“They can’t draw anybody to games, they have no natural rivalries and they’re not very good,” “Is that what people want?”

[husky8273]

Former Northeastern's AD and President's comment on UConn:

Adding Football Saved One College. Dumping It Boosted Another. (Published 2019)

Officials at tiny Anna Maria College say starting a football program was one of their best decisions. At Northeastern, it has been good riddance.

www.nytimes.com

 

[weyuo]

UConn needs to get on the stick(hockey stick?) and win a national title or two......

......in football. I bet that would increase the fan base and donations.

side note: UConn should hire a couple of former Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders to revamp the halftime routines and uniforms. Spend some competitive cash on scholarships for cheerleaders with the goal of making UConn cheerleading the DCC of college football. So even if the team sucks, revenue and UConn's brand will grow by increased ticket sales, special appearances, USO tours, etc. Hey, it worked for the Cowboys.

Rah! Rah! Rah! Goooooooo... UCONN!!

 

[nadav]

Last paragraph is classic NYT. Talking about the meager crowd roaring as they were up 3-0 on a nationally ranked James Madison in soccer. I just looked at the box score, there were 168 people on hand to watch their beloved Huskies blow the 3 goal lead and end up in a tie.

Uconn Athletics don’t need any advice from Northeastern.

 

[uconnric]

Cheap shot by Roby, who I think grew up in New Britain. Northeastern could drop all sports, the only one that matters up there is hockey. Had a couple of glory years in basketball when a guy named Calhoun was the coach.

Northeastern and BU were city schools where football was not important. Dropping sports is always difficult, but both schools had poor football facilities and it didn't make sense for them to invest in improvements, nor did football matter from a perception standpoint. UConn has the ability to resurrect the program, neither BU nor Northeastern had the ability nor the willingness to do so.

 

[businesslawyer]

There is a difference between "can't draw anybody to games" and "don't draw anybody to games." In fact, that distinction is the difference between whether or not you can aspire to play Top 40 level football. We can draw people to football games. We showed that over the course of an 8 year period during which we played to roughly 90% capacity. We don't draw people to football games because we've sucked for an ungodly length of time.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Cheap shot by Roby, who I think grew up in New Britain. Northeastern could drop all sports, the only one that matters up there is hockey. Had a couple of glory years in basketball when a guy named Calhoun was the coach.

Northeastern and BU were city schools where football was not important. Dropping sports is always difficult, but both schools had poor football facilities and it didn't make sense for them to invest in improvements, nor did football matter from a perception standpoint. UConn has the ability to resurrect the program, neither BU nor Northeastern had the ability nor the willingness to do so.

Parsons Field, Geesh.

 

[mikedog10]

He [FORMER Northeastern AD Peter Roby] pointed to the University of Connecticut, which in recent years invested heavily in football to compete at the highest level in the N.C.A.A. The program has struggled to attract fans and is 11-45 in the also-ran American Athletic Conference since 2013.
“They can’t draw anybody to games, they have no natural rivalries and they’re not very good,” Roby said. “Is that what people want?”


Peter Roby (FORMER a.d.) is a toothless Husky, envying a dog that still has some bite!

 

[SubbaBub]

Neither of those are peer institutions. When a school in the former P6 drops football, let me know. We upgraded to match those schools. Some also have much worse FB histories that UConn does.

For the BB only crowd, please name the flagship public land grant universities that don't play FB and describe why UConn should be more like them. I'll wait.

If the team was playing better this wouldn't be a discussion. We really shouldn't make long term policy on weather Jack Zergiotis can hit an open receiver 30 yds downfield, should we?

 

[businesslawyer]

Neither of those are peer institutions. When a school in the former P6 drops football, let me know. We upgraded to match those schools. Some also have much worse FB histories that UConn does.

For the BB only crowd, please name the flagship public land grant universities that don't play FB and describe why UConn should be more like them. I'll wait.

If the team was playing better this wouldn't be a discussion. We really shouldn't make long term policy on weather Jack Zergiotis can hit an open receiver 30 yds downfield, should we?

I am as far from a BB only as one can be, but to be fair we are bordered by three other states. Of those, one plays FCS football, one barely plays FBS football and one doesn't have a state flagship university but a series of them, of which one barely and recently plays FBS football. Of the three non-contiguous states that you can drive to within an hour from the Connecticut border, one plays FBS football with very poor historical results, one dropped football and one plays FCS football.

I do not want to give up the ghost of being able to play at a Top 40 level. But if you want to be fair, you can't dismiss his argument because you want to compare us to Michigan and Ohio and Pennsylvania while in fact, in our neighborhood of this very large country, our neighbors also don't fit the Michigan--Ohio--Pennsylania model.

 

[John]

"also-ran American Athletic Conference "

sorry, but it's turned into a decent football conference. I'm really sick of that second-rate conference false narrative.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Ex AD Roby needs to mind his own business! What we need to do is win games and people will show up! When we win games, people will take notice! I'd love to be the third best Independent football team - after ND and BYU...

 

[formerlurker]

He's not wrong but he can still EAD.

 

[DoctorWho85]

Well I guess bad publicity is better than none

 

[Rocktheworld]

I am as far from a BB only as one can be, but to be fair we are bordered by three other states. Of those, one plays FCS football, one barely plays FBS football and one doesn't have a state flagship university but a series of them, of which one barely and recently plays FBS football. Of the three non-contiguous states that you can drive to within an hour from the Connecticut border, one plays FBS football with very poor historical results, one dropped football and one plays FBS football.

I do not want to give up the ghost of being able to play at a Top 40 level. But if you want to be fair, you can't dismiss his argument because you want to compare us to Michigan and Ohio and Pennsylvania while in fact, in our neighborhood of this very large country, our neighbors also don't fit the Michigan--Ohio--Pennsylania model.

Not to mention, the conglomerate that is New England, is about the same size as Ohio. Take out useless Maine and it’s closer to Indiana. Imagine being New England University. There’s still a talent gap, and I get how densely populated New England is despite its geographical size, but there’s something to it being made up of all these tiny states

 

[Madmannsucks]

Cheap shot by Roby, who I think grew up in New Britain. Northeastern could drop all sports, the only one that matters up there is hockey. Had a couple of glory years in basketball when a guy named Calhoun was the coach.

Northeastern and BU were city schools where football was not important. Dropping sports is always difficult, but both schools had poor football facilities and it didn't make sense for them to invest in improvements, nor did football matter from a perception standpoint. UConn has the ability to resurrect the program, neither BU nor Northeastern had the ability nor the willingness to do so.

Pete was a boyhood friend. He is as nice a guy as you could meet. But in most arenas in "big time" college sports he has failed. I guess other than his sneaker job..thinking Reebok. I mean he's carved a nice life and living...I remember he was coaching Army...couldn't read the quote - but if it about attendance, well....the numbers speak for themselves.

 

[ASweet3781]

"also-ran American Athletic Conference "

sorry, but it's turned into a decent football conference. I'm really sick of that second-rate conference false narrative.

It is an also ran conference.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I couldn't give a scaleeto less what some ex Northeastern AD that has fallen off the bottom rung of college athletics has to say about UConn.

 

[uconnbill]

A hockey school and nothing more. He is just barking because they have hockey and nothing else

 

[Watchdog]

All you needed to know about how seriously they believed in football was the comment about how a "NEW" stadium would have cost $25 Million. Must have been one of them there manufactured stadiums, maybe even a double wide, but it was still too rich for their blood.

 

[weyuo]

It is an also ran conference.

It's a conference who's champion is playing a good #10 Penn St in the Cotton Bowl. If that's also-ran then sign me up. Watch Memphis recruiting the next couple of years and not just in football. How many bowls are the watered-down Big East playing in this year and how much money are they NOT making from it?

 

[BlueDogs]

Northeastern is an also ran school. It’s where you head after BC and BU reject you.

 

[buddy]

It's a conference who's champion is playing a good #10 Penn St in the Cotton Bowl. If that's also-ran then sign me up. Watch Memphis recruiting the next couple of years and not just in football. How many bowls are the watered-down Big East playing in this year and how much money are they NOT making from it?

I agree with you, but remember, the Big East no longer plays FBS football so of course there are no bowls. I am not sure how much money bowl games bring to conferences. I would like to know that.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Beating a bad Kevin Ollie coached team is the most relevant NU sports has been since Calhoun came here.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Northeastern is an also ran school. It’s where you head after BC and BU reject you.

It’s Quinipiac/Fairfield on steroids.

 

[weyuo]

I agree with you, but remember, the Big East no longer plays FBS football so of course there are no bowls. I am not sure how much money bowl games bring to conferences. I would like to know that.

I've been following college sports since the late '60s. Believe me, I know the whole sordid tale of the Big East.