[NU Sports] Our 2005 schedule in retrospect ...

[Michael Vance]

Unless I'm wrong, this goes back to the University's (in)ability to 
properly market NU athletics.  I know that technically, the coach has to 
agree to do a coach's show, but whose job is it to pitch the idea to a 
local station?  We had the Gary Barnett Show on SportsChannel way back 
when, and I think we even had the Randy Walker Show for a season or two 
after that.  Then it went to the 
Seven-Minutes-At-The-End-Of-The-Sunday-Sports-Show with Randy Walker for a 
season or two, then nothing.  I don't care when it airs (the old GB show 
was on at something like 3:00 in the afternoon and the Lloyd Carr Show is 
on Sunday morning last I heard), just get something on the air!

If we aren't doing it because RW doesn't like to do a coach's show, then 
Mr. Murphy needs to tell him how it has to be.  I don't want a media hound 
for a coach either, but a coach has to be able to sell his program, not 
just to recruits, but to fans as well.

If we aren't doing a show because we can't sell the idea of 30 minutes 
devoted to NU sports to any of the local broadcast or cable stations, then 
we've got serious marketing problems at the University.

-Michael

At 11/26/2005 10:11 PM, SjT \(Stephen J. Truog\) wrote:
> > Finally you have to look at what RW is doing to
> > generate revenue for the
> > program in the same ways that every BT coaches
>
>I know that's technically part of the coach's job, but
>I really think our problems run deeper than a head
>coach here. We've all discussed the factors ... many
>of which Walker is powerless to change (early start
>times, pro sports city, etc.). His teams are exciting
>and he's building a winning tradition. If that doesn't
>earn more fans in our situation, who knows what will
>(I see from the Stanford-ND game that Stanford is
>remodeling their stadium and shrinking it to 50,000 or
>so ... I don't think we need to shrink Dyche, but you
>see the problems they have in a pro market with many
>more alumni nearby than NU has ... on a side note,
>flipping channels, maybe our NC game at Nevada next
>year isn't a gimme).
>
> > because they generate a lot of money.  There are
> > plenty of no-nonsense
> > all-football coaches who have figured out how to do
> > this (Carr, Tressel, Ferentz, etc.).
>
>Not sure I buy this. Carr walked into his situation
>and really hasn't had to do much (or done much) to
>deal with the off-field state of the program. And all
>Tressel did was beat Michigan (which was enough in
>Columbus:) ). These guys all had ready-made situations
>to step into and really don't face the situation or
>circumstances Walker does.
>
>Again, I know you don't want a total a-hole who
>alienates fans ... but so what if the guy's not Mr.
>Personality flashing a smile around town. The media
>may love that guy for 15 minutes, but the sword is
>double-edged and can turn fast (ask Barnett or
>Neuheisel). I don't want a snake-oil salesman. I want
>someone who builds a winning program, and if Walker
>does that by thriving on an "us vs. them" and
>tight-shipped atmosphere that doesn't exactly win him
>personality points, fine with me.