Yep. There is Dixon I and Dixon II (once we got into the ACC).
Well, there is Heather I and Heather II (post NIL).
Wow. Lyke fired as ad
- Thread starter ThePanthers
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Yep. There is Dixon I and Dixon II (once we got into the ACC).
Well, there is Heather I and Heather II (post NIL).
Regarding Victory Heights: Land was procured and contracts likely signed (along with some donations earmarked for the project). It isn't easy to put something like that 'on hold'. Yes, it went over budget and maybe some financing didn't materialize.
The speed with which NIL has changed isn't Heather's fault. She worked for Ohio State for crying out loud...I'm sure she is OK with paying players.
As someone alluded to earlier...I'm getting a JD O'Conner vibe from Gabel. I pray that I'm wrong.
The speed with which NIL has changed isn't Heather's fault. She worked for Ohio State for crying out loud...I'm sure she is OK with paying players.
As someone alluded to earlier...I'm getting a JD O'Conner vibe from Gabel. I pray that I'm wrong.
The skeptic in me thinks they hired a woman as chancellor as a means of having someone with the balls to be able to fire who, from the outside, seems to be a competent woman in the rare position of AD...Eliminates any chance of sexism stink on this one.
I think what really pissed off Gabel was the fact that she sees this major problem and instead of getting a commitment to turn it around, she interviews for another job.
I don't think that's what he's saying.
To my knowledge, Narduzzi wasn't exactly looking to parlay 2021 into another job. I don't think he even has an agent. I'm fine with rewarding him and "locking him down", but the length and $ amount were excessive. It should have been clear at the time there was a seismic shift in funding priorities to build a successful program, and NIL was the new lifeblood of a college football program.
It wont happen overnight....but it seems to me that having a background in athletic administration simply isnt as valued as a background in corporate dealmaking when being asked to run an athletic department.
Doing this on Brawl Week is pretty damn stupid
Wow. Leave it to Smizik to make both parties look like petty insufferable assholes.
We dont know what Gabel envisions for us, so to suggest a power move while possible i suppose.....is no different than Gabel is angling to get us in the Big Ten.
We just dont know
I must say that I'm surprised by the decision. I didn't think Pitt had the cajones to fire her, but here we are. I have mixed emotions at this point. On one hand, no great loss. A lot of people have praised her success and she has done well with the olympic sports but reality is that football and mens basketball drive the bus in college athletics. Her record there is spotty at best. With a one year exception, football has been average (at best). The contract extension for Narduzzi was a bad business decision IMO. The Capel hire has been a disappointment although I will admit that the tide seems to be turning in the right direction for Capel. We'll see how that turns out. If I had to give her a grade I'd go with B-. We certainly can and have done worse. Which brings me to my second point.
Whether you loved Heather or didn't, I think we all should be worried about where Pitt goes from here. If history is a guide, we're likely to mess this decision up. The new AD absolutely needs to understand the changing economics of college sports and find a way to better position Pitt. Hopefully, they will find the right person to move us forward.
Cruzer
Whether you loved Heather or didn't, I think we all should be worried about where Pitt goes from here. If history is a guide, we're likely to mess this decision up. The new AD absolutely needs to understand the changing economics of college sports and find a way to better position Pitt. Hopefully, they will find the right person to move us forward.
Cruzer
You're probably right They don't need an egghead, or a flashy former football player or a traditional AD.
They need someone who knows the business of college athletics.
Victory Heights is way overboard. Hopefully they can make some changes, scale the cost back, and use that money elsewhere.
She was a year late even acknowledging the athletic department being involved in NIL promotion, and never embraced it in full.
Didn’t work out well for pitt or fans with nudging Dixon out .
By an AD with a foot out of the door .
I think it’s hilarious that folks think Lyke was applying for other jobs , as if she was on Glassdoor or Indeed.
I was there and Cincinnati had better players. Yea, Holstein didnt play well for 3 quarters but our WRs were never open. And we couldn't get off the field on D. It was awesome to win but we looked as bad as we've ever looked. They were running us off the field. We got a lot of help. A disconcerting signal penalty on 4th and 4. A punt that should have been downed at the 1 went into the endzone. 2 busted coverages. Everything went right. And that's fine. Its college football. That stuff happens and its about time something went right for us but I dont come out of this game thinking we are much better than what I thought. I thought 4-8/5-7. Now, I think 5-7/6-6.
I think the cost issues with Victory Heights has to do with trying to shove projects into the tiny spaces that are available. Looking at the amount of work that was needed to keep the hillside stable, it's a wonder it doesn't cost more. Good lesson on why a FB stadium won't be built unless they rip the Pete out.
My concern is how many people in the world know the current "business of athletics". It's such a moving target.
He doesn't know. It is the university using 2nd and 3rd hand sources to make the university look good in this. The smear campaign has started.
True. That's on Gabel. If she has no idea where to look, then she should have thought twice before firing Heather.
Pitt ain't the Steelers....they don't have that kind of media clout.
And smizik certainly wouldn’t be on Pitt side
She was slotted in at CB for this game after the dismissal performance in the first two games.
What if Gabel wants to examine options outside the ACC? Getting an athletic Director, who puts Pitt in the best possible spot probably would be a priority to her.
Thanks Heather for being the best AD in the oast 40 years by a mile but maybe its time for fresh blood. By all accounts she was dropping the ball with the budget. Its time to bring in a big time money man. Cincy and L'ville have surpassed us by cornering their local business communities and creating great niche donor cultures within markets where Ohio St. and Kentucky respectively are the big dogs. I think we need similar skills in our next hire.
The only other realistic option that isn’t a step down is the Big 12. That’s a lateral move at best
One scenario is that Gabel was sure Lyke would leave, and already has the replacement in mind.
It's difficult to evaluate Lyke, because her predecessors were such dipshits.
But get ready for the next AD to publicly try to schedule a series with Penn State, only to be humiliated when Penn State publicly declines. Happens every time.
It's difficult to evaluate Lyke, because her predecessors were such dipshits.
But get ready for the next AD to publicly try to schedule a series with Penn State, only to be humiliated when Penn State publicly declines. Happens every time.
This.....like anything came down to cheddar....or in Pitt's case not enough coming in.
As for Gabel, she obviously was involved in getting a new stadium built on campus. This requires hiring people / firms to navigate fund raising and financing.
Not suggesting we are getting a new stadium .....but we need to raise cash....Gabel apparently sees this. I will predict the same individuals or firm (s) that assisted in getting money / financing for their stadium will be involved here in some capacity.
As for Gabel, she obviously was involved in getting a new stadium built on campus. This requires hiring people / firms to navigate fund raising and financing.
Not suggesting we are getting a new stadium .....but we need to raise cash....Gabel apparently sees this. I will predict the same individuals or firm (s) that assisted in getting money / financing for their stadium will be involved here in some capacity.
Valid. I'm not aware of what the circumstances were surrounding the contract and the sticking points. Feel that we've down this road a few times though.
