LosAngelesZipFan

Great article from the NYTimes today about how Louisville systematically built a big-time program... I think Akron can do this and should commit to the path.September 16, 2006At Louisville, Big-Time Program Built on a Plan, Not TraditionBy JOE DRAPELOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 15 — It will be different for the Louisville athletic director, Tom Jurich, on Saturday when the Cardinals take the field against Miami. First, the game will be played in daylight. Second, it will be televised on ABC. Best of all, a Louisville victory means thoughts of a national title will live here another week.The Cardinals, after all, are a team with little tradition, a team that entered the nation’s consciousness recently by agreeing to play Tuesday, Thursday — any night that ESPN asked. When Jurich came here in the fall of 1997, he had to plead with Adidas to let him buy shoes and gear for the team at retail prices.“I offered them signs and billboards that they didn’t want just so my coaches could tell recruits that we were an Adidas school,” Jurich said.No more. Louisville, which now plays in the Big East Conference, has gone to a bowl game eight consecutive years.The rise of Louisville football has more to do with 21st-century marketing than 20th-century tradition.The most famous Cardinal of them all, the late Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas, played on teams that won only seven games over three seasons in the early 1950’s. The ESPN analyst Lee Corso was 28-11-3 as the coach from 1969 to 1972. Howard Schnellenberger’s record was below .500 over 10 years, but he gave Louisville one of its most memorable seasons, going 10-1 in the 1990 season and beating Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl.When Jurich arrived from Colorado State, he had the good fortune of inheriting a new 42,000-seat stadium, and the foresight to hire an old friend, John L. Smith, who had been the coach at Utah State and employed a wide-open, high-scoring passing game. Smith, now the coach at Michigan State, brought along an innovative offensive coordinator, Bobby Petrino.“It was by plan,” Jurich said. “We needed to play entertaining football on the field, and off it we needed change — no shock — to our culture.”Just as he had wheedled a deal with Adidas, Jurich offered his high-scoring football team to ESPN programmers. Of Louisville’s 44 television appearances since 1998, 36 have been on ESPN networks.“We’ve been on television every night but Monday,” he said. “It was tough on our fans, but we were reaching potential recruits and football fans.”Soon, however, the Louisville faithful embraced nighttime tailgating, and sellouts became the rule.Whether or not the 12th-ranked Cardinals ( 2-0) defeat No. 17 Miami (1-1), the university president, James Ramsey, says the team’s impact on campus goes far beyond the 71-30 record the team has posted the past eight years.On Friday, Ramsey held a celebration for thousands of faculty, staff and students on the lawn in front of Grawemeyer Hall. It honored goals that were met more than a year early on a 10-year academic plan. Among them were doubling the university’s endowment and increasing the number of endowed chairs and professorships.“The football team, and the athletics program, has helped transform this university from a financially struggling metropolitan commuter school to a major research university that is attractive to the best faculty and students in the country,” Ramsey said.“They have helped us raise our profile and opened up new markets for recruitment,’’ Ramsey added. “This is a very different institution than it was eight years ago.”The success of football has also helped Jurich raise $200 million privately for the athletic department; $16.5 million of it was spent on Cardinal Park, a multisport complex. It not only helped 12 of Louisville’s sports teams earn national rankings last year, but it increased the number of sports available to women and has become a focal point in the city because it is used by local high schools.The university built new dormitories and doubled the number of students living on campus. It was Louisville’s entry into the Big East last season, however, that has increased donations for academics and athletics.“Those two areas fuel each other,” said Harry Jones, a Louisville native who is also a former chairman of the university’s board of trustees and a major donor. “Now you’re not only catching the eyes and ears of potential students, you’re being put out in front of top-flight faculty and researchers. By raising the money and spending it, it lets them know that we’re committed to being the very best that we can be.”Louisville demonstrated how willing it was to pursue elite status in football last July when it signed Petrino to a 10-year, $25 million contract. He was 29-8 over three seasons, including an 11-1 mark in 2004 when the Cardinals led the nation in total offense (539 yards a game) and scoring (49.7 points a game).Each season, Petrino has attracted the attention of premier football schools like Auburn and L.S.U. He turned down a lucrative offer to coach the Oakland Raiders.“We think he’s one of the brightest minds in coaching, and we weren’t going to lose him because of dollars,” Jurich said.Petrino said he got the message that Louisville was committed to him, and so did the rest of college football.“We want to win a national championship here,” he said. “I know I can see that level of commitment, and I know the resources are here.”It was considered a recruiting coup when the junior quarterback Brian Brohm and the senior running back Michael Bush — each considered Heisman Trophy contenders until Bush broke his leg against Kentucky in the opener — were persuaded to stay at home and play for the Cardinals.Next year, another highly rated quarterback will play for Louisville: Matt Simms, the son of the former Giants quarterback Phil, and the brother of the Buccaneers quarterback, Chris.To Brohm, the program’s present and future seem bright, and national titles seem to be in reach.“I talk to recruits a lot, and they see that we have as good as talent as any other school, and as good as facilities,” Brohm said. “We’re on television, the stadium is packed and wild. Instead of living up to somebody else’s history, we have everything in place to make our own.”

I love that Kennedy won the USA Today vote. Incredible. Can anyone give us a preview of CMU? What are we looking at?

Besides the penalties and sudden lack of focus/killer instinct, I am also a bit concerned about halftime adjustment-- Trestman (remember him from the Browns back in '80s?) seemed to make some great adjustments at half time and their offense performed much better as a result. If we made adjustments, it didn't do anything for us other than keep us bottled up making punts from our endzone much of the 2nd half--anyone else notice this? I don't remember what the story was last year in this regard...any thoughts?

I can't believe how great the comments are on the Ohio sports board... check out the link above in uakronkid

Luke's scramble to set up the winning TD is nominated for gamechanger award. Go to ESPN.com and search Pontiac to vote. Also, Kennedy got a helmet sticker from ESPN (they had to improvise the Akron helmet-- maybe someone in the athletic department can make sure they have one in anticipation of future recognition...).This win garnered a ton of attention including a mention by Musberger during the OSU-Texas game. It would be nice if we could keep some of those top flight Akron kids in the future-- one of the really negative results of the lack of ABJ and PD coverage.

Rasor called it on Harvey-- gonna be HUGE. How fast is he? What about some reverses with him?

I hate that they just showed Lebron on the Ohio State sidelines. There has been a movement to get Lebron to enroll at UA to start to work on his degree (make a HUGE statement and be incredibly cool for Akron). grrrrr, now I think I want Texas to win.

There is no doubt that OSU sucks the air out of the room for Akron in NEOhio, but it is hard to fight it. It is much easier to feel OK about OSU with Tressel, a UA alum, coaching. He is just such a high quality guy-- too bad Akron wasn't able to get him as coach 20 years ago! Think where we might be now...

YES YES YES-- WHERE WAS KASPAREK? I love that guy-- I think he is (literally and figuratively) a HUGE weapon and was totally underutilized today.BTW, I love that we can actually pick at a win over a BCS school-- that smells like real progress to me.There are 2 very disturbing things I see in the first two games: (1) penalties-- don't need to say much more, but it is ridiculous; (2) the sudden loss of focus. The 2nd qtr of Penn State and much of the 2nd half of this game the offense just seemed to go into a trance-- they seemed disorganized and tentative. How many series in the 3rd qtr ended up with us punting from inside our 10 after some bad plays and a penalty. We also need some speed in the backfield. Loving Kennedy but he seems a bit slow to hit the hole, like a half step slow. Do we have any burner tailbacks someplace? Regardless, it would be nice to see some more rotation so Kennedy gets some rest.The kicking game is just a problem and will remain so all year clearly. Given the situation, I think the punter is holding up very well.I wouldn't say this win was pure luck--it was a win of inches (like, the inch under Kennedy's knee as he dove for the goal line)-- because I think on balance we deserved to win the game. But what is really chewing at me is that this could have been a really big win, one that looked dominating and sent a real message instead of feeling like we escaped with a W.

Classy for you to write this. Please come visit us in Akron to play in our new stadium in a few years!

Oh Thank God we finally knocked down one of these wins. Since the subject of JD's future was broached (not like we could enjoy this win for 24 hours before seeing the cloud for the silver lining) but I gotta tell you, this was NOT a coaching gem on JD's part. Tons of penalties, confusion, really bad play calling, and at times an outright lack of focus and discipline (all on offense). To me this looks like a coach with potential that needs alot of seasoning before he is ready to move up and get trusted with an better established program. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy. I am SO HAPPY what he has done with the program. But there are still tons of mental lapses happening that should be coached out. He is also not instilling the kill instinct-- how do we not get a first down with 3 minutes left to seal this game? If we ran the table from here, great probability that JD is gone. But based on what you have seen so far, does anyone think that we will? No doubt we have the talent and potential to do so, but I certainly don't feel any confidance that we will even as much as I would want to. Plus, I think JD hangs out for a real gem of an offer-- not something like Cincy but something with proven potential. At least, I hope he does.

TOUCHDOWN!

Kennedy has broken off several long runs and then 3 straight incompletes to kill the drive?

Before that there was a delay of game and then a TO...why so much confusion in the red zone? Because of new offensive coordinator? Would expect more from Getsy at this point in terms of game/clock management

Irritating that there is no gametracker option like last year...only ESPN's which doesn't have much info.Will anyone watching this on ESPNU explain why we didn't score?Penalties are KILLLING us.

Thanks for the good wishes-- of course we are hoping that AKR's visit makes for a not-so-Happy Valley come this evening. As the son of two Penn Staters but an ardent Zip fan-- and resident scheduling crank on this board-- I would like to unofficially extend an invitation for you and your team to visit Akron, perhaps in our new on-campus stadium or more immediately at Cleveland Stadium.

How about an article about why BG and Toledo have been able to schedule games in UA's backyard-- why isn't UA doing that, how did UA miss that opportunity?

I know this topic has been hammered in past posts, but I can't help but bring it up again...I am so irritated that Can't is opening with Minnesota, BC at CMU and particularly Wisconsin-BG in Cleveland. And did anyone see that Toledo, on the heels of getting OSU in Cleveland-- a game that should have been Akron's-- has signed a 2-1 away-home deal with Arizona. We are getting SKUNKED in the scheduling arena, totally outclassed. Can't is expecting a sell-out for Minnesota-- not sure if it will happen, but more power to them if it does. We need to make some news and noise here. We can have a great season but it's not enough-- we need all the elements to be working to make real progress. Grrrrrrrrrr

Sorry, the reality is that being perceived as a "commuter school" is a real academic and athletic stigma-- one the U should work hard to mitigate while not walking away from the urban mission that makes it unique. I would say that a little under 1/2 of UA students, grad and undergrad, live on or near campus-- which means UA is not a commuter school in the classic sense. I think of YSU, CSU, Wright State, etc. as true commuter schools while UA is a hybrid.

Great posts and updates...much appreciated. I am officially going into fever pitch here in LA-- gotta find a group to watch the game with on the 2nd...please, keep the reports coming for those of us 2500 miles away...

Excellent point linking this season to the new stadium...and this is what I don't get. This might very well be the most important season ever for UA. The confluence of elements giving the program real momentum could just as easily disappear as continue. If it continues, a new 30K+ stadium becomes much more doable in the near term, which I think really creates a tipping point for support for UA in NEO. But this momentum needs to be nurtured...it's smoldering but it needs to be carefully tended to become a real fire. Where's JD's extension? Where is the creative scheduling of a breakthrough game at home (or at Cleveland Stadium)? You get the drift...What the Miami U idiot said above is crap-- Colorado agreed to a 1 and 1 because of (1) a relationship and (2) money. It's a contractual relationship-- Miami put sufficient money in to make it make sense to CU. THIS IS THE YEAR TO SECURE A NEW FUTURE FOR UA-- so why does it feel like it is the same ol same ol in so many ways? Why isn't there a ton of creative and bold things happening like Miami signing this deal, like BG and UT getting Big 10 schools at Cleveland Stadium. Does anyone else share these concerns?

Excellent example of the type of announcement that has NOT happened but MUST for Akron to take the next step:From staff and wire reportsMiami (Ohio) will play Colorado in 2007 and 2009 in the Buffaloes' second and third games against a Mid-America Conference team, Colorado announced Monday.The RedHawks visit Boulder on Sept. 22, 2007, in the schools' first meeting. The Buffs will play in Oxford, Ohio, on Sept. 12, 2008Note, this deal is for NEXT YEAR. Yes, some elements of the schedule are done 5 years in advance but there is always wiggle room. Right now, UA is being completely outclassed in scheduling by Miami, Toledo, BG, Norther Ill, and others. In the absence of securing BC or someone, we at least need to have some great scheduling announcements...like hosting Ohio State at Cleveland Stadium-- ah, shoot, that's been taken by Toledo.

I have to agree with Pluto-- this schedule is a disaster. I think his key point is not that the teams are wrong or that the Zips are over-matched, but that the way the schedule lays out is exactly the opposite of what we really needed. I would add to this that not snagging BC (as was strongly rumored) or another quality BCS team to play at the Rubber Bowl or even at Cleveland Stadium is a HUGE missed opportunity to build on the most potent momentum this program has ever had-- the MAC Championship, Frye starting for the Browns, the facilities and recruiting class...the only missing pieces (assuming the Ws come this year) is a big time home game with a great crowd, ESPN coverage, and a great game. THAT will start to swing the average NEO football fan from totally apathy to casual interest-- the first step to getting them to actually following and eventually supporting.Instead, the Zips play the bulk of their home games in horrible weather and the one early home game is a giant yawner.I agree that Pluto's tone in the piece, and in general, is that the Zips should be satisfied with mediocrity-- something I completely reject. But in this case, he is right and being supportive in describing the schedule as a disaster.

Did anyone else see that Toledo got OSU to agree to a "home and home", playing the Suckeyes at Cleveland Stadium in a few years. This comes on the heels of BG playing Wisconsin there this coming season.This irritates me so much because Cleveland should not be an "open" market. If any team should be playing there it is Akron. Why didn't we get that game with OSU? Is it a failure of vision or execution or what?? To get to the next level, UA must be able to claim all of NEO as its base-- fan, recruiting, fundraising, sponsors, etc. Getting OSU in Cleveland and being competitive would have been a HUGE step in that direction. How did this happen? Why weren't we working Tressel-- AKRON ALUM JIM TRESSEL WHO STARTED HIS CAREER IN COACHING AT UA--to get this to happen?

I SO agree with this line of thinking-- both KD and JD need-- and deserve-- to be paid in the top tier of MAC coaches. They should have a base that is pegged to the 80th percentile of MAC coaches with incentives that take them to the top and beyond. PLUS a seniority bonus of some sort-- a huge bonus for staying for 5 or 7 years.After the crew of horrible coaches UA has experienced, they need to lock up these good ones NOW period end of story before anything else. Figure out how much the teams lose in revenue by starting over with new coaches, how much we pay in consultants, how much a new coaching contract will cost-- figure all that in and it is incredibly cheaper to retain known success than gamble on fresh meat.GET THESE CONTRACTS DONE! THEY WANT TO STAY-- DONT GIVE THEM REASONS TO LEAVE!!