Athletic Department under review

[ColoradoHusk]

Maybe it's just because it's March, but I wonder why no AD in the last 50 years takes the heat for Nebraska's utter meaninglessness of a basketball program, when NCAA basketball is increasingly a source of prestige and revenue. Every Big 10 team has had it's March Madness moments. Most of the old Big 8 has had its moments. Big time football schools have their basketball moments. Nebraska doesn't even enter the conversation.

Okay. I don't really wonder. If our football is working we declare the Athletic Department healthy.

It could be interesting if this is really an Athletic Department audit to determine the overall culture.

If the only revelation we're looking for is whether Eichorst was more supportive of the first year coach he hired, or the seventh year coach he fired, I'm not so interested.

Not every team, Northwestern has never made the NCAA Tournament in Men's Basketball.

But, I get your point, NU basketball has been very disappointing the past 20 years. Even though NU didn't win a tourney game in the 1990s, the 4 year run from '91-'94 was so fun to watch and support the program.

 

[Saunders]

Maybe it's just because it's March, but I wonder why no AD in the last 50 years takes the heat for Nebraska's utter meaninglessness of a basketball program, when NCAA basketball is increasingly a source of prestige and revenue. Every Big 10 team has had it's March Madness moments. Most of the old Big 8 has had its moments. Big time football schools have their basketball moments. Nebraska doesn't even enter the conversation.

Okay. I don't really wonder. If our football is working we declare the Athletic Department healthy.

It could be interesting if this is really an Athletic Department audit to determine the overall culture.

If the only revelation we're looking for is whether Eichorst was more supportive of the first year coach he hired, or the seventh year coach he fired, I'm not so interested.

Not every team, Northwestern has never made the NCAA Tournament in Men's Basketball.

But, I get your point, NU basketball has been very disappointing the past 20 years. Even though NU didn't win a tourney game in the 1990s, the 4 year run from '91-'94 was so fun to watch and support the program.

Northwestern and Nebraska are the only power 5 teams in the country without a NCAA tournament win.

Yay!

 

[Elf]

How many other ADs have picked two coaches in a row that posted .700+ records?

And how many conference championships did those two win?

1 cc. 3 dv. And a NC appearance.

Thought this was common knowledge among husker fans.

So just one then? In 13 seasons...

That is unacceptable at Nebraska.

 

[Elf]

Still, it seems like an unusual thing to do, one year into a tenure.

Especially when there’s a chancellor, Harvey Perlman, still in place. Why go over Perlman’s head on this?

Well, Perlman is about to take his last lap at NU. He’s leaving the office in June.

Meanwhile, a new chancellor has not been hired yet.

Did we mention that the football team went 6-7 in head coach Mike Riley’s first year?

Or that the NU Board of Regents was caught off guard when Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst hired Riley, and that some on the board privately may not have been happy about it?

Just like some regents were not thrilled about being out of the loop when Eichorst fired former coach Bo Pelini.

And, of course, we can’t forget that Eichorst was selected by Perlman in a process that did not include Eichorst’s predecessor, Tom Osborne, a sore subject in a lot of parts of the state.

So, to review: Perlman’s popularity took a hit in some circles. Eichorst was hired by Perlman. Perlman is leaving. Eichorst and the regents are not always on the same page. And now the first-year president hands out a survey.

Any questions? Well, yes. The World-Herald reached out to Perlman, via email, for his thoughts on the survey involving his athletic director.

Perlman, who has been very accessible in his tenure and typically responds to emails from the general public, offered a somewhat terse reply: “No interviews. This is being done by President Bounds so you should contact him.”

OK then.

OWH

I laugh at the stupidity in bold. Unless Osborne is an employee/contractor of the University in some capacity then he should have ZERO say in what happens there. None. If Osborne wants to have a say in the Univeristy's dealings then maybe he should apply and get hired for an actual job there.

 

[cm husker]

How many other ADs have picked two coaches in a row that posted .700+ records?

And how many conference championships did those two win?

1 cc. 3 dv. And a NC appearance.

Thought this was common knowledge among husker fans.

So just one then? In 13 seasons...

That is unacceptable at Nebraska.

1 in 6 years (during a prime period in the B12) and then no CCs, but the guy did inherit a mess from BC and guided NU through a change of conference.

 

[SuperBigFan69]

JJ is right...you don't hire someone NOT to find a problem.

It is like when you car makes "a noise" so you take it in and the mechanic starts it up and checks things out and there is no noise...he tells you that and you drive it home and go "Well, of course he didn't hear anything...but there is a noise, trust me"

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

The fact that Frank Solich and Bo Pelini landed at Ohio and Youngstown State respectively would suggest that no Power 5 team thinks Nebraska made a terrible mistake.

 

[Saunders]

And, of course, we can’t forget that Eichorst was selected by Perlman in a process that did not include Eichorst’s predecessor, Tom Osborne, a sore subject in a lot of parts of the state.

OWH

I laugh at the stupidity in bold. Unless Osborne is an employee/contractor of the University in some capacity then he should have ZERO say in what happens there. None. If Osborne wants to have a say in the Univeristy's dealings then maybe he should apply and get hired for an actual job there.

Tom Osborne was the Athletic Director of the University when this happened. Harvey didn't consult with TO regarding a replacement, while TO was still employed by the University.

I've also heard from a few different places that Harvey was looking for a replacement before Tom even said he was going to retire, which triggered the abrupt announcement/press conference that nobody saw coming.

 

[cm husker]

The fact that Frank Solich and Bo Pelini landed at Ohio and Youngstown State respectively would suggest that no Power 5 team thinks Nebraska made a terrible mistake.

How many jobs were open during those timeframes?

I don't really take the typical AD's word for it though.

I recall a "where are they now" article that showed among the hires made at P5 schools in '03 and '04, of which there weren't many, Frank had outperformed almost all of his peers. I'm sure some of those ADs are kicking themselves. Granted, Pedey did poison the well with all the rumors and other misinformation he threw out there to justify his move at the time.

Ultimately, both coaches landed where it made sense for them and their families, at least for now. We'll see if and when Bo gets another shot at a P5 position.

 

[cm husker]

And, of course, we cant forget that Eichorst was selected by Perlman in a process that did not include Eichorsts predecessor, Tom Osborne, a sore subject in a lot of parts of the state.

OWH

I laugh at the stupidity in bold. Unless Osborne is an employee/contractor of the University in some capacity then he should have ZERO say in what happens there. None. If Osborne wants to have a say in the Univeristy's dealings then maybe he should apply and get hired for an actual job there.

Tom Osborne was the Athletic Director of the University when this happened. Harvey didn't consult with TO regarding a replacement, while TO was still employed by the University.
I've also heard from a few different places that Harvey was looking for a replacement before Tom even said he was going to retire, which triggered the abrupt announcement/press conference that nobody saw coming.

Exactly. TO rose above the fray by denying he was pressured out, but I'd wager about 85% of what Bo told his team during that last meeting was accurate. The writing was on the wall when Eich was hired as perlmans lackey. They just lacked the political firepower to make their move in '13.
Funny thing is, people want to ignore the (lack of) leadership parallels, but is not being able to get a meeting any different than receiving notes under the door?

 

[Blackshirt96]

The fact that Frank Solich and Bo Pelini landed at Ohio and Youngstown State respectively would suggest that no Power 5 team thinks Nebraska made a terrible mistake.

This has always been a grey area in my book.

For Solich, all the so called experts declared that the Husker offensive style was dying & would not work anywhere else. Not a lot of schools that would want to take a chance on a guy who was really only known for that style of offense & was struggling on the defensive side of the ball.

As for Pelini, I think more jobs would have come available if he would have waited. His attitude limited his choices more then his coaching abilites did. He basically chose to go home & coach. He is still getting paid from NU.

 

[Redux]

The fact that Frank Solich and Bo Pelini landed at Ohio and Youngstown State respectively would suggest that no Power 5 team thinks Nebraska made a terrible mistake.

How many jobs were open during those timeframes?

I don't really take the typical AD's word for it though.

I recall a "where are they now" article that showed among the hires made at P5 schools in '03 and '04, of which there weren't many, Frank had outperformed almost all of his peers. I'm sure some of those ADs are kicking themselves. Granted, Pedey did poison the well with all the rumors and other misinformation he threw out there to justify his move at the time.

Oye....

 

[sker_echo]

And, of course, we cant forget that Eichorst was selected by Perlman in a process that did not include Eichorsts predecessor, Tom Osborne, a sore subject in a lot of parts of the state.

OWH

I laugh at the stupidity in bold. Unless Osborne is an employee/contractor of the University in some capacity then he should have ZERO say in what happens there. None. If Osborne wants to have a say in the Univeristy's dealings then maybe he should apply and get hired for an actual job there.

Tom Osborne was the Athletic Director of the University when this happened. Harvey didn't consult with TO regarding a replacement, while TO was still employed by the University.
I've also heard from a few different places that Harvey was looking for a replacement before Tom even said he was going to retire, which triggered the abrupt announcement/press conference that nobody saw coming.

Exactly. TO rose above the fray by denying he was pressured out, but I'd wager about 85% of what Bo told his team during that last meeting was accurate. The writing was on the wall when Eich was hired as perlmans lackey. They just lacked the political firepower to make their move in '13.
Funny thing is, people want to ignore the (lack of) leadership parallels, but is not being able to get a meeting any different than receiving notes under the door?

I apologize if this is common knowledge, but can I get a link to where coaches have stated the bold? I've searched and I can't find anything.

 

[Saunders]

And, of course, we cant forget that Eichorst was selected by Perlman in a process that did not include Eichorsts predecessor, Tom Osborne, a sore subject in a lot of parts of the state.

OWH

I laugh at the stupidity in bold. Unless Osborne is an employee/contractor of the University in some capacity then he should have ZERO say in what happens there. None. If Osborne wants to have a say in the Univeristy's dealings then maybe he should apply and get hired for an actual job there.

Tom Osborne was the Athletic Director of the University when this happened. Harvey didn't consult with TO regarding a replacement, while TO was still employed by the University.
I've also heard from a few different places that Harvey was looking for a replacement before Tom even said he was going to retire, which triggered the abrupt announcement/press conference that nobody saw coming.

Exactly. TO rose above the fray by denying he was pressured out, but I'd wager about 85% of what Bo told his team during that last meeting was accurate. The writing was on the wall when Eich was hired as perlmans lackey. They just lacked the political firepower to make their move in '13.
Funny thing is, people want to ignore the (lack of) leadership parallels, but is not being able to get a meeting any different than receiving notes under the door?

I apologize if this is common knowledge, but can I get a link to where coaches have stated the bold? I've searched and I can't find anything.

http://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/78911-athletic-department-under-review/&do=findComment&comment=1682234

Eichorst told us in August that he has strong relationships with his head coaches. That is counter to what coaches have told me and many others. Some say they can’t directly get a meeting with him. One said the number of books Eichorst has assigned coaches to read has outnumbered his in-person visits to that sport.

http://m.omaha.com/huskers/barfknecht-is-sellout-streak-next-cornerstone-to-tumble/article_7f54b0b1-173d-5c82-9e86-f9c3cb73b07b.html?mode=jqm

 

[sker_echo]

And, of course, we cant forget that Eichorst was selected by Perlman in a process that did not include Eichorsts predecessor, Tom Osborne, a sore subject in a lot of parts of the state.

OWH

I laugh at the stupidity in bold. Unless Osborne is an employee/contractor of the University in some capacity then he should have ZERO say in what happens there. None. If Osborne wants to have a say in the Univeristy's dealings then maybe he should apply and get hired for an actual job there.

Tom Osborne was the Athletic Director of the University when this happened. Harvey didn't consult with TO regarding a replacement, while TO was still employed by the University.
I've also heard from a few different places that Harvey was looking for a replacement before Tom even said he was going to retire, which triggered the abrupt announcement/press conference that nobody saw coming.

Exactly. TO rose above the fray by denying he was pressured out, but I'd wager about 85% of what Bo told his team during that last meeting was accurate. The writing was on the wall when Eich was hired as perlmans lackey. They just lacked the political firepower to make their move in '13.
Funny thing is, people want to ignore the (lack of) leadership parallels, but is not being able to get a meeting any different than receiving notes under the door?

I apologize if this is common knowledge, but can I get a link to where coaches have stated the bold? I've searched and I can't find anything.

http://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/78911-athletic-department-under-review/&do=findComment&comment=1682234

Eichorst told us in August that he has strong relationships with his head coaches. That is counter to what coaches have told me and many others. Some say they can’t directly get a meeting with him. One said the number of books Eichorst has assigned coaches to read has outnumbered his in-person visits to that sport.

http://m.omaha.com/huskers/barfknecht-is-sellout-streak-next-cornerstone-to-tumble/article_7f54b0b1-173d-5c82-9e86-f9c3cb73b07b.html?mode=jqm

Thank you.