The Next University of Akron AD

[Captain Kangaroo]

When the Mike Thomas administration came into town, they had it bad...but they also had it good. On the surface Zips athletics was a wreck. The men's basketball program was short on talent and saddled with a long-term contract to a coach with severe anger management issues. The football team was mired in mediocrity, playing in a stadium that would need major improvements to be upgraded to a "disaster," and the training facilities were a joke. And the Zips were saddled with another long term coach's contract.Those programs are the two straws that stir any D-1 program's drink, and things were almost as bad as they could be. Unless you recalled Faust's Felons and Coleman's Clowns of the early 90's. But I've blocked that out...it took a decade of therapy and Loge Level 5-6 type drinking binges...but it is gone.The biggest plus to the Thomas administration, ironically, was the tragic state of the situation they entered. They basically got Cart Blanche to blow up the entire thing...and build something from scratch. We saw new logos, a training facility, new coaches, the start of the new stadium, the AK-Rowdies and a myriad of other improvements. The tide of Zips athletics finally began making a turn for the better after the ham-handled Faust hiring roughly 15 years prior.The work of the Thomas administration, with major credit to Dr. Proenza, certainly allowed us to get the quality person that is Mack Rhoades. I don't see Mack taking the Zips' job if it stood as it was in, say, 1999. Mack's administration followed up Thomas' work nicely. The stadium project lost no steam, staying on it's aggressively-set deadlines. The basketball program prospered. Coaching changes were made in the "Olympic" sports that seem to have panned out. It has been a nice 7-year run for Zips athletics. Not scads of Reese and Jacoby Trophies, but great progress has been made towards competing for them. So how do things stack up for the "Next AD?" It has to be the sweetest AD situation in the mid-majors. The new AD will be able to say he/she opened the new stadium. That they were at the helm of a soccer National Championship run. That they captained a ship that had multiple NCAA basketball men's tourney appearances. Track and rifle will round out the resume nicely, with strong potential for additional winning programs like women's hoops and softball.Men's basketball attendance will increase. Guaranteed. KD finally won "the big one." He's also recruited "The Big One." His team is young, and already championship-caliber. Joe Akron is on the bandwagon.Men's football attendance will be through the roof in comparison to the recent Rubber Bowl era. Morgan State - sellout. Indiana - sellout. K.e.n.t. State - sellout. And the remaining games will be 20k+. As long as the Zips remain competitive, 20k+ is an absolute "given" for the next 3-4 seasons...coincidentally also the same amount of time the "Next AD" will have spent at the helm before his resume gets its first "bite." The next 3-4 years at UA are a AD resume' filler's delight. The only tough decision to be made is regarding football. I think JD needs to win 8 games this season to get a contract extension. 7 wins is likely too few in a weak MAC, with a 1-AA school opponent on the schedule. But if the coach is not retained...Proenza didn't authorize a $61.5 million dollar stadium to lose football games. You can guarantee the new AD will be given a nice allowance to hire an attention-getting replacement. [side note - JD will win 8-games this season. But that is another thread for later this summer]As long as the next AD doesn't go "Kevin Mackey" and get caught with hookers and crack, he's planted his foot on the biggest, fattest stepping stone in the history of mid-major athletics. If things go as they should, the 3 1/2 year AD turnover cycle will probably be broken. It'll be more like 2 1/2.

[Zip Watcher]

Nice assessment .. good post.Go Zips!! B)

[Zipmeister]

When the Mike Thomas administration came into town, they had it bad...but they also had it good. On the surface Zips athletics was a wreck. The men's basketball program was short on talent and saddled with a long-term contract to a coach with severe anger management issues. The football team was mired in mediocrity, playing in a stadium that would need major improvements to be upgraded to a "disaster," and the training facilities were a joke. And the Zips were saddled with another long term coach's contract.Those programs are the two straws that stir any D-1 program's drink, and things were almost as bad as they could be. Unless you recalled Faust's Felons and Coleman's Clowns of the early 90's. But I've blocked that out...it took a decade of therapy and Loge Level 5-6 type drinking binges...but it is gone.The biggest plus to the Thomas administration, ironically, was the tragic state of the situation they entered. They basically got Cart Blanche to blow up the entire thing...and build something from scratch. We saw new logos, a training facility, new coaches, the start of the new stadium, the AK-Rowdies and a myriad of other improvements. The tide of Zips athletics finally began making a turn for the better after the ham-handled Faust hiring roughly 15 years prior.The work of the Thomas administration, with major credit to Dr. Proenza, certainly allowed us to get the quality person that is Mack Rhoades. I don't see Mack taking the Zips' job if it stood as it was in, say, 1999. Mack's administration followed up Thomas' work nicely. The stadium project lost no steam, staying on it's aggressively-set deadlines. The basketball program prospered. Coaching changes were made in the "Olympic" sports that seem to have panned out. It has been a nice 7-year run for Zips athletics. Not scads of Reese and Jacoby Trophies, but great progress has been made towards competing for them. So how do things stack up for the "Next AD?" It has to be the sweetest AD situation in the mid-majors. The new AD will be able to say he/she opened the new stadium. That they were at the helm of a soccer National Championship run. That they captained a ship that had multiple NCAA basketball men's tourney appearances. Track and rifle will round out the resume nicely, with strong potential for additional winning programs like women's hoops and softball.Men's basketball attendance will increase. Guaranteed. KD finally won "the big one." He's also recruited "The Big One." His team is young, and already championship-caliber. Joe Akron is on the bandwagon.Men's football attendance will be through the roof in comparison to the recent Rubber Bowl era. Morgan State - sellout. Indiana - sellout. K.e.n.t. State - sellout. And the remaining games will be 20k+. As long as the Zips remain competitive, 20k+ is an absolute "given" for the next 3-4 seasons...coincidentally also the same amount of time the "Next AD" will have spent at the helm before his resume gets its first "bite." The next 3-4 years at UA are a AD resume' filler's delight. The only tough decision to be made is regarding football. I think JD needs to win 8 games this season to get a contract extension. 7 wins is likely too few in a weak MAC, with a 1-AA school opponent on the schedule. But if the coach is not retained...Proenza didn't authorize a $61.5 million dollar stadium to lose football games. You can guarantee the new AD will be given a nice allowance to hire an attention-getting replacement. [side note - JD will win 8-games this season. But that is another thread for later this summer]As long as the next AD doesn't go "Kevin Mackey" and get caught with hookers and crack, he's planted his foot on the biggest, fattest stepping stone in the history of mid-major athletics. If things go as they should, the 3 1/2 year AD turnover cycle will probably be broken. It'll be more like 2 1/2.

Note to all AD candidates: he did not say you couldn't have all the hookers and crack you can eat; just don't get caught.

[ZachTheZip]

Whoever the next AD is, they can't just sit on the successes of Thomas and Rhoades. There's lots of work to be done, still. The soccer stadium needs built, the JAR is supposed to be renovated soon, Football needs to keep improving to fill the stadium, something has to be done to upgrade the rifle team's facilities, and there will have to be a real sell job to get the community to believe in the athletics program.

[Bull_In_Exile]

The next 3-4 years at UA are a AD resume' filler's delight. The only tough decision to be made is regarding football. I think JD needs to win 8 games this season to get a contract extension. 7 wins is likely too few in a weak MAC, with a 1-AA school opponent on the schedule. But if the coach is not retained...Proenza didn't authorize a $61.5 million dollar stadium to lose football games. You can guarantee the new AD will be given a nice allowance to hire an attention-getting replacement. [side note - JD will win 8-games this season. But that is another thread for later this summer]As long as the next AD doesn't go "Kevin Mackey" and get caught with hookers and crack, he's planted his foot on the biggest, fattest stepping stone in the history of mid-major athletics. If things go as they should, the 3 1/2 year AD turnover cycle will probably be broken. It'll be more like 2 1/2.

Quoted, in case you dont mind... If you do Ill pull ithttp://mac-smack.blogspot.com/

[Zipmeister]

Whoever the next AD is, they can't just sit on the successes of Thomas and Rhoades. There's lots of work to be done, still. The soccer stadium needs built, the JAR is supposed to be renovated soon, Football needs to keep improving to fill the stadium, something has to be done to upgrade the rifle team's facilities, and there will have to be a real sell job to get the community to believe in the athletics program.

I'm not so sure about the success of Rhodes. Have you heard anything he has done about promoting season ticket sales for the rifle team?

[zip37]

Capt Rpp 2nd paragraph first 3 words 'On the surface'???? The problems were deep rooted, they had been there for YEARS.

[Z.I.P.]

The next 3-4 years at UA are a AD resume' filler's delight. The only tough decision to be made is regarding football. I think JD needs to win 8 games this season to get a contract extension. 7 wins is likely too few in a weak MAC, with a 1-AA school opponent on the schedule. But if the coach is not retained...Proenza didn't authorize a $61.5 million dollar stadium to lose football games. You can guarantee the new AD will be given a nice allowance to hire an attention-getting replacement. [side note - JD will win 8-games this season. But that is another thread for later this summer]As long as the next AD doesn't go "Kevin Mackey" and get caught with hookers and crack, he's planted his foot on the biggest, fattest stepping stone in the history of mid-major athletics. If things go as they should, the 3 1/2 year AD turnover cycle will probably be broken. It'll be more like 2 1/2.

Sorry, Cap'n but with regard to the football situation I see it differently. Rhoades was quoted in an interview, I think last summer saying that coach Brookhart was in no danger of losing his job, and I believe he said words to the effect of, "this year or next". Now the next is here, and I don't believe things have changed that much -- except that JD cannot have another losing team. When I look at the schedule, I see seven wins being a really good result. My honest prediction is 6-6. I don't see a new guy coming in and canning the football coach of a .500 team considering how few .500 teams the school has had in the MAC. As bad as the East is, a half way decent effort should put them in the top two.

[zippyrifle32]

Whoever the next AD is, they can't just sit on the successes of Thomas and Rhoades. There's lots of work to be done, still. The soccer stadium needs built, the JAR is supposed to be renovated soon, Football needs to keep improving to fill the stadium, something has to be done to upgrade the rifle team's facilities, and there will have to be a real sell job to get the community to believe in the athletics program.

I'm not so sure about the success of Rhodes. Have you heard anything he has done about promoting season ticket sales for the rifle team?

They're offering a family package for only $2500. That includes four tickets to every Zips home match, parking pass, transportation and tickets to the 2010 WIRC Championships, and an Anschutz 2002 autographed by 2009 NCAA Air Rifle Champion Jenna Compton. The VIP season ticket package includes the above plus the option to purchase beer at each event for a reasonable $3000 (plus $500 donation to the Z-Fund per ticket).

[Zipmeister]

Whoever the next AD is, they can't just sit on the successes of Thomas and Rhoades. There's lots of work to be done, still. The soccer stadium needs built, the JAR is supposed to be renovated soon, Football needs to keep improving to fill the stadium, something has to be done to upgrade the rifle team's facilities, and there will have to be a real sell job to get the community to believe in the athletics program.

I'm not so sure about the success of Rhodes. Have you heard anything he has done about promoting season ticket sales for the rifle team?

They're offering a family package for only $2500. That includes four tickets to every Zips home match, parking pass, transportation and tickets to the 2010 WIRC Championships, and an Anschutz 2002 autographed by 2009 NCAA Air Rifle Champion Jenna Compton. The VIP season ticket package includes the above plus the option to purchase beer at each event for a reasonable $3000 (plus $500 donation to the Z-Fund per ticket).

Those are the fanciest pair of glasses I have ever seen. The bridge seems a bit excessive. It looks like its all that poor girl can do to keep them on her face.

[zippyrifle32]

Those are the fanciest pair of glasses I have ever seen. The bridge seems a bit excessive. It looks like its all that poor girl can do to keep them on her face.

actually, those are her own every day glasses. if you looked at the pics from ncaa's you would see that she had tape on the bridge to keep them from sliding down her nose.

[Captain Kangaroo]

The next 3-4 years at UA are a AD resume' filler's delight. The only tough decision to be made is regarding football. I think JD needs to win 8 games this season to get a contract extension. 7 wins is likely too few in a weak MAC, with a 1-AA school opponent on the schedule. But if the coach is not retained...Proenza didn't authorize a $61.5 million dollar stadium to lose football games. You can guarantee the new AD will be given a nice allowance to hire an attention-getting replacement. [side note - JD will win 8-games this season. But that is another thread for later this summer]As long as the next AD doesn't go "Kevin Mackey" and get caught with hookers and crack, he's planted his foot on the biggest, fattest stepping stone in the history of mid-major athletics. If things go as they should, the 3 1/2 year AD turnover cycle will probably be broken. It'll be more like 2 1/2.

Sorry, Cap'n but with regard to the football situation I see it differently. Rhoades was quoted in an interview, I think last summer saying that coach Brookhart was in no danger of losing his job, and I believe he said words to the effect of, "this year or next". Now the next is here, and I don't believe things have changed that much -- except that JD cannot have another losing team. When I look at the schedule, I see seven wins being a really good result. My honest prediction is 6-6. I don't see a new guy coming in and canning the football coach of a .500 team considering how few .500 teams the school has had in the MAC. As bad as the East is, a half way decent effort should put them in the top two.

6-6 isn't .500. It is really 5-6 against 1-A competition. I can't see JD's job security being all that high if we go 5-6 with a MAC East schedule. 7 wins, 6 against 1-A competition, and he has a slightly-better-that-average chance of staying. But one of those needs to be against IU or Syracuse. And another win MUST be K.e.n.t. Turner Gill got 8 wins last year, in his 3rd season, and he took over a program in much worse shape than what Owens left JD. This is JD's year to prove he's "The Man." Year #6 is time to win. Not go 6-6, sit at home in December, and watch 5 other MAC schools go bowling. Other things going against JD - That guy that said "JD isn't going anywhere"...he's now in Houston. There will be a new guy at the helm of Zips athletics this fall. And that guy doesn't want to hand out a contract extension to a .500 coach. We have a 61.5 million dollar stadium to fill. JD's gotta win. That's just reality in D-1 college football.

[MDZip]

Those are the fanciest pair of glasses I have ever seen. The bridge seems a bit excessive. It looks like its all that poor girl can do to keep them on her face.

actually, those are her own every day glasses. if you looked at the pics from ncaa's you would see that she had tape on the bridge to keep them from sliding down her nose.

My guess is the Zipmeister was trying to make a funny - as in that rather large weapon that appears to be attached to the bridge of her nose. Hard to know what to take literally on a message board, but I laughed.

[72 Roo]

Nice post captain. I'm pretty much in agreement. For what my opinion is worth, I see JD going 8-4. Anything less and you have got to question his job security. I was thinking of buying two more season tickets for football, but now I think I'm going to go with the rifle package. It seems cheap for a national championship caliber team. When does the band do its pre-game show? I don't want to miss it.