your scott barnes.... sitting at your newly delivered desk.......

[benchwarmer04]

-you look around your domain, and what is it you absolutely have to immediately address in the pitt athletic department.

 

[ratking17]

Give myself a raise

 

[pittzap]

Check out the number of season tickets sold so far for football. It is the nearest season.

Call in marketing department and do whatever possible to get people in the stands. Hell, give away free tickets to youth football programs in the area; start them young. Don't worry about selling them, get people in the stands.

 

[pittzap]

Then.....have a "draft" with the elementary schools in the Pittsburgh area. Have each school pick a player at Pitt (in draft form) to follow for the season. That will be "their" player. The player will try to stop by the school to make appearances to speak with the kids, help out in any way, etc., but will maintain contact with them throughout the year to update them regarding games, practices, etc.

Each Monday the school can announce how Pitt did the previous weekend and how their player did, if applicable. Another way to start kids early. If they are not Pitt fans they can still form a friendship with the player. Again, start them young.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Then.....have a "draft" with the elementary schools in the Pittsburgh area. Have each school pick a player at Pitt (in draft form) to follow for the season. That will be "their" player. The player will try to stop by the school to make appearances to speak with the kids, help out in any way, etc., but will maintain contact with them throughout the year to update them regarding games, practices, etc.

Each Monday the school can announce how Pitt did the previous weekend and how their player did, if applicable. Another way to start kids early. If they are not Pitt fans they can still form a friendship with the player. Again, start them young.

This is a really really good idea. Its too good of an idea to ever happen though. It combines community service, youth mentoring, and recruiting all into one.

 

[Panther Parrothead]

-you look around your domain, and what is it you absolutely have to immediately address in the pitt athletic department.

Continue to build bridges with former players and well-heeled contributors. Hold private parties for the large contributors, including the corporations, to encourage bonding among them. And if needed, use what Louisville did as a model to build Pitt's financial base.

 

[Internet Tough Guy]

-you look around your domain, and what is it you absolutely have to immediately address in the pitt athletic department.

Other than the obvious fundraising issue, Pitt really has a pressing need to re-do the Trees area. It is an older facility that is sitting on some prime real estate with an outdated design. If Pitt could find temporary housing for the swimming and diving teams, they could take out trees hall, renovate the Cost Center and re-do the OC lot to create some top notch, multipurpose facilities. With the right planning you could see an increase in available parking and upgrades to swimming, diving, volleyball, gymnastics, wrestling, and indoor track with the right vision.

If you want to get real crazy, you can connect Robinson St. Ext with Morgan St. and re-do the intramural fields along with the project. Updating Trees has been on the Pitt wish list for many years and having a multi-sport campaign might be the way to justify doing such a large scale expensive project. If that happens, you could turn the Fitz into something else.

Also, the band was promised the "Jack R. Anderson" Band Facility many years ago after some major fundraising, but SP never got around to doing that. So they need to be somewhere on Barnes' radar as well.

 

[pittzap]

This is a really really good idea. Its too good of an idea to ever happen though. It combines community service, youth mentoring, and recruiting all into one.

Narduzzi said at the events that they will welcome any ideas to get people in the stands. Someone can send it his way.

I'm too lazy.

 

[pittdan77]

Then.....have a "draft" with the elementary schools in the Pittsburgh area. Have each school pick a player at Pitt (in draft form) to follow for the season. That will be "their" player. The player will try to stop by the school to make appearances to speak with the kids, help out in any way, etc., but will maintain contact with them throughout the year to update them regarding games, practices, etc.

Each Monday the school can announce how Pitt did the previous weekend and how their player did, if applicable. Another way to start kids early. If they are not Pitt fans they can still form a friendship with the player. Again, start them young.

What a great idea. Better to build a fan base. You don't even need to make it about football as much as college life. Serves a dual purpose. Builds support for football but also builds the outreach of the University.