prestigious schools do not commit to major capital funding for athletics.
Therefore, Georgetown is a prestigious school which expects to excel in athetics but not commit to major capital funds in actually doing so.
An example of this conflict stands at mid-campus. While the MSF sits in its temporary glory, its north end zone sees a brand new $80+ million building, whose dean pushed his way to the front of the facilities line by making the case that Georgetown couldn't be a top 25 business school without a new building. Never mind that Old North was renovated from the ground up in 1983 and the Car Barn was a serviceable academic facility since the early 1990's, but George Daly sold his new building as a recruiting tool for students and faculty, a revenue producer (through executive education) and a part of the 21st century Georgetown. The fact that it is built on the grounds of an baseball field is ironic, but not the story.
And as the unnamed business building shines, the MSF stands as an unintended symbol of Muir's years at Georgetown. It opened four months after he arrived, served as the backfrop for a new coach who was going to reform what Bob Benson left with a 4-7 team, and draw the kind of support which would get the project built, a source of pride in Georgetown Football and the University itself, not to mention the first permanent athletic facility in 50+ years. Instead, the MSF sits alone, where major donors couldn't get assurances when the project would be greenlighted, with recruits that could no longer be told they'd play in a new stadium by the time they were seniors, and without the buzz of a team that would be justifying the investments placed in lots of new grants/scholarships and lots of new seats. If Kevin Kelly was 27-5 entering the 2009 season, people would be clamoring to get both. Instead, he's 5-27, and the temporary seats remain. Bernard Muir couldn't get the dirt flying again.
But maybe even that wouldn't have been enough. Football has a field--Georgetown's natiionally ranked track team has not even had a track of its own in 13 years. A number of years ago, track coach Ron Helmer called out Georgetown at an awards banquet on the institutional neglect facing track, saying that the fact they had done so it well might have minimized the dire need for a track. After over 20 years as a Georgetown coach, Helmer got up and left for Indiana in 2006, a school with not only a 12,000 seat outdoor facility, but an indoor track facility as well. And Georgetown still has no NCAA-grade track, although it practically takes an act of Congress to get the local community to sign off on construction of any kind.
Helmer was a builder with a tool kit, but had no bricks and mortar to build with it, and he found someone willing to give him both. So too with Muir. In that sense, Delaware is going to provide Muir with plenty of bricks and mortar to rebuild his legacy with. He wasn't running away from Georgetown, but Delaware presents an opportunity for to build a program that Georgetown did not, with a lot less red tape and a much faster timeline.
The next athletic director faces a host of challenges. For the first time since 1981, not a single Georgetown program earned a win in NCAA tournament play. Track labors without a track, the crew rows on without a boathouse in sight. Sooner rather than later, the absence of a basketball practice facility will become an issue. And at the conclusion of its worst decade in school history, people are expecting to see real results in football to justify the commitments that have been made and those additional commitments that await. If the Hoyas have another one or two win season, Bernard Muir won't have to put his original coaching hire to scrutiny, but someone else will.
I've met Bernard Muir on a number of occasions and remain impressed by his ability to build a strategy for long term success. Delaware will be well served by his arrival there, and Georgetown will be well served by a search for his successor.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
All Football Is Local
It's late April, which means that spring practices have concluded. Recruiting has concluded for the class of 2009, and a new class is around the corner. But there's an ongoing gap in football recruiting that needs attention, and it's not limited to Coach Kelly's tenure but has been ongoing for years. You'll see a lot of names from Ohio, from Texas, from Georgia. What you don't see are a lot of names from the District, from Maryland, or from Virginia.
Like charity, recruiting starts at home.
Over the past month, I've been doing some research on the Georgetown basketball teams of the 1960's. Most of you haven't heard much about them because, well, they were good but never truly great--Georegetown didn't win a single post-season NCAA or NIT game for from 1943 to 1978.
"On the one hand, Georgetown was a parochial school and had a ferocious desire to win games, perhaps as a way of cocking a snook at the WASPs," wrote Sports Illustrated's Bil Gilbert in a 1980 article. "On the other, it admired the gentleman-sport tradition of the Ivies, the concept that young gentlemen without a lot of undignified training could dash out on the field and whale the tar out of their opponents for the greater glory of the dear old blue-and-gray.
"In the 1920s and '30s, Georgetown was a genuine collegiate athletic power, especially in football. After World War II bigtime football became too expensive and too demanding, and the university abandoned the sport in 1950, a blow to pride from which many old Hoyas have never fully recovered.... Eventually Georgetown's athletic ego depended largely on how well the basketball team did. Usually, it did badly. Occasionally, Georgetown would pull off a glorious upset, but these triumphs were too infrequent to compensate for all the defeats. Usually, the teams were a bit too slow, a bit too small and, to get to the heart of the matter, much too white."
But it wasn't simply black and white. It was a matter of zip codes.
The Georgetown basketball teams of the 1960's were almost exclusively kids from schools in Northern New Jersey, a Philadelphia Catholic League player here, a WCAC kid from Gonzaga there...and that was about it. That's not a knock on the St. Peter's Prep and Don Bosco alumni out there, because some of these players were quite talented, but with so much other talent within an hour of the campus, Georgetown passed on every major DC basketball star of the 1960's, many of whom played games on its very campus.
What would Georgetown have been like with John Thompson, Dave Bing, and John Austin in the 1964 lineup? Or Bernie Williams, Austin Carr, and Tom Little in 1966? Bob Lewis went to high school just one block from the Georgetown campus, but he became a first team All-American 275 miles south in Chapel Hill, NC.
As it relates to football, Washington DC isn't the football hotbed it has been in basketball, but there's local talent that either Georgetown's isn't reaching or, more likely, they aren't reaching back.
Ten years ago, Georgetown had 18 local kids on the roster and went 9-2. The 2008 football roster contained just seven, with only one from Washington DC. To put this in perspective, five of the seven schools in the Patriot League had more local DC kids on their rosters than Georgetown did. And while the Georgetown admissions model isn't expecting 25 or 30 local kids on the roster like Lehigh and Lafayette are accustomed to, the visible lack of any local talent feeds on itself in other ways, from a lack of public interest in the program, a lack of press coverage, and a lack of commitment by talented local kids. When Jordan Scott or Nick Hartigan wanted to go to college, they went elsewhere.
To borrow a basketball line tossed Georgetown's way from Billy Packer, "I think they need a superstar. Why would a superstar go there?"
Is there a connection in all this? Some researchers at Mercer University think so. They have developed what is called the "College Football Recruiting Prediction Model" which annually predicts college choices for about 70% of the nation's top high school recruits each year. They wrote, in part,
"There were a number of factors that we thought would significantly impact the decision of the high school athlete that didn’t. For example, factors like the school’s graduation rate, the number of Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl appearances, the current roster depth at the recruited player’s position, the number of players from a specific college drafted by the NFL, and even the number of national championships won by a particular program don’t systematically influence the decisions of high school athletes. Surprised? So were we. What, then, does matter? As it turns out the following factors DO significantly impact the decision of high school athletes:
- Whether the athlete made an “official visit” to a specific college
- Whether the school is in a BCS conference
- The distance from the high school athlete’s hometown to a specific school
- Whether the recruit is in the same state as a specific school
- The final ranking of a specific school in the previous year of competition
- The number of conference titles a school has recorded in recent years
- Whether the school is currently under a “bowl ban” for violating NCAA rules
- The current number of scholarship reductions a school faces for violating NCAA rules
- The size of the team’s stadium (measured in terms of seating capacity)
- Whether the school has an on-campus stadium
- The current age of the team’s stadium
close to home, are in possession of good physical facilities, and are in good
graces with the NCAA."
Georgetown has always recruited nationally and will continue to do so. Many of its greatest football legends came from places outside the Beltway, and that's fine. To rebuild this program doesn't require local talent, but it's a region other schools are hitting early and often, and Georgetown has not kept up.
At present, the unofficial 2009 list has just two local recruits.
In a city that can say "We Are Georgetown" all winter long, are there not more who will say it in the fall?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Online, On Point
In the midst of NCAA tournament coverage, it's natural that football talk takes a back seat.
And when I came across an article by Binghamton University alum (by way of Harpur College) Tony Kornheiser singing the praises of his school, I took it for what it was worth: a college basketball column. If course, it took one quote from a columnist at the Washington Post to grab my attention:
"I’m a sports writer of longstanding and the first time I ever went to a college football game that I didn’t cover, my son went to Penn and I was 56 years old. There are fine athletic schools that make their reputation on basketball, all those Catholic schools in the Big East, Georgetown has been able to do without a football team."
"Without a football team"? You didn't really say that Tony, did you? Don't you read your own paper?
(Oops.)
OK, so maybe Tony hasn't spent many Saturdays climbing into a press box at the MSF...no, make that any. But it does speak to an ongoing challenge for Georgetown in the midst of its worst decade (by wins and losses) in the program's 120+ year history--how do you get the word out about a program who a lot of people apparently never hear of, or don't hear anything good about?
Georgetown's challenge is to balance publicity versus promotion for its sports--publicity is free, of course, promotion costs money. And to further complicate matters, publicity is a lot different than it was a generation ago, when the only audience was a collection of beat writers whose names were enscribed inside the pocket-sized media guides that schools prepared before every season. Thanks to the Internet, everyone's the audience.
Until further notice, one has to assume "promotion" is largely limited to revenue producing sports, of which there is one - men's basketball. But publicity is the opportunity to leverage the tools at its disposal to not only publicize Georgetown football, but make a case for it. If the Kelly staff drops another one or two-win season at the feet of the Patriot League, Georgetown doesn't need to hear the grumbling of unconnected alumni asking "why are we even doing this?"
What the specifics are, I'm not sure: I'll leave that to the Gridiron Club, but here are some initial thoughts.
Let's start with a mission statement. Mission statements are, by their very nature, expansive and not terribly specific. Take a look at this mission statement:
"We aspire to be an employer of choice, providing a rewarding and team-oriented environment where a diverse group of professionals with integrity and vision work continuously to enhance our position as a formidable competitor and global market leader. In responding to a diverse marketplace, we are committed to our customer base, products, suppliers, communities, and employees to create a multicultural and diverse organization."
Sounds great, right? That's the mission statement of AIG Corp.
OK, then, the mission statement at a Division III college:
"The football program at [the college] will be a part of the educational process for the student-athletes participating in the program. In addition to learning the skills of playing football on the college level, our players will be taught the values associated with being a good citizen, a good student, and a good teammate. These values will assist our players in their lives and careers beyond their undergraduate years at the college. We want out players to be involved with the college in activities other than football."
Georgetown has clear goals for its program--let's get them out there: not just for the uninformed, but for the supporters, the benefactors, the parents, and the students themselves. Everyone works better when they all know where a program is heading, what it expects, and what it aspires to.
More than words, however, the Internet allows opportunities unforeseen in recent years to extend the message of a program beyond the campus and its borders. Yes, the Internet has brought game recaps, box scores, and even audio and video (if you know where to find it) to the community beyond the gates. There's even more around the corner.
A brief look on the alumni pages of the University notes some new icons with some unfamiliar names: Webcasts, Fora.TV, iTunes U. These Web 2.0 technologies have the potential to revolutionize how the Georgetown message is distributed to individuals and groups which may never see the campus, much less learn from their professors and speakers. Maybe coaches, too.
To date, these embyonic programs have focused on weighty, serious topics. "This is a wonderful opportunity to extend Georgetown’s mission by bringing university content to a global audience and fostering global discussions and understanding on some of the most important issues of our time,” said University spokesperson Julie Bataille on the debut of iTunes U.
Good people can agree to disagree, but if iTunes U is nothing more than a home for discussions on the gravitas of foreign affairs, it will never meet its potential.
And this is where Athletics needs to play a role.
The Georgetown story is not just about realpolitik, it's about the leadership of its students and alumni. The football program has numerous stories from its ranks that would be well suited for a podcast or video presentation.
Can it help with recruiting and fundraising? Yes. Can it do more than that? Absolutely.
And yet, there needs to be structure. Podcasts for podcasts sake are lost in the mix of the online universe. A strategic direction for utilizing these technologies as part of the overall athletics experience is vital, and now is the time for football to take a leadership role. The more I learn about this program, the more I know how important it is in providing academic and athletic leaders within the Georgetown University community, and for the communities outside the gates as a whole.
Let's get a plan together and tell the story.
And when I came across an article by Binghamton University alum (by way of Harpur College) Tony Kornheiser singing the praises of his school, I took it for what it was worth: a college basketball column. If course, it took one quote from a columnist at the Washington Post to grab my attention:
"I’m a sports writer of longstanding and the first time I ever went to a college football game that I didn’t cover, my son went to Penn and I was 56 years old. There are fine athletic schools that make their reputation on basketball, all those Catholic schools in the Big East, Georgetown has been able to do without a football team."
"Without a football team"? You didn't really say that Tony, did you? Don't you read your own paper?
(Oops.)
OK, so maybe Tony hasn't spent many Saturdays climbing into a press box at the MSF...no, make that any. But it does speak to an ongoing challenge for Georgetown in the midst of its worst decade (by wins and losses) in the program's 120+ year history--how do you get the word out about a program who a lot of people apparently never hear of, or don't hear anything good about?
Georgetown's challenge is to balance publicity versus promotion for its sports--publicity is free, of course, promotion costs money. And to further complicate matters, publicity is a lot different than it was a generation ago, when the only audience was a collection of beat writers whose names were enscribed inside the pocket-sized media guides that schools prepared before every season. Thanks to the Internet, everyone's the audience.
Until further notice, one has to assume "promotion" is largely limited to revenue producing sports, of which there is one - men's basketball. But publicity is the opportunity to leverage the tools at its disposal to not only publicize Georgetown football, but make a case for it. If the Kelly staff drops another one or two-win season at the feet of the Patriot League, Georgetown doesn't need to hear the grumbling of unconnected alumni asking "why are we even doing this?"
What the specifics are, I'm not sure: I'll leave that to the Gridiron Club, but here are some initial thoughts.
Let's start with a mission statement. Mission statements are, by their very nature, expansive and not terribly specific. Take a look at this mission statement:
"We aspire to be an employer of choice, providing a rewarding and team-oriented environment where a diverse group of professionals with integrity and vision work continuously to enhance our position as a formidable competitor and global market leader. In responding to a diverse marketplace, we are committed to our customer base, products, suppliers, communities, and employees to create a multicultural and diverse organization."
Sounds great, right? That's the mission statement of AIG Corp.
OK, then, the mission statement at a Division III college:
"The football program at [the college] will be a part of the educational process for the student-athletes participating in the program. In addition to learning the skills of playing football on the college level, our players will be taught the values associated with being a good citizen, a good student, and a good teammate. These values will assist our players in their lives and careers beyond their undergraduate years at the college. We want out players to be involved with the college in activities other than football."
Georgetown has clear goals for its program--let's get them out there: not just for the uninformed, but for the supporters, the benefactors, the parents, and the students themselves. Everyone works better when they all know where a program is heading, what it expects, and what it aspires to.
More than words, however, the Internet allows opportunities unforeseen in recent years to extend the message of a program beyond the campus and its borders. Yes, the Internet has brought game recaps, box scores, and even audio and video (if you know where to find it) to the community beyond the gates. There's even more around the corner.
A brief look on the alumni pages of the University notes some new icons with some unfamiliar names: Webcasts, Fora.TV, iTunes U. These Web 2.0 technologies have the potential to revolutionize how the Georgetown message is distributed to individuals and groups which may never see the campus, much less learn from their professors and speakers. Maybe coaches, too.
To date, these embyonic programs have focused on weighty, serious topics. "This is a wonderful opportunity to extend Georgetown’s mission by bringing university content to a global audience and fostering global discussions and understanding on some of the most important issues of our time,” said University spokesperson Julie Bataille on the debut of iTunes U.
Good people can agree to disagree, but if iTunes U is nothing more than a home for discussions on the gravitas of foreign affairs, it will never meet its potential.
And this is where Athletics needs to play a role.
The Georgetown story is not just about realpolitik, it's about the leadership of its students and alumni. The football program has numerous stories from its ranks that would be well suited for a podcast or video presentation.
- I want people to hear about David Fajgenbaum and his efforts to build a nationwide support network for families who have lost parents to cancer.
- I want them to hear about Janne Kouri's battle with paralysis and how he is helping others succeed through his efforts.
- I want everyone to hear about the lessons learned by Gen. George Casey on a football field 40 years ago that helped him in a distinguished military career.
Can it help with recruiting and fundraising? Yes. Can it do more than that? Absolutely.
And yet, there needs to be structure. Podcasts for podcasts sake are lost in the mix of the online universe. A strategic direction for utilizing these technologies as part of the overall athletics experience is vital, and now is the time for football to take a leadership role. The more I learn about this program, the more I know how important it is in providing academic and athletic leaders within the Georgetown University community, and for the communities outside the gates as a whole.
Let's get a plan together and tell the story.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Let There Be Light
Some news (and perhaps a little future history) was made this past week, and few noticed it.
Not on GUHoyas.com. Not in the Washington Post. Not even at HoyaSaxa.com (though it was saved for this post). The news was from The HOYA, where it was reported that lights were installed on the unnamed but no less busy Multi-Sport Field.
Staff writer Kevin Suyo is only a sophomore, so his use of the phrase "Harbin Field" is either a sign of a longtime fan or the fact that the "Multi-Sport Field" name has lost its touch with the student body.
It's sometimes lost its touch with the University, too.
A quote from University spokesperson Julie Bataille, herself a former college journalist, tells the story of this project. "The field has been enhanced over the past few years, with the project being completed in phases as funds are available,” she said.
Of course, that's not quite true. Nothing has been enhanced on the field for quite a while, or about the time the Brown Bears came to town for the 2005 home opener. The temporary stands, the temporary fencing, the reused soccer scoreboard...all signs of a project which sends a very mixed message to recruits, players, and alumni that Georgetown wants to support the sports of football and lacrosse.
So this is why lighting is important--it not only opens up the field for extended practices (no more spring ball at a high school field), it adds three words not heard at Georgetown since the Truman administration: night football games.
Back in the 1940's and early 1950's, Georgetown played most of its games at night, owing to the fact that the Senators used Griffith Stadium by day. When the team reformed at Kehoe Field, the old Kehoe had no such option, and while lights were constructed in 1979, they were not built to have the coverage for a nighttime game.
Yes, maybe Coach Kelly is old-school enough that he wants all games played in the afternoon, end of story, but Georgetown ought to give serious consideration to getting one or two 2009 home games under the lights. Attendance would increase, particularly among students to whom 1:00 pm on a Saturday is brunch time, and add something long since missing at a Hoya football game--a dash of excitement.
Now many Georgetown students come from an area of the country where Friday afternoon and Saturday morning football games draw tepid interest. If you happen to come from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Florida, or a few other places, the so-called "Friday Night Lights" bring communities together in a big way during high school football season. And among colleges, particularly those in the Sun Belt, an evening game in the fall is a special occasion that brings fans together in a big way.
Nighttime athletics, especially on the weekend, is a somewhat lost tradition at Georgetown. Men's basketball games are almost uniformly in the early afternoon at Verizon Center, and even the women's games tend to be played before, not after, dusk. But for local alumni who are busy with the kids in the early afternoon, the out of towners that can't get up at 6:00 am to make a 1:00 kickoff, or for the students that would rather watch the early game on TV than in the bleachers, a night or game or two might raise the level of interest and participation in Georgetown football that has been much lacking in recent years.
It might even help in the won-loss column. Since 1997, Georgetown is 3-1 in games under the lights, all on the road, including a pair of last minute wins at San Diego and Bucknell.
Hey, every little bit helps.
Not on GUHoyas.com. Not in the Washington Post. Not even at HoyaSaxa.com (though it was saved for this post). The news was from The HOYA, where it was reported that lights were installed on the unnamed but no less busy Multi-Sport Field.
Staff writer Kevin Suyo is only a sophomore, so his use of the phrase "Harbin Field" is either a sign of a longtime fan or the fact that the "Multi-Sport Field" name has lost its touch with the student body.
It's sometimes lost its touch with the University, too.
A quote from University spokesperson Julie Bataille, herself a former college journalist, tells the story of this project. "The field has been enhanced over the past few years, with the project being completed in phases as funds are available,” she said.
Of course, that's not quite true. Nothing has been enhanced on the field for quite a while, or about the time the Brown Bears came to town for the 2005 home opener. The temporary stands, the temporary fencing, the reused soccer scoreboard...all signs of a project which sends a very mixed message to recruits, players, and alumni that Georgetown wants to support the sports of football and lacrosse.
So this is why lighting is important--it not only opens up the field for extended practices (no more spring ball at a high school field), it adds three words not heard at Georgetown since the Truman administration: night football games.
Back in the 1940's and early 1950's, Georgetown played most of its games at night, owing to the fact that the Senators used Griffith Stadium by day. When the team reformed at Kehoe Field, the old Kehoe had no such option, and while lights were constructed in 1979, they were not built to have the coverage for a nighttime game.
Yes, maybe Coach Kelly is old-school enough that he wants all games played in the afternoon, end of story, but Georgetown ought to give serious consideration to getting one or two 2009 home games under the lights. Attendance would increase, particularly among students to whom 1:00 pm on a Saturday is brunch time, and add something long since missing at a Hoya football game--a dash of excitement.
Now many Georgetown students come from an area of the country where Friday afternoon and Saturday morning football games draw tepid interest. If you happen to come from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Florida, or a few other places, the so-called "Friday Night Lights" bring communities together in a big way during high school football season. And among colleges, particularly those in the Sun Belt, an evening game in the fall is a special occasion that brings fans together in a big way.
Nighttime athletics, especially on the weekend, is a somewhat lost tradition at Georgetown. Men's basketball games are almost uniformly in the early afternoon at Verizon Center, and even the women's games tend to be played before, not after, dusk. But for local alumni who are busy with the kids in the early afternoon, the out of towners that can't get up at 6:00 am to make a 1:00 kickoff, or for the students that would rather watch the early game on TV than in the bleachers, a night or game or two might raise the level of interest and participation in Georgetown football that has been much lacking in recent years.
It might even help in the won-loss column. Since 1997, Georgetown is 3-1 in games under the lights, all on the road, including a pair of last minute wins at San Diego and Bucknell.
Hey, every little bit helps.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Class of 2013
Two months from now, hundreds of thousands of college seniors will sign with the school of their choice. But without ESPN or Fox Sports at their front door, chances are it'll be done rather quietly.
Not in college football, of course, where a cottage industry began 20 years ago: National Signing Day. Yes, it existed in the past, at least as far back to 1964 when the National Letter of Intent (LOI) program began. But it took off, for better or worse, when the TV cameras arrived to see where high school All-American Jessie Armstead of Dallas' Carter HS would go to school. Armstead signed his LOI for Miami in a hot tub, and the day became an event.
And so, in high schools near and far, with nary a hot tub between them, National Signing Day has taken on a flair not unlike the NFL Draft: every school is king for a day. Except, of course, for schools like Georgetown which chooses not to participate.
That's not to say that Georgetown isn't out there recruiting, only that does not announce the class list in February.
12. Ryan Holder, DL
6-2, 215 lbs, Robinson HS/Fairfax, VA
14. Andy Maliska, DE
Not in college football, of course, where a cottage industry began 20 years ago: National Signing Day. Yes, it existed in the past, at least as far back to 1964 when the National Letter of Intent (LOI) program began. But it took off, for better or worse, when the TV cameras arrived to see where high school All-American Jessie Armstead of Dallas' Carter HS would go to school. Armstead signed his LOI for Miami in a hot tub, and the day became an event.
And so, in high schools near and far, with nary a hot tub between them, National Signing Day has taken on a flair not unlike the NFL Draft: every school is king for a day. Except, of course, for schools like Georgetown which chooses not to participate.
That's not to say that Georgetown isn't out there recruiting, only that does not announce the class list in February.
So here is the still-unoffical list to date (in alphabetical order; updates will be ongoing, and subsequent posts will hope to give readers a brief introduction to the young men that will make Georgetown a big part of their lives -- not just for four years on the Hilltop, but for forty more as leaders of their chosen fields.
1. Jeffrey Burke, WR
6-0, 190, St. Edward HS/Lakeland, OH
2. Sarafino Caliguire, C 6-4, 280, Montour HS/Mckees Rocks, PA
Video
3. Janna Chukumerije, LB
6-1, 205, New Rochelle HS/New Rochelle, NY
11. Mose Hogan, S 1. Jeffrey Burke, WR
6-0, 190, St. Edward HS/Lakeland, OH
2. Sarafino Caliguire, C 6-4, 280, Montour HS/Mckees Rocks, PA
Video
3. Janna Chukumerije, LB
6-1, 205, New Rochelle HS/New Rochelle, NY
4. Jordan Cohen, DT
6-2, 245, Cooper City HS/Cooper City, FL
Video
5. Kenneth Furlough, WR
6-4, 185, Brother Rice HS/Chicago, IL
Video
6-0, 178, Buford HS/ Buford GA
6-0, 200, Bergen Catholic HS/Oradell, NJ
5-10, 196, Country Day School/Beverly Hills, MI
12. Ryan Holder, DL
6-2, 215 lbs, Robinson HS/Fairfax, VA
6-2, 270, Hazleton HS/Hazleton, PA
6-2, 210, Malvern Prep/Malvern, PA
16. Craig Montgomery, TE
16. Craig Montgomery, TE
6-3, 218, Cardinal Mooney HS/Sarasota, FL
6-4, 230, Roger Bacon HS/Cincinnati, OH
6-2, 220, Holy Innocents Episcopal/Atlanta, GA
20. Kevin Sullivan, OT
6-2, 255, Bergen Catholic HS/Oradell, NJ
6-2, 255, Bergen Catholic HS/Oradell, NJ
6-4, 260, Flora HS/Columbia, SC
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
What If...
Throughout the history of any team, any program, or any university, there are decisions which profoundly affect its future. The older the organization, the more of these naturally occur.
Some are obvious in its impact. The decision to revive intercollegiate football at Georgetown in 1964 remains among among the most important decisions ever in the sport, and among the more important decisions ever in Georgetown athletics. But what about the decisions that weren'tmade, issues that were deferred, or whose time passed without action? Here are six that would have changed the trajectory of Hoya Football in ways few could have imagined.
Some are obvious in its impact. The decision to revive intercollegiate football at Georgetown in 1964 remains among among the most important decisions ever in the sport, and among the more important decisions ever in Georgetown athletics. But what about the decisions that weren'tmade, issues that were deferred, or whose time passed without action? Here are six that would have changed the trajectory of Hoya Football in ways few could have imagined.
1. What if Georgetown Built Memorial Stadium? (1922)
Imagine a 25,000 seat stadium on Georgetown's campus, sitting on the natural bowl of where the baseball field once sat, now the home for the School of Business and a future science building.
Someone once did.
The drawing above was the design for "Memorial Stadium", conceived like so many stadia in the years following World War I as college football became a national obsession. Between 1920 and 1930, fully a third of today's Division I-A schools built facilities, from Michigan to Notre Dame to Texas. Georgetown had a similar idea, as the above illustration suggests, with a classical design facing a horseshoe north towards what now is the Leavey Center.
Based on comparable costs, a 25,000 seat stadium in 1922 would have cost approximately $200,000 to build--contemporary facilities at Kansas, Texas, and Minnesota cost between $275,000 and $575,000. It didn't matter, of course, because Georgetown decided to move games off campus to Griffith Stadium and pay rent versus keeping the money on campus.
Three decades later, it was the ongoing rent that helped lead Georgetown to drop football after the 1950 season.
There's no guarantee a 1920's era stadium would have survived into the modern age, but one can't help but wonder what it would have done for the permanence of the sport, the ability to raise and keep revenue, and not coincidentally, a track, something Georgetown's nationally prominent program has missed for over 10 years.
Well, it's now only a footnote in the college archives. Because in 2009, with the demise of Iona and its postage stamp-sized Mazzella Field, Georgetown now features the smallest stadium of any kind in Division I.
2. What if Georgetown Kept Lou Little? (1930)
Much has been made in trivia circles that Hall of Fame coach Frank Leahy got his start as an assistant at Georgetown, only to leave after one year for what he termed "a coolness towards football" by the administration. Fair or not, Leahy wasn't going to stay at GU: Notre Dame was his destination, something Fordham and later BC would find out the hard way.
Georgetown didn't need a Frank Leahy. It needed Lou Little.
Over his six seasons as head coach, Little enjoyed unprecedented success for a GU coach, going 32-6-1 from 1925-28, with 23 shutouts en route to a 42-12-1 record through 1930. His 1927 team outscored opponents 377-21, and played before crowds as large as 50,000 in the annual matchup with NYU at Yankee Stadium. Those New York appearances caught the eye of officials at Columbia, who offered the 37 year old Little $12,000 a year to move to Morningside Heights. He coached for 27 seasons at Baker Field, took the Lions to the Rose Bowl, and although his record sank under .500 into the mid-1950's, he won 116 games for the Columbia. No coach has won as many as 42 since: in fact, it took nearly a half century from Little's retirement for the Lions to win as many as he did.
A member of the Football Hall of Fame, Little is regarded as one of the game's greatest coaches-- so much so, that when Yale offered him the athletic director's post there, Columbia called on Gen. Dwight Eisenhower to convince Little to stay. How would he had done if he stayed at Georgetown?
Clearly, the arrival of Jack Hagerty put the Hoyas back on solid footing: when the story of Georgetown football is written, Hagerty and Little stand at the summit. There's no doubt Georgetown was a football power under Hagerty, but one wonders where Little could have taken as his coaching career matured. A Rose Bowl, perhaps?
3. What if Georgetown Downgraded Its 1951 Schedule? (1951)
A year removed from the Sun Bowl, Georgetown's final season with 81 scholarship athletes was a rough one: it opened with a loss at Penn State, which marked the debut of coach Rip Engle and his young protege, Joe Paterno. Tulsa, Maryland, Miami...all losses. The Hoyas dropped 7 of 9 in 1950, attendance slumped to less than 6,000 a game, coach Bob Margarita knew there was trouble around the corner if Georgetown could not meet expenses.
Margarita proposed dropping those four opponents for more regional opponents: Richmond, Colgate, Bucknell, and Lafayette--familiar sounding names today, but a decided step down from many of the schools Georgetown had played in the 1940's. Margarita had some rising talent coming up through the program, and knew that if he couldn't stand toe to toe with Penn State, wins against Richmond or Colgate, combined with annual games with Fordham, Holy Cross, BC, Maryland, and George Washington could ward off calls to reevaluate the program.
He was probably three years late. Georgetown never quite returned to its pre-war footing and never won more than five games in a season between 1946-50. The Hoyas lost five straight to Villanova, and two each to Wake Forest and Maryland. By the 1950 season, fixing the schedule was not enough to solve the larger systemic problem of budget deficits. Still, you have to wonder if a more modest schedule could have carried Georgetown through the 1950's.
4. What if Georgetown Had Invested In Kehoe Field? (1976)
It surprise...no, it shocks many Georgetown fans to relate the early attendance figures of Kehoe Field in the club era: 6,000, 7,000, 8,004, 9,002. Are we talking about the same Kehoe Field, a space so barren that it makes the Multi-Sport Field look luxurious by comparison?
Dedicated in 1956, Kehoe Field variously sat from 4,000 to 8,000 spectators, featured an all grass field and a track that surrounded it. Modest by today's standards, it fit the footprint of a small college team well. And though few photos exist of its pre-1977 setup (you can see a shot of the old field in the 1973 movie, The Exorcist), the land that Kehoe stood on was eyed as a home for the long-sought intramural facility of the 1970's, later to be named the Yates Field House.
Had Kehoe been spared for the construction, one could argue it had the elements for future expansion, for permanent seating, and a home for a track program that could have never imagined that it would now not have a place to properly train. And if Yates had been sunk truly subterranean, perhaps the architectural vision would still have allowed Kehoe to maintain its role as a suitable athletic facility on level ground. Neither took place.
The Yates design only sunk the first level underground, placing the new Kehoe Field thirty feet in the air as the roof of the building, an architectural oddity that put a straitjacket on building out football at Georgetown. You couldn't put stands on the west side, the east stands were limited by weight concerns on the structure below, the artificial turf took its toll on players for years, and the student body turned its back on coming out to support football as it once did. To this day, telling opposing fans that a university as renowned as Georgetown was reduced to playing college football on the roof of an intramural facility elicits dumbfounded stares.
Today's Kehoe Field is one step from being surrounded with yellow "caution" tape. No, it's not condemned, but it might as well be. Football got off the field in 2002, lacrosse followed, and the only remaining sport, field hockey, could no longer play on it after 2006 because the conditions were deemed unplayable. Not much has changed in the interim, and for all the inertia surrounding the Multi-Sport project, it would be laudable if Georgetown had a field it could have maintained for more sports while better facilities were sought. Kehoe could have been that, but by 1979 it became obsolete upon arrival.
5. What if Allen Iverson Played College Football at Georgetown? (1994)
This one isn't as crazy as you might think.
Far from being a one-dimensional athlete, Allen Iverson was not only a gifted basketball player at Bethel HS in Hampton, VA, but arguably the best quarterback ever to come out of the Tidewater--an area that counts names such as Aaron Brook and Michael Vick among its high school legends. An option quarterback, Iverson accounted for over 3,800 yards total offense and 35 touchdowns in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Iverson's escape from the cloud of controversy following his 1994 arrest was Georgetown, where John Thompson recruited him as a guard. Iverson still enjoyed football, and was said to have stopped by a few practices as a freshmen to see how the team was doing. So what would have been the story of the 1994 Hoyas with Iverson under center?
In a word: wow.
The MAAC was a slow and somewhat prodding conference in 1994--remember, these schools were just two years removed from Division III. Iverson's quickness and toughness could have literally run the table for a Georgetown offense that was still getting its collective feet wet in Division I-AA, while Bob Benson's defense was just one year removed from leading the nation in total defense in 1995.
The Hoyas lost four games in 1994, three by a field goal (Duquesne, 3-0; Iona, 31-28; St. John's 19-16) and one by a touchdown (Franklin & Marshall 14, Georgetown 7). Allen Iverson could have turned each of these games around in short order. In 1995, its three losses were by a total of just 16 points (Duquesne, 13-7; Canisius, 13-7; Johns Hopkins, 7-3). With Bubbachuck in the backfield, it would have been a national story.
Of course, it didn't happen. Coach John Thompson told Iverson in no uncertain terms he wasn't risking Iverson to injury by letting him play two sports. And he never did.
6. What if Georgetown Joined The Big East? (1998)
The 1990's were good to Hoya Football, and optimism was in the air. So too was the effort by coach Bob Benson to look beyond the MAAC conference, which was an impending roadblock for growing the program. An initial discussion was made with the Patriot League which would lead to an invitation in January, 2000. But a much different scenario came and passed Georgetown by during that same period.
In the late 1990's, battered by expansion to 10, then 12, then 13 schools, the Big East conference's I-A football schools extended an unusual olive branch to their conference brethren playing below the I-A level: any Big East school that would commit to an upgrade within a two year window would be admitted as a fooball playing member to the league.
The offer really applied to four schools, and some would say only two of them. St. John's gave the idea fleeting interest (a rumor suggested it eyed Shea Stadium as a future site should their MAAC team made a move), while Villanova officials studied it but judged the facilities requirements too expensive. Connecticut's 12,000 seat Memorial Stadium was no Big East-quality facility, but timing in life is everything. The Connecticut legislature had secured land and funding in East Hartford for a stadium that would precipitate a move by the NFL's New England Patriots; when the Patriots decided to stay in Foxboro, the legislature flipped the project into an upgrade for UConn football, then a nondescript team in what used to be the Yankee Conference. UConn gave notice, joined I-A in 2000, and replaced Temple in the Big East by 2004. Today, UConn is more than just a great basketball school--it's a football school, too.
Now about Georgetown. During this "window", there was nothing ever publicly stated that Georgetown had given serious thought to the offer, and maybe it was dismissed as dead upon arrival. But since we're talking what if, well, what did they pass up on? Yes, the up-front costs would have been seismic--a $500,000 budget in the MAAC would grow to $7-8 million overnight, placing games off campus at RFK Stadium, and 20-30 special admits through Admissions a year. It would have profoundly changed Georgetown Athletics--and Georgetown-- in ways the school wasn't prepared for, then or now.
What is missed out on was, of course, the significant revenues that the Bowl Championship Series could provide. A 2008 article noted that West Virginia would make approximately $7.3 million in Big East TV and bowl revenues a year versus about $2 million for the so-called "basketball" schools, before ticket sales, local TV rights, and ancillary revenues. And since the Big East shares bowl revenues, Cincinnati's berth in the Orange Bowl made seven other Big East schools the recipients of a nice check from the BCS, but not for Georgetown, Villanova, and the five non-football schools. And in reality, the BCS is an exclusive club that these schools had a brief ticket to join, but not likely again.
Was Georgetown ready for that leap? In 1998, probably not, but the issue lurks beneath the surface at many schools, if not necessarily at GU. The problem Georgetown and Villanova face is that while I-A football remains a growing revenue stream for colleges, I-AA has no such stream, and there is a finite limit to what men's basketball can generate for a budget. It's no secret why schools like South Florida and Cincinnati have been able to elevate its entire athletic program while stalwarts like Providence and DePaul seem mired in the past: revenues from football are helping to float the boat. I-AA football provides little if any float, but it's a decision Georgetown seems comfortable with. Would Georgetown fans have rallied around a football team in the Big East any better than it does now in the Patriot League? We'll never know.
So what do these five scenarios have in common, Iverson excepted? Revenue, or the lack of it.
In sports, as as in business or in life, big decisions are a balance between opportunity and resources, and too often Georgetown has passed on the former when it lacks the latter. When future decisions await this program, and they will, it must have the financial flexibility to make good decisions.
It's been said that the four saddest words in the English language are "what might have been". Instead, I would end with the thoughts of Alexander Graham Bell, who noted that "When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."
There are some big doors ahead for Georgetown. Keep looking for the open ones.
It surprise...no, it shocks many Georgetown fans to relate the early attendance figures of Kehoe Field in the club era: 6,000, 7,000, 8,004, 9,002. Are we talking about the same Kehoe Field, a space so barren that it makes the Multi-Sport Field look luxurious by comparison?
Dedicated in 1956, Kehoe Field variously sat from 4,000 to 8,000 spectators, featured an all grass field and a track that surrounded it. Modest by today's standards, it fit the footprint of a small college team well. And though few photos exist of its pre-1977 setup (you can see a shot of the old field in the 1973 movie, The Exorcist), the land that Kehoe stood on was eyed as a home for the long-sought intramural facility of the 1970's, later to be named the Yates Field House.
Had Kehoe been spared for the construction, one could argue it had the elements for future expansion, for permanent seating, and a home for a track program that could have never imagined that it would now not have a place to properly train. And if Yates had been sunk truly subterranean, perhaps the architectural vision would still have allowed Kehoe to maintain its role as a suitable athletic facility on level ground. Neither took place.
The Yates design only sunk the first level underground, placing the new Kehoe Field thirty feet in the air as the roof of the building, an architectural oddity that put a straitjacket on building out football at Georgetown. You couldn't put stands on the west side, the east stands were limited by weight concerns on the structure below, the artificial turf took its toll on players for years, and the student body turned its back on coming out to support football as it once did. To this day, telling opposing fans that a university as renowned as Georgetown was reduced to playing college football on the roof of an intramural facility elicits dumbfounded stares.
Today's Kehoe Field is one step from being surrounded with yellow "caution" tape. No, it's not condemned, but it might as well be. Football got off the field in 2002, lacrosse followed, and the only remaining sport, field hockey, could no longer play on it after 2006 because the conditions were deemed unplayable. Not much has changed in the interim, and for all the inertia surrounding the Multi-Sport project, it would be laudable if Georgetown had a field it could have maintained for more sports while better facilities were sought. Kehoe could have been that, but by 1979 it became obsolete upon arrival.
5. What if Allen Iverson Played College Football at Georgetown? (1994)
This one isn't as crazy as you might think.
Far from being a one-dimensional athlete, Allen Iverson was not only a gifted basketball player at Bethel HS in Hampton, VA, but arguably the best quarterback ever to come out of the Tidewater--an area that counts names such as Aaron Brook and Michael Vick among its high school legends. An option quarterback, Iverson accounted for over 3,800 yards total offense and 35 touchdowns in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Iverson's escape from the cloud of controversy following his 1994 arrest was Georgetown, where John Thompson recruited him as a guard. Iverson still enjoyed football, and was said to have stopped by a few practices as a freshmen to see how the team was doing. So what would have been the story of the 1994 Hoyas with Iverson under center?
In a word: wow.
The MAAC was a slow and somewhat prodding conference in 1994--remember, these schools were just two years removed from Division III. Iverson's quickness and toughness could have literally run the table for a Georgetown offense that was still getting its collective feet wet in Division I-AA, while Bob Benson's defense was just one year removed from leading the nation in total defense in 1995.
The Hoyas lost four games in 1994, three by a field goal (Duquesne, 3-0; Iona, 31-28; St. John's 19-16) and one by a touchdown (Franklin & Marshall 14, Georgetown 7). Allen Iverson could have turned each of these games around in short order. In 1995, its three losses were by a total of just 16 points (Duquesne, 13-7; Canisius, 13-7; Johns Hopkins, 7-3). With Bubbachuck in the backfield, it would have been a national story.
Of course, it didn't happen. Coach John Thompson told Iverson in no uncertain terms he wasn't risking Iverson to injury by letting him play two sports. And he never did.
6. What if Georgetown Joined The Big East? (1998)
The 1990's were good to Hoya Football, and optimism was in the air. So too was the effort by coach Bob Benson to look beyond the MAAC conference, which was an impending roadblock for growing the program. An initial discussion was made with the Patriot League which would lead to an invitation in January, 2000. But a much different scenario came and passed Georgetown by during that same period.
In the late 1990's, battered by expansion to 10, then 12, then 13 schools, the Big East conference's I-A football schools extended an unusual olive branch to their conference brethren playing below the I-A level: any Big East school that would commit to an upgrade within a two year window would be admitted as a fooball playing member to the league.
The offer really applied to four schools, and some would say only two of them. St. John's gave the idea fleeting interest (a rumor suggested it eyed Shea Stadium as a future site should their MAAC team made a move), while Villanova officials studied it but judged the facilities requirements too expensive. Connecticut's 12,000 seat Memorial Stadium was no Big East-quality facility, but timing in life is everything. The Connecticut legislature had secured land and funding in East Hartford for a stadium that would precipitate a move by the NFL's New England Patriots; when the Patriots decided to stay in Foxboro, the legislature flipped the project into an upgrade for UConn football, then a nondescript team in what used to be the Yankee Conference. UConn gave notice, joined I-A in 2000, and replaced Temple in the Big East by 2004. Today, UConn is more than just a great basketball school--it's a football school, too.
Now about Georgetown. During this "window", there was nothing ever publicly stated that Georgetown had given serious thought to the offer, and maybe it was dismissed as dead upon arrival. But since we're talking what if, well, what did they pass up on? Yes, the up-front costs would have been seismic--a $500,000 budget in the MAAC would grow to $7-8 million overnight, placing games off campus at RFK Stadium, and 20-30 special admits through Admissions a year. It would have profoundly changed Georgetown Athletics--and Georgetown-- in ways the school wasn't prepared for, then or now.
What is missed out on was, of course, the significant revenues that the Bowl Championship Series could provide. A 2008 article noted that West Virginia would make approximately $7.3 million in Big East TV and bowl revenues a year versus about $2 million for the so-called "basketball" schools, before ticket sales, local TV rights, and ancillary revenues. And since the Big East shares bowl revenues, Cincinnati's berth in the Orange Bowl made seven other Big East schools the recipients of a nice check from the BCS, but not for Georgetown, Villanova, and the five non-football schools. And in reality, the BCS is an exclusive club that these schools had a brief ticket to join, but not likely again.
Was Georgetown ready for that leap? In 1998, probably not, but the issue lurks beneath the surface at many schools, if not necessarily at GU. The problem Georgetown and Villanova face is that while I-A football remains a growing revenue stream for colleges, I-AA has no such stream, and there is a finite limit to what men's basketball can generate for a budget. It's no secret why schools like South Florida and Cincinnati have been able to elevate its entire athletic program while stalwarts like Providence and DePaul seem mired in the past: revenues from football are helping to float the boat. I-AA football provides little if any float, but it's a decision Georgetown seems comfortable with. Would Georgetown fans have rallied around a football team in the Big East any better than it does now in the Patriot League? We'll never know.
So what do these five scenarios have in common, Iverson excepted? Revenue, or the lack of it.
In sports, as as in business or in life, big decisions are a balance between opportunity and resources, and too often Georgetown has passed on the former when it lacks the latter. When future decisions await this program, and they will, it must have the financial flexibility to make good decisions.
It's been said that the four saddest words in the English language are "what might have been". Instead, I would end with the thoughts of Alexander Graham Bell, who noted that "When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."
There are some big doors ahead for Georgetown. Keep looking for the open ones.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Some Things Are Worth Fighting For
It's 2009, and hope is in the air. But not for everyone.
As far as college football goes, this is a time of relative growth. New programs, long held back over intra-state squabbling and financial maneuvers, have given way in new programs coming to Charlotte, Georgia State, Lamar, and Old Dominion. When the Monarchs host Georgetown on October 31 at Norfolk's Foreman Field, they will do with a ticket base of nearly 14,000 before the first gameday ticket is sold, all but assuring Georgetown its largest road crowd for a game since the Hoyas traveled to Maryland's Byrd Stadium in 1950.
But somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; but there is no joy in New Rochelle, or Buffalo, or Albany, or Jersey City, for that matter— the MAAC has struck out.
The slow, painful death of Iona College football stands as a case study of how a program of hope deteriorated before our eyes. Like the conference where it won its first title, Iona never could take the next step forward to establish an identity beyond the trail of tears of fallen MAAC programs: Canisius, Siena, St. John's, Fairfield, St. Peter's. And of the original MAAC schools, only Georgetown remains.
Iona's fall was neither sudden nor unexpected. It had passed on the Pioneer League and was the only committed independent school left in the Northeast. A month before the 2008 season ended, its college president told the student newspaper the program was unable to compete--Iona had now loaded up on guarantee games with full scholarship programs which made them look, well, uncompetitive. When the decision was announced at the conclusion of the season, there was no protest, no rally, just not enough of anything.
What killed the Gaels was not its record or its ability to compete. Like a lot of things, it came down to money and priorities. For most of the past 15 years, the MAAC leadership sent a subtle message to its member schools: play football if you like, but it's a luxury and not a necessity for our league. And when the conference raises the expectations game in other sports, think twice before putting more money in football.
The fact is redistributing Iona's budget won't make a difference in elevating other sports, just like it didn't at Canisius, Siena, St. John's, Fairfield or St. Peter's. The sadder fact is that the lack of support even made this an option.
Dropping football isn't reserved for small Catholic schools. Three time zones to the west, the Division II program at Western Washington dropped the sport this season not for competition or budgets but for a plausible, if disappointing reason: the school could no longer afford it, or so they said. But enter Kirk Kriskovich, a former WWU quarterback who has taken the football message online. Not just an online petition or a call to arms, but a case for returning football to his alma mater.
All college football fans ought to make http://www.savewwufootball.com/ a destination this off-season. The site makes more than a compelling case just for WWU football, but for programs in general--if you want football at your school, you have to fight for it. The site is not about creating villains in the decision, though it does cast a bright light at university president Bruce Shepard and suggests that he may have focused on football deficits as a quick fix rather than solving larger systemic deficits in the atheltic program. It aims to make a case for WWU to bring football back in the fold and to know it is doing the right thing by doing so.
The site is also making a difference where it counts--financially. it's enlisted support in the state legislature, reconnected with former players, and set up a pledge drive for constituents to show support for broad-based support of WWU when the school realizes that there will be a base committed to funding basic operations. Granted, pledges are like opinions (everyone's got one) but the site is going beyond the message board approach to support--collecting the hard data that says, like the Obama campaign so sucessfully did, that in the raw data of supporters, there is tremendous leverage. In the last 30 days, the site has received $415,000 in pledges from 375 members--far more than its booster club did.
Reading the site, I was impressed by both the form and function of the site--it is both passionate and professional, as any good campaign is. Come to think of it, that's exactly what this is: a campaign. WWU isn't going to wipe the egg off its face and resume football overnight--it will take time.But the more a case can be made without getting into personalities, the more that both sides can come to the table and chart a new and steady course for the program. As noted on the site:
Now is the time to look at those objectives above and ask: is there a long term strategy in place for Georgetown football in five, ten, or twenty years, no matter who the coach is or who the opponents are? Is it reaching a diverse set of representative parties? Is there a cross-generational approach to reach the club alumni, the Glacken era, the Benson era, and the most recent alumni under coach Kelly?
The good news is that the roots for this effort are beginning to take hold. But like the Gospel parable, the seed must be planted in good soil. That's the challenge for a lot of schools in a tight economy where high expectations continue unabated, but it's a challenge that's doable now, not later.
As far as college football goes, this is a time of relative growth. New programs, long held back over intra-state squabbling and financial maneuvers, have given way in new programs coming to Charlotte, Georgia State, Lamar, and Old Dominion. When the Monarchs host Georgetown on October 31 at Norfolk's Foreman Field, they will do with a ticket base of nearly 14,000 before the first gameday ticket is sold, all but assuring Georgetown its largest road crowd for a game since the Hoyas traveled to Maryland's Byrd Stadium in 1950.
But somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; but there is no joy in New Rochelle, or Buffalo, or Albany, or Jersey City, for that matter— the MAAC has struck out.
The slow, painful death of Iona College football stands as a case study of how a program of hope deteriorated before our eyes. Like the conference where it won its first title, Iona never could take the next step forward to establish an identity beyond the trail of tears of fallen MAAC programs: Canisius, Siena, St. John's, Fairfield, St. Peter's. And of the original MAAC schools, only Georgetown remains.
Iona's fall was neither sudden nor unexpected. It had passed on the Pioneer League and was the only committed independent school left in the Northeast. A month before the 2008 season ended, its college president told the student newspaper the program was unable to compete--Iona had now loaded up on guarantee games with full scholarship programs which made them look, well, uncompetitive. When the decision was announced at the conclusion of the season, there was no protest, no rally, just not enough of anything.
What killed the Gaels was not its record or its ability to compete. Like a lot of things, it came down to money and priorities. For most of the past 15 years, the MAAC leadership sent a subtle message to its member schools: play football if you like, but it's a luxury and not a necessity for our league. And when the conference raises the expectations game in other sports, think twice before putting more money in football.
The fact is redistributing Iona's budget won't make a difference in elevating other sports, just like it didn't at Canisius, Siena, St. John's, Fairfield or St. Peter's. The sadder fact is that the lack of support even made this an option.
Dropping football isn't reserved for small Catholic schools. Three time zones to the west, the Division II program at Western Washington dropped the sport this season not for competition or budgets but for a plausible, if disappointing reason: the school could no longer afford it, or so they said. But enter Kirk Kriskovich, a former WWU quarterback who has taken the football message online. Not just an online petition or a call to arms, but a case for returning football to his alma mater.
All college football fans ought to make http://www.savewwufootball.com/ a destination this off-season. The site makes more than a compelling case just for WWU football, but for programs in general--if you want football at your school, you have to fight for it. The site is not about creating villains in the decision, though it does cast a bright light at university president Bruce Shepard and suggests that he may have focused on football deficits as a quick fix rather than solving larger systemic deficits in the atheltic program. It aims to make a case for WWU to bring football back in the fold and to know it is doing the right thing by doing so.
The site is also making a difference where it counts--financially. it's enlisted support in the state legislature, reconnected with former players, and set up a pledge drive for constituents to show support for broad-based support of WWU when the school realizes that there will be a base committed to funding basic operations. Granted, pledges are like opinions (everyone's got one) but the site is going beyond the message board approach to support--collecting the hard data that says, like the Obama campaign so sucessfully did, that in the raw data of supporters, there is tremendous leverage. In the last 30 days, the site has received $415,000 in pledges from 375 members--far more than its booster club did.
Reading the site, I was impressed by both the form and function of the site--it is both passionate and professional, as any good campaign is. Come to think of it, that's exactly what this is: a campaign. WWU isn't going to wipe the egg off its face and resume football overnight--it will take time.But the more a case can be made without getting into personalities, the more that both sides can come to the table and chart a new and steady course for the program. As noted on the site:
Georgetown is not Iona. Georgetown is not Western Washington. But these schools' troubles ought to be closely watched at a school where football doesn't fit neatly into the spending requirements of the Big East, nor has the revenue ability on its own to pay its way, much less to raise its spending along the lines of its own PL brethren. The need for Georgetown's constituent base to recommit itself to supporting football is the issue--if we have to build a "savegeorgetownfootball.com" site someday, it will be too late."Those at the 'core' of the group have determined that it is vitally important that are clearly organized, have a specific, clear and measurable set of defined goals and objectives, and that these goals and objectives take into account all facets of the larger discussion on this issue, such as:
- Funding
- Operational budgets, endowments and feasibility
- Accountability and Responsibility
- Appropriate Change
- Diversity
- Title IX issues
- Academic Excellence
- Legal, Moral and Ethical Responsibilities
- Long-term Organization Strategy, reaching years in to the future
- Representation of all interested parties
- Cross-generational approach that links past, present and future in a unique experience unlike any other in the college and community experience
We have professionals, alumni, parents and leaders from all walks of life prepared to meet and establish a comprehensive strategy. "
Now is the time to look at those objectives above and ask: is there a long term strategy in place for Georgetown football in five, ten, or twenty years, no matter who the coach is or who the opponents are? Is it reaching a diverse set of representative parties? Is there a cross-generational approach to reach the club alumni, the Glacken era, the Benson era, and the most recent alumni under coach Kelly?
The good news is that the roots for this effort are beginning to take hold. But like the Gospel parable, the seed must be planted in good soil. That's the challenge for a lot of schools in a tight economy where high expectations continue unabated, but it's a challenge that's doable now, not later.
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