Our Defensive Coordinator situation...?

[DW1361]

So it has been confirmed then that the DC Coordinator position is not vacant. All I see here is that Mora is being tight lipped on this and nothing should be read in to that. He simply cannot comment. In the meantime, if Spanos is not expected to return in the foreseeable future then one of our young promising coaches should be made acting Defensive Coordinator while also retaining his duties as a positional coach. This is not uncommon in governmental work.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

After the Ollie decision where the university lost even though there was proof Ollie broke NCAA rules, everyone should sue UConn. Our lawyers obviously stink.

I believe that the problem is that the coaches at UConn are included in the professors Union at UConn for some reason (I don't think that is the case at any other University I am aware of). So there are very strict rules and arbitration standards in the Union contracts that are relevant for professors and university professionals, but are also applied to the coaches contracts that make them huge problems in the Athletic Department. That is how Ollie got his money despite his NCAA infractions, and why we get stuck having to pay all of our fired coaches forever and are responsible for even more costs on top of the contract itself.

The terms of the Union agreements with the State should not be applied to athletic coaches, but for some reason at UConn they are. They need to change it somehow, but I am sure the Union will not allow it. It is an albatross for the Athletic Department--and honestly, not sure the Athletic Department wants to fight it--as I believe all of their contracts are handled the same way--so they would be harming their own personal self interests. But from a State and fan perspective, it is not great.

In fact, I believe since the coaches contracts are part of the Union deal, I believe the coaches are considered State Employees and are earning against the State Pension as well. So coaches who are here long enough are not only getting their contract terms, but also building a State Pension that we have to pay out to them in retirement. I am not 100% sure, but I believe I have heard that as well.

 

[Rich]

So it has been confirmed then that the DC Coordinator position is not vacant. All I see here is that Mora is being tight lipped on this and nothing should be read in to that. He simply cannot comment. In the meantime, if Spanos is not expected to return in the foreseeable future then one of our young promising coaches should be made acting Defensive Coordinator while also retaining his duties as a positional coach. This is not uncommon in governmental work.

Mora told him to stay away from the team, though he can still collect his paycheck is my understanding. Like a cop being put on ‘light duty’ (office work) while allegations of improprieties are being investigated, but here it’s purely personality conflict, along with control.

Mora decided he couldn’t work with Spanos but Spanos was under contract so you get this limbo stuff. UCONN ain’t the private sector where ‘at will’ controls.

 

[businesslawyer]

Why are we bending ourselves into pretzels to ignore the obvious responsibility for this? Jim Mora had a great first year here, but he is the one who blew this. Not the school, not the school's lawyers, and not anyone else. He had a prior relationship with Spanos, first choice or not he brought Spanos in to be his DC and was fine with the school giving him a two year contract up front, and then he's the one who decided he had to go before the season even started. Mora still had a great first year, but the inability of some of you to accept the obvious as to responsibility for this is bizarre. Coaches are allowed to be doing great jobs and still be called out for mistakes that are theirs.

 

[Exit 4]

Mora told him to stay away from the team, though he can still collect his paycheck is my understanding. Like a cop being put on ‘light duty’ (office work) while allegations of improprieties are being investigated, but here it’s purely personality conflict, along with control.

Mora decided he couldn’t work with Spanos but Spanos was under contract so you get this limbo stuff. UCONN ain’t the private sector where ‘at will’ controls.

Conclusion....there shall be no more 2+ year contracts at UConn in the athletics department.... of course, there will be some exceptions perhaps over in basketball, but I see no reason in football and other sports.

 

[huskymedic]

Conclusion....there shall be no more 2+ year contracts at UConn in the athletics department.... of course, there will be some exceptions perhaps over in basketball, but I see no reason in football and other sports.

Why hamstring recruiting qualified Coordinator candidates w/ a year to year contract mandate?

It’s a cost of during business.

 

[businesslawyer]

LOL. Come on. You think you're in a better position to determine when we have to give multi-year contracts to get someone we want, and when that person is worth having as opposed to the best person you could get who would come on a one year contract, than the Athletic Director and head coach do?

 

[uconndogs]

Why are we bending ourselves into pretzels to ignore the obvious responsibility for this? Jim Mora had a great first year here, but he is the one who blew this. Not the school, not the school's lawyers, and not anyone else. He had a prior relationship with Spanos, first choice or not he brought Spanos in to be his DC and was fine with the school giving him a two year contract up front, and then he's the one who decided he had to go before the season even started. Mora still had a great first year, but the inability of some of you to accept the obvious as to responsibility for this is bizarre. Coaches are allowed to be doing great jobs and still be called out for mistakes that are theirs.

This is exactly right. And from all appearances Mora owned up to the solution and took over the defense which had an excellent year. But, biz is right, as a manager and leader you own your hires.

 

[Exit 4]

Why hamstring recruiting qualified Coordinator candidates w/ a year to year contract mandate?

It’s a cost of during business.

Most of these coaches are in places for 1-3 years. Didn't think we gave out many multi year contracts as it is. For every one of them their value goes up in a good year (and they ask for more money, always) and flat in a down year (no one asks for a reduction), making the extra years always meaningless.

As for cost of doing business, doesnt seem to be the case for the vast majority of FBS programs....having to pay out multi years on non head coaching positions when released.

 

[Exit 4]

LOL. Come on. You think you're in a better position to determine when we have to give multi-year contracts to get someone we want, and when that person is worth having as opposed to the best person you could get who would come on a one year contract, than the Athletic Director and head coach do?

LOL - who said that? Not me. I never said I was in any position to make any such judgement. I merely presented what might happen going forward...fewer multi year contracts.

If every member of the football staff can contest every firing thanks to the state's wonderful labor laws, then I'm inclined to pay a bit more for single year contracts to avoid multi year contracts which suddenly have become guaranteed contracts for everyone.

Of course, markets will end up doing what they do.

 

[Buffett10]

Lou thought he deserved the HC job and tried to act like it in spring ball and over the summer.

 

[RSTuthill]

Conclusion....there shall be no more 2+ year contracts at UConn in the athletics department.... of course, there will be some exceptions perhaps over in basketball, but I see no reason in football and other sports.

I would have to disagree. You think you can hire top talent with one year contracts? I beg to differ. Hurley, Auriemma, Cav and many others? Their staffs moving their families here? Nope.

 

[Exit 4]

I would have to disagree. You think you can hire top talent with one year contracts? I beg to differ. Hurley, Auriemma, Cav and many others? Their staffs moving their families here? Nope.

I was referring to non head coaching positions- thought that was obvious since there is no chance you could ever have one year contracts for head coaches in the major sports.

 

[ZooCougar]

I would have to disagree. You think you can hire top talent with one year contracts? I beg to differ. Hurley, Auriemma, Cav and many others? Their staffs moving their families here? Nope.

That’s the nature of the profession though. Particularly the position coaches.

 

[RSTuthill]

I was referring to non head coaching positions- thought that was obvious since there is no chance you could ever have one year contracts for head coaches in the major sports.

We can argue about position coaches I suppose. But not coordinators though. And not longtime assistants. Do you think that Cav was at BC under York for all those years on one year contracts? Is Charlton on a one year? How about Geno's staff?

 

[Exit 4]

We can argue about position coaches I suppose. But not coordinators though. And not longtime assistants. Do you think that Cav was at BC under York for all those years on one year contracts? Is Charlton on a one year? How about Geno's staff?

I don’t think the majority of coordinators and long time assistants have anything more than a one or two year deal- but mostly one. If the money isn’t guaranteed - then the second year has no point anyway (can’t emphasize this point enough). If you are in coaching this isn’t a worry at all. You accept the sink or swim mentality of every season. It’s just not a concern. What matters is that your head coach likes your work and then the comp takes care of itself.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Why are we bending ourselves into pretzels to ignore the obvious responsibility for this? Jim Mora had a great first year here, but he is the one who blew this. Not the school, not the school's lawyers, and not anyone else. He had a prior relationship with Spanos, first choice or not he brought Spanos in to be his DC and was fine with the school giving him a two year contract up front, and then he's the one who decided he had to go before the season even started. Mora still had a great first year, but the inability of some of you to accept the obvious as to responsibility for this is bizarre. Coaches are allowed to be doing great jobs and still be called out for mistakes that are theirs.

Spanos never wanted the job. Remember when they let him go the. Hired him again? Obviously there was some issues there between him and Spanos that dates back to their time at UCLA.

That said. Looks like the original DC candidates fell through. They hired a guy that they could get.

For whatever reason, Mora did not like what he was doing and he fired Spanos. Spanos gets paid because he has a contract. I do not know if it is one year, 2 years, or neither.

Does this reflect badly on anyone? Probably Mora and Benedict more, but Spanos also. All 3 probably figure it wouldn’t work. Why did they even do it?

It was a waste of money. I dont get what Spanos can sue for. He got paid. There is no harm done to him.

 

[JohnFSilver]

I don’t think the majority of coordinators and long time assistants have anything more than a one or two year deal- but mostly one. If the money isn’t guaranteed - then the second year has no point anyway (can’t emphasize this point enough). If you are in coaching this isn’t a worry at all. You accept the sink or swim mentality of every season. It’s just not a concern. What matters is that your head coach likes your work and then the comp takes care of itself.

Some coordinators get 3 year deals.

 

[Dizzy21]

Spanos never wanted the job. Remember when they let him go the. Hired him again? Obviously there was some issues there between him and Spanos that dates back to their time at UCLA.

That said. Looks like the original DC candidates fell through. They hired a guy that they could get.

For whatever reason, Mora did not like what he was doing and he fired Spanos. Spanos gets paid because he has a contract. I do not know if it is one year, 2 years, or neither.

Does this reflect badly on anyone? Probably Mora and Benedict more, but Spanos also. All 3 probably figure it wouldn’t work. Why did they even do it?

It was a waste of money. I dont get what Spanos can sue for. He got paid. There is no harm done to him.

Can sue for the second year if he is not paid that yet.

 

[businesslawyer]

Can sue for the second year if he is not paid that yet.

If we don‘t pay him. Why would we think we can get away with not paying him?

 

[Luna]

I hope Benetict does things right… we don’t need another Ollie type problem…he should have just paid Ollie and moved on from him… that was some bad press from the beginning

 

[businesslawyer]

Cause that worked so well with Ollie?

Well, with KO the position was that he was fired for cause, the cause being the NCAA sanctions and findings. We lost the case ultimately, but the position was not unreasonable. Here, by everything we heard, Mora simply decided he didnt want him around. i haven’t heard a single thing to suggest the school thinks there might have been cause. They wouldn’t have given him the face saving “leave of absence” if they were making a case for cause.

Which is a long way of saying that, not surprisingly, I’m assuming the BC columnist out of New London is full of crapola.

 

[giddyup]

Charlton runs offense, Mora defense. Stick to your specialty.

Charlton runs an offense? Who knew.

 

[CCSU97]

I believe that the problem is that the coaches at UConn are included in the professors Union at UConn for some reason (I don't think that is the case at any other University I am aware of). So there are very strict rules and arbitration standards in the Union contracts that are relevant for professors and university professionals, but are also applied to the coaches contracts that make them huge problems in the Athletic Department. That is how Ollie got his money despite his NCAA infractions, and why we get stuck having to pay all of our fired coaches forever and are responsible for even more costs on top of the contract itself.

The terms of the Union agreements with the State should not be applied to athletic coaches, but for some reason at UConn they are. They need to change it somehow, but I am sure the Union will not allow it. It is an albatross for the Athletic Department--and honestly, not sure the Athletic Department wants to fight it--as I believe all of their contracts are handled the same way--so they would be harming their own personal self interests. But from a State and fan perspective, it is not great.

In fact, I believe since the coaches contracts are part of the Union deal, I believe the coaches are considered State Employees and are earning against the State Pension as well. So coaches who are here long enough are not only getting their contract terms, but also building a State Pension that we have to pay out to them in retirement. I am not 100% sure, but I believe I have heard that as well.

All CCSU coaches are represented by the Central Connecticut State University American Association of University Professors (CCSU-AAUP).

 

[RSTuthill]

Spanos never wanted the job. Remember when they let him go the. Hired him again? Obviously there was some issues there between him and Spanos that dates back to their time at UCLA.

That said. Looks like the original DC candidates fell through. They hired a guy that they could get.

For whatever reason, Mora did not like what he was doing and he fired Spanos. Spanos gets paid because he has a contract. I do not know if it is one year, 2 years, or neither.

Does this reflect badly on anyone? Probably Mora and Benedict more, but Spanos also. All 3 probably figure it wouldn’t work. Why did they even do it?

It was a waste of money. I dont get what Spanos can sue for. He got paid. There is no harm done to him.

I did get the impression he was hired for purposes of player retention more than anything else. In that sense he did OK. Not sure why he couldn't get on the same page as HCJM with whom he had plenty of prior experience. If that is indeed what happened, we still do not know precisely although the tea leaves seem to be aligning in that direction with every tiny snippet that comes our way.