Open Letter to Coach Stallings

[Banned Panther]

Dear Coach,

Please accept a warm welcome to Pittsburgh for you and your family!

I want you to know that there are many fans of the University of Pittsburgh who take great pride in Pitt's academic reputation and its sports teams who are very excited for you to begin your coaching career here at Pitt. Your long record at Vanderbilt University and your stellar reputation in the coaching community speak highly of your abilities to coach and mentor student athletes. We are impressed by your credentials coming from a fine institution like Vanderbilt, and we are very excited that you have decided that Pitt is the right place for you to continue your coaching excellence!

We appreciated your nod to Coach Dixon at yesterday's press conference. Coach Dixon was very well respected here, had a long tenure at Pitt, and will be missed by many. He was a good coach and a better person, and his success was measured in not only wins, but by his integrity and the characters of the fine young men he coached through their college playing days. Many were sad to see him go, but now a new chapter has begun.

You probably have noticed that some Pitt fans can be a bit grumpy about change, but please know that there are a great many more Pitt fans who truly believe that Pitt's basketball program has made an excellent hire and, like you, they can't wait for the next season to begin.

Thank you, and good luck, Coach Stallings, We will be here rooting for you!

 

[jimmoyer]

Very well said. Thank you

 

[Banned Panther]

Thanks. Just trying to counteract all of the Chicken Little "noise".
Stallings seems like a good and honest guy - he deserves some plain old courtesy.

 

[serrahome]

I agree 100% with this welcome. First time I have ever posted to a tread after 3 years as a member here. Was extremely disappointed with the questions at the introduction. I was not sure Stallings was the right choice UNTIL I watched the entire introduction. He really impressed with his answers. Best wishes to him and the team for next year. Welcome to Pittsburgh and to Pitt. Hail to Pitt.

 

[Banned Panther]

Thank you. I know there are many more people who feel this way, but unfortunately they are not as vocal on this site as those who cry and scream. It's too bad, but the loud ones tend to dictate the agenda and the perception.

 

[raleighpanther]

Yes, it was bad enough that reporters took accusatory shots at Barnes with heresay info, but they also were attacking of the new coach, who couldn't possibly have done anything wrong yet.

I hope you find a way to get this to him.

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

I think he will do fine and was impressed by the press conference too. It was not his fault how this went down and he deserved better. However, I think what happened will help him out in the long run.

 

[Saboteur]

I agree 100% with this welcome. First time I have ever posted to a tread after 3 years as a member here. Was extremely disappointed with the questions at the introduction. I was not sure Stallings was the right choice UNTIL I watched the entire introduction. He really impressed with his answers. Best wishes to him and the team for next year. Welcome to Pittsburgh and to Pitt. Hail to Pitt.

Well you saved up for a good one. A welcome message indeed after an embarrassing barage of insults, ridicule and irrational behavior.... At least IMO.
I have used this episode to exercise the ignore button. One of my intended ignore targets was denied me.
I wasn't a Stallings fan until Monday. I am now.

 

[CaPAPITT76]

Dear Coach,

Please accept a warm welcome to Pittsburgh for you and your family!

I want you to know that there are many fans of the University of Pittsburgh who take great pride in Pitt's academic reputation and its sports teams who are very excited for you to begin your coaching career here at Pitt. Your long record at Vanderbilt University and your stellar reputation in the coaching community speak highly of your abilities to coach and mentor student athletes. We are impressed by your credentials coming from a fine institution like Vanderbilt, and we are very excited that you have decided that Pitt is the right place for you to continue your coaching excellence!

We appreciated your nod to Coach Dixon at yesterday's press conference. Coach Dixon was very well respected here, had a long tenure at Pitt, and will be missed by many. He was a good coach and a better person, and his success was measured in not only wins, but by his integrity and the characters of the fine young men he coached through their college playing days. Many were sad to see him go, but now a new chapter has begun.

You probably have noticed that some Pitt fans can be a bit grumpy about change, but please know that there are a great many more Pitt fans who truly believe that Pitt's basketball program has made an excellent hire and, like you, they can't wait for the next season to begin.

Thank you, and good luck, Coach Stallings, We will be here rooting for you!

Agree with everything you wrote

 

[Banned Panther]

Thanks. I sent this to EJ Borghetti to forward on if he wishes to do so. Not that it is such a great letter, but it really saddens and angers me that Coach's welcome was anything but. Coach Stallings deserves to be treated with respect and to know that there are many who are excited and wish him the best.

 

[serrahome]

Banned. Glad you sent this to EJ. Hope it gets to coach. Well written letter. You got me involved today.

 

[Piranha]

Dear Coach,

Please accept a warm welcome to Pittsburgh for you and your family!

I want you to know that there are many fans of the University of Pittsburgh who take great pride in Pitt's academic reputation and its sports teams who are very excited for you to begin your coaching career here at Pitt. Your long record at Vanderbilt University and your stellar reputation in the coaching community speak highly of your abilities to coach and mentor student athletes. We are impressed by your credentials coming from a fine institution like Vanderbilt, and we are very excited that you have decided that Pitt is the right place for you to continue your coaching excellence!

We appreciated your nod to Coach Dixon at yesterday's press conference. Coach Dixon was very well respected here, had a long tenure at Pitt, and will be missed by many. He was a good coach and a better person, and his success was measured in not only wins, but by his integrity and the characters of the fine young men he coached through their college playing days. Many were sad to see him go, but now a new chapter has begun.

You probably have noticed that some Pitt fans can be a bit grumpy about change, but please know that there are a great many more Pitt fans who truly believe that Pitt's basketball program has made an excellent hire and, like you, they can't wait for the next season to begin.

Thank you, and good luck, Coach Stallings, We will be here rooting for you!

Bravo!

 

[Banned Panther]

That's great! Thank you, we need more thoughtful and rational posters here!!