OT - How fate led Warde Manuel to Michigan athletic director job

[huskymedic]

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...gan-athletic-director-warde-manuel/601297001/

>>When he took over the University of Connecticut job in 2012, the men’s basketball program was on probation and under a postseason ban because of a poor academic record.

The university removed its director of academic services for athletics, and that responsibility was transferred to the school’s provost. Jim Calhoun, UConn’s men’s basketball coach, retired before the 2012 season after breaking his hip. Manuel hired Kevin Ollie as his replacement.

Under Manuel’s leadership and upon his arrival in Connecticut, he assumed direct control over academic responsibility for the department's student athletes and, just two years later, UConn captured the men’s and women’s national basketball titles in 2014.<<

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

He hired Bob Diaco.

 

[metsfan2323]

He hired Bob Diaco.

Which guarantees Warde a month long, all expenses paid vacation to South America when Michigan needs to replace Harbaugh.

 

[SubbaBub]

Talk about overstating. I though Warde did a good job turning the academic problems around but, Ollie was forced on him and he had little to do with the championships.

History is not treating the Disco hire kindly. And while the monitoring and margarita jokes are overblown, he did miss huge on conference realignment.

 

[buddy]

I don't think it was fate that led him to the Michigan job, but politics within UM. He was set up for many years before that job to be the next in line at Michigan. He fell asleep at UConn during the most crucial period of CR.

 

[huskyrob1]

He hired Bob Diaco.

That was black mark number 2, black number one was falling asleep at the wheel while driving UCONN's conference realignment bus.

 

[Sky ball]

Talk about overstating. I though Warde did a good job turning the academic problems around but, Ollie was forced on him and he had little to do with the championships.

History is not treating the Disco hire kindly. And while the monitoring and margarita jokes are overblown, he did miss huge on conference realignment.

How did he really miss on realignment? From what I understand the ACC Football Powers Clemson and FSU wanted a good football school and chose Louisville. I don't think they wanted UConn at all? I know the Boneyard likes to blame him for USVI trip and not "monitoring" the ACC situation but what could he really do? How does he effect the decision making of the ACC Presidents? I also think Pitt, Cuse and BCU want no part of UConn in the ACC. I do wish the optics were better concerning him and he publicly tried harder.

 

[buddy]

How did he really miss on realignment? From what I understand the ACC Football Powers Clemson and FSU wanted a good football school and chose Louisville. I don't think they wanted UConn at all? I know the Boneyard likes to blame him for USVI trip and not "monitoring" the ACC situation but what could he really do? How does he effect the decision making of the ACC Presidents? I also think Pitt, Cuse and BCU want no part of UConn in the ACC. I do wish the optics were better concerning him and he publicly tried harder.

Failure to aggressively lobby, like Jurich did. He and President Herbst apparently were led to believe at that time the UConn would be invited, so it appears that they stopped pursuing. Furthermore, the "monitoring the situation" line, seems to lead one to think that the monitor is actually doing nothing but watching what others are doing. Thus, the angst when it comes to Warde from some posters here.

 

[Sky ball]

Failure to aggressively lobby, like Jurich did. He and President Herbst apparently were led to believe at that time the UConn would be invited, so it appears that they stopped pursuing. Furthermore, the "monitoring the situation" line, seems to lead one to think that the monitor is actually doing nothing but watching what others are doing. Thus, the angst when it comes to Warde from some posters here.

Maybe but I would bet that if Jurich was "monitoring" and Warde was aggressively lobbying FSU and Clemson would have pushed for Ville anyways?

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

The opinion everywhere when the ACC was expanding again was "oh it's UConn. Done deal. " Im not sure these opinions where based on Whst the conference was looking for but moreso how they right there when Pitt and Cuse went (some say it was these same football powers who brought in Pitt when everyone wanted UConn). Then little by little you started to hear more and more about Louisville until suddenly it was a toss up and the rest is history. What looks bad is Manuel and Herbst were very silent during this whole time so it's easy to speculate they didn't do anything. Most people assume they thought we were in maybe they knew we were out?

 

[Pat125]

Maybe but I would bet that if Jurich was "monitoring" and Warde was aggressively lobbying FSU and Clemson would have pushed for Ville anyways?

Exactly. Jurich likes to take credit for effective lobbying for the ACC slot. But the only thing he needed to do was to indicate interest. I still think the ACC made the wrong choice, especially in light of Louisville's shenanigans. But I don't think the ACC presidents are idiotic enough to base their decision on an AD's self-aggrandizing lobbying efforts and can see through that. Maybe Warde Manuel should have immediately flown to Greensboro, joined by Pres. Herbst, to engage in bootlicking, but it clearly would not have made a difference.

 

[buddy]

Exactly. Jurich likes to take credit for effective lobbying for the ACC slot. But the only thing he needed to do was to indicate interest. I still think the ACC made the wrong choice, especially in light of Louisville's shenanigans. But I don't think the ACC presidents are idiotic enough to base their decision on an AD's self-aggrandizing lobbying efforts and can see through that.

Clearly they were idiotic enough to do so, as that is what they did!

 

[Pat125]

Clearly they were idiotic enough to do so, as that is what they did!

The point was, their decision was NOT because of Jurich's lobbying efforts. They believed, wrongly IMO, that Louisville was the better candidate independent of Jurich's efforts.

 

[Fishy]

There was nothing UConn was going to do to get past Louisville.

The football bloc, combined with Boston College and the lobbying of Syracuse, and the fact that they knew we would still likely be around if the Big Ten poached them again whereas Louisville might be B12-bound, made it academic.

If you want to see where the Big 12 truly signed their own death warrant, it was not moving fast enough on Pittsburgh and not having the foresight to invite Louisville, West Virginia and Cincinnati when they had the chance.

Ironically, they basically signed ours at the same time as well.

 

[billybud]

Yes...I think that folks discount the ACC blocking the Big 12....as part of the reason for going with Louisville.

Keeping the Big 12 out of an SEC footprint state and adding the ACC.

 

[uconnfan68]

Exactly. Jurich likes to take credit for effective lobbying for the ACC slot. But the only thing he needed to do was to indicate interest. I still think the ACC made the wrong choice, especially in light of Louisville's shenanigans. But I don't think the ACC presidents are idiotic enough to base their decision on an AD's self-aggrandizing lobbying efforts and can see through that. Maybe Warde Manuel should have immediately flown to Greensboro, joined by Pres. Herbst, to engage in bootlicking, but it clearly would not have made a difference.

The ACC presidents realized BC and academics did nothing for them, hence it was a football only decision. And let's face it, they have a better history and position. Even our BCS year we were considered a fluke.

 

[LIuconn]

Makes one think he pushed UConn through a rebranding simply for the resume line

 

[dayooper]

Makes one think he pushed UConn through a rebranding simply for the resume line

Eh, he was going to be the AD unless some big name was interested. I know Michigan contacted Joe Castignola from Oklahoma, but that was just a flyer. Harbaugh was on board with Warde and we all thought he was going to be the choice.

 

[SAMCRO]

Calhoun hired Ollie, let's not get that point twisted.
WM hired Cavanaugh (sp?) for hockey...seems solid, but time will tell; Diaco for FB.... epic fail; , and i believe he hired Softball coach.

 

[CL82]

Whst the conference was looking for but moreso how they right there when Pitt and Cuse went (some say it was these same football powers who brought in Pitt when everyone wanted UConn).

Who says that? I've never heard it before.

When BCU balked at us, Pitt was a viable alternative that no one objected to.

Regarding the Terp departure, the rumor is that the word from Tobacco Road was that we were next. Herbst relied upon that in deciding to take a low key approach, having had taken heat for talking about UConn desire to move previously.

Yes, FSU wanted was tired of basketball based expansion and was looking to flex it's muscles a bit. It is unclear whether that could have been overcome by emphasizing our pluses namely, academics, branding, demographics, basketball lineage, and the fact that we were, at the time, a bit of a rising star in CFB.

Before 'ville started campaigning their getting picked over us was "an impossibility" until it wasn't. Pressing Tobacco Road for support and kissing the ring at FSU may or may not have prevailed, but silence doomed us to failure.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Calhoun hired Ollie, let's not get that point twisted.
WM hired Cavanaugh (sp?) for hockey...seems solid, but time will tell; Diaco for FB.... epic fail; , and i believe he hired Softball coach.

Hockey is wildly inconsistent. They really only get pub when they knock off a ranked team, which leads to people thinking that's how it always is, but they lose to terrible teams just as much/more.

 

[ZooCougar]

Exactly. Jurich likes to take credit for effective lobbying for the ACC slot. But the only thing he needed to do was to indicate interest. I still think the ACC made the wrong choice, especially in light of Louisville's shenanigans. But I don't think the ACC presidents are idiotic enough to base their decision on an AD's self-aggrandizing lobbying efforts and can see through that. Maybe Warde Manuel should have immediately flown to Greensboro, joined by Pres. Herbst, to engage in bootlicking, but it clearly would not have made a difference.

FSU and Clemson freaked out because UConn would do nothing for football. The rest of the conference was held hostage by the fear that Clemson and FSU would jump to the Big 12.

Taking Louisville was rationally irrational given the realignment climate.

 

[CL82]

FSU and Clemson freaked out because UConn would do nothing for football. The rest of the conference was held hostage by the fear that Clemson and FSU would jump to the Big 12.

Taking Louisville was rationally irrational given the realignment climate.

I don't think they "freaked" at all. I think they had been been doing a slow burn since the ACC took Cuse and Pitt, which did "nothing for football." They were in a position to assert themselves against Tobacco Road and they took it.

 

[ZooCougar]

I don't think they "freaked" at all. I think they had been been doing a slow burn since the ACC took Cuse and Pitt, which did "nothing for football." They were in a position to assert themselves against Tobacco Road and they took it.

UConn was in. But it took less than a week for the ACC to pivot once Clemson and FSU woke up. This is documented.

 

[CL82]

UConn was in. But it took less than a week for the ACC to pivot once Clemson and FSU woke up. This is documented.

I don't disagree but it wasn't reactionary by FSU. They didn't want tobacco road shoving another BB school down their throats. They wanted to have a say in any future conference additions after Pitt and Cuse and used the prospect of a move to the B12 to flex their muscles.

 

[SubbaBub]

The ACC was waiting on being poached themselves again by either the B12 or the B10. Since FB is life, FSU/Miami/Clemson made FB expansion priority #1. The suck of BC, Pitt and Cuse didn't fill the bill. So they backed the best FB brand the BE had to offer not named WVa.

The UL thing isn't hard to understand. The fact that we got end arounded again by Cuse and Pitt was. We are still a better FB program than those two even with our recent debacles. UL has a Heisman winner, a consistent ranking again, and is still a win for FSU and Clemson most seasons. They got what they wanted and we have been an embarrassment for 6 years.

Pitt, Cuse, and BC not so much.