Michigan's AD Dave Brandon determined to keep realignment talk going

[ConnHuskBask]

I'm not clueless bro. You're being shortsighted. You don't make big strategic decisions for an immediate payday. I wouldn't want you to run my business.

You do make those decisions when you're survival depends on it.

You can't realistically expect UConn to turn down this hypothetical revenue stream given the financial crisis were about to get into with regard to our nearest competition.

Say this hypothetical $1M pays for a stud offensive coordinator? You want to turn it down because we don't want our stadium associated with Wal Mart?

 

[Srqhusky]

If only the Captain Lou Albano was around to be hired as head coach...

All joking aside Vince McMahon can boost Connecticut football. If I were governor I would be making this man a deal to either have weetling matches tied to the games or have the wrestlers do meet n greets. He is a master promoter.

 

[Fishy]

You're right, beggars can't be choosers, but you want to be like FAU (EDIT) and name your stadium after a prison management company?

I would house prisoners in the stands to fill up the empty seats - you think naming the place after a prison would bother me? (And they'd be in their seats on time, I assure you.)

I'm not saying that I would sell out my morals on the cheap, but I am saying that there is a number out there that would make Kim Jong Il Field a possibility.

 

[Adios]

Why would Vince McMahon be a booster for UConn when he's an ECU grad?

 

[Fishy]

Vince couldn't even get his wife into the Senate - how is he going to get us into the Big Ten?

 

[Adios]

I don't even want to imagine Gordon Gee Fandango-ing.

 

[Srqhusky]

Vince couldn't even get his wife into the Senate - how is he going to get us into the Big Ten?

Well she was a republican. ct would have a better shot at the big ten than putting a republican senator in office.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

Isn't the Walmart CEO a UConn grad... can't we get him to put some major money into the program.

Nobody mentions Scott Case, UCONN alum, Priceline co-founder and one-time "youngest billionaire in the US." I remember him being an all-FCIAC, maybe even all-State level FB player at Greenwich High. For the life of me, I can't remember if he played at UCONN. In any event, he's a ridiculously wealthy alum who actually knows something about FB.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2013/06/dave_brandon_says_the_big_ten.html

"I think the conference is on the move," Brandon said in a recent interview with "The Huge Show." "The impact of two additional schools (Rutgers and Maryland), a new setup, going to east and west, having our conference spread a little further southeast and east, over the long haul can be a very positive thing in any way you measure it.

"Recruiting, fan and alumni involvement. TV and media. ... Before you know it we'll be going to market with a new media deal, and that will be exciting. I like where we are and like where we're headed."

But will the league be ready to grow even larger in the near future? Some believe 16 teams make more sense in today's athletic landscape and given the Big Ten's overall wealth and profile, there likely wouldn't be any shortage of institutions hoping to get a call.

According to Brandon, that call could be made at some point.

But it doesn't necessarily have to be.

"I believe we are positioned in a way that we could operate (with 14 teams) for a long time, so there's no rush or need to expand further," Brandon added. "But I also keep my eyes open. I have believed for a long time conference expansion is not over.

"As institutions move and different conferences grow and expand, it creates opportunities and it ignites interest in taking a look at how you compete with whatever's changing around you. I think there's more change out there, and if there is, the Big Ten is certainly going to be watching it very carefully."

I think Brandon is an example of what the new "big-time" AD will become. Having run two publicly traded corporations, he understands that today's large school Athletic Departments are business units that require appropriate vision and leadership. Having lived with quarterly reporting pressures, he understands what "sense of urgency" is all about. Plus he has enough academician in his background to feel comfortable in a campus environment. Michigan seems lucky to have him.

 

[upstater]

There is a man in Connecticut with a ton of money that can bring uconn football to life. Mr Vince McMahon. Wwe stadium at renchler field

If only his wife took that Senate run money and applied it to UConn sports instead!

 

[NEforceUConn]

.............

I'm not saying that I would sell out my morals on the cheap..............

You have morals?

 

[Fishy]

You have morals?

Yes - strict ones.

Low, sure, but very strict.

 

[Dooley]

Guys, don't worry. I've been passively playing PowerBall for years now. The odds are starting to shift in my favor and, once I win, we are going to love our new on-campus 100,000 seat football stadium with retractable roof, recliners at every seat, and blinders for our eyes so that we can try to forget that the opponent is friggin' Tulane.

 

[thatguyed]

Politics and morals aside - honest - Ms. McMahon is a moron. Vince throwing money at Deleone would make more sense.

 

[woomba]

I think Brandon is an example of what the new "big-time" AD will become. Having run two publicly traded corporations, he understands that today's large school Athletic Departments are business units that require appropriate vision and leadership. Having lived with quarterly reporting pressures, he understands what "sense of urgency" is all about. Plus he has enough academician in his background to feel comfortable in a campus environment. Michigan seems lucky to have him.

The fact that he played FB at Michigan also helps - although I think he was a walk-on.

 

[epark88]

Nobody mentions Scott Case, UCONN alum, Priceline co-founder and one-time "youngest billionaire in the US." I remember him being an all-FCIAC, maybe even all-State level FB player at Greenwich High. For the life of me, I can't remember if he played at UCONN. In any event, he's a ridiculously wealthy alum who actually knows something about FB.

No, he didn't play. And I'd bet he wouldn't be interested in being a Sugar Daddy at all.

Scott Case was my roomate for a semester in McMahon South. Smart kid, CE major, drove a cool car (a woody VW Bug convertible) and had his own PC, which was pretty rare back then. But we didn't dig each other at all: my lack of maturity and focus at the time annoyed him greatly (and he would let me know about it in very unflattering terms), and his utter disdain for my music (as a Music major!) infuriated me.

Jerk.

But relevant to the subject, Scott was absolutely NOT into the UConn sports scene back then and most likely not into it now. If he donates any dough to UConn, IMHO it's going to the Engineering department first. Probably a waste of time bothering him with the pithiness of college athletics at this point...

 

[CL82]

Well she was a republican. ct would have a better shot at the big ten than putting a republican senator in office.

Lowell Weicker?

 

[Matrim55]

Lowell Weicker?

1 - It's been 25 years since he was in office as a republican, and...

2 - Weicker is to the left of most Democrats these days. He would never, ever get near a republican ticket in the modern party.

 

[UConn Dan]

No, he didn't play. And I'd bet he wouldn't be interested in being a Sugar Daddy at all.

Scott Case was my roomate for a semester in McMahon South. Smart kid, CE major, drove a cool car (a woody VW Bug convertible) and had his own PC, which was pretty rare back then. But we didn't dig each other at all: my lack of maturity and focus at the time annoyed him greatly (and he would let me know about it in very unflattering terms), and his utter disdain for my music (as a Music major!) infuriated me.

Jerk.

But relevant to the subject, Scott was absolutely NOT into the UConn sports scene back then and most likely not into it now. If he donates any dough to UConn, IMHO it's going to the Engineering department first. Probably a waste of time bothering him with the pithiness of college athletics at this point...

Thanks for in the insight. Moving on to the next alum or CT company to donate money.

 

[UConn Dan]

I would house prisoners in the stands to fill up the empty seats - you think naming the place after a prison would bother me? (And they'd be in their seats on time, I assure you.)

I'm not saying that I would sell out my morals on the cheap, but I am saying that there is a number out there that would make Kim Jong Il Field a possibility.

A line has to be drawn somewhere. And I choose to draw it at Target.

 

[Jimdish255]

All joking aside Vince McMahon can boost Connecticut football. If I were governor I would be making this man a deal to either have weetling matches tied to the games or have the wrestlers do meet n greets. He is a master promoter.

Do you remember the negative press that Linda gets every time she runs? Think the administration could stomach that and the internal resistance? Not saying I agree but politics sticks it's nose in a lot of places and probably had some input into where we sit now. That said, they could do a lot of good if the roles were clearly defined. Just don't see where the administration wants a close association with their reputation for gratuitous violence and sexism. Next.

 

[Vowelguy]

If only the Captain Lou Albano was around to be hired as head coach...

But Cyndi Lauper is still alive and kicking ...

 

[Fishy]

A line has to be drawn somewhere. And I choose to draw it at Target.

Let's not get crazy.

I say Dollar General.

 

[GopherHawk]

A line has to be drawn somewhere. And I choose to draw it at Target.

Target sponsored the MN Twins baseball field. Cross them off the list.

Why not some large insurance sponsor since Conn is the insurance capital.

 

[kingdobbs]

I always kinda thought The Hartford should have gotten in on the Civic Center's naming rights.

They still totally could have been "The Hartford Civic Center".