[Husker] Let's all send Steve Pederson a thank you note!

[Pat Gaule]

S JOHNSON wrote:

> Pat,
>  
> 1.  I don't want to block your posts...they are your opinion and you 
> are entitled to them.
>  
> Do you have issues with the administration? 


My posts to this list have never suggested otherwise.  I have several 
issues with how Pederson has conducted himself going back to when he 
fired Solich in 2003 (a topic which I will not address directly in this 
message).  Among them are the following:

*The way the coaching search was handled as a one-man committee, 
including such spectacular gaffes as the Houston Nutt debacle and Urban 
Meyer refusing to come coach a school that just fired a staff that went 
10-3, and not to mention the "interview" with Bo Pelini.

*How Pederson backed out of a verbal agreement to play Houston in a 
nationally-televised ESPN game, only to schedule 1-AA patsy Maine in 
2005 (http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/8012303)

*The recent controversey surrouding Ostergard

*A newsletter from the official booster club encouraging fans to "send a 
thank you note" to the athletic director.  That type of garbage doesn't 
happen at other schools across the country.  At a normal school, the AD 
is someone who works behind the scenes and doesn't constantly look to 
put themselves in the spotlight.  That has never been the case with Mr. 
Pederson.

*The closed-door, "no comment" nature that Pederson has seemingly 
embraced over the years.

Were these isolated incidents, it would be one thing.  However, several 
people (outsiders, members of the media, long-time staff) have had 
less-than-stellar experiences with Mr. Pederson.  It's no longer "sour 
grapes" when there's repeated incidents of the same garbage.

> Do you have issues with the staff, or the program? 

Yes, I have issues with how the program is currently being run

> Osborne would have been a horrible athletic director. 


That's a red herring that is neither here nor there.  I've never 
suggested that Osborne should have been named athletic director.  
There's a difference between yearning for Osborne to be athletic 
director and merely suggesting that he may have some invaluable insights 
to the program that the current administration would be negligent not to 
take advantage of.

> Pederson has brought an excellent football coach...unfathomable 
> recruiting talent...


At this point in time, why is Callahan worthy of being referred to as 
"an excellent football coach"?  As far as the "unfathomable recruiting 
talent" is concerned, according to rivals.com, Nebraska's best 
recruiting class under Callahan was back in 2005, a year that saw a #5 
nationally-ranked class for Nebraska.  As of yet, that "unfathomable 
recruiting" has yet to turn into "unfathomable results" on the field.  
2006 saw a 20th-ranked national class and 2007 saw a #13th-ranked class 
with not a single five-star recruit.  Do you honestly think this 
recruiting record is "unfathomable", or is it on par with other 
top-flight football schools?  The current staff has certainly recruited 
some great talent, but it's a misnomer to label it as "unfathomable", 
especially when the current pool of talent has yet to produce anything 
more than lukewarm results on the field.

> and a basketball coach that will make an immediate imapct in the Big 12.

While I think Saddler is good coach, it will take many years before it 
can be judged how much of an impact he has on the Big 12.  The state of 
the basketball program under Barry Collier was nothing short of 
abysmal.  It would not take much to improve upon his last couple seasons 
as head coach.

>  
> He has added to the baseball success.

How so?  The baseball program was built up under Bill Byrne and the last 
head coaching change was an internal promotion that occured months 
before Steve Pederson became athletic director.  What should Pederson be 
commended for?  Not firing a good coach?

> He has added a n excellent coach in Connie Yori.


Where did you get that idea?  Connie Yori was hired as head coach on 
June 24, 2002.  Steve Pederson wasn't named as athletic director until 
December 20th of that year.  Bill Byrne hired her.  Again, does Pederson 
get credit for not firing a good coach?

>  
> NU is an excellent program in the conference.


Exactly what sports has Nebraska began to excel in since Steve Pederson 
came on as athletic diretor, that they hadn't already been excelling 
at?  The football team has been far from "excellent" under his reign, 
and that's the one area of the athletic department with which he's had 
the most direct involvement.

>  
> What makes you so mad?
>  
> Steven J
> Class of 83
>  
>  
>
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     *From:* Pat Gaule <mailto:pgaule at cox.net>
>     *To:* husker at tssi.com <mailto:husker at tssi.com>
>     *Sent:* Thursday, March 01, 2007 11:13 AM
>     *Subject:* [Husker] Let's all send Steve Pederson a thank you note!
>
>     http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5420/letterwo7.jpg
>
>     Supposedly, this is from the "Touchdown Club" newsletter.  I don't
>     know
>     if it's a recent edition or from earlier in the season.  In any
>     event,
>     it's ridiculous.  I'm not sure what we're supposed to be thanking him
>     for.  A lone top 25 finish?  A .595 winning percentage over the
>     past 3
>     years?  A 19-15 record against 1-A opponents?
>
>     Even assuming he deserved major kudos, the whole notion of sending an
>     athletic director a "thank you note" for doing his job seems pretty
>     absurd to me.  "Thank you for actually doing your job!"  Maybe
>     Steve, or
>     whoever wrote this garbage, should wait until Nebraska actually
>     accomplishes something before begging for kudos.
>
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