Athletic Director Status ---- Tom Wistrcill

[Balsy]

Not engaging students meaningfully is also "financially irresponsible".

[zippy5]

I did not say there were restraints put on him. I am saying that his (UAs) budget is dwarfed by many big schools.

Well then compare him to other MAC schools. How have we improved during his tenure to similar schools?

[a-zip]

It's time for me to say ba-bye to ZN.o (which I am sure will make many of you happy)

I will continue to root and support my alma mater but I cannot engage in this any longer.

GO ZIPS!! Good Luck all!!

[LZIp]

Hiring coaches, that you have to fire in two-years due to poor performance and must continue to pay, is something I'd consider financially irresponsible.

You're reaching. This is common and is most likely happening at every single D1 university. We have had pretty damn good coaching retention if you ask me.

As for a-zip, sack up dude. Nothing wrong with people disagreeing with you.

[Zip_ME87]

It's time for me to say ba-bye to ZN.o (which I am sure will make many of you happy)

I will continue to root and support my alma mater but I cannot engage in this any longer.

GO ZIPS!! Good Luck all!!

Your leaving doesn't make me happy or sad. I don't know what you expected of this thread. You asked for our opinions and you got them. Sorry if we didn't all agree with your point of view. None of us are making the decision anyway.

[LZIp]

Can't believe I've actually go suckered into this convo, but TW bashers, please tell me your expectations of a "good" AD. I'd let to see how realistic some's expectations are.

[Dr Z]

tell me your expectations

-esque

[LZIp]

-esque

Can't really argue with that.

[Balsy]

You're reaching. This is common and is most likely happening at every single D1 university. We have had pretty damn good coaching retention if you ask me.

As for a-zip, sack up dude. Nothing wrong with people disagreeing with you.

I was just playing the devil's advocate to a-zips point, it was reaching

I don't think our AD is all that bad, but I also don't think he's all that good. He's vanilla, leaving a lot to be desired...as well as a lot that could be worse.

[Balsy]

It's time for me to say ba-bye to ZN.o (which I am sure will make many of you happy)

I will continue to root and support my alma mater but I cannot engage in this any longer.

GO ZIPS!! Good Luck all!!

One of the better things of this forum is that there are a LOT of different opinions. Defend your point, don't tuck-tail and run.

[LZIp]

I was just playing the devil's advocate to a-zips point, it was reaching

I don't think our AD is all that bad, but I also don't think he's all that good. He's vanilla, leaving a lot to be desired...as well as a lot that could be worse.

My bad on the comprehension fail. As for your bottom sentence, that's pretty much where I am. Obviously no Mike Thomas, who Dr. Z posted, but could also be a lot worse than he is. If I had to grade him, it would be a C with the potential of a B depending if Bowden ever gets over the hump. Most likely B when factoring in all sports, and because Bowden is going to get the program to at least an above .500 point.

[Zip_ME87]

please tell me your expectations of a "good" AD. I'd let to see how realistic some's expectations are.

Someone who has this guy's passion and belief in U of A.

[LZIp]

Someone who has this guy's passion and belief in U of A.

Oh. The guy that took a pay cut and sacrificed job stability to leave us? So much passion and belief for the U.

For the record, I have zero issue with Porter and wish him well, but get off your high horse.

[Zip_ME87]

Oh. The guy that took a pay cut and sacrificed job stability to leave us? So much passion and belief for the U.

For the record, I have zero issue with Porter and wish him well, but get off your high horse.

You don't know Porter like I do. So stop making assumptions. That's exactly the kind of asshole remarks that have no place on ZN.o. If you can't respect someone else's opinion/answers, don't ask or comment.

[LZIp]

You don't know Porter like I do. So stop making assumptions. That's exactly the kind of asshole remarks that have no place on ZN.o. If you can't respect someone else's opinion/answers, don't ask or comment.

You just called me an asshole for disagreeing with you and using facts, not an opinion, to support it. Pot meet kettle. What ZN.o has no place for (in my mind) is agendas.

[K92]

I think unless it's just truly offensive and way out of line everyone should be allowed to say just exactly what they want to say on this forum. (Of course, it's not my say.) I think CK & Dr. Z do a great job with letting us all be ourselves on here. Some boards have prissy squarebritches as moderators censoring every heartfelt opinion that might ruffle some feathers. Just my 2 cents.

[skip-zip]

Caleb's passion and belief in UA, as a D-1 athletic school with hopes of rising to the top, should be a characteristic of EVERYONE that works in our athletic dept., not just the AD.

[Zip_ME87]

You just called me an asshole for disagreeing with you and using facts, not an opinion, to support it. Pot meet kettle. What ZN.o has no place for (in my mind) is agendas.

The facts as you see them. I referred to your remarks as a-hole, not you. "took a pay cut and sacrificed job stability" is a fact. That he did so "to leave us" is not. He took a pay cut and sacrificed job stability by leaving us to pursue his ultimate goal of coaching the USMNT. Before he left, he told me not to accept the "mid-major mentality" because U of A can be so much more. We had a number of conversations while he was at UA and a few text exchanges since he's been gone. EDIT (because I didn't finish my statement): He continues to believe in UA because of the caring fans he knows are here.

[UAZip0510]

I don't think that TW is a bad guy or that he's not trying. I don't even agree that he hasn't brought us anything. But I do feel like the athletic department as a whole is in a rut. I also feel like a new person with new and fresh ideas is what is needed to pull UA out of that rut. And I feel like we'll see that change made when TW's contract is up.

[Zip_ME87]

I think unless it's just truly offensive and way out of line everyone should be allowed to say just exactly what they want to say on this forum. (Of course, it's not my say.) I think CK & Dr. Z do a great job with letting us all be ourselves on here. Some boards have prissy squarebritches as moderators censoring every heartfelt opinion that might ruffle some feathers. Just my 2 cents.

I have a problem with the "get off your high horse", but I didn't mean that anyone should be kicked off the board for posting it. Poorly stated, but my point was using statements like that are incendiary just like calling someone or someone's ideas a-hole.

deleted the garbage I stated

[Zip_ME87]

I don't think that TW is a bad guy or that he's not trying. I don't even agree that he hasn't brought us anything. But I do feel like the athletic department as a whole is in a rut. I also feel like a new person with new and fresh ideas is what is needed to pull UA out of that rut. And I feel like we'll see that change made when TW's contract is up.

Well said UAZip0510. Now that I read your post, maybe I was pointing out everything (big and small) to justify my agenda for change. UA Mens Soccer lucked out when Ken Lolla left to go to Louisville. UA soccer fans were comfortable with what we had and lamented his departure. Lolla wasn't a bad guy and had made the program a perennial contender (but not an elite D-1 program). Fortunately, Caleb was hired and came in with his passion and ideas and took it that next step. We could be comfortable with our Ath Dept as is, but I'd prefer to take the risk to possibly do better. I want to think we can get an AD with the passion and belief in UA to get us "out of the rut", as you say.

[akronad]

I don't think that TW is a bad guy or that he's not trying. I don't even agree that he hasn't brought us anything. But I do feel like the athletic department as a whole is in a rut. I also feel like a new person with new and fresh ideas is what is needed to pull UA out of that rut. And I feel like we'll see that change made when TW's contract is up.

I agree. I know several people in either athletic offices with universities or in high positions in league offices, and they basically say the same thing, "that working in the UA athletics dept. is toxic".

[UAZipster0305]

Well said UAZip0510. Now that I read your post, maybe I was pointing out everything (big and small) to justify my agenda for change. UA Mens Soccer lucked out when Ken Lolla left to go to Louisville. UA soccer fans were comfortable with what we had and lamented his departure. Lolla wasn't a bad guy and had made the program a perennial contender (but not an elite D-1 program). Fortunately, Caleb was hired and came in with his passion and ideas and took it that next step. We could be comfortable with our Ath Dept as is, but I'd prefer to take the risk to possibly do better. I want to think we can get an AD with the passion and belief in UA to get us "out of the rut", as you say.

We didn't get lucky when Ken Lolla left to go to Louisville. At the time it was a tragedy. Multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, dominating the MAC, a handful of All-Americans, #11 final ranking after the 1998 season...even then, men's soccer was by far UA's most successful sports program. The year that he left (2005) we were undefeated most of the season and had a #1 ranking for nearly half of it. His team qualified for the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament, losing at Maryland on PK's. We were an elite D-1 program with Lolla at the helm like we hadn't been since we were 1986 D-1 NCAA finalists. (Lolla played on the Duke team that beat us in the final.)

Let's not forget why Lolla left though: even with the success of the 2005 season, we received a #9 seed for the NCAA Tournament although we had earned a top-4. Simply put, we got screwed and this was in no small part due to the stigma of being at UA. You can't blame the guy for wanting to leave after that.

With Caleb Porter, we simply got mega lucky even though the stigma continued (e.g. NCAA Tournament game moved to Northwestern). That much success just couldn't be contained by stigma though. Who would have thought that Lolla's departure would have actually been viewed as a positive for UA in hindsight? Shaun Docking was and remains the best qualified coach we could expect to replace Lolla, Porter, or Embick.

[Captain Kangaroo]

We didn't get lucky when Ken Lolla left to go to Louisville.

With Caleb Porter, we simply got mega lucky.

You can't have it both ways.

1.) It is undeniably proven that we got lucky when Lolla left. Our program reached a height it would never have reached if Lolla was the coach. Had Lolla stayed, we would have no National Championship. Just some 2- or 3-deep tourney runs. That's why Lolla left...he flat-out said he couldn't win a National Championship at UA.

2.) Caleb Porter's hiring was no fluke. I recall talking to our AD at the time, and lamenting Lolla's loss. He said "Don't worry, we got someone even better." I thought he was full of it, but he was 100% correct. It is also undeniable.

[UAZipster0305]

You can't have it both ways.

1.) It is undeniably proven that we got lucky when Lolla left. Our program reached a height it would never have reached if Lolla was the coach. Had Lolla stayed, we would have no National Championship. Just some 2- or 3-deep tourney runs. That's why Lolla left...he flat-out said he couldn't win a National Championship at UA.

2.) Caleb Porter's hiring was no fluke. I recall talking to our AD at the time, and lamenting Lolla's loss. He said "Don't worry, we got someone even better." I thought he was full of it, but he was 100% correct. It is also undeniable.

At the time of Lolla's departure, it was a big deal. No one in their right mind thought UA could win a D-1 National Championship in any sport, and UA men's soccer was already the flagship team sport of the MAC. A #1 ranking and a deep tournament run was a huge deal. Of late, only Can't baseball has made a deep tournament run and that happened once. So, let's not down-play Lolla's success.

Caleb Porter coming here was a matter of luck in that someone else better was available and also willing to come to UA. Had it not been Caleb Porter, we'd all be lamenting the loss of Lolla. That's all I'm saying.