. . . And Bob Burton weighs in!

[warbler1055]

"I knew what I knew. And I know what I know," said Burton, who has given more than $7 million to UConn overall. He was right about PP and JH was wrong!!! And this: Now that Pasqualoni is out of the picture, Burton said he would donate money to UConn to hire a full-time person to promote the school's athletic programs to marquee conferences.
"That person should be out there selling the university and should be knowing every (athletic director)," Burton said. "UConn has a lot of opportunity here."

 

[J187Money]

The interesting thing here is that if Burton had forced Hathaway to hire Addazio (or whoever) and he flamed out, the BY would be crowing over how stupid could an AD be for allowing a donor to dictate who the coach is?

He happened to have been right. He also had a personal grudge (which had little to do with Ps coaching ability). Of course he should be "heard"...but this is on Warde.

 

[IMind]

If Burton knows more about football than our AD we are in huge trouble. The way to handle big donors is to keep them informed and make your decisions seem like it was their idea.
A zillion years ago I remember cartoonist Al Kapp (Li'l Abner) on the Johnny Carson Show. He said something interesting : " You know Johnny because you and I are famous, people will listen to us on subjects we know nothing about."

I don't doubt for a second that Burton knew more about football than are former AD.

 

[Husky25]

The interesting thing here is that if Burton had forced Hathaway to hire Addazio (or whoever) and he flamed out, the BY would be crowing over how stupid could an AD be for allowing a donor to dictate who the coach is?

He happened to have been right. He also had a personal grudge (which had little to do with Ps coaching ability). Of course he should be "heard"...but this is on Warde.

Mr. Burton was not the only one who didn't like the hire. My recollection was that every UConn fan and their brother was expecting Mark Whipple and then Pasqualoni came out of left field. There was a selection committee, an outside consultant, and other power players in the know. It seemed that Hathaway ignored all of them. "Coach" Pasqualoni wasn't mentioned until the day he was hired.

He was the safe hire. Hathaway passed the buck in a major way and preempted the hurt on his employer that would eventually befall him 6 months later. It was an action of a proactive, but vindictive (remember him taking only $1 salary as the chair of the NCAA selection committee and Big East Consultant so that UConn would have to pay his buyout?), coward...if that is even possible.

 

[J187Money]

Mr. Burton was not the only one who didn't like the hire. My recollection was that every UConn fan and their brother was expecting Mark Whipple and then Pasqualoni came out of left field. There was a selection committee, an outside consultant, and other power players in the know. It seemed that Hathaway ignored all of them. "Coach" Pasqualoni wasn't mentioned until the day he was hired.

He was the safe hire. Hathaway passed the buck in a major way and preempted the hurt on his employer that would eventually befall him 6 months later. It was an action of a proactive, but vindictive (remember him taking only $1 salary as the chair of the NCAA selection committee and Big East Consultant so that UConn would have to pay his buyout?), coward...if that is even possible.

I'm not debating that. I'm just pointing out that everyone on the BY that thinks that Burton should get a vote, would be claiming the exact opposite if Burton is instrumental in picking the wrong guy.

 

[Husky25]

I'm not debating that. I'm just pointing out that everyone on the BY that thinks that Burton should get a vote, would be claiming the exact opposite if Burton is instrumental in picking the wrong guy.

I don't think he should get a vote per se, but he should be kept in the loop. College sports is as much a business as it is in the pros and Mr. Burton is (was) the biggest single fund raiser for football and potentially the Athletic Department as a whole. This was Hathaway's only significant hire (Penders doesn't count. He was more or less the hand picked successor and assistant coach on a non-revenue generating team. It is what it is.) and he blew it. Along with the poor choice he also managed to alienate yet another major fundraiser for the school, Paul Pendergast among them.

I am ecstatic that the book on the Jeff Hathaway era is now completely closed and I think Mr. Manuel will do the prudent thing going forward by keeping all of his options open.

 

[Jax Husky]

Why should an athletic director take a donors advice on a head coach? I have zero confidence in an AD who would let the donor give the thumbs up or down to a coach.

If Susan Herbst has any input, then Burton should. I'll guarantee you he knows more about football than she does (and others on the Board that approves the contract)

 

[Excalibur]

I don't know if that is realistic. I'm sure there is probably something to that widely held belief but somehow I think that was just one of the things he didn't like. As Cuse football started falling apart, I'm sure Burton was watching very closely.

CTO is 100% correct. It was entirely a personal vendetta. The fact that he was right is beside the point.

 

[Husky25]

If Susan Herbst has any input, then Burton should. I'll guarantee you he knows more about football then she does (and probably others on the Board that approves the contract)

I think President Herbst's input is purely a Yes/No response to Mr. Manuel's pros/cons list for his finalists. A sounding board if you will, similar to how his decision was explained in making the severance move in the first place. In other words, I don't think she makes the final decision as much as approves Mr. Manuel's sales job. I would think that President Herbst delegates this process 100% to Mr. Manuel.

 

[EricSD]

At least Manuel had the smarts to tell him:

He said he was tipped off about the change by Athletic Director Warde Manuel, who came to UConn from the University of Buffalo in February 2012, a year after Pasqualoni's hiring.

It's a fine line to walk. You have a booster who has given millions of $ to the university football program. I have no doubt there are boosters all over the country who do the same thing so their schools, especially at places like ND and PSU. I think communication is key. Listening is great. But the AD needs to do what is in the best interest of the University of Connecticut, not what a booster, no matter how wealthy, says he wants.

 

[Husky25]

It's a fine line to walk. You have a booster who has given millions of $ to the university football program. I have no doubt there are boosters all over the country who do the same thing so their schools, especially at places like ND and PSU. I think communication is key. Listening is great. But the AD needs to do what is in the best interest of the University of Connecticut, not what a booster, no matter how wealthy, says he wants.

As a private school, ND is a different animal. I think Burton was merely looking for the common courtesy to be heard and of an explanation. As I said, I recall everyone and their brother thinking Whipple would be the guy. Why the 180 degrees?

 

[warbler1055]

It's a fine line to walk. You have a booster who has given millions of $ to the university football program. I have no doubt there are boosters all over the country who do the same thing so their schools, especially at places like ND and PSU. I think communication is key. Listening is great. But the AD needs to do what is in the best interest of the University of Connecticut, not what a booster, no matter how wealthy, says he wants.

Some time the interests of UConn and R. Burton do coincide as they are in this case. It's what is called a Win-Win. WM and SH were right in keeping the communication line open. Burton has already indicated that he will fund a UConn promoter.

 

[EricSD]

As a private school, ND is a different animal. I think Burton was merely looking for the common courtesy to be heard and of an explanation. As I said, I recall everyone and their brother thinking Whipple would be the guy. Why the 180 degrees?

Maybe ND was a bad example. My bad. OSU? UCLA? Oregon? Any of the SEC schools?

 

[Husky25]

Maybe ND was a bad example. OSU? UCLA? Any of the SEC schools?

Oh, I agreed with your post, but ND, BC, and even USC (I think) are private schools and rely on big $$ donors much more than a public school does because they also fund the academic side and research. They have to appease the fan base to a further extent.

 

[uconnell]

CTO is 100% correct. It was entirely a personal vendetta. The fact that he was right is beside the point.

I don't disagree that there is(was) a grudge held by Burton but I think that Cuse's record at the time also factored into it.

 

[Nostical]

" You know Johnny because you and I are famous, people will listen to us on subjects we know nothing about."

Tevya said it best in "Fiddler on The Roof". "When you're rich they think you really know"

 

[John]

Why should an athletic director take a donors advice on a head coach? I have zero confidence in an AD who would let the donor give the thumbs up or down to a coach.

I think that's how things work with most of the big time programs, no?

 

[BoatShow]

Why doesn't UCONN. Hire Bob Burton as it's AD then? I mean he is the biggest donor, so that should give him the right to call the shots. Makes sense.

He didn't want to pick the coach. He wanted to be involved in the search process which is not an unreasonable request.

 

[huskysupporter]

He didn't want to pick the coach. He wanted to be involved in the search process which is not an unreasonable request.

Don't disagree.

 

[Alum86]

He was right about our recruits. I never believed the Pasquapoligistas who said P was a great recruiter. He wasn't. Edsall did better, and even if it was close, his players progressed.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

He was right about our recruits. I never believed the Pasquapoligistas who said P was a great recruiter. He wasn't. Edsall did better, and even if it was close, his players progressed.

We really only saw 1-2 recruiting classes with Pasqualoni. I'm not sure we're going to know for another 2 or so years how they compared. Not to say you're wrong -- you may be right -- but I think we currently do not have enough information.

 

[CL82]

Hathaway was a lame duck in January 2011. He knew it, Philip Austin knew it, the yet to be named perm president knew it and the fans knew it. It was not going to affect his UConn fate and was safe enough to not have a drastic affect on his future. So why get input?

Conversely, this is the highest profile hire of the three so far for Manuel and it will most likely define his entire career going forward. I am confident he will take the prudent course.

Um, because it was his job?

(By the way I'm not sure that he was a lame duck.)

 

[tduconn]

Burton is a wealthy man that has a passion for college football in general, and in particular one that happens to be the alma mater of a son. He wants to help UConn in a BIG way at no cost to the state or university.

He's a donor just like me.......only his money goes much, much further in its impact. Google something like "how do hedge funds work?" You'll notice a lot of things........(1) if he's successful he does very well financially (2) hedge fund clients are also very wealthy (not your typical 401k investor). This leads me to believe he knows a lot of influential people........and knows a heck of a lot more of what is going on behind the closed doors of college athletics across the country than me (aka....bet he knows boosters of other colleges)

I don't smell anything of a conspiracy in his offer........he wants to get the whole athletic department out of this AAC mess. All I think he wants to do is help........not dictate.

UConn would be stupid not to accept his generous offer and insight. We certainly didn't before, and look where it got us.

 

[ctchamps]

Um, because it was his job?

(By the way I'm not sure that he was a lame duck.)

He wasn't.

 

[Husky25]

He wasn't.

Um, because it was his job?

(By the way I'm not sure that he was a lame duck.)

1) If you didn't know have at least an inclination that the new President was going to "review" the performance of the Athletic Director, you had your head buried...somewhere.
2) It was not his job to explicitly consult with Mr. Burton, or any other heavy hitting donor. Whether he should have is a different matter.

 

[ctchamps]

1) If you didn't know have at least an inclination that the new President was going to "review" the performance of the Athletic Director, you had your head buried...somewhere.
2) It was not his job to explicitly consult with Mr. Burton, or any other heavy hitting donor. Whether he should have is a different matter.

Right from the Nate Miles incident, I felt very strongly there were big problems with JH! I felt, and wrote, that he hated strong male figures that questioned him. I felt that he was more than antagonistic to RE and JC and essentially drove off RE! I felt that he structured the AD office to minimize oversight and maximize the damage that could take place for football and basketball (by making the compliance department ineffective). I have no love for that man! He was the sole reason for UConn's current bad situation both in football and in conference standing. And would have taken place in men's bb if not for JC's insistence on KO and SH reestablishing a positive relationship with JC.

My only disagreement with you is whether JH felt that he was going to be removed by the new President at the time of his decision to hire PP. My feeling is he had no inkling that an incoming female President would have the mindset that athletics were important to the university. He had no way of knowing that President Herbst would try to mend UConn's relationship with JC! That came after her entry into office. It was only then that she criticized the functioning of the AD. At the time of PP's hiring there was no indication whatsoever what her thoughts were regarding the AD.

I have strong feelings that JH had a lot of wrongful activity (maybe even criminal) that the university uncovered. President Herbst elected not to get bogged down in litigation. She wanted JH out as quick as possible. JH offered to leave immediately if the files were sealed.

 

[Husky25]

...My only disagreement with you is whether JH felt that he was going to be removed by the new President at the time of his decision to hire PP. My feeling is he had no inkling that an incoming female President would have the mindset that athletics were important to the university. He had no way of knowing that President Herbst would try to mend UConn's relationship with JC! That came after her entry into office. It was only then that she criticized the functioning of the AD. At the time of PP's hiring there was no indication whatsoever what her thoughts were regarding the AD.

I have strong feelings that JH had a lot of wrongful activity (maybe even criminal) that the university uncovered. President Herbst elected not to get bogged down in litigation. She wanted JH out as quick as possible. JH offered to leave immediately if the files were sealed.

I feel the writing was on the wall because of the Nate Miles episode. It's funny you use the word criminal, because I feel Hathaway was in a similar position. He did wrong, he knew it, and felt the heat around the corner. Other issues, such as alienating/impeding fundraising opportunities, the aforementioned lack of institutional control, butting heads with at least two 2 of the 3 coaches of your revenue generating teams, presiding over APR failures, etc. only contributed. It was like Enron...only a matter of time.

For as much B.S. (undue in my opinion) as President Herbst takes for supposedly not caring or knowing how important athletics are, she did come from SEC Country with experience in ACC Country. I don't think being female has anything to do with it and if he thought that way, I'm even more relieved than I was yesterday that the book is closed on him. I for one, had little doubt the new president (any president) would keep Hathaway a second longer than for him to sign the final page of his buyout.

 

[weyuo]

So just give Burton some temporary title like "Chairman of the search committee" and give him a mandate to come up with a list of others to be on the committee and a "LIST" of coaching candidates, not just one name. That way he has a say somehow in who the new coach is but the AD still makes that final decision. Everyone is appeased and maybe, just maybe they hit a home run and if not there's no finger pointing and threatening to take back donations. That way Manuel and Burton can build their repertoire and everyone is happy, happy, happy!!!. Then they can do it again in 3 years when the guy they picked can't recruit kids to come to CT or does a good job then moves on to his "dream school".

 

[FfldCntyFan]

1) If you didn't know have at least an inclination that the new President was going to "review" the performance of the Athletic Director, you had your head buried...somewhere.
Very true but JH was under the impression that the job was his for life. His head was buried in the sand.
2) It was not his job to explicitly consult with Mr. Burton, or any other heavy hitting donor. Whether he should have is a different matter.
Also true. Where issue should be taken however is in the manner in which he conducted himself during that time.

1 -He ignored Burton's requests for a conversation until after the hire was made. A courtesy return call to the major donor would have been appropriate, even if it led to little more than JH stating that he will consider RB's opinions as part of the decision making process while have no intention on following through with that.

2 - He used a trip to Dallas to interview Garrick McGhee (Neinas' candidate) as a subterfuge to interview P with nobody in the press knowing about it (likely under McHugh's direction). Obviously JH knew that rumors flying about P being a candidate would lead to some criticisms (and likely very strong protest from RB) so he went out of his way to avoid that possibility. If he had any character he would have allowed the process to play out and then spoken, man to man with Burton stating that he felt he made the best decision for the program (which is what his job required). Instead he hhid and when Burton sent the letter voicing his displeasure he faxed it to the Courant.

 

[ctchamps]

I feel the writing was on the wall because of the Nate Miles episode. It's funny you use the word criminal, because I feel Hathaway was in a similar position. He did wrong, he knew it, and felt the heat around the corner. Other issues, such as alienating/impeding fundraising opportunities, the aforementioned lack of institutional control, butting heads with at least two 2 of the 3 coaches of your revenue generating teams, presiding over APR failures, etc. only contributed. It was like Enron...only a matter of time.

For as much B.S. (undue in my opinion) as President Herbst takes for supposedly not caring or knowing how important athletics are, she did come from SEC Country with experience in ACC Country. I don't think being female has anything to do with it and if he thought that way, I'm even more relieved than I was yesterday that the book is closed on him. I for one, had little doubt the new president (any president) would keep Hathaway a second longer than for him to sign the final page of his buyout.

Agree about President Herbst taking undeserved criticism. The part about JH factoring a female in his attitude is purely speculation on my part. It's based on the arrogant conceit of JH! I'm profiling him as someone who thinks he's above reproach. Hence my take that he felt no heat until the end!