Dino's Presser after Liberty

[Briancuse]

Dino looks older just this season. Got to be rough for him.

Maybe a bit he still looks really really good for 59.

 

[tipphill]

A few things.

First, we have not been bouncing off the bottom since the year 2000.

That's not accurate.

We were still very competitive through 2003 and won a share of the Big East in 2004.

If you've been around since 1969, then you already know the answer to the question you have raised.

Syracuse University is a relatively poor private institution. BC, NW, Duke all have larger endowments than we do - and it's not close.

Except for some brief moments - Manley Field House in 1962 and the Carrier Dome in 1980 - the football program has been way - way - behind its so-called private peers in terms of football infrastructure.

When Marrone was here, he complained that the Football Program was dead last in the Big East in terms of facilities.

He promised the Administration that if he could be funded to the point where he was in the middle of the Big East pack, he would win. And he was talking about basic facilities such as physical training facilities.

So, that has been the fundamental problem since the early 1990s.

I have repeated this many times and I still believe it.

When the Administration fired Pasqualoni in 2004, it made a fundamental miscalculation - it figured the problem with the 6-6 football Program was coaching. That was not true.

The problem was funding.

And so from that point we began a period of coaching moves that resulted in a great deal of instability.

You can't change coaching staffs every four years and expect to develop and maintain much-needed recruiting contacts.

This isn't brain surgery. You don't need a consultant to figure it out.

It's money, facilities, and coaching stability - assuming you have a solid staff.
At this point, I feel at least that we have a solid staff.

So, again, I think we not panic about this anomalous COVID season and try to stay the course, knowing that the new Dome and the plans to rebuild the facilities will have a positive impact.

right on the money!! coach p could not recruit as su was behind in the arms race. we never invested in the program when we were good. had marone got what he wanted including a ipf he would have stayed. he saw through gross and knew it was all bs.

 

[Willy75]

A few things.

First, we have not been bouncing off the bottom since the year 2000.

That's not accurate.

We were still very competitive through 2003 and won a share of the Big East in 2004.

If you've been around since 1969, then you already know the answer to the question you have raised.

Syracuse University is a relatively poor private institution. BC, NW, Duke all have larger endowments than we do - and it's not close.

Except for some brief moments - Manley Field House in 1962 and the Carrier Dome in 1980 - the football program has been way - way - behind its so-called private peers in terms of football infrastructure.

When Marrone was here, he complained that the Football Program was dead last in the Big East in terms of facilities.

He promised the Administration that if he could be funded to the point where he was in the middle of the Big East pack, he would win. And he was talking about basic facilities such as physical training facilities.

So, that has been the fundamental problem since the early 1990s.

I have repeated this many times and I still believe it.

When the Administration fired Pasqualoni in 2004, it made a fundamental miscalculation - it figured the problem with the 6-6 football Program was coaching. That was not true.

The problem was funding.

And so from that point we began a period of coaching moves that resulted in a great deal of instability.

You can't change coaching staffs every four years and expect to develop and maintain much-needed recruiting contacts.

This isn't brain surgery. You don't need a consultant to figure it out.

It's money, facilities, and coaching stability - assuming you have a solid staff.
At this point, I feel at least that we have a solid staff.

So, again, I think we not panic about this anomalous COVID season and try to stay the course, knowing that the new Dome and the plans to rebuild the facilities will have a positive impact.

Since 2004 (thanks I should have said 15 years) SU is 73-125 and has finished better than last or next to last in its conference/ACC division only five times; one of those five was a 5th place finish. Although I think the overall size of university endowments has little to do with athletic budgets, SU’s is $1.34B, Baylor’s 1.34B, BC 2.52B, SMU 1.67B, Miami 1B, Tulane 1.4B, TCU 1.6B and Wake 1.38B.
I’d say bouncing off the bottom most years is a fair description (as Bill Parcells said you are what your record says you are).

 

[bcubs9497]

You're one word answer leaves me with questions.

Do you think his question is just ridiculous? Or were you trying to allude to some other type of systemic problem?

It's just ridiculous. No one wants to get hurt. If it was that bad, players would just say @#$^ it, I quit.

 

[CuseGrad94]

I am pretty sure that nearly all of the schools you have listed have greater financial resources than Syracuse University.
I have no doubt that that is true with respect to BC, Duke, and NW, and have little doubt with respect to SMU.

The lack of coaching stability has had an effect.

Those who have been on this Board for awhile know how strongly I feel about the decision to fire Coach Pasqualoni in 2004.

Doug Marrone won two bowl games in three years and seemed on his way to sustained success - losing him was disruptive to the Program.

Firing Shafer after three years led to further instability - ironically he was the victim of the kind of injuries that are impacting Dino now - especially at QB. (I am not presuming to debate the decision in this thread).

And, it is only in the past few years that the football infrastructure at SU has been addressed to any substantial degree - with much work to do.

So, my feeling is that Dino Babers is a good man - I believe that student-athletes like him and want to play for him. I think the Program needs to hang tough, create some much needed stability and stay the course.

I think the new Dome and the new investment in the football complex has already helped with recruiting and will continue to draw better talent.

So, you have to figure that this COVID season has exposed what has been a longstanding problem on the Hill - a fundamental lack of quality depth.

And, you have to stay the course and stick with Dino.

I agree with this X1000. I was pro P too and I still say that recruiting class would have had them back to top 25 status. It is the facilities for sure. Before the Dome you hear that they wouldn’t bring Monk or Morris by the stadium on their recruiting trips because it was so bad. They built Manley for Ben because they needed to compete. So now you are talking about the 1960’s and 70’s. While the money pales in comparison I am very encouraged by the private donation commitments over the past few years. I feel like the University has done a very good job over they years stretching a buck as far as it will go. When you see stuff like these sleeping pods at LSU and lazy rivers you know the train is off the tracks with perspective. I think that if Syracuse can be middle of the pack with facilities they can compete in the conference.

 

[OrangePA]

Since 2004 (thanks I should have said 15 years) SU is 73-125 and has finished better than last or next to last in its conference/ACC division only five times; one of those five was a 5th place finish. Although I think the overall size of university endowments has little to do with athletic budgets, SU’s is $1.34B, Baylor’s 1.34B, BC 2.52B, SMU 1.67B, Miami 1B, Tulane 1.4B, TCU 1.6B and Wake 1.38B.
I’d say bouncing off the bottom most years is a fair description (as Bill Parcells said you are what your record says you are).

BC has an endowment that is close double our endowment.

NW and Duke - two schools you mentioned - likely have endowments that dwarf ours.

Wake Forest has more money than we do and it is a very small school.

Baylor is in Texas where the access to talent is substantial.

Our move to the ACC has afforded us access to really good revenue, so we now have a chance to better compete.

 

[Willy75]

BC has an endowment that is close double our endowment.

NW and Duke - two schools you mentioned - likely have endowments that dwarf ours.

Wake Forest has more money than we do and it is a very small school.

Baylor is in Texas where the access to talent is substantial.

Our move to the ACC has afforded us access to really good revenue, so we now have a chance to better compete.

That’s what we both want.