Rutgers narrows athletic-director search to three top finalists

[zipper]

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ss...i_as_athle.htmlLooks like Mack is staying... for now.

Captain, they do all sound like great fundraisers. It's funny because I read Mack raised the money for the new stadium, and I'm pretty sure the hard part of raising that money was done before he got here, whether by Thomas or John LaGuardia. Either way ...I like Burke and I like that he's from here and he seems to have done a great AD job somewhere else already. Looks like a great fit to me, and maybe we can end the revolving door.

[72 Roo]

Zipper, I talked with Greg Burke during the last round of AD hiring. I like him a lot and he loves the Zips. But his wife is from the South and not particularly interested in coming back to Akron. Perhaps times have changed and that is up for reconsideration. Greg likes the Akron situation so maybe you could be right that he would be interested.

[fear the brown roo]

have we grown since 2005? we now have a brand new football stadium that has 95% of club seating unsold and 10% of the stadium capacity has been announced as sold season tickets. home basketball games are lucky to have 70% capacity in attendance.

[Dr Z]

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ss...i_as_athle.htmlLooks like Mack is staying... for now.

Doesn't surprise me. I bet Pernetti will have a great passion for a school that he played for. Hmmmm....

[Captain Kangaroo]

The school is in the midst of a $102 million expansion project that will add 12,500 seats

Seems like Infocision's $62million for 30,000 seats is a pretty damn good deal?

[GP1]

As for Mike Waddell, I liked the guy and wish hed be a short list applicant but he told a mutual friend today hell NEVER be back. He did not get that Missouri job. Hes still at UC. And while he has good feelings about the area and UA he believes that under Mack Rhodes the situation has collapsed. No foundation, no fan development. All the momentum we had at Motor city bowl was lost. Have we grown as a program while Mack has been here??

IF the above is true, I would like to respond. I was going to hold back, but he next few minutes of typing will be too much fun.The only way Waddell comes back to Akron is if Mike Thomas comes back to Akron. Waddell has shown no ability to convince even a half ass directional MO school that he is capable of leading an athletic department. If Thomas goes to a better school than UC, Waddell will be right behind him. I'm sure that by now the people at UC are smart enough to see through his self-promotion. Batman goes nowhere without Robin and Waddell will always be in the passenger's seat.IF Waddell did indeed say what is above, he is truely a jack-ass and I can't believe any of you would want him back. Would the kind of person you would want working for UofA say such a low class thing? The guy has been at UC for how many years now? What the Hell does he know about what is going on?There is an old saying, "Criticism is the price of leadership." Every subordinate thinks they know how to do their bosses job. Surely some of my subordinates have said some really nasty things about me behind my back. I'm sure in whatever fantasy land Waddell lives in, he knows how to be an AD. The problem is that one day you have to lead and you never know how you will respond. So far, every school he interviews with does not believe he can lead. Only some of you knuckleheads on this board believe he can lead. Since many of you are Browns fans and therefore not very smart, I'll side with the "every school he interviews with" group.I don't know if Waddell is smart enough to pick up on it or not, but the momentum of the Motor City Bowl was lost the next year when the team had a losing record and the decline of the MAC was becoming more obvious to anyone with half a brain. Other than buying more billboards (laughing while I type), I don't know how he could have changed that or would have even known what to do to change it.Waddell was nothing but a radio guy who Mike Thomas drug along with him to Akron for whatever reason. When Mack was hired, Waddell was still on staff and made a lot of promises, knowing he was going to leave for UC soon, to fans that were never going to happen. I for one am glad he did not get hired....he wasn't up for the job and still is not up for a job like AD because no other school will hire him.I have met Mack. While I don't know him very well, he seems like a good guy. I can't imagine him leaving UofA and then badmouthing the place after he leaves. He wouldn't stoop to such a low level. I wish him luck in whatever he decides to do.Is the program better off? I would say that given the decline of the MAC in the past few years, the program IS doing well. I do not know exactly how to measure it, but it seems better off now."I say good day sir"....Bobby Hill, King of the Hill.

[Zips Win!]

Here we go again...Nothing like bashing Mike Waddell..Not for a second do I believe that Mike would bad-mouth UA. Was he unhappy that he didn't get a real look at the AD job? Yes. Does he exchange christmas cards with Mack? Probably not...But this doesn't make him a bad guy.While Mike has not been able to secure his own AD gig, so what. I'm sure those jobs are hard to come by in the good ol' boy network that exists.Mike will and should hold a special place in the hearts of the die hard UA fans. All 200 of us...He was the first AD-type to give a damn about what the "fan" wanted and thought. This in and of itself was huge. His vision to start the AK-Rowdies will pay dividends for years to come...When I hear the Rowdies start the "I believe that we have won" chant, I will always thank Mike for starting this group. Hell, he even drove up to Cleveland for the MAC hoops tournament last year....There were numerous other small contributions that happened with Mike....the parties and surrounding functions at the MCB were FIRST CLASS. And Mike put these together...I could go on..... I could stop by and ask him anything about the program and he always took the time to talk.Will be ever end up at UA? Who knows...As previously mentioned, I want a UA guy....But I also believe Mike could do the job if and when Mack leaves...

[Dr Z]

GP1, I'm wondering where you are coming from with this. Have you ever met MW?

[ZZZips]

have we grown since 2005? we now have a brand new football stadium that has 95% of club seating unsold and 10% of the stadium capacity has been announced as sold season tickets. home basketball games are lucky to have 70% capacity in attendance.

How did you calculate the "95% of Club seating unsold" number. I come up with a much lower percentage unsold. Please explain the numbers and the logic you used. Thanks in advance.

[zipper]

GP1, I'm wondering where you are coming from with this. Have you ever met MW?

GP1 has always had some kind of SERIOUS grudge against Mike Waddel, a guy most here would agree was extremely well liked and did the best marketing job we have ever seen here, whether he came from radio or not (and I think he wasn't doing radio before he came here, but not sure). I don't get it, but I know Mike has a strong personality and maybe he just rubbed GP the wrong way. I've always thought it takes a secure person to handle a strong personality, so maybe that says more about GP than MW.That said, I don't think you can judge whether Mike would make a good AD or not based on jobs he did not get. Mack just didn't get this job. Thomas didn't get the Pitt job, and this doesn't make either of these guys bad ADs. Maybe both Rhoades and Thomas didn't get other AD jobs before Akron. My guess is all these guys have strengths and weaknesses just like we do in our jobs, and Waddel has them, too, I'm sure. Doesn't mean he won't be a great athletic director at all. Mike Thomas must think he does a great job or he wouldn't keep on hiring him - he'd hire someone else, unless now you're going to tell us you know the mind of Mike Thomas and why he hires Waddel, anyway. Geesh, GP, did he diss you or something? Seriously, dude, chill.

[Captain Kangaroo]

GP1 has always had some kind of SERIOUS grudge against Mike Waddel, a guy most here would agree was extremely well liked and did the best marketing job we have ever seen here, whether he came from radio or not

Just out of curiosity...what was the new Rutgers AD doing prior to his recent hiring?I'll give you a hint...he's in this photo:

[GP1]

GP1, I'm wondering where you are coming from with this. Have you ever met MW?

Yes I have. I know the guy tried his best here, but he did leave a bit of a stink on the way out. I've heard that from more than one person. Some of you may have noticed that my posts about him changed around this time. I know a lot of you think the guy walks on water. I don't. Without the brains of Mike Thomas, MW is still patrolling sidelines waiting to ask a coach, "What are you going to do differently the second half?" I don't believe for a second he could do half the job Thomas did at UofA if he was in the big chair and I'm not willing to take the risk.Again, I give all of you guys some level of respect for your opinions. My opinion could change about this issue, but probably not."Hey missy, make us some sammiches!" Cotton Hill, King of the Hill.

[GP1]

GP1 has always had some kind of SERIOUS grudge against Mike Waddel, a guy most here would agree was extremely well liked and did the best marketing job we have ever seen here, whether he came from radio or not

Just out of curiosity...what was the new Rutgers AD doing prior to his recent hiring?I'll give you a hint...he's in this photo:

Maybe Waddel should go back to sideline reporting......

[Blue & Gold]

Steve Frenchy for UA AD!!! Or... Frank Stamms? Hmmmm? Intriguing.

[Z.I.P.]

Compared with GP1, my analysis of Mike Waddell has gone in the opposite direction since his departure. I used to think he was just a PR flack with more schemes than Barnum and Bailey. Now I appreciate just how far we came under the Mikes, Thomas and Waddell -- and I don't think MT could have done a lot of what he did with another Assoc AD.Badmouthing the university is not what I would call Wadd's criticism of the administration that has taken over since his and MT's departure. He has honestly told those who've asked, that in his perception, fundraising has dried up, marketing is going nowhere and indeed momentum has stopped from what it was in 2004-5. That isn't entirely the fault of Mack Rhoades (what if the UA had an effective Alumni Dept.?), but the more I examine and explore the status of the UA athletic department, the more I come to agree with what Mike W says. He may not be the most diplomatic or least ego-driven of managers, but I can't think of anyone who's done more with less than him. He sounds like the man for these times. But, you can only have one AD at a time. So good luck to Mack.

[zipper]

Mack will obviously be going at some point here. And while Greg's wife may like the south, Akron is a great place to live, and I think Greg has family here, too. I at least would want us to bring him up here to interview. Two reasons I support him here:1) He's obviously a pretty good athletic director - he's sat in the chair at a lower level and knows pitfalls and what to avoid and more importantly what to do. He's hired good coaches and raised money. 2) It would be an attempt to stop the revolving door. While I was extremely happy we had the successful years we did with MT, and Mack did a good job of getting the stadium actually built, it would be great to have someone in place for a decade at least.