Coach Barry Budget Cuts

[OhMandy]

Interesting article on ESPN site.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=1975270

[walkaway]

Aaaaauuuuughhh. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Football funds the universe.

"CU bought 100 Dell Axim hand-held computers at $349.22 each, according to university spending records reviewed by the Rocky Mountain News."

Their athletics dept. is $3 million in the red.

Um, horrible thought -- are any of those kids who got the computers coming back next year? Doesn't the NC2A frown on that sort of stuff?

[swok34]

Doesn't the NC2A frown on that sort of stuff?

I think all programs do something like this as a reward for making a bowl game.

Sad, though I don't think that $35,000 would have made much of a dent in their hole. I was really surprised that CU's football team did as well as they did considering their offseason woes...

and it's also sad that the AD feels this way:

Interim Athletic Director Jack Lengyel said he doesn't favor taking away gifts from athletes in one sport to help solve financial woes elsewhere.
"That's why we exist, is for student-athlete opportunities, and to deny them full access to their successes with regards to championships to me is not a way to solve a financial problem within the athletic department," Lengyel said Monday.

The problem is if the football team's not making the dough..........then money to support the other programs is in jeopardy.

[wwi_flying_ace_17]

Some KU fans were complaining about Lew Perkins increasing prices (although many like me believe he just decided to do things in a more modern way since it was pretty much being run like we were still in the Big 8). Our old AD was a nice guy, but was out of league once the conference became the Big 12.

I will admit that he has done a great job in getting donations from alumni for upgrades to our facilities. I also remember reading how he has done a good job in reaching out to many of the athletic teams. Our soccer facility really needs to work, but when our women's team made the Sweet Sixteen a few years ago, they got rings and some almost started crying when they found out.

I'm not sure who CU's AD is, but I would think that Colorado should have some fairly well-to-do alumni. If Kansas was able to get outside donations, I don't see why a school like Colorado wouldn't be able to. I suppose some of it comes down to the salesmanship and other things, but I am surprised a school like Colorado would be having budget problems.

This might just be me speaking as a woman, but I would have a hard time working up an ounce of sympathy for the Colorado football team if they lost their rewards for their Bowl Game. Whether all of those sexual assault allegations were true or not, I was not impressed with how it was handled.

[Gator]

I've got a problem with this on SO many levels.....

1) $3 million in the red? OK - someone made the decision to build the lux boxes and club seating - but who pays if the plan fails? Tax payers? I assume the athletic dept. can't just go to the bank and ask for a loan. Is anyone in the dept. getting a raise while the kids pay the price?


2) Interim Athletic Director Jack Lengyel said he doesn't favor taking away gifts from athletes in one sport to help solve financial woes elsewhere. But he favors taking class time away from other athletes to help solve the problem? Where ARE his priorities?


3) Colorado's athletic department is now more than $3 million in debt this year, a deficit driven in part by the school's struggle to lease luxury boxes and club seating at Folsom Field. Last year, the school asked the men's and women's basketball teams and the volleyball teams to stop flying on chartered planes to save money..."

mmmmm - no mention of how the football team is getting to games - but I guess asking them to stop flying chartered would be to .... what? help contribute to saving money during a tight budget?

4) the $35,000 spent on not denying "them full access to their successes with regards to championships" is obviously a drop in the bucket towards solving a $3 million problem but it SURE sends a much louder message than its dollar value.

"That's why we exist, is for student-athlete opportunities,..." such as the opportunity to get a $350 gift, not necessarily the opportunity to get to the maximum number of classes.

[swok34]

Still, I guess I can see the point in giving the boys the electronic doo-dads. You can't give them hookers and strippers and coeds anymore, so you gotta give them something, right?

Funny post off the ESPN board.......:D

[walkaway]

Ace, I'm with you on the assault/harassment charges and the (non)results.

But I learned a long time ago that football boys are God's gifts to the universe and you don't cross their privileges. Cases in point?
Nebraska football. Anybody remember Lawrence Phillips' girlfriend?
Fort Worth Carter High School football. Half the varsity squad was indicted for robbing convenience stores.

USA today had a list awhile back of nearly 200 NCAA and professional athletes, mostly football players and boxers but some basketball players too, who were or had been up on charges relating to sexual assault.

Tell me the steroids, testosterone, and "let 'em play" attitude don't factor in to that. Then tell me we need bigger, tougher, more physical girls in D-1 ball.

[OhMandy]

I'm sure Mandy and Julie both enjoyed using their IPod or MP3 players given to them when CU went to the Final Eight back in 2002 or 03?

Just as Veronica is enjoying her MP3 Player given to her before last year's trip to Santa Barbara for the NCAA tourney?

The worst thing is that things like this have happened before at CU under barnett's "mentor" Bill McCartney. Many of his players had several run-ins with the law. Look at the Feb 27, 1989 Sports Illustrated, with OU's Charles Thompson in an orange jump suit on the cover, for all the crimes McCartney's players were charged with. Barnett was part of that staff. CU didn't care since they won a very tainted National Championship.

[vickie1ok]

[QUOTE=The worst thing is that things like this have happened before at CU under barnett's "mentor" Bill McCartney. Many of his players had several run-ins with the law. Look at the Feb 27, 1989 Sports Illustrated, with OU's Charles Thompson in an orange jump suit on the cover, for all the crimes McCartney's players were charged with. Barnett was part of that staff. CU didn't care since they won a very tainted National Championship.[/QUOTE]

Mandy, it's interesting you bring up Charles Thompson. He paid for the mistake he made, not only with prison time but the fans turned on him, and he will always have the shame of that national cover on SI. But after he did time and grew up a little, he has turned his life around 180 degrees. He coaches kids teams and has totally owned up to mistakes he has made and doesn't blame anyone else. He talks to kids about taking responsibility. You know, people try to protect athletes from legal, financial and ethical responsibilities, but Thompson is an example where even though he paid a high price, he is a better person for having to accept responsibility than those who don't. If they really cared about the players instead of the short term dreams for their teams, they would have a little tougher love.

[Cory]

Mrs. Cory is a Dell employee and thinks ALL atheletes should receive a Dell product for their commitment to sports.


1-800-Buy-Dell

;)

[OhMandy]

[/QUOTE]

Mandy, it's interesting you bring up Charles Thompson. He paid for the mistake he made, not only with prison time but the fans turned on him, and he will always have the shame of that national cover on SI. But after he did time and grew up a little, he has turned his life around 180 degrees. He coaches kids teams and has totally owned up to mistakes he has made and doesn't blame anyone else. He talks to kids about taking responsibility. You know, people try to protect athletes from legal, financial and ethical responsibilities, but Thompson is an example where even though he paid a high price, he is a better person for having to accept responsibility than those who don't. If they really cared about the players instead of the short term dreams for their teams, they would have a little tougher love.[/QUOTE]

I think I saw story on Thompson that mentions everything you said, on a Fox Sports show. I'm glad to see he turned his life around.

This is just second hand knowledge but everybody I talked to and everything I read about Charles was he was a good kid but once he came in contact with the OU football program at the time, it was the classic case of a good kid falling in with the wrong crowd.

Sorry but too many people in today's society think that tough love isn't an acceptable way to raise/treat kids. Which is wrong.

BTW you can't spell sCUm without CU. That only applies to the football team.

[TTU79]

Gator, Very good post and I agree with you totally. Maybe we Hoopscoop people need to start a donation drive to help the CU Women's Basketball team have a post season banquet. :)

[CYMAN]

Before we feel too sorry for Colorado and Coach Barry their budget for 04 was $2,066K with revenues of $600K, for '03 it was $2,070K with revenue of $580K from the EADA report that they have to send to the Dept of Education. For reference ISU for '03 had a budget of $1,576K with revenues of $1,084K.

It is a little easier to cut when you start out with a whole lot more to begin with. ISU has went through budget reductions each of the last two or three years and has survived.

[walkaway]

At the very least, we need to be writing letters to the Big 12 about that.

Mistreatment of programs to favor other programs is a symptom of a general lack of accountability -- does anybody here remember what all SMU went thru in its non-football sports the two or three years before the death penalty?

[dellboy1981]

Dellboy is also a Dell employee and agrees wholeheartedly with Mrs. Cory. In fact, he has a team of 25 employees whom he would be more than happy to have give you a call! :)

[Gator]

Gator, Very good post and I agree with you totally. Maybe we Hoopscoop people need to start a donation drive to help the CU Women's Basketball team have a post season banquet. :)

LOL thanks but no thanks.

The end of season banques (and I use the term VERY loosely) I have gone to at OU cost $50 a person for a meal/location which can NOT have cost more than $25 a plate. I certainly didn't go to get great food and don't begrudge the cost of mediocre fair because I understand that I am there and writing a check for $100 to support the team and program. I will assume that Colorado fans do the same. If not, let them eat cake - opppps - I mean hot dogs. ;)

[vickie1ok]

"This is just second hand knowledge but everybody I talked to and everything I read about Charles was he was a good kid but once he came in contact with the OU football program at the time, it was the classic case of a good kid falling in with the wrong crowd.

Sorry but too many people in today's society think that tough love isn't an acceptable way to raise/treat kids. Which is wrong.

BTW you can't spell sCUm without CU. That only applies to the football team."

Mandy, that is ridiculous. If you knew the real story about Charles Thompson, you would know his bad influences were outside the OU football program. Frankly I think the people you "talk to" don't know much about football or football players except they hate the sport and the people who play it.

We agree about tough love and agree popular athletes (of any sport) get away with murder. Literally. :( But football is not the scapegoat for the ills of college life and I think you missed my point.

[OhMandy]

"This is just second hand knowledge but everybody I talked to and everything I read about Charles was he was a good kid but once he came in contact with the OU football program at the time, it was the classic case of a good kid falling in with the wrong crowd.

Sorry but too many people in today's society think that tough love isn't an acceptable way to raise/treat kids. Which is wrong.

BTW you can't spell sCUm without CU. That only applies to the football team."

Mandy, that is ridiculous. If you knew the real story about Charles Thompson, you would know his bad influences were outside the OU football program. Frankly I think the people you "talk to" don't know much about football or football players except they hate the sport and the people who play it.

We agree about tough love and agree popular athletes (of any sport) get away with murder. Literally. :( But football is not the scapegoat for the ills of college life and I think you missed my point.


You don't know what the hell you're talking about. Jamelle (A coke a day) Hollyway ring a bell? Brian Bosworth? Or the OU player who shot an OU player? They are the criminals that Charles Thompson was hanging with.

And the people I talked to are sports writers and assistant FOOTBALL coaches who either covered OU, worked for OU, or knew coaches at OU during the lawless days of BS. So before you go around assuming something and making a fool of yourself, ask.

[35TangoTango]

Before we feel too sorry for Colorado and Coach Barry their budget for 04 was $2,066K with revenues of $600K, for '03 it was $2,070K with revenue of $580K from the EADA report that they have to send to the Dept of Education. For reference ISU for '03 had a budget of $1,576K with revenues of $1,084K.

It is a little easier to cut when you start out with a whole lot more to begin with. ISU has went through budget reductions each of the last two or three years and has survived.

In all fairness to Colorado, the newspapers reported that Colorado was one of two conference schools whose location demanded flying to all away games (I believe Texas Tech is the other one). According to the same article, while the men's program is taking commercial flights, the women's program is still taking charters and making it to class.

And also, I'm amazed that the postseason banquet is a budget item at Colorado. At Oklahoma, both the pre-season and postseason banquets are put on by the Fastbreak (WBB Booster) Club.

[DblT81]

Tech doesn't do banquets.

[Bball Girl]

Tech doesn't do banquets.

Maybe we're thinking of different banquets?

The Lady Raiders have banquets ONLY when they make it to the Sweet 16 and beyond. So, last year there was no banquet but I expect there to be one this year.