Dunn leaving to become Jets TE coach

[CL82]

It doesn't pay to have a competitive WBB team, and sports should only be funded if they can be profitable IMO.

Exactly, well except that WBB until recently WBB turned a profit for us. It's Tier 3 rights alone earn about half of the media money we get from AAC. But keep digging Phil.

 

[zls44]

You idiots just ignoring the fact that Nike would cut the UConn deal by 1/3 to 1/2 without UConn WBB powerhouse because of their ability to market to women, who are 60% of the population. Do you think they pay that high above market rate for football? A struggling MBB program?

What about the SNY deal? Do you think they're in it for the men's OOC games against Wagner in November or the fact that they pull ratings throughout the entire WBB season?

Congrats, you just took $2m in WBB staff salaries, gave it to football, and also cut the media and licensing contracts by about $3.5m a year.

Well done. Phenomenal accounting. UConn is now another $1.5m in the hole than when you started. Before factoring in cratering ticket sales because the WBB program is much worse off.

. This place really is the worst.

 

[RSTuthill]

I think this discussion boils down to an assertion, that if you are going to play FBS football, it has to be your number one priority or you should not be playing FBS football at all. You need to allocate enough resources to the number one priority program to be successful. After that, all other programs come next. If you are not willing to do that, get out of FBS and do something else. It is just that simple.

That is the way it is in the P5, and if that is where you want to go, then that is what you have to do too.

 

[CL82]

IIRC, the UConn Women's Basketball Team set a record for winning 111 consecutive games, and the world couldn't even change the channel because the TV set wasn't on. WBB is too much of a niche sport to ever bring a significant amount of meaningful good press. There is a reason WCBB is relegated to ESPN2 on Sunday afternoons when the sports world is watching the NFL on CBS and Fox.

The opportunity cost of paying a WCBB coach $2 million is huge. There is no meaningful payback in terms of money or reputation that justifies such a cost. UConn could hire a serviceable WCBB coach at one-tenth the price and still receive the same amount of benefit. But you see what happens in football when you don't pay your coaches.

What a stunningly ill-informed post. UCWBB draws better than most D-1 hoops mens programs. They fill arenas when they travel. No one was watching the end of UConn's 111 game streak? It was the woman's final four and it out drew an NBA game:

The notion that you can replace the best coach in woman's basketball, an 11 time national champion and HOFer with "a serviceable WCBB" is stunningly moronic.

Don't know what you do in the real world, but I hope it isn't important.

 

[zls44]

I think this discussion boils down to an assertion, that if you are going to play FBS football, it has to be your number one priority or you should not be playing FBS football at all. You need to allocate enough resources to the number one priority program to be successful. After that, all other programs come next. If you are not willing to do that, get out of FBS and do something else. It is just that simple.

That is the way it is in the P5, and if that is where you want to go, then that is what you have to do too.

I agree. But the answer isn't to cut the WBB staff- its to use it as direct proof of the benefit of paying a good staff and drive fundraising off of it.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I think this discussion boils down to an assertion, that if you are going to play FBS football, it has to be your number one priority or you should not be playing FBS football at all. You need to allocate enough resources to the number one priority program to be successful. After that, all other programs come next. If you are not willing to do that, get out of FBS and do something else. It is just that simple.

That's my whole point.

 

[zls44]

What a stunningly ill-informed post. UCWBB draws better than most D-1 hoops mens programs. They fill arenas when they travel. No one was watching the end of UConn's 111 game streak? It was the woman's final four and it out drew an NBA game:
View attachment 39406
The notion that you can replace the best coach in woman's basketball, an 11 time national champion and HOFer with "a serviceable WCBB" is stunningly moronic.

Don't know what you do in the real world, but I hope it isn't important.

In a world where TV ratings for almost everything are down, WBB ratings have been increasing. Its interesting to keep an eye on.

This stuff takes time.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I agree. But the answer isn't to cut the WBB staff- its to use it as direct proof of the benefit of paying a good staff and drive fundraising off of it.

Look I don't want to cut anything. But we need to allocate more funding to football or just get out of it entirely.

 

[uconnphil2016]

You idiots just ignoring the fact that Nike would cut the UConn deal by 1/3 to 1/2 without UConn WBB powerhouse because of their ability to market to women, who are 60% of the population. Do you think they pay that high above market rate for football? A struggling MBB program?

What about the SNY deal? Do you think they're in it for the men's OOC games against Wagner in November or the fact that they pull ratings throughout the entire WBB season?

Congrats, you just took $2m in WBB staff salaries, gave it to football, and also cut the media and licensing contracts by about $3.5m a year.

Well done. Phenomenal accounting. UConn is now another $1.5m in the hole than when you started. Before factoring in cratering ticket sales because the WBB program is much worse off.

. This place really is the worst.

I’m intentionally trying to stir the pot. I get WBBs value. I still don’t think the coaching salary pool should be what it is. I just know WBB is a hot button topic for the AARP crowd

 

[UConnJim]

I have analyzed the AD financials. My guess is that football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball in total are about breakeven, maybe a slight loss due to the depressed performance of football and men’s basketball.

The losses in the department come from 3 areas: administration cots which seem too high to me, non-revenue sports, and non-athlete related costs from intramural sand facilities. Some of the non-revenue sports are necessary to offset the football scholarships for Title 9.

The revenue solution to our problem comes from 3 areas:

1) Better success of football and men’s basketball will lead to more revenues.
2) Better conference media deal.
3) Better fundraising specifically for football.

Plus, I think we need to reduce administrative costs in the AD.

 

[UConnDan97]

You idiots just ignoring the fact that Nike would cut the UConn deal by 1/3 to 1/2 without UConn WBB powerhouse because of their ability to market to women, who are 60% of the population. Do you think they pay that high above market rate for football? A struggling MBB program?

What about the SNY deal? Do you think they're in it for the men's OOC games against Wagner in November or the fact that they pull ratings throughout the entire WBB season?

Congrats, you just took $2m in WBB staff salaries, gave it to football, and also cut the media and licensing contracts by about $3.5m a year.

Well done. Phenomenal accounting. UConn is now another $1.5m in the hole than when you started. Before factoring in cratering ticket sales because the WBB program is much worse off.

. This place really is the worst.

Bingo!

This should be mandatory reading for the entire 'Yard. Please, if someone else gets the ridiculous idea of dropping the most successful program in all of sports into their head again, feel free to punch yourself in the chops to remember how painfully stupid you are...

 

[Dooley]

I didn't read every reply in this thread but I don't think anyone is saying they want to cut WBB. I think what they are saying (I am too) that if we can aggressively spend to retain a top WBB coaching staff, we better goddam do it in football too. But we don't. And we have now lost our last 2 successful OCs to lateral or worse jobs. That's very hard to understand and justify.

There are administrative things UConn can do to clean up its house and free up some dough (lease agreements, stop handing out horrific extensions and buyout terms to mediocre coaches, etc). Eventually, UConn will need to cut several non-revenue sports. But at some point, we have to start devoting the appropriate funding to field a competitive FBS coaching staff.

Also, when Geno retires, some of that savings better be diverted into our football staff. That's really a no-brainer.

 

[Purple Stein]

disagree. Only Pindell will be missed from the seniors. I will miss Davis as I think he was the most consistent tight end on the team.

The offensive line should be better along with the defensive backs.

I will call it now. This team will win 4-5 games this year.

If we win 5 games in 2019 I will buy your season tickets for 2020!

 

[Chief00]

as loathe as I am to agree with Mets - the wbb program probably runs above breakeven all in.

the numbers uconn publishes by sport dont reflect the actual results.

it probably isnt possible because all you can do is guess at how to allocate things like the IMG deal across sports.

I think what you would find is too many high paid bureaucrats that that have their costs allocated over various sports that they don’t really contribute to in any tangible way.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think what you would find is too many high paid bureaucrats that that have their costs allocated over various sports that they don’t really contribute to in any tangible way.

Which is exactly the case in every state and federal agency and every school system in the country. It’s nit unique to UConn.

I suspect we will need to cut sports. The football coaches salaries are down for one reason, Randy cam here on a below market deal and we are still paying Bobby D.

If our coaches suck so bad...why do other people keep hiring them?

 

[huskymedic]

...and we are still paying Bobby D.

Diaco has been paid in full 2016/2017 FY.

 

[uconnfan68]

Well, that article has a serious credibility issue now, doesn't it. They lost $3 mil.

Last year... they were in the red for a few years.

 

[uconnfan68]

Everyone knows the P&L's can be manipulated to nearly whatever you want them to be. Comparing one to another isn't going to be apples to apples. However we are looking at what UConn is reporting itself about it's own programs. If anything the numbers are likely to be a lot worse across the board than what they are saying.



Of course the whole AD is a money pit and bloated with idiots who have run it into the ground. Geno, the hockey programs, track and field are all losing millions and would be the first places I'd look towards leaning out.

I'm past the point of caring what the national media wants to run with as the story of the day. They didn't say a peep when the 11 time national champions were left to rot on the vine in this Mickey mouse league did they?

Again what you are all failing to accept is that it's not about what Geno deserves, it's not about losing money on athletics (nearly everyone does), it's managing how much we are losing.

Football is the only program that can get us out of here. What don't you understand?

Football will never get us anywhere. The game is rigged.

 

[uconnfan68]

Tough to recognize a sea change isn't it. #1 player in the country the last three years? Yet somehow they are only 5th and managed to beat Cincinnati by only 10. (Cincinnati!!)

They WON. Snap out of it.

 

[uconnfan68]

I didn't read every reply in this thread but I don't think anyone is saying they want to cut WBB. I think what they are saying (I am too) that if we can aggressively spend to retain a top WBB coaching staff, we better goddam do it in football too. But we don't. And we have now lost our last 2 successful OCs to lateral or worse jobs. That's very hard to understand and justify.

There are administrative things UConn can do to clean up its house and free up some dough (lease agreements, stop handing out horrific extensions and buyout terms to mediocre coaches, etc). Eventually, UConn will need to cut several non-revenue sports. But at some point, we have to start devoting the appropriate funding to field a competitive FBS coaching staff.

Also, when Geno retires, some of that savings better be diverted into our football staff. That's really a no-brainer.

Geno wasn’t hired at his current salary. He’s been here for 33-34 years, and brought home 11 NCs. Voted into HOF. You want to toss him for a 75th best college football coach?

 

[Exit 4]

You idiots just ignoring the fact that Nike would cut the UConn deal by 1/3 to 1/2 without UConn WBB powerhouse because of their ability to market to women, who are 60% of the population. Do you think they pay that high above market rate for football? A struggling MBB program?

What about the SNY deal? Do you think they're in it for the men's OOC games against Wagner in November or the fact that they pull ratings throughout the entire WBB season?

Congrats, you just took $2m in WBB staff salaries, gave it to football, and also cut the media and licensing contracts by about $3.5m a year.

Well done. Phenomenal accounting. UConn is now another $1.5m in the hole than when you started. Before factoring in cratering ticket sales because the WBB program is much worse off.

. This place really is the worst.

Nowhere near as bad as that anti UConn troll twitter account “No escalators.”

 

[Chief00]

If our coaches suck so bad...why do other people keep hiring them?

Good question and Chief will take it. We started with an Auburn centric football coaching staff and now have an University of Maine flavor to our staff. Nice school but not the type of football pedigree you need to compete with the southern schools in our conference.
I would also venture to guess, if you ranked Edsall’s staff the last couple years, Lashlee, Grimes, Dunn and Richardson would all be part of the upper tier.
It takes me back to the guy who came to UConn from Maryland when Randy went there. Coach Brown turned into a very good DC. Do you see a trend?

 

[Dooley]

Geno wasn’t hired at his current salary. He’s been here for 33-34 years, and brought home 11 NCs. Voted into HOF. You want to toss him for a 75th best college football coach?

Nope. Not what I said at all actually.

We don't penny pinch MBB or WBB, nor should we. I'm tired of penny pinching football and expecting to win.

 

[FDNY99]

Nowhere near as bad as that anti UConn troll twitter account “No escalators.”

That moron isn’t Anit-UConn @Exit 4 ...he is Anti UConn Football...and is probably one of if not THE loudest “UConn back to the BE” drum beaters on Twitter followed closely by Russ Steinberg and the Not a Dime Back crew.

 

[Exit 4]

That moron isn’t Anit-UConn @Exit 4 ...he is Anti UConn Football...and is probably one of if not THE loudest “UConn back to the BE” drum beaters on Twitter followed closely by Russ Steinberg and the Not a Dime Back crew.

Using your bull horn to terminate a sport is anti UConn. He is a cancer. Absolute jerk.