That is true, in the mid 60s Illinois was in pretty good position as a Big Ten football program. The Slush Fund scandal had a lot to do with the subsequent coaching instability as much as "sticking with" anyone. Just terrible timing for us, really killed the program right as TV was starting to discover college sports.
The Illinois AD Search
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That is true, in the mid 60s Illinois was in pretty good position as a Big Ten football program. The Slush Fund scandal had a lot to do with the subsequent coaching instability as much as "sticking with" anyone. Just terrible timing for us, really killed the program right as TV was starting to discover college sports.
Guenther was wrong about Michigan and Illinois being in similar places when Michigan hired Bo. He wanted to believe that, but it was an illusion. I'd argue that OSU, Illinois, and Michigan were in similar places when the slush fund scandal devastated Illinois athletics. Since then, OSU and Michigan remained at a very high level even in "down" years. With an exception or two, Illinois' best years since then have only been equal to OSU and Michigan down years.
Anyway, that is my humble opinion. Carry-on.
Anyway, that is my humble opinion. Carry-on.
BZuppke
- Plainfield
It is true that in the late 1960s the B1G had more parity and we had been to as many Rose Bowls as any other B1G team (3) (almost every team had been to at least 1 Rose bowl and none more than 3). We had the Slush Fund and they hired Bo. RG of course is wrong in that staying the course is the right thing to do only when you have a great coach, not in all cases.
As for AD, I think we need to just hire Josh Whitman. I don't think the Illini ties should be as big a factor as they are, but in our current state, they are. We just fired a guy with no Illini ties who ruffled certain feathers. To bring in another non-Illini, you'd have to have someone so spectacular he/she would be able to overcome this initial opposition. I don't think any of the other rumored candidates have the ability to overcome the "outsider" stigma. Finally, I truly believe that Whitman will do a great job.
As for AD, I think we need to just hire Josh Whitman. I don't think the Illini ties should be as big a factor as they are, but in our current state, they are. We just fired a guy with no Illini ties who ruffled certain feathers. To bring in another non-Illini, you'd have to have someone so spectacular he/she would be able to overcome this initial opposition. I don't think any of the other rumored candidates have the ability to overcome the "outsider" stigma. Finally, I truly believe that Whitman will do a great job.
Marcy Girton, huh? I'm really trying to keep an open mind but it's disconcerting when you google search one of our reported finalists and all that comes up -- literally -- is an eight sentence bio on her current employer's website, a Linkedin and Facebook page, and a twitter account with 138 followers. And it's not like we're talking about some up-and-comer either -- based on her undergrad date, she's in her mid to late 50s. Never ran an athletic department at any level. Never hired a coach. Comes from South Carolina and TAMU so has no track record with ground-up program building. Has only previously worked in day-to-day operations, marketing, and PR positions, so has no track record with fundraising or capital improvements. I mean, I get there is a diversity angle here, but what about this resume suggests she is the right person for the Illinois job? Seriously, if anyone can clue me in to what I'm missing, I'm all ears.
IlliniOX08
- Bucktown, Chicago
So Guenther was suggesting we should've stayed the course with the likes of Valek, Blackmon and Moeller? Wow. A player revolt instigated Valek's departure, all Blackmon could do to generate excitement was to have Lonnie Perrin pass or receive kickoffs from one side of the field to the other (and we had plenty of kickoffs to receive), and Moeller's years here were bad beyond description.
BZuppke
- Plainfield
Yes. Neale Stoner was lifting us out of the Slush Fund mess and RG put us in a 20 year hibernation. I believe if not for the NCAA issues, Mike White would have been our Hayden Fry/Barry Alvarez. Not to totally blame RG - we had bad luck too in Turner not panning out when he was the offensive wiz from the NFL and Zook, well, Zook.
RedRocksIllini
- Morrison, CO
I actually attended the famous 0-0 tie with Northwestern. Under today's overtime rules, that game would still be going on and Moeller would still be head coach. Guenther could have gotten his wish.
Yeah, I brought up Moeller in the context of Chun. The point being that working at tOSU or Michigan teaches you nothing about bringing a team up from the bottom, which as you point out, very few people can do. The playbook they use at tOSU and Michigan simply won't work here, so it's irrelevant. Moeller brought the Michigan playbook to Illinois football and it didn't work. He ultimately was a successful coach at Michigan though.
Great points. Stoner did a great job until he was fired (for expensing personal travel?).
People should also realize that Mike White was largely responsible for Mackovic's success. He left him a lot of talent including Jeff George.
BananaShampoo
Captain 'Paign
- Phoenix, AZ
Here's the list of finalists my guy gave me:
Tom Michael
Sean Frazier
Dave Heeke
Marcy Girton
Patrick Chun
He also said Tiley and Whitman were interviewed and rejected.
Announcement tomorrow.
We'll see.
Aside from the fact that there was no "announcement tomorrow", rbachhuber's source's info from 12 days ago now seems to have been pretty darn accurate. If it's one of these candidates it seems we may have a new person with coveted "insider" status. :thumb:
I still REALLY hope he's wrong about Tiley and Whitman being out. If it's between Chun, Gertens, and Michael (since Heeke is out for sure and apparently so is Frazier) then might as well sharpen those pitchforks now.
BZuppke
- Plainfield
For a lot of stuff--he had university employees working on his house
Bottom line is he reawakened Illinois athletics and had us a path to have consistent success. No one was worried about university employees cleaning his pool until local media was going to lose their broadcast rights.
For a lot of stuff--he had university employees working on his house
I remember playing softball in his "back yard" a few times, never saw anything illegal happening.
Deleted member 4333
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Maybe one of them is the guy who thought he was out and got a late callback, extending the process.
That's probably a bit strong, but he definitely came with the point that coaching stability was important and it doesn't surprise me that he hung onto coaches longer than the average message board fan thinks he should have.
MadtownIllin
- Madison, WI
So did I...thank goodness you could sneak in wine skins of peppermint schnapps...the only way to have survived that debacle...
Gould giving his endorsement to Whitman FWIW...
Herb Gould @HerbGould
Don’t miss this chance, #illini. Josh Whitman is the right to be AD. #B1G http://theaposition.com/herbgould/football/1858/josh-whitman-the-right-guy-at-the-right-time-at-illinois …
Herb Gould @HerbGould
Don’t miss this chance, #illini. Josh Whitman is the right to be AD. #B1G http://theaposition.com/herbgould/football/1858/josh-whitman-the-right-guy-at-the-right-time-at-illinois …
+1 - not impressed with Chun, just hire Whitman already!
Agree, she does not have the relevant experience.
Yeah, was there that whole game too. Going off memory, the last minute or two of that game was just comical, with us with the ball inside the 10 yet managing not to score. I know there's younger folks who've heard of that game but I always wonder if they ever think about how pathetic it was.
I wonder, does anyone know of any other zip-zip ties in college football. Most likely a few, but I've never noted one since.
BZuppke
- Plainfield
I'm with Herb. Hire Josh.
Deleted member 4333
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The thing I remember about that game, is that in Sports Illustrated's season preview, they said that both teams were so bad they weren't sure that either team could win it.
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