Is we bout to be looking for a new AD?

[NCPitt]

I copied and pasted what Dior and his family said. They didnt name Gabel by name. It was "new administration." That's Gabel, either directly or indirectly.

I just remembered this. It is far more credible than your pure speculation.

A closer look into Dior Johnson’s dismissal from the University of Pittsburgh

 

[RaleighPittFan]

How about we peacably assemble and cheer for our panthers and try to put our differences aside? The world is too divisive as it is. Peace, brothers. Whether an alum or a fan otherwise, let's accept our differences and be kind to each other. Thanks for supporting the Panthers.

Pitt fans: Eating their own since then beginning of time.

 

[Parkview57]

Pitt fans: Eating their own since then beginning of time.

I would widen the scope. The whole dang city refuses to acknowledge what a great University y'all have, grew up 600 miles away, came here in '72 and worked many jobs in WPA, where I came from Pitt was thought to be a great medical research/dental university with a storied football past. It's hard to understand the local indifference to the place, IMHO.

 

[DaveTrout]

Your questions aren't the type that can be answered succinctly. Let me start by saying, I know that there are folks here who don’t buy my view of the world on these subjects but you asked for my opinion, which is based on my long term support of Pitt FB and my observations of Pitt's oversight of FB…so here it goes.

Pitt can be a top 25 FB program if they desire to be one. Pitt FB has been on “ snooze” status for 40 years and muddled along just happy to go through the motions. The commitment has been lukewarm. And legions of current and former financial supporters know this. Pitt fans aren’t cheap, as some like to contend…they’re smart, been badly burned in the past and know what genuine commitment to FB looks like, and won’t completely buy in financially until Pitt makes a “ statement” in FB that reflects genuine commitment. They made such a statement in 1973 when they hired a HC who was the hottest young coaching commodity in the market, refurbished Pitt stadium and funded 85 FB scholarships in a single year. From 1982 onward, Pitt's commitment to FB has severely waivered, and Pitt has had a penchant for ignoring what their financial backers tell them. The VH project is just the latest example of Pitt being tone deaf. The attitude has been: “ give us your money and we’ll do with it what we please because we know best.” “Burn me once, shame on you, burn me multiple times, shame on me.” Pitt’s approach to fund raising the last 40 years is a recipe for failure. Pitt's message on commitment to FB has been both ambivalent and ambiguous and that kind of message undercuts fund raising.

Commitment starts with the facilities and the HC both of which give you credibility with your supporters and nationally. In every coaching search over the last 40 years Pitt has set a bargain basement budget that ensures the hire will be a “no name” that shouts “ business as usual”. Playing in an oversized off campus stadium delivers the same message. Yet they can commit $300 M to build a volleyball court and waste millions of dollars on contract buyouts of failed coaches? in sum, in my opinion, Pitt can be a top 25 program if they want that but their overall steategy and tactics need to be aligned with this goal in mind.

I’ll end this part of the discussion on the relationship between commitment and fund raising with this thought…how would you like to be a deep pockets financial supporter who Pitt contacts to assist paying off the contract of a fired coach who you opposed to being hired in the first place? This has happened multiple times…great way to make friends and influence people! Just a great way to show supporters that you can be a trusted steward with their money. If we saw the amount of money Pitt has spent on contract buyouts and the money left on the table through lost revenue, it would shock the conscience. Clear, credible commitment and effective management are the only factors which will jolt fund raising given the events over the last 40 years.

Recruiting has suffered over the last 40 years for a deadly mixture of reasons: lousy HCs, lousy facilities, academic policies that hinder recruiting; myopic capital expenditure decisions and unrealistic budgetary constraints. At the end of the day, it all comes back to the level of Pitt’s commitment. Money talks today as loudly as it did when Pitt FB was resurrected from the dead 40 years ago, and unlike the opinion of some, this is what gives me hope because I believe IF Pitt were committed, the support would follow. The fate of Pitt's potential rests with Pitt in the first instance.

 

[Hardslider21]

Yeah, I don't think they'll go away entirely.

But it's kind of funny that so much of her recognition and accolades stems from them, while football - because of her aversion to NIL - is in a worse spot than it's been in quite some time.

I know some good things happened in football during her tenure, but this new landscape happened fast. And she did not adapt.

I’m not saying what I heard is 💯 accurate but these guys have been consistent on things in the past. They told me one Heather’s resistance to get cost in line was the reason her contract was not extended. That just doesn’t seem like we’re going to go find an AD to spend more on football to me. Really sounds like we need to spend what it makes IE athletics needs to become self sufficient. We shall see

 

[TD_6082]

[

Your questions aren't the type that can be answered succinctly. Let me start by saying, I know that there are folks here who don’t buy my view of the world on these subjects but you asked for my opinion, which is based on my long term support of Pitt FB and my observations of Pitt's oversight of FB…so here it goes.

Pitt can be a top 25 FB program if they desire to be one. Pitt FB has been on “ snooze” status for 40 years and muddled along just happy to go through the motions. The commitment has been lukewarm. And legions of current and former financial supporters know this. Pitt fans aren’t cheap, as some like to contend…they’re smart, been badly burned in the past and know what genuine commitment to FB looks like, and won’t completely buy in financially until Pitt makes a “ statement” in FB that reflects genuine commitment. They made such a statement in 1973 when they hired a HC who was the hottest young coaching commodity in the market, refurbished Pitt stadium and funded 85 FB scholarships in a single year. From 1982 onward, Pitt's commitment to FB has severely waivered, and Pitt has had a penchant for ignoring what their financial backers tell them. The VH project is just the latest example of Pitt being tone deaf. The attitude has been: “ give us your money and we’ll do with it what we please because we know best.” “Burn me once, shame on you, burn me multiple times, shame on me.” Pitt’s approach to fund raising the last 40 years is a recipe for failure. Pitt's message on commitment to FB has been both ambivalent and ambiguous and that kind of message undercuts fund raising.

Commitment starts with the facilities and the HC both of which give you credibility with your supporters and nationally. In every coaching search over the last 40 years Pitt has set a bargain basement budget that ensures the hire will be a “no name” that shouts “ business as usual”. Playing in an oversized off campus stadium delivers the same message. Yet they can commit $300 M to build a volleyball court and waste millions of dollars on contract buyouts of failed coaches? in sum, in my opinion, Pitt can be a top 25 program if they want that but their overall steategy and tactics need to be aligned with this goal in mind.

I’ll end this part of the discussion on the relationship between commitment and fund raising with this thought…how would you like to be a deep pockets financial supporter who Pitt contacts to assist paying off the contract of a fired coach who you opposed to being hired in the first place? This has happened multiple times…great way to make friends and influence people! Just a great way to show supporters that you can be a trusted steward with their money. If we saw the amount of money Pitt has spent on contract buyouts and the money left on the table through lost revenue, it would shock the conscience. Clear, credible commitment and effective management are the only factors which will jolt fund raising given the events over the last 40 years.

Recruiting has suffered over the last 40 years for a deadly mixture of reasons: lousy HCs, lousy facilities, academic policies that hinder recruiting; myopic capital expenditure decisions and unrealistic budgetary constraints. At the end of the day, it all comes back to the level of Pitt’s commitment. Money talks today as loudly as it did when Pitt FB was resurrected from the dead 40 years ago, and unlike the opinion of some, this is what gives me hope because I believe IF Pitt were committed, the support would follow. The fate of Pitt's potential rests with Pitt in the first instance.

The part in bold is not unique to Pitt. That's everywhere. To a much greater degree at a lot of places. Booster infighting is common at a lot of these schools as well, when it comes to who calls some of the shots. College athletic departments everywhere are the very definition of dysfunction.

I agree with a lot of your points. Not to say facilities and coaching aren't important, but commitment starts with recruiting. Serious football schools get visits and commitments from 5-star athletes even when they have a coaching vacancy. Elite football schools will find a way to sign Top 10 type classes regardless of their head coach. In fact, when it came to signing talent, I think Pitt did fairly well when they transitioned from Johnny to Jackie, to Foge, to Gottfried. That all seems like ancient history.

I think there is a huge difference in culture between present day Pitt and most football factories. All schools have some tension between academia and athletics. Academia seized the upper hand at Pitt 40 years ago. At a lot of schools, if you are in academia and you overstep your bounds to the detriment of athletics, the boosters will end you. At Pitt, I think they bent the knee to those in the Ivory Tower. ...Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Just saying that if you want to compete at the highest level in football, that has to be the other way around.

 

[PittPharm2002]

The question wasn't to you.

You quoted my post to make the silly post

LOL. I guess you're a mind-reader, too.

Are you even a Pitt grad?

I understand you get confused and have trouble processing info

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I just remembered this. It is far more credible than your pure speculation.

A closer look into Dior Johnson’s dismissal from the University of Pittsburgh

I cant click on your link. Does it have a direct quote from a Pitt administrator? No.

Listen, I know you want to believe some fiction that he was only allowed back in school, back on the team, and allowed to go to Spain pending some 9 month long university investigation but its just not true. Dior and his family were very very specific in the article they linked, even saying Pitt told them to plead guilty to get it over with and back on the team. I dont know why you cant just take their word for it. Even before they said anything, I told you the timeline just doesnt add up.

 

[Islanderpanther]

[


The part in bold is not unique to Pitt. That's everywhere. To a much greater degree at a lot of places. Booster infighting is common at a lot of these schools as well, when it comes to who calls some of the shots. College athletic departments everywhere are the very definition of dysfunction.

I agree with a lot of your points. Not to say facilities and coaching aren't important, but commitment starts with recruiting. Serious football schools get visits and commitments from 5-star athletes even when they have a coaching vacancy. Elite football schools will find a way to sign Top 10 type classes regardless of their head coach. In fact, when it came to signing talent, I think Pitt did fairly well when they transitioned from Johnny to Jackie, to Foge, to Gottfried. That all seems like ancient history.

I think there is a huge difference in culture between present day Pitt and most football factories. All schools have some tension between academia and athletics. Academia seized the upper hand at Pitt 40 years ago. At a lot of schools, if you are in academia and you overstep your bounds to the detriment of athletics, the boosters will end you. At Pitt, I think they bent the knee to those in the Ivory Tower. ...Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Just saying that if you want to compete at the highest level in football, that has to be the other way around.

Recruiting is a byproduct of a number of factors, many of which I listed above. Without those factors, a university isn’t truly committed and without that commitment, recruiting will suffer. You can scream you’re committed to recruiting all you want but if you have a no name coach who recruits have no interest in playing for, you’ll get nowhere. If your facilities stink in comparison to the competition’s then recruiting will similarly suffer. If coaches are hamstrung by a budget that limits the scouting trips they can make, that will detrimentally impact recruiting. If you have academic requirements such as requiring cas students to take a foreign language or a high level math class that many recruits can’t cope with, you’re going to turn off recruits. At numerous times during the past 40 years Pitt’s been guilty of all of the above. It’s not enough to just say hey, “We’re committeed to recruiting.” You have take concrete actions that reflect the commitment to being a top flight FB program.

And on your other point , yea, lots of programs’ boosters have been asked to finance contract buyouts but show me another program that took the affirmative steps Pitt did to blow up one of the best FB programs in the country and followed that up with 40 years of indifference and luke warm support. Those are major differentiating factors.

 

[NCPitt]

I cant click on your link. Does it have a direct quote from a Pitt administrator? No.

Listen, I know you want to believe some fiction that he was only allowed back in school, back on the team, and allowed to go to Spain pending some 9 month long university investigation but its just not true. Dior and his family were very very specific in the article they linked, even saying Pitt told them to plead guilty to get it over with and back on the team. I dont know why you cant just take their word for it. Even before they said anything, I told you the timeline just doesnt add up.

You can click on it yourself.

 

[NCPitt]

Recruiting is a byproduct of a number of factors, many of which I listed above. Without those factors, a university isn’t truly committed and without that commitment, recruiting will suffer. You can scream you’re committed to recruiting all you want but if you have a no name coach who recruits have no interest in playing for, you’ll get nowhere. If your facilities stink in comparison to the competition’s then recruiting will similarly suffer. If coaches are hamstrung by a budget that limits the scouting trips they can make, that will detrimentally impact recruiting. If you have academic requirements such as requiring cas students to take a foreign language or a high level math class that many recruits can’t cope with, you’re going to turn off recruits. At numerous times during the past 40 years Pitt’s been guilty of all of the above. It’s not enough to just say hey, “We’re committeed to recruiting.” You have take concrete actions that reflect the commitment to being a top flight FB program.

And on your other point , yea, lots of programs’ boosters have been asked to finance contract buyouts but show me another program that took the affirmative steps Pitt did to blow up one of the best FB programs in the country and followed that up with 40 years of indifference and luke warm support. Those are major differentiating factors.

Which of those factors is currently missing?

 

[Panther_in_Kentucky]

Why not let her walk in December?

I guarantee her contract is being honored as there are only 4 months remaining. Think of it as a severance.

 

[NCPitt]

You quoted my post to make the silly post

You are correct. I hit the wrong reply button.

 

[NCPitt]

They can't but they do. And btw, the idiot is completely uncalled for.

You're right. I apologize. Islander had me in a mood that I wrongly took out on you.

 

[cruzer]

You're right. I apologize. Islander had me in a mood that I wrongly took out on you.

NC: No worries. FYI, I'm a big boy and can take it. Not that you need my advice but I'll give you some anyway. When making a point, you diminish your credibility when you include personal attacks and name calling. It's hard to refrain from at times because some of the stuff posted here is pretty lame. That said, we should all be careful not to let emotions get in the way of making a good point.

 

[NCPitt]

NC: No worries. FYI, I'm a big boy and can take it. Not that you need my advice but I'll give you some anyway. When making a point, you diminish your credibility when you include personal attacks and name calling. It's hard to refrain from at times because some of the stuff posted here is pretty lame. That said, we should all be careful not to let emotions get in the way of making a good point.

I agree. Its something I very rarely do. I've actually made the point that name-calling is one of the tactics used by someone without an answer of substance.

 

[CrazyPaco]

I'm just going to leave this here, but pretty reliable source communicated that the change was primarily driven over philosophies on NIL and the directions Pitt wants to go with NIL vs the direction HL was willing to go. I know that isn't really new info, but the actual source of this is interesting and outside the media and traditional contacts at the university (so no university spin), so it really does confirm those reports, at least for me.

This conversation signaled to me the university is all in on football and playing major sports. Whether there is a fan/booster base to support that, who knows. But those wanting "all in" should be fairly pleased....as long as they get the new hire right.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

as long as they get the new hire right.

Which is usually where the problem lies.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

I'm just going to leave this here, but pretty reliable source communicated that the change was primarily driven over philosophies on NIL and the directions Pitt wants to go with NIL vs the direction HL was willing to go. I know that isn't really new info, but the actual source of this is interesting and outside the media and traditional contacts at the university (so no university spin), so it really does confirm those reports, at least for me.

This conversation signaled to me the university is all in on football and playing major sports. Whether there is a fan/booster base to support that, who knows. But those wanting "all in" should be fairly pleased....as long as they get the new hire right.

Which is what people have been saying for weeks now. Again, this is not a bad thing. There is no place to go but up when it comes to Pitt football embracing the modern landscape. If you want Pitt football to succeed, you should be happy about this.

 

[Parkview57]

There is no place to go but up when it comes to Pitt football embracing the modern landscape. If you want Pitt football to succeed, you should be happy about this.

and be/become a financial supporter.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

and be/become a financial supporter.

Or marry a former volleyball athlete who is no less than 6' tall and conceive a future 5-star quarterback whom you make choose Pitt as a condition of repaying you for providing 18 years of food and shelter. Either will suffice.

 

[Parkview57]

Or marry a former volleyball athlete who is no less than 6' tall and conceive a

Where do I sign?

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Where do I sign?

If 57 represents either your year of birth or the year you graduated Pitt, it might just be best to set up the auto draft with A412 instead, haha.

 

[Las Panteras]

Which is usually where the problem lies.

Post of the week, month, year,

I could go on and on......

 

[Las Panteras]

the directions Pitt wants to go with NIL vs the direction HL was willing to go.

Hmmmm,

It seems several of the pieces are falling into place

1) perhaps HL believed (rightly?) Pitt's ceiling in football is limited, and rather than waste energy on NIL, just get Victory Heights done?

2) extends a mediocre coach who caught lightning one year....believing he is a "just dont do anything stupid kind of HC" and gets us 7 wins without off the field issues

3) Gabel, coming from a school with more athletics resources (read: donors), sees things differently

4) upon reading Paco's post, i felt a tingle.....check that.....an all out throbbing......fantasizing that Gabel will navigate us right into the Big 10.

 

[NCPitt]

Hmmmm,

It seems several of the pieces are falling into place

1) perhaps HL believed (rightly?) Pitt's ceiling in football is limited, and rather than waste energy on NIL, just get Victory Heights done?

2) extends a mediocre coach who caught lightning one year....believing he is a "just dont do anything stupid kind of HC" and gets us 7 wins without off the field issues

3) Gabel, coming from a school with more athletics resources (read: donors), sees things differently

4) upon reading Paco's post, i felt a tingle.....check that.....an all out throbbing......fantasizing that Gabel will navigate us right into the Big 10.

We will look back on this post when Gabel next extends Narduzzi.

 

[CrazyPaco]

Hmmmm,

It seems several of the pieces are falling into place

1) perhaps HL believed (rightly?) Pitt's ceiling in football is limited, and rather than waste energy on NIL, just get Victory Heights done?

2) extends a mediocre coach who caught lightning one year....believing he is a "just dont do anything stupid kind of HC" and gets us 7 wins without off the field issues

3) Gabel, coming from a school with more athletics resources (read: donors), sees things differently

4) upon reading Paco's post, i felt a tingle.....check that.....an all out throbbing......fantasizing that Gabel will navigate us right into the Big 10.

1. No
2. No
3. Apparently different philosophies on standards of how business should be conducted in this current sphere of NIL and college athletics.
4. That's not the tingle you are looking for. This has nothing to do with conference realignment.