UNO is dropping football and wrestling

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

Good post

[Roark]

I found this post on the Huskermax site and it pretty much hits the nail on the head for me:

 

 

bilsker:

 

1. Anyone who thinks UNO basketball will have any effect on Creighton basketball is high as a kite. I don't say this because I'm a CU basketball season ticket holder/fan. I say this because I UNDERSTAND exactly what UNO will be. The Summit league is a TERRIBLE basketball conference. Ranked 21st as of yesterday. Teams in the Summit League are "buy game" fodder for major and high mid-major programs like CU, NU, KU, ISU, etc. That is not changing anytime soon. I understand Darren Hanson is probably excited about the move to D1 but he and his recruits will soon learn that their typical season will include a 10-12 game road trip to start the season. They will typically enter conference play at about 3-12 after scheduling a few NAIA teams at home for wins. They will then play a conference season that means nothing. And THEN their 3-4 game season will begin. The basketball program will exists to a) turn a profit by whoring itself out for those first 15 games and then B) taking a shot at "glory" by trying to win 3-4 in a row at the end of the season. Nobody with any understanding of college basketball would think that THIS would have an impact on CU or UNL or anyone else. The Missouri Valley is one of the top Mid-Major leagues out there. They (CU specifically) don't compete with the likes of S. Dak. St. for recruits. That's just fact. Another fact is that nobody will be going to their games. Someone early in the thread suggested UNO bring KU and some other big programs in to play at the Qwest. CU has spent the last 15 years trying to make that happen. NO CHANCE. And UNO won't be playing at the Q. They will be at the Civic until they get a place of their own as Hanson alluded to on the radio the other day. They will generally be playing in front of friend and family. CU has nothing to worry about. They take care of their own business (i.e. don't hire a Rick Johnson) and they'll be just fine. I already know what fRed is thinking..."CU IS WORRIED!" Simply not the case. Name a local CU basketball player (Dotzler, Young, Jones, etc.) that would consider UNO over CU. ONE.

 

2. Dropping Wrestling is a joke. Alberts said that they would have to triple the budget to compete at the national level. Roughly speaking the wrestling budget was about $400K. So what's his answer? Well, he's going to start a GOLF program at about $300k and a Soccer program at probably roughly the same figure. Why not try to FIND a way spend another $600K to COMPETE at a national level when Alberts SPECIFICALLY said that they have no intention of truely competing in Golf or Soccer? Telling this NATIONAL CHAMPIONS over the freaking phone is simply Bush League. Get your ass to the tournament and tell Denney like a MAN.

 

3. Football. One of the arguments i've seen made here is that nobody was going to UNO games/supporting UNO football. As for attendence..kinda seems logical that people don't go out of their way to attend DIVISION II football. If you are all of a sudden playing UNI or Youngstown or former rivals like S. Dak St., etc. in a higher level of football then the support (attendance) would increase. Much of the extra cost of football could be made up by taking guarantee games that are paying upwards of $1M a year these days. One major FACT here is that those in Lincoln (regents and Admin) have wanted UNO football gone for a long time. Obviously, budgetary reasons are part of that. But the Tom-father himself said "I wouldn't exactly be jumping up and down." about the prospect of UNO going D1aa. I will translate that for you: OVER MY DEAD BODY! In this state if Tom says no to something like that then the answer is NO! UNO going D1AA would absolutely have SOME impact on NU football. Not in terms of fan support or dollars. But think about guys like Ohanlon or Cassaday ( I say "like" not specifically them). Walk-ons that may pass up a DII offer to walk-on at NU may more strongly consider a 1AA offer instate...that's simple logic. And if NU loses a few nice walk-ons....well, that's just not acceptable to Tom.

 

4. Since when did going D1 become a cost cutting measure? Hockey is already D1. No need to bring the rest of the program really. You aren't going to be competitive in basketball, golf, soccer, baseball, or any other men's sport. Probably not in any women's sports either. So what's the point? Cutting costs? Hell, why not just cut football and stay DII? You still crap on a good football program, save a bunch of money, preserve wrestling and balance the budget. Poof! Problem solved. This makes very little sense? If the standard is "nobody cares about football based on attendance...or wrestling!" Well, no crap! Then go ahead and drop the whole athletic program because the "give a damn" for sports at UNO is, in order: Hockey, Wrestling, Football, basketball and then NOTHING else. Anyone gonna care about golf? Answer: Nope.

 

5. The usual jock sniffers wouldn't for one second question the God that is Trev Alberts. The fact is you BETTER start to question him. He lost his job at ESPN because he is an egomaniac. Anyone catch his presser? "I got the summit offer"...."I couldn't afford football"....he's speaks in the first person quite a bit on this issues. He lacks integrity. Up until Saturday night when all the football coaches showed up to the hockey game in support of their game against Bemidji they thought they were part of UNO's future. When the fact is, according to Alberts, the football program's fate was sealed in November. He SCREWED the new assistant hires. He really SCREWED the 20 guys that signed to play at UNO. Pat Behrns and Denney deserved better. Lack of integrity, huge ego, ambition. Does that remind anyone of a former AD at NU? It should. And this likely replacement for TO should scare the crap out of you. For the love of god, I hope Paul Meyers is the real AD in-waiting.

 

1. "The basketball program will exists to a) turn a profit by whoring itself out for those first 15 games" The key word there is "profit." Also, the statement that the Summit League is a joke of a BB conference and the Missouri Valley is a powerhouse is simply inaccurate.

 

2. Keeping wrestling would be a joke. Obviously the person posting this info is oblivious to Title IX legislation, which has already been discussed on this board. I sincerely doubt that Alberts said that UNO had no intention of competing in golf or soccer. I agree that the announcement to the team could have gone better though.

 

3. I completely disagree. Even if UNO had a successful program in the FCS, I doubt many people would care. People are going to skip Husker games and televised college football to go see UNO play Youngstown State? I think not.

 

4. Currently the athletic programs are UNSUSTAINABLE. Also, I think the whole "give a damn" scale is a bit skewed here... I've never met anyone outside the immediate family/friends of an athlete that attends UNO wrestling events. Most schools that would fit into Division II don't have wrestling teams- That's why UNO only has to be better than ~45 teams to claim a "national championship."

 

5. I don't have a problem with Alberts personally, so I'm not gonna touch this one.

[mmmtodd]

UNO basketball will never turn a profit. Basketball in the Summit league? Take a look at the UMKC Roos and how their athletic department is fairing. The move to division one is not going to make the UNO department suddenly sustainable. Red ink is simply being moved around. Roark, the only thing I gather from your arguments is that you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.

[Roark]

UNO basketball will never turn a profit. Basketball in the Summit league? Take a look at the UMKC Roos and how their athletic department is fairing. The move to division one is not going to make the UNO department suddenly sustainable. Red ink is simply being moved around. Roark, the only thing I gather from your arguments is that you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.

 

Care to specifically criticize anything I've said, or will the broad insult just have to do?

[mmmtodd]

UNO basketball will never turn a profit. Basketball in the Summit league? Take a look at the UMKC Roos and how their athletic department is fairing. The move to division one is not going to make the UNO department suddenly sustainable. Red ink is simply being moved around. Roark, the only thing I gather from your arguments is that you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.

 

Care to specifically criticize anything I've said, or will the broad insult just have to do?

there is an entire thread that was started before this one else where on the board full of it.

[Roark]

UNO basketball will never turn a profit. Basketball in the Summit league? Take a look at the UMKC Roos and how their athletic department is fairing. The move to division one is not going to make the UNO department suddenly sustainable. Red ink is simply being moved around. Roark, the only thing I gather from your arguments is that you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.

 

Care to specifically criticize anything I've said, or will the broad insult just have to do?

there is an entire thread that was started before this one else where on the board full of it.

 

I'm not sure that sentence makes any sense.

[mmmtodd]

not sure, eh? indecision is a terrible thing. youre continuing to prove to me the type of person you are. so please, carry on.

 

ill give you a tidbit. the worthless wrestling program, that you berate because no one attends it...well, that program is a part of the community. maybe you never had an interest in wrestling, but UNO is more respected in the fabric of nebraska wrestling than the program down at lincoln. class b skutt, the team that won 13 titles in a row? that is a nationally respected and feared high school program... guess where their coach(who does it while working full time as an omaha fireman) wrestled? UNO wrestling is more blue collar than UNL football could ever imagine to be. You go to UNO wrestling camps as a kid, not Lincoln ones.

 

this isnt some random sport being pushed aside. the hundreds of people that showed up during the press conferences...the majority were wrestling fans. so youre right in a sense, that no one shows up for football. and maybe because it was only hundreds means that it should never be division 1...but tell me this...how many people would have showed up if basketball was on the chopping block? killing UNO wrestling is cutting the head of the snake that is nebraska wrestling in general. now they are gonna start a soccer program...oh joy...guess who's program is already the fabric of nebraska soccer? where do soccer kids want to go to camp? ill tell you, its downtown omaha, because i attended them. do you see where this is going, at all? what is the fabric of nebraska football?

 

yes, i have a wrestling bias-but overall that is besides the point. something great that the state has, however small you personally view it, is being demolished. that doesnt affect you in the least? you act surprised that people would be upset about it, that the new wondrous Div 1 UNO programs are so worth it-that they are more important than wrestling, or football. that they wont lose money, just like thousands of successful college sports programs do on a regular basis.

 

but its because of dollars, right? the summit league move isnt like nebraska moving to the big ten where revenues are higher.

 

i get it, in a sense. but i also dont get, as a nebraskan, how you dont fight for and keep the things you do best simply because there is a dollar sign or lack of a dollar sign in front of it. and with details dropping out every day of boosters and athletic department board members not even being aware of the process that trev went through, well, thats more than a bit disconcerting.

[Roark]

not sure, eh? indecision is a terrible thing. youre continuing to prove to me the type of person you are. so please, carry on.

 

ill give you a tidbit. the worthless wrestling program, that you berate because no one attends it...well, that program is a part of the community. maybe you never had an interest in wrestling, but UNO is more respected in the fabric of nebraska wrestling than the program down at lincoln. class b skutt, the team that won 13 titles in a row? that is a nationally respected and feared high school program... guess where their coach(who does it while working full time as an omaha fireman) wrestled? UNO wrestling is more blue collar than UNL football could ever imagine to be. You go to UNO wrestling camps as a kid, not Lincoln ones.

 

this isnt some random sport being pushed aside. the hundreds of people that showed up during the press conferences...the majority were wrestling fans. so youre right in a sense, that no one shows up for football. and maybe because it was only hundreds means that it should never be division 1...but tell me this...how many people would have showed up if basketball was on the chopping block? killing UNO wrestling is cutting the head of the snake that is nebraska wrestling in general. now they are gonna start a soccer program...oh joy...guess who's program is already the fabric of nebraska soccer? where do soccer kids want to go to camp? ill tell you, its downtown omaha, because i attended them. do you see where this is going, at all? what is the fabric of nebraska football?

 

yes, i have a wrestling bias-but overall that is besides the point. something great that the state has, however small you personally view it, is being demolished. that doesnt affect you in the least? you act surprised that people would be upset about it, that the new wondrous Div 1 UNO programs are so worth it-that they are more important than wrestling, or football. that they wont lose money, just like thousands of successful college sports programs do on a regular basis.

 

but its because of dollars, right? the summit league move isnt like nebraska moving to the big ten where revenues are higher.

 

i get it, in a sense. but i also dont get, as a nebraskan, how you dont fight for and keep the things you do best simply because there is a dollar sign or lack of a dollar sign in front of it. and with details dropping out every day of boosters and athletic department board members not even being aware of the process that trev went through, well, thats more than a bit disconcerting.

 

The kind of person I am? Oh, you must mean someone who looks at things objectively.

 

I didn't say that the program was "worthless." I'm sure that it has value to a number of people- not to me, though. And those people that showed up for the press conferences, it's likely that they were supporters of the wrestling program: the ones I mentioned earlier (the only ones that attend their events), the wrestlers themselves and their personal friends and family. Wow, Skutt's wrestling coach is a fireman?... that sure is neat. You, and all the wrestling homers don't seem to realize that the invite to the Summit League was contingent on adding mens soccer and golf. With Title IX legistlation, it would be fiscally retarded to keep money pits like UNO football/wrestling, and be forced to invest in comparative female programs that do not generate profit what-so-ever. Personally, I would like to see all sports that don't generate a profit be eliminated in the NCAA... Leave it up to the schools and drop them down to the intramural levels where they belong.

 

Let me say that I believe this whole situation could have been handled better, but I don't at all disagree with the overall picture.

[Judoka]

it would be fiscally retarded to keep money pits like UNO football/wrestling.

Yeah, that 21K a year is a real sinkhole. UNOs AD will be back in the black in no time thanks to this.

[funhusker]

it would be fiscally retarded to keep money pits like UNO football/wrestling.

Yeah, that 21K a year is a real sinkhole. UNOs AD will be back in the black in no time thanks to this.

 

You are correct, the 21K, or whatever the numbers are, isn't a big deal. The big deal would be coming up with another $200,000 (probably a low figure) to add a women's sport of the same magnitude. Double that figure if you want to keep football also. That is why wrestling and football are getting the axe.

 

I agree with both sides: Trev Alberts is a complete A-hole!!!! If he is Osborne's successor, UNL is F***ed!! But if UNO athletic's true goal is to advance to division 1, it was a necessary evil. The whole situation was just handled by a jackwagon. I don't care if it was Trev's decision or not, but it is his job to effectively communicate with staff and community. That he did NOT do!!!

[Cream&Scarlet]

UNO should just cut their losses, keep wrestling stay D2 still cut football because it's a money drain. But invest the money from football into the on-campus hockey arena. Play to your strengths, UNO will never be a profitable athletic program at ANY level, there's just no support or desire to see UNO flourish by the community, that's fine, nobody's forced to like multiple teams. But nurture the success you have and allow yourself to build on it instead of trying to emulate other programs. UNO is known as a wrestling and hockey school, and you just dropped half of your national exposure,

Good luck

[HuskersNC949597]

Trev Alberts and Chancellor Christensen are doing the right thing, giving you a chance to donate to save the wrestling program.

[junior4949]

All of this basically opens up a bigger can of worms as far as I'm concerned. We're already seeing states cutting school budgets, and we're seeing protests at state capitols. The bigger question is if and when we start to see athletic programs being cut across the country at the high school level. If it weren't for the football program, UNL would probably have a hard time justifying a lot of their athletics.

[funhusker]

Trev Alberts and Chancellor Christensen are doing the right thing, giving you a chance to donate to save the wrestling program.

I applaud the efforts of the people running that website. But unfortunately Alberts and Christensen aren't "giving" anyone a chance to save the program. The website has emails of Senators and Regents to change their minds. A website run by the AD and Chancellor would not have that info, they've already made their decision.

 

In the end, this website may actually raise a lot of money. Sadly everyone involved in making the decision will say, "Thanks, but no thanks. We are moving on to our new conference home and focus our energies at being competitive in our conference sanctioned sports at the D1 level"

 

The decision has been made by the chancellor and AD, and reports also say the Board of Regents will approve. Sorry folks, it's done.

[HuskersNC949597]

Wrong. Somebody close to the program says "We were told if we could raise the money, we could save ourselves. We have heard it from both Trev and Dr. Christensen." This is a person who has gone out of their way to bash all involved, so I don't see why they would make that up.