For all the haters...

[PITTsburghFAN]

He was more sinned against than sinning, much more unfortunate than unwise...

Aside from Wanny, those coaches who worked under him seem to speak highly of the gentleman... as Ben Howland does here.

And having worked with him, I was a friend and a fan of a good man.

http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/8063086-74/howland-pitt-pederson#axzz3VhMbiKhK


Sometimes it is just time for a change... and this one was probably for the good. But he deserved better than the haters and the self-loathing yinzers that harangued him.
This post was edited on 3/28 12:45 PM by PITTsburghFAN

 

[UPitt129]

Could not agree more. Peterson absolutely had his flaws, but he did a lot of good turning around the programs at the university, and positioning it for the move to the ACC. It was time for a change, but too many people held a grudge against him because they blamed him for tearing down Pitt Stadium and changing the uniforms.

 

[pittjd06]

What a crock.

First of all, your "except for wanny" premise is absolutely made up. I will grant you this: "except for football coaches" he is not absolutely hated by those who worked for him, but the simple fact of modern P5 athletic is that football is by far most important. Ask pat Narduzzi if he'd hae taken our job with Steve still at the helm. I know the answer

Furthermore, yes, he did some good things, but this isn't a 2-dimensional cartoon world where you are either 100% good or 100% bad. With that said, he made a number of disastrous, high profile blunders that set the athletic department back several years. Simply, they outweigh any positives; hence the fact that he was run out of town as soon as his benefactor/bodyguard retired.

Importantly, any attempt to credit Pederson for the acc move is absurd. That move was externally driven by the changing landscape of p5 athletics, AND included pitt based upon the quality of its overall institution, AND more importantly its location relative to television markets. The fact that pitt has a "D1" athletic program (I'm talking about its general nature/existence, not its quality) was merely a prerequisite box to check in order to justify adding the Pgh media market by way of pitt sports. Hugh henry brackenridge (who founded the joint in the city of Pittsburgh) and philo Farnsworth (television pioneer) had more to do with pitt joining the acc than Steve Pederson. Attempting to give Pederson credit is nothing more than nonsense from sycophants who were desperate to provide him with much needed credibility and public approval by putting pedersons name on a very positive development. That failed, as did steve

Finally, his contract extension that was gifted from nordenberg on the way out the door was and is disgusting, and unjustifiable. A total waste of university money in the wake of a funding crisis, that shows at least at the end of nordenbergs tenure, he prioritized protecting his buddy over the university's best interests.

 

[Pitt is #1]

I'd have taken that contract too. Hard to fault SP for an signing it. As for blaming SP for everything...I don't think that is correct. I think he and Nordy shared a vision of doing football on the cheap. Had they been successful we would be praising them...they were not. It is the one black eye on Nordenberg's Presidency. I think he deserves as much criticism as Steve when it comes to football.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

Money quote, PITTLAW must read

"I hope people realize what an unbelievable job Steve Pederson did for Pitt basketball and the university," Howland said on TribLive Radio. "You would not be in the ACC today were it not for his vision."

and also:

"If Pitt was still in Pitt Stadium and playing in (Fitzgerald Field House), you'd be in the AAC in a no-bid league with (non-revenue) football and wondering what we're going to do next," Howland said.

 

[dooz3]

Don't you all love haters of every ilk perfectly exemplified by hater pittjd06. All haters follow the same pathetic and flawed script. Everythng bad done under the watch of the gut they hate was the guy's fault and everything good done under his watch was not because of him Yes this guy has the hater script down pat.Thank you Pitt hater pittjd06 for demonstrating how shallow haters like you are.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: For All The Haters...Pitt Cuts Both Ways!

Howland and Pederson were swords with two edges, Pitt hired them to rebuild Pitt Athletics and both did just that but they came to Pitt for that opportunity and abandon Pitt for their Dream Jobs. No one ever said they were not good men either. Howland should be grateful but it was Pitt that gave Howland his opportunity.

Pitt gave Howland his opportunity to be a Coach in the Big East. Howland left his Team in the middle of the NCAA Tournament and could not wait to get to UCLA his Dream Job. He lost focus during that Tourney as his Players gave him all he demanded. UCLA gave him 10 years of his dream job but dismissed him.

Pederson came to Pitt and did rebuild Pitt Athletics to his credit. Yet, Pederson did abandon Pitt as well for his Dream Job to Nebraska his Alma Mater right when the ACC was raiding the Big East. Steve was nowhere to be found when Pitt had to survive in the Big East during that bleak endangered period. Today, Nebraskan's his own Alma Mater Fans hate Steve Pederson more than any Pitt Fans.

I credit Pederson for helping Pitt to the ACC since he was Athletic Director when the ACC wanted to expand further. Just like the Athletic Directors at WVU, TCU, Rutgers, Syracuse, ULou, and Maryland all got credit moving to the ACC, Big-12, and Big Ten! Howland didn't mention them?

If one wants to be fair, Pitt with Syracuse was bringing New York and Pennsylvania Cable TV Subscribers and that also help attract Notre Dame in All Sports and Football related. I think one has to be fair when talking about successes as well as abandonment for better opportunities and dismissals for failures too.

Sean Miller a Pitt Alumnus was available to be Head Coach at the same time Ben Howland was hired. Today, Pitt has two Alumnus still coaching in the NCAA Tournament, but neither at Pitt?

Pederson was not fired for the Stadium, Pitt Change Name, or Uniform Colors he was fired just as he was at Nebraska for his Management Style and Poor Judgment in firing and choosing coaches isolating the Pitt Fan Base and Supporters just like he was at Nebraska.

Howland would do well to focus on his upcoming challenge to rebuild Miss State Basketball instead of bringing up the past to help the man that hired him also find a job after failures in their Dream Jobs! Ben Howland much like Jackie Sherrill over 30 years ago is having buyer remorse in leaving Pitt for bigger money and program and like Jackie Sherrill Missy State is giving him the same opportunity like they gave Jackie.

Jackie has publicly stated the biggest mistake he made was leaving Pitt. Perhaps Howland is feeling the same just 2 days after being named Missy State Head BB Coach?

The simple Fact is Howland was not up to the UCLA Head Coach job and why UCLA fired him after 10 years? The same for Steve Pederson that could not maintain Nebraska as a Top 15 Program, let alone build a Top 25 Football Program at Pitt after 14 years?

When Howland was judged at UCLA he failed because he did not win enough and it took time for another University to give him another chance in Missy State and he is both a good man and coach. When Pederson failed to advance Nebraska and Pitt Athletics he too proved he could no longer do that in spite of given several opportunities and 19 years to prove otherwise?

So, don't blame Pitt Fans or Pitt for their failures when Steve and Ben both owe much thanks and gratitude to The University of Pittsburgh that gave them the opportunity to succeed. It cuts both ways, they did not miss Pitt when they were away, and Pitt does not miss them today!

As stated Pederson and Howland are swords with two edges and Pitt is equally glad to be rid of both of them, as they long to comeback to Pitt the very place they once abandon and what got them fired were their own decisions of failures not fans.

Good to see Ben remembers Steve, but as Nebraska, Pitt and UCLA all said...............Godspeed to Ben Howland and Steve Pederson!

This post was edited on 3/28 3:30 PM by CaptainSidneyReilly

 

[perchance]

Geez, I guess they were all 'haters' at Nebraska too.

 

[pitt-girl]

There were those like me, who were not "haters", but as it is with most things, those who are complaining are often louder.

The truth about Pederson lies somewhere in the middle. He did good, he did bad. Re: the contract extension I challenge anyone to say they wouldn't accept extra compensation if presented by your employer short of something illegal at ANY time. Saying otherwise is a bit disingenuous IMHO.

It was time for a change. Pederson was too polarizing to be effective in that role anymore. But his legacy touches on both successes and failures.

This post was edited on 3/28 2:54 PM by pitt-girl

 

[Den of Hacks]

Well said.

It was time for Pederson to go given how polarizing a figure he became. But when he came to Pitt during his first tenure, the athletics programs were in shambles. He clearly made decisions in terms of infrastructure and hiring Harris and Howland that helped improve football and basketball in particular.

During his second tenure, the Big East was turning into a shambles. He and the Chancellor were able navigate the rough weather to find a safe harbor in the ACC, which was not a given - it took some work.

Clearly the athletic programs have suffered from lack of funding and administrative support, which may have placed a burden on Pederson to manage a weak budget that made him look worse than he really is.

Glad he's gone, but there's a lot to this history we just don't know.

This post was edited on 3/28 9:05 PM by Den of Hacks

 

[PITTLAW]

Reply

Yawn... Seriously, Ben Howland is now an expert on Pitt's enterance to the ACC? LOL While that was going on...Ben was in the process of getting himself canned at UCLA. Maybe Ben was also buying some real estate in Mississippi in anticipation of his dream job? Oh wait, he only does that when he has a team in the Sweet 16. Think Ben may may be just a wee bit predjudiced on the subject?

Ben may be right that if Pitt were playing in Fitzgerald Fieldhouse and football in an unrenovated Pitt Stadium the ACC may not have happened? But a new basketball facility was in the works long before Ben was hired by Steve. The football stadium was in several stages of being renovated....before the move to Heinz happened. Sounds to me like Ben is trying to pay back the guy that gave him a start in the million dollar college basketball coaches club. Funny, but P5 University presidents do not seem to be clamouring for the services of Pitt's former visionary AD. LOL Hail to Pitt!

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

He deserves credit for Pitt1, and this is Pitt where things always could be worse, but they never should have hired him again after Nebraska.

 

[wbrpanther]

Pederson I..good! Pederson II..not so much!

 

[Pitt Law '04]

If Steve is so esteemed in the industry and what you say is true, then I suspect Steve should be lining up another Power 5 athletic director job any minute now, right? Should only be a matter of time. We'll see.

 

[rc79]

Thanks for the laugh.

 

[PITTsburghFAN]

As always, Pitt-Girl...

A measured and thoughtful perspective.

I'm not a mindless shill for Steve P. But a couple thoughts:

On balance, his moves were far more positive than negative.

He HAD to shake up the athletics department when he first arrived. There was very little equity in the traditional Pitt brand at the time. There was nothing wrong at the time with trying to forge a conscious brand connection between the University that bears the name of the city... and the intense affection the region feels for its sports team. Ergo "PITTsburgh". What was so wrong with that??

The one hire that seems inexplicable was Heywood. But that seems to have been recruiting/search firm decision... and might be due to SP's feeling burned by the Bill Callahan hiring at Nebraska??

I think it's fair to say that the Todd Graham hire was bad luck. A bad fit? Yes... but the guy can coach.

 

[GhostOfPITT40]

Re: Money quote, PITTLAW must read

Wrong Ben. The Pete would have still been built for hoops, just in another location and not on that prime real estate. Pitt Stadium would have been renovated and we would be in a better place today, not being the Steeler's JV bitches. Thank you very much.

 

[PITTLAW]

Reply


Strange that you mention the rebranding effort as one of Steve's positives. Without getting into the technical and legal reasons why moving from Pitt to Pittsburgh was a really BAD decision....we have the advantage of hindsight in judging. And in hindsight, it turned out to be a horrible decision which did not stick. The font and intricacies of the original change barely lasted the season--as it was not comprehenisble. The media laughed, alumni were angered, and it made very little practical sense. Hence, epic fail on that one. For the loyal followers...I'd suggest following another team....but alas, I guess it would have to be the Unemployment Office you would find yourself cheering for. Give me a U.....! Hail to Pitt!

 

[Pghfan]

I still hate steve Pederson and nothing ben howland says will change that..

 

[rc79]

Don't worry, Ben and the rest of the former basketball clique have always been delusional about what rear end is up.

Their post employment comments are embarrassing but revealing as to the administration culture problems.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

Re: As always, Pitt-Girl...

Originally posted by PITTsburghFAN:
A measured and thoughtful perspective.

I'm not a mindless shill for Steve P. But a couple thoughts:

On balance, his moves were far more positive than negative.

He HAD to shake up the athletics department when he first arrived. There was very little equity in the traditional Pitt brand at the time. There was nothing wrong at the time with trying to forge a conscious brand connection between the University that bears the name of the city... and the intense affection the region feels for its sports team. Ergo "PITTsburgh". What was so wrong with that??

The one hire that seems inexplicable was Heywood. But that seems to have been recruiting/search firm decision... and might be due to SP's feeling burned by the Bill Callahan hiring at Nebraska??

I think it's fair to say that the Todd Graham hire was bad luck. A bad fit? Yes... but the guy can coach.

I would buy the bad luck thing for Todd Graham if this was the first time he had pulled a one and done on a school. However, it was the second time he'd done it. That means it was not bad luck as much as it was poor due diligence. Trying to defend it on any level is disqualifying of you as a candidate to have a reasonable conversation on the matter.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

Re: As always, Pitt-Girl...

Originally posted by PITTsburghFAN:
A measured and thoughtful perspective.

I'm not a mindless shill for Steve P. But a couple thoughts:

On balance, his moves were far more positive than negative.

He HAD to shake up the athletics department when he first arrived. There was very little equity in the traditional Pitt brand at the time. There was nothing wrong at the time with trying to forge a conscious brand connection between the University that bears the name of the city... and the intense affection the region feels for its sports team. Ergo "PITTsburgh". What was so wrong with that??

There was nothing wrong with the decision itself, per se. However, the ham-handed way in which it was implemented absolutely was Pederson's fault. To me that is the perfect embodiment of the Steve Pederson era in a nutshell.

Maybe there wasn't a lot of equity in the Pitt brand at the time? However, I'd sure like to see their research on the matter and I'm sure so too would many others. Instead it was passed down from on high like the word of God and that was a flat out IDIOTIC way to approach things.

I am with you entirely that if the University of Connecticut can be both UConn and Connecticut, and if the University of California can be both Cal and California, and if North Carolina State University can be NC State and North Carolina State; the University of Pittsburgh can certainly be both Pitt and Pittsburgh. However, in his typically autocratic fashion, that was not good enough for Pederson. He wasn't interested in the school being known as both Pitt and Pittsburgh, it was going to be Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh only and anyone caught calling the school by its traditional nickname was fired/ostracized.

I'm sorry but that is ridiculously arrogant,incredibly foolish and entirely indefensible.

And then to overhaul everything in a similarly amateurish manner only exacerbated the issue. If that was such a great move then why hasn't any other university ever followed suit? Pitt wasn't the only school to ever struggle. So why hasn't anyone else undergone such a radical branding change ever?

To not have understood that in 1996 was foolish. To still not get that 20 years later is almost breathtaking.

 

[pbrad]

If you are not Wichita State or Dayton or Gonzaga, your priority as an AD is to build the football program. SP did a very good job for B Ball, but football was lacking and floundering with his seemingly shoot from the hip decisions. Nordenberg deserves a lot of criticism for football, but as one of the higher paid AD's in the country you have to convince your boss on the merits of putting more money into football. SP did the opposite with his stupid hires.

As far as Howland, SP gave him his first big job, he left, the people at Pitt including myself were a little upset and said so. Now that he has caught on with a" perennial basketball power" I expect him to take little digs at the school that fired his buddy. Thank you Chancellor.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

I hate to revisit this and be labeled a "hater" but even the facilities argument is a red herring because it presumes that had they hired anyone else there was no way that person would have addressed Pitt's aging facilities, which, as we all know, is patently absurd.

No matter who Pitt hired in 1996 or certainly by 2010, would have addressed the universities' facilities issues. They had no other choice.

It would be one thing if Pitt was the only school to invest in facilities upgrades during that time but literally EVERYONE ELSE was doing it too. Cincinnati, when they were still in C-USA, dumped $100+ million into their Olympic sports complex, Varsity Village. UConn built the Taj Mahal of training facilities in the Burton Family Football Complex. Rutgers built the Hale Center. And those were the low end Big East schools.

It's just such an intellectually dishonest argument to say, "Well, if Pitt hadn't hired Pederson, they never would have touched their facilities and would therefore be a D2 school by now."

That is the problem with Pederson and his supporters, IMHO. Everything was black and white, either/or. It was always Option A versus Option B whenever we absolutely could have had all of it had we planned a little better and had our chief fundraiser done a better job of cultivating relationships with major donors and the Pittsburgh corporate community.

It never had to be Pitt versus Pittsburgh, but he made it so. It never had to be football versus basketball, but he made it so. It never had to be Pitt Stadium versus the Petersen Events Center, but he made that so too.

It makes me cringe to see our Lowest Common Denominator (LCD) fans incessantly falling into all of these same divisive traps that idiot kept laying.

And to make matters worse, he kept betting on the wrong horse. What kind of an imbecile chooses basketball over football? I would imagine the same kind of imbecile who thought he could threaten and cajole everyone into immediately ceasing their usage of the school's 100 plus year-old nickname in favor of a name people associated with the university have never used to describe it.

With just a little understanding of and appreciation for basic public relations, he would still be employed here and he would be revered. As it is, he is now out of a job and reviled by the vast majority of two different fanbases.

Obviously, as a major beneficiary of Pederson's idiotic decision making, Ben Howland thinks he chose wisely and deserves more credit than he typically receives. I would imagine that Jamie Dixon shares those sentiments. I wonder if Walt Harris, Dave Wannstedt or Paul Chryst agree with Howland's decidedly biased assessment of the Steve Pederson epoch?

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

This is what I'm talking about. Just this one and tell me how much financial sense it made for Pitt to prioritize men's basketball over football. These articles show that even the most highly rated NCAA Tournament games can't touch even games like the prestigious Belk Bowl on the ratings front. Even basketball-crazy schools like Louisville draw twice the numbers for their meaningless bowl games than they do their NCAA Tournament games.

Here is another link embellishing my point. In this interview, according to ACC commissioner John Swofford, the ACC's ESPN television contract is about 75-80% football driven. Remember, this is the ACC, the ULTIMATE basketball-centric league among the P5. If the numbers are this lopsided for a league that houses Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Louisville, etc., what do they look like for the SEC or B1G?

It was INSANE to prioritize basketball over football and it is but by the grace of God that it didn't cost Pitt a seat at the big biys table in intercollegiate athletics. We aren't in the ACC because of Steve Pederson's idiotic decision to prioritize basketball over football, we are in the ACC in spite of it. Don't believe me. Then please explain to me how we are in the ACC while UConn - which, by every conceivable metric is a better basketball program than Pitt - is toiling away in the American?

 

[Parkview57]

Well said Dr.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

By the way, none of this means I hate Steve Pederson. I don't hate him at all personally. I just don't want him within the same zip code as my favorite athletic department and that is mostly because I am familiar with his previous work in that regard.

None of what I've written has been out of hate but rather out of my love and passion for Pitt athletics. We can do better than Steve Pederson as AD. In fact, we MUST do better than Steve Pederson with our next hire.

 

[geeman2001]

Once again ... anything other than the mundane administrative stuff, that you wish to blame (or give credit to) for regarding the decisions related to Pitt athletics ... especially in Pederson Stint #2 ... should be directed to Mr. Nordenberg.

In Stint #1, perhaps Pederson did have the ideas for some of the polarizing items many seem to hate ... the stadium, logo, "Pittsburgh" things among them. But these were far too significant issues that he could have implemented them unilaterally. They would have required Nordenberg and/or the trustees.

And in Stint #2, although coaching hires do soil his reputation (mostly deservedly), the more philosophical decisions to low ball funding for Pitt football and double down on crippling morality and ethics BS, again could not have been Pederson. In fact, they were out of character for him, given his football background at universities that infamously were all in with football financially, and cut corners with morals and ethics in their athletics.

Again, blame (or praise) Nordenberg for this. Especially Stint #2, when Pederson had been totally neutered by the Nebraska experience. He was along for the ride for the second go-around ... nobody else in America would touch him (much like now, it seems).

Howland is just another in unfortunate line of coaches who screwed Pitt in various ways (on court/field or off) and should have the decency now to just keep their yaps shut. No good can come of it, for them or us.


This post was edited on 3/29 6:29 PM by geeman2001

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Great Post, Well Documented With Facts Not Emotional....

......like the Thread was based upon with the Howland Quotes.

It was never personal on Pederson.

Pederson's pure ego caused him problems at Nebraska and Pitt and no one ever wished him ill will as the Thread tried to make it out to be?

The fact is a change had to be made, because Pitt could not move on into the ACC with Pederson anymore than Nebraska in the Big-12 and Big Ten and they got rid of Pederson too.

I credit Pederson for help rebuilding Pitt Athletics as well as helping Pitt being invited to the ACC, just to be fair. I expected him to do just that because that is what he was paid to do!

Still, Pederson was paid off with millions and did horrible jobs at Nebraska and Pitt and should be thankful Pitt gave him the opportunity to do so along with that was what Pederson was suppose to do , and that is what the Posters should remember as well.

At no time did any Pro Pederson Poster ever answer the one question I put up countless of time.....If Steve Pederson Could Not Keep a Top 15 Football Program At Nebraska, How Can He Build Pitt Into A Top 25 Program?

The answer was and still is, Pederson couldn't and many people blamed Pitt, Pitt Fans and Supporters not going to games, or providing funds to the program, and many excuses for Pederson.

Yet, when Pederson was running a program that sold out every game, had a walk-on program of scholarships that offered as many as 85 NCAA Scholarships, and recruited in the Top 25, and raised millions, Pederson still had trouble finding a coach, upset the Nebraskan Alumni, and the President of Nebraska had no choice but to fire Pederson in 5 minutes.

Upon his return to Pitt, he just kept making the same mistakes over and over and using Consultants like he was always doing and given a 5 Year Extension by Nordenberg in spite of a poor performance.

It took Chancellor Gallagher less than Five Months what the President of Nebraska did in 5 Minutes, not only fire Pederson for such a poor performance but made sure that kind of Athletic Director Management Style no longer has a place in College Sports.

Apparently, Pederson is still unemployed and Howland is trying to get him a job now, when in fact both Howland and Pederson left Pitt Athletics during their greatest crisis after The University of Pittsburgh gave them the opportunity to do bigger and better accomplishments.

Now that Howland proved he could handle UCLA Basketball Program and Pederson could not handle Nebraska Football Program, we have a few Posters crying in their coffees again over Pederson and blaming other Fans when the failures on Howland and Pederson not Pitt!

As stated, Pederson was a two edged sword and Pitt Football and Basketball are equally glad to be rid of Pederson.

Ben Howland has a new opportunity to rebuild Missy State Basketball and should be focused on the Bulldogs instead of Pederson's Firing and Legacy at Pitt?

Anyone crying and having regrets that Pitt fired Pederson as he sits on millions of Pitt Money for doing nothing has his own problems and issues and Pederson can't go back to his Adopted Mother (Alma Mater In Latin) Nebraska, why should anyone want cry about Pederson at Pitt?

Howland was able to find another job as he had his Buyout from UCLA, and up to Pederson to do the same with buyout from Pitt! This is only on Pederson now not Pitt! anymore!

This post was edited on 3/29 7:06 PM by CaptainSidneyReilly

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Geeman2001, Kudos and Ditto!

Originally posted by geeman2001:

........Howland is just another in unfortunate line of coaches who screwed Pitt in various ways (on court/field or off) and should have the decency now to just keep their yaps shut. No good can come of it, for them or us.

If I was Missy State Athletic Director about now, I would be worried what Howland is focused on Pitt within his first week at Missy State. Could get worse for Missy State Athletic Director????

WE BOTH WON'T BE AT PITT IN 2015!

 

[pitt-girl]

Originally posted by geeman2001:

Howland is just another in unfortunate line of coaches who screwed Pitt in various ways (on court/field or off) and should have the decency now to just keep their yaps shut. No good can come of it, for them or us.


This post was edited on 3/29 6:29 PM by geeman2001

Why do you think Howland "screwed' Pitt? Because he took a higher profile job? I'm fascinated that there are some fans out there still resentful that Howland followed his own personal dream.

I know the talk around that final game in Minneapolis that the players "knew" he had one foot out and I wasn't amused how Ben handled the exit, but the reality is IMHO we lost that game because of Dwayne Wade and Travis Denier, not Howland and UCLA.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Pitt fans don't prioritize football.

The administration did, unless you think spending $20mil isn't prioritizing football.
Apparently, $22mil is.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Pitt-Girl Question?

Originally posted by pitt-girl:





Originally posted by geeman2001:

Howland is just another in unfortunate line of coaches who screwed Pitt in various ways (on court/field or off) and should have the decency now to just keep their yaps shut. No good can come of it, for them or us.






Why do you think Howland "screwed' Pitt? Because he took a higher profile job? I'm fascinated that there are some fans out there still resentful that Howland followed his own personal dream.

I know the talk around that final game in Minneapolis that the players "knew" he had one foot out and I wasn't amused how Ben handled the exit, but the reality is IMHO we lost that game because of Dwayne Wade and Travis Denier, not Howland and UCLA.





I agrees with your assessment but with some caveats. Howland did not answer questions when his players asked him, some said, he outright lied.

Again, it is tough in any situation when a Coach is leaving, and although his focus was not there, as you say, the other team outplayed the Players. This without doubt caused the Pitt Incoming Recruits to stay together and all wanted Jamie Dixon.

To his credit, Howland did not go after anyone in that Pitt Recruiting Top Class. Pitt was without much stability as AD left, Head BB Coach left, and the ACC was out to remove the Big East BCS Bid, but Pitt ended up with Jamie Dixon that did very good subsequently. Big East did survive and actually out did the ACC in Football and Basketball in Bowls & Top 25, NFL Draft, and the NCAA Tourney.

The problem was Howland left Pitt and his comments brought out some challenges to his own opinion on Pederson, and that was refuted quite well by Dr. Von Yinzer with Facts verified by Links I might add, and neither support everything Howland was trying to advocate and thus Howland brought this on himself. Geeman's opinion is just as relevant a Howland.

By saying what he did, Howland is ripping on Chancellors Gallagher Decision to dump Pederson. In turn, Howland failed at his own Dream Job and should concentrate on Missy State and when he left Pitt, he forgot Pitt and Pitt forgot him, until Howland decided to bring it up again.

Since you brought up what you think beat that year that Howland left, maybe you can answer my question????

If Pederson could not maintain a Top 15 Football Program at Nebraska for 5 Years given all their Fan Support and Revenue resources and Walk-On Scholarships program of Rosters as high 180 Players, why do you think he could build a top 25 Football Program at Pitt after 19 Years trying?

Howland can't answer it either and Gallagher deserves to choose an Athletic Director that will try to build one, and does not need Howland's criticism or advice either, in attempt to get Pederson another job. That is on Pederson!

BOTH LEFT PITT FOR THEIR DREAM JOBS AND BOTH FAILED, HOWLAND FINALLY FOUND ANOTHER JOB AND PEDERSON IS STILL LOOKING? Rest In Peace, Pitt Will Survive Without Either Of Them, Thank You And Godspeed!

This post was edited on 3/29 10:30 PM by CaptainSidneyReilly

 

[CrazyPaco]

The idea that basketball was prioritized over football is an incorrect notion. It is a complete misunderstanding of what was going on, and frankly, is based on a very superficial knowledge of events. Anyone's opinion that relies on the idea is inherently flawed.

This post was edited on 3/30 7:39 AM by CrazyPaco

 

[Saboteur]

Let's not confuse Howlands assertion with facts. First, Ben is a coach. Second, his entry into the big time was courtesy of Pitt...SP in charge. Ben is loyal and I like that. But it doesn't change the facts.
The fact is that SP was responsible for the Pete..responsible for millions in cosy overruns and extra services that were necessary because SP inserted himself into the design process long after it was completed.
SP insisted, long after design and engineering plans ($$$$) were in place to mess with the design of the Pete. Most notorious is the addition of that now obsolete and never valuable court side club section on the lower level.
Then, as now, those changes cost Pitt and the state Department of General Services millions of dollars.
It was a blunder of immense proportions. It also cost Pitt dearly in Harrusburg where mere mention of the cost overruns at the Pete to this day hurts Pitt.
SP did some good work at Pitt it is true.
But in the end, he was his own and Pitt's worst enemy.
Ask Hayward.

 

[Pitt79]

Who cares if he's a good guy!?!? results are what matters.
This post was edited on 3/30 9:04 AM by Pitt79

 

[CrazyPaco]

Actually, you don't seem to know what a fact is, let alone have any.

This post was edited on 3/30 10:26 AM by CrazyPaco

 

[jtownknowitall]

Steve Pederson did not prioritize basketball over football.

If Pitt ever prioritized basketball over football here is the timeline which Steve Pederson, obviously, had absolutely nothing to do with:

On November 19, 1981 the New York Times reported that Pitt would join the Big East next September.
Janaury 1, 1982 Pitt beats Georgia in Sugar Bowl
January 19, 1982 Jackie Sherrill is named head coach at Texas A&M. Foge Fazio named head coach at Pitt.

 

[Saboteur]

Originally posted by CrazyPaco:
Actually, you don't seem to know what a fact is, let alone have any.

This post was edited on 3/30 10:26 AM by CrazyPaco

CP.

Try reading. If comprehension is a touch over your head, you might want to get a 3rd grader to help you with the big words.

Cost over runs public record

 

[raleighpanther]

Dr. Von, your argument circles back and blows itself up. If football's importance was as big of a factor to getting into the ACC as you claim, then you explain how Pitt got into the ACC over UConn. The Huskies had just made a big time commitment to football, having built a brand new stadium, while Pitt under Peterson (as the story goes) completely neglected football. Maybe basketball wasn't the key to admittance, but why Pitt if football matters so?

Look, I'm no Peterson fan at all. I think he was arrogant and I would probably have hated working for him. And he was tone deaf to fans -- big mistake.

Sure, Pitt's facilities were in desperate need of upgrading and anyone in his position should have been working to make the upgrade happen. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the upgrade was needed. But the upgrade for basketball, baseball, soccer etc. did happen under his watch. Under another AD, maybe it wouldn't have. It didn't occur under any of the ADs that preceded him, and the upgrade was needed for half a century.

And here is the thing about Heinz -- as much as we may have hated seeing Pitt Stadium torn down, and hate having to play in Heinz, I think Heinz was viewed very differently through the eyes of those selecting Pitt to join the ACC. It was viewed as an asset more than a hindrance. One could imagine a re-energized Pitt program in a P5 conference with P5 money filling a relatively new, 67k seat stadium. The off-campus thing may mean everything to fans and alums, but it didn't mean much to the ACC decision-makers.
From this perspective, Pitt's football facilities were actually upgraded with the move to Heinz. Gasp! Yes, a heretical statement from the fans perspective. But in the end, I think it did help get Pitt in. So did having a good basketball program, and new non-revenue sport facilities, and being a solid academic university, etc. Football may be the top factor, but its not the only factor. The complete package mattered.