Letter to JW

[Cusefan69]

You can like John Wildhack personally. He has done very little as AD to show the fanbase we should have blind faith.
The softball and women’s basketball scandals are terrible.

I don’t want a coach/administrator who just wants to remain at Syracuse as the primary objective. If we are a springboard so be it. It means the person we are losing has done a good job.
Wildhack if he keeps the HC without a bowl season will tell me what he is.
Hopefully we get to 6 wins so it’s mute.

Alsacs your use of the words “blind faith” reflects you are not listening to those who are telling you that they have seen him do actually things that have been good. You speak like you have unique understanding and no one else can comprehend. Personally he has been middle of the road but others are actually telling you though things he has done they like. It’s not blind faith when they tell you what he has done well. How you measure his success does not mean he is judged the same by others on this board.

 

[SUFan44]

I’ve been able to meet JW and speak with him on couple occasions. Great guy. Says the right things. Etc etc

2 issues I have- he does not anticipate at all. He’s a reactor. Covid affected everyone. You have every possible resource to get things done proactively and be ahead on some stuff and yet I see zero anticipation

2nd- this is suppose to be one of the best executives in the country coming from ESPN running a media giant. What has he done to grow the brand of Syracuse U? Call me crazy, but Gross and his “New York’s sports team” thing was so much more recognizable all over the place. I see ZERO from JW on the brand recognition and exposure that has elevated the sports programs and name.

Thank you for this perspective. I have no doubt he is a nice guy. And he gets the PR stuff. Well enough spoken and says the right things, as you say.

I would add I also don't think he has a pulse on his own department. The women's basketball situation is a perfect example. You shouldn't have to let multiple people go within your administration for wrong doing if you know what's going on.

It's a big operation but in reality, it isn't all that big. And I would venture a guess to say its much smaller than ESPN. Also of note that ESPN isn't exactly a model of how an operation should be run. Read this book. It's pretty interesting stuff.

 

[CuseMan4]

Today is why 4 wins, and even 5 wins, should not buy Dino another year.

Played major contributors into the second half vs Albany.

Didn’t get our third string QB in when we put up 60+…. Vs freakin Albany

Our team looks clueless on special teams

Penalties, penalties, penalties.

We’re probably a 7 or so win team with a coach that can game plan and maintain discipline.

It’s not a talent discrepancy anymore.

I was saying this almost exact SAME THING today. Our talent really isn’t a huge problem other than maybe quarterback. I truly think we have decent receivers but our coaches don’t know how to use them. Our defense is obviously great, running back with tucker is obviously great. Our game planning, coaching and how to use our players is a different story. And I thought the first couple seasons this was a strength of Dinos but the last couple of seasons…Dino has been terrible in game planning, play calling and having a clue on how to use his personnel. Idk what happened

 

[HtownOrange]

Oh please Syracuse could sell the Notre Dame home game to a neutral site and get the money to buyout a coach.
The idea the athletic department has to pinch pennies is terrible. We receive 30+ million a year in TV revenue, the Dome is full of sponsors and advertisements.

The fact people accept the premise it’s cheaper to save one year of a buyout is why we can’t have nice things.

2.5 million dollars can be raised by what I said.
We could also take a paycheck game from a big boy if we wanted to raise the money.

You are correct in a one-variable solution. The point is that there are many variables at any given time. We do not know whether the administration wants to pull the plug now or next year, assuming no significant progress. Recall that Coach P was supposed to be safe but fell flat on his face at the end of the season and the forced the issue. The good hires were already spoken for and we ended up with GR.

Sure, we can guess some variables but we do not know the full matrix of variables that SU is using to measure and manage the situation. One-off solutions are easy to propose, but may not be practical. Your recommended solution is a hard sell, recall the heat SU took for selling a few games to NYC - when SU badly needed revenue, which you freely point out that SU is not in such a dire need of at this time. For all we know, SU has there eye on a coach who will be available next year, or later in the season but cannot be released at this time. Money may be an issue, as I proposed in my previous response. There are still more variables.

SU measures worth by character, HCDB runs a clean program, overall. SU values academics, HCDB's players are in class and making the grades or they sit/leave. It is hard to believe SU would ever stoop to SEC level regarding whatever it takes to win in football.

The entire SUAD is less than 10% of the SU budget, it may be less, I have not checked the numbers. Sports is not the main mission of SU, it is merely advertising. Devaluing a degree by the school affects the entire operation. Private schools must balance this issue more carefully than state schools. Most SEC degrees are not as prestigious as an SU degree, Nancy Cantor notwithstanding.

Anyway, this is a fan board and we all have our own views.

 

[Alsacs]

The New Dome.

I am sorry but all we did was replace the roof.
I was on campus the last time the Dome roof was replaced. We got State aid for that renovation. The field turf was replaced during that time as well.
I don’t think the New Dome is a great accomplishment.
The university studied what to do prior to him getting the job and took the cheapest alternative which was to replace the roof.

Wildhack has been okay. He hasn’t been better than a B- Athletic director.
His biggest plus in my books is he went out of his way to make a donation he didn’t need to do. That was awesome and a true selfless gesture.
His handling of the athletic department teams has been subpar.
If he keeps an ineffective football coach because of finances rather being creative like I showed in 5 minutes would be frustrating.

Go take a paycheck game at Ohio State or an SEC game if our finances are truly that bad.
Clemson is paying UConn 2.1 million dollars this year to be a lamb.
If we can’t afford a buyout boom.

 

[Alsacs]

Alsacs your use of the words “blind faith” reflects you are not listening to those who are telling you that they have seen him do actually things that have been good. You speak like you have unique understanding and no one else can comprehend. Personally he has been middle of the road but others are actually telling you though things he has done they like. It’s not blind faith when they tell you what he has done well. How you measure his success does not mean he is judged the same by others on this board.

What has he done? Actual things.
The Dome renovation was happening no matter who was the AD. The life of the roof was dying and had to be replaced. We had discussions of a new facility, or other changes. The new roof isn’t some project I would put in his column.
It’s like saying Dr. Gross is the best AD in SU history because he was the AD when we got into the ACC. If he gets credit for that then people on here should be a lot more friendly towards him as that has saved our athletic department. Gross gets chit for his ending but he did more than Wildhack. He also hired Greg Robinson and did a lot of bad.


I don’t speak like I am unique. I speak for myself. I don’t accept spin and people I have responded all of whom I respect and two of them personally know and like JW.
The third is a smart poster but he is more defend the wall than I am.
I want to see us do well and I don’t see it right now so I Express how I feel.

 

[MadNY3]

2nd- this is suppose to be one of the best executives in the country coming from ESPN running a media giant. What has he done to grow the brand of Syracuse U? Call me crazy, but Gross and his “New York’s sports team” thing was so much more recognizable all over the place. I see ZERO from JW on the brand recognition and exposure that has elevated the sports programs and name.

This is an interesting perspective. What is the role of the AD “expanding the brand?”

Is it an ad campaign? That’s all NYS’ Team was, and they could not live up to it.

JW has done some invisible great things we don’t see. The Babers inner circle creation that pumped money into the program, pitched in to take care of private travel and fuel expanded resources can’t be ignored. Helping land a $25mm donor. Bringing a number of ESPN personalities to campus.

I’m not sure what an AD can do to expand the brand that is more impactful than having core teams win. His skill set is tailor made for the era of complex media rights (see the PAC 12 hire).

The women’s basketball situation was bad. Big bruise to his reputation, IMO. The next big question remains around what happens with the football team this year if they fail to perform. JW did a great job to keep Babers, who was not his hire, now, would he terminate him if we don’t make a bowl? He showed he can do it given Desko’s “voluntary” retirement.

I’m in the camp that JW needs a right hand woman with a strong background in administrative skills from a reputable, top 40 college program who is a badass. If another Hillsman situation were to emerge, JW would need to be forced to resign.

So long winded point of view: get the revenue programs to perform and don’t foster a culture where detestable things are happening with student athletes. The former is hard, the latter should not be.

 

[syrBossHogg]

This is an interesting perspective. What is the role of the AD “expanding the brand?”

Is it an ad campaign? That’s all NYS’ Team was, and they could not live up to it.

JW has done some invisible great things we don’t see. The Babers inner circle creation that pumped money into the program, pitched in to take care of private travel and fuel expanded resources can’t be ignored. Helping land a $25mm donor. Bringing a number of ESPN personalities to campus.

I’m not sure what an AD can do to expand the brand that is more impactful than having core teams win. His skill set is tailor made for the era of complex media rights (see the PAC 12 hire).

The women’s basketball situation was bad. Big bruise to his reputation, IMO. The next big question remains around what happens with the football team this year if they fail to perform. JW did a great job to keep Babers, who was not his hire, now, would he terminate him if we don’t make a bowl? He showed he can do it given Desko’s “voluntary” retirement.

I’m in the camp that JW needs a right hand woman with a strong background in administrative skills from a reputable, top 40 college program who is a badass. If another Hillsman situation were to emerge, JW would need to be forced to resign.

So long winded point of view: get the revenue programs to perform and don’t foster a culture where detestable things are happening with student athletes. The former is hard, the latter should not be.

Great post. Totally agree with your point in bold. Much like in pro sports, a good executive not only needs to be qualified but also needs to surround his or herself with other strong, qualified people to help. Hopefully that has happened in the SUAD.

 

[elimunelson]

What has he done? Actual things.
The Dome renovation was happening no matter who was the AD. The life of the roof was dying and had to be replaced. We had discussions of a new facility, or other changes. The new roof isn’t some project I would put in his column.
It’s like saying Dr. Gross is the best AD in SU history because he was the AD when we got into the ACC. If he gets credit for that then people on here should be a lot more friendly towards him as that has saved our athletic department. Gross gets chit for his ending but he did more than Wildhack. He also hired Greg Robinson and did a lot of bad.


I don’t speak like I am unique. I speak for myself. I don’t accept spin and people I have responded all of whom I respect and two of them personally know and like JW.
The third is a smart poster but he is more defend the wall than I am.
I want to see us do well and I don’t see it right now so I Express how I feel.

Best AD in school history was Jake.

allowed for sports to flourish in the 80s/90s and retained the university’s greatest asset, Jim Boeheim when it wasn’t an easy call post probation and when he was the guy who couldn’t win big one.

I think we all know nothing about the cost of a buyout in real terms, if we can/can’t pull it off if we don’t make a bowl or if any boosters may step up to offset. We just assume all these things.

I have faith in JW to make best decision for the program.

 

[orangecuse]

I am sorry but all we did was replace the roof.
I was on campus the last time the Dome roof was replaced. We got State aid for that renovation. The field turf was replaced during that time as well.
I don’t think the New Dome is a great accomplishment.
The university studied what to do prior to him getting the job and took the cheapest alternative which was to replace the roof.

Wildhack has been okay. He hasn’t been better than a B- Athletic director.
His biggest plus in my books is he went out of his way to make a donation he didn’t need to do. That was awesome and a true selfless gesture.
His handling of the athletic department teams has been subpar.
If he keeps an ineffective football coach because of finances rather being creative like I showed in 5 minutes would be frustrating.

Go take a paycheck game at Ohio State or an SEC game if our finances are truly that bad.
Clemson is paying UConn 2.1 million dollars this year to be a lamb.
If we can’t afford a buyout boom.

This indeed is accurate and share your sentiment.

The whole "new dome" is somewhat comical to me and quite exaggerated. A new roof, which they had to replace no matter what by 2024 at the latest (I believe I recalled reading at one time prior to the decision to go the route they did...around May of 2016 or so...about the same time we saw that impressive Walter's Group rendering, etc. that SU shortly thereafter freaked about like some 16 year old girl having a untimely zit rear its ugly head) and a very nice new scoreboard.

Additionally, some much needed aesthetic painting of the concrete walls/facade, which no doubt is a visual improvement, but it's paint, relatively inexpensive to do, etc. And, yes, there's FINALLY air now, along with minor bathroom & concession improvements as well. That's all good, but again, the "new dome" mantra is very overblown, at least IMO.

 

[310Pigpen]

I was saying this almost exact SAME THING today. Our talent really isn’t a huge problem other than maybe quarterback. I truly think we have decent receivers but our coaches don’t know how to use them. Our defense is obviously great, running back with tucker is obviously great. Our game planning, coaching and how to use our players is a different story. And I thought the first couple seasons this was a strength of Dinos but the last couple of seasons…Dino has been terrible in game planning, play calling and having a clue on how to use his personnel. Idk what happened

The past three years are like the total opposite of the first three. Very odd.

 

[SuRaider307]

Just thinking outside the box here... I do not know the NIL rules.. BUT is it possible SU athletics could start gathering cash that it sticks in an investment account (Think endowment for Football/Basketball). This investment account grows over time... using maybe 2/3 of the interest cash every year to give to the players... 100M @ 3% give off 3M a year... Use 2M a year 2M/100 players is 20K a piece... Believe me... we can get a bunch of OL/DL and skill players with that money... This is just conceptual so details are not all here... I know right now there a ton of really good players prob not getting any cash to play especially on the OL/DL. Pay them for there likeness by having them do 2 "meet the fans" events a year..pics.. whatever else to qualify for this cash... instantly we move to the top of the division

 

[OttoMets]

...

I’m in the camp that JW needs a right hand woman with a strong background in administrative skills from a reputable, top 40 college program who is a badass. If another Hillsman situation were to emerge, JW would need to be forced to resign.

So long winded point of view: get the revenue programs to perform and don’t foster a culture where detestable things are happening with student athletes. The former is hard, the latter should not be.

He had one...but then Kim got the guillotine when the women's hoops mess was revealed.

 

[SUFan44]

He had one...but then Kim got the guillotine when the women's hoops mess was revealed.

They didn't have one. Why do you think she was let go?

 

[MadNY3]

Just thinking outside the box here... I do not know the NIL rules.. BUT is it possible SU athletics could start gathering cash that it sticks in an investment account (Think endowment for Football/Basketball). This investment account grows over time... using maybe 2/3 of the interest cash every year to give to the players... 100M @ 3% give off 3M a year... Use 2M a year 2M/100 players is 20K a piece... Believe me... we can get a bunch of OL/DL and skill players with that money... This is just conceptual so details are not all here... I know right now there a ton of really good players prob not getting any cash to play especially on the OL/DL. Pay them for there likeness by having them do 2 "meet the fans" events a year..pics.. whatever else to qualify for this cash... instantly we move to the top of the division

Very creative but that would be direct and against the rules.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I’ve been able to meet JW and speak with him on couple occasions. Great guy. Says the right things. Etc etc

2 issues I have- he does not anticipate at all. He’s a reactor. Covid affected everyone. You have every possible resource to get things done proactively and be ahead on some stuff and yet I see zero anticipation

2nd- this is suppose to be one of the best executives in the country coming from ESPN running a media giant. What has he done to grow the brand of Syracuse U? Call me crazy, but Gross and his “New York’s sports team” thing was so much more recognizable all over the place. I see ZERO from JW on the brand recognition and exposure that has elevated the sports programs and name.

Getting rid of the Lou Reed / Biden / Suzanne Somers TV commercial was a terrible idea.
That was a very cool commercial, unlike any other I've seen to promote a college & its mission.

 

[MadNY3]

Getting rid of the Lou Reed / Biden / Suzanne Somers TV commercial was a terrible idea.
That was a very cool commercial, unlike any other I've seen to promote a college & its mission.

Suzanne Somers?

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Suzanne Somers?

Betsey Johnson, the fashion designer.

 

[the villager]

The HCDB story is yet to unfold, the talent level seems to have improved ( not sure who to credit) the defense is better(TW ) the offense is not ( SG) if the decision on HCDB is results driven rather than money 6&6 should be the necessary number if not it’s all about the Benjamin’s.

 

[IthacaMatt]

This is an interesting perspective. What is the role of the AD “expanding the brand?”

Is it an ad campaign? That’s all NYS’ Team was, and they could not live up to it.

Uh, do you not understand that the AD's office has a whole communications team. They are the marketing arm of all the sports programs. They provide information and outreach to the media.

So, has there been any branding of our sports? We don't do Midnight Madness for hoops because they were too cheap to police the event properly. Unfortunate thuggery ended them, but they could have just hired more cops to keep the event under control. There should never have been violence. We don't have that at other actual events at the Dome.

"New York's Team" had us in the media conversation and gave TV people some talking points. The Lou Reed television commercial was unique and memorable.

The ADs office is responsible for hiring local agencies (as well as students) to do creative work to promote SU sports on social media.

Orange is the New Fast was good, but any football promotion was abandoned after that "La Familia" video series after the 10 win season led to 5 wins and no bowl. That was the end of any PR around the football team, and despite the secrecy that Babers has been granted, they've still sucked. They completely fell apart last year.

Boeheim has been off-and-on hostile with the media, although he's more mellow now that he is coaching his kid(s). When he and Mike were involved in the Olympics program, that was great PR for the program. Has more been possible? Has better performance been possible? Have they made PR mistakes?

Helping land a $25mm donor. Bringing a number of ESPN personalities to campus.

I’m not sure what an AD can do to expand the brand that is more impactful than having core teams win. His skill set is tailor made for the era of complex media rights (see the PAC 12 hire).

Gross gets criticized but he did hire so many quality coaches to raise up other non-revenue sports programs to national caliber, like soccer, track, cross country, and so on. Our overall score on those President's Cups or whatever they are called, anyway, it's been falling.

Getting big donors is great, but shouldn't we be doing better? We've had lots of successful pro athletes. We tout the university's successful business people all around the country - should more of them be donors? How did UConn, for instance, draw bigger donors than a school like Syracuse? Or Rutgers - although Rutgers maybe hasn't, since their finances are a mess.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Betsey Johnson, the fashion designer.

View attachment 206443

Sorry. I saw Betsy Johnson earlier in the commercial, when they show her and her fashion show. I didn't realize that last shot with Joe B. wasn't Suzanne Somers. Nothing wrong with an actress being featured, by the way - they include Vanessa Williams.

 

[EuclidBred]

I have had the opportunity to speak with ADJW one on one a few times and I can honestly say it’s refreshing to have someone who is as passionate about Syracuse Athletics as most of us on this board. That will benefit us in the long term.

However my issues lie in his staff. A typical ath dept has the associate and deputy ADs handle day to day aspects of specific programs. While ADJW is ultimately the one who is and should be held accountable, his deputies have been doing a questionable job. For example:

- the AD in charge of women’s basketball supposedly knew of issues and did nothing. Thankfully, she is gone.

- the football team refused to practice last August because of poor communication between the athletic dept and the team regarding Covid testing. Herm Frazier is the football AD.

- the Men’s lacrosse/scanlan fiasco. Who knew and when? I am not sure who the lax AD is but it didn’t need to get to where it got to.

- the softball issues. Herm Frazier is the admin for softball.

Add to these situations the fact that the Sports information and marketing departments have been non-existent or have been going down hill for years.

My suggestion, if he ever asked - and I know he wouldn’t, would be to clean house and surround himself with more progressive, outside the box type people who aren’t scared to roll their sleeves up and make the department and our teams better. we all know the challenges Syracuse faces as they are mentioned here ad nauseam. Too many people in ADJWs inner circle have been here too long without fixing some of those issues and are too comfortable. I think it’s time to shake the tree.

 

[OttoMets]

They he didn’t have one. Why do you think she was let go?

Because heads need to roll when that kind of thing goes wrong, and Wildhack didn't want it to be his own head.

As the old saying goes, the buck stops here someplace between middle management and the guy in charge.

 

[upperdeck]

I think many people dont really have a pulse on athletic dept issues but are experts on SU. Just because some have more money to play with doesnt mean they are run any better or dont have the same issues.. Many places just ignore the issues just like the do many other issues on a college campus..

 

[kirbivore]

I have had the opportunity to speak with ADJW one on one a few times and I can honestly say it’s refreshing to have someone who is as passionate about Syracuse Athletics as most of us on this board. That will benefit us in the long term.

However my issues lie in his staff. A typical ath dept has the associate and deputy ADs handle day to day aspects of specific programs. While ADJW is ultimately the one who is and should be held accountable, his deputies have been doing a questionable job. For example:


- the football team refused to practice last August because of poor communication between the athletic dept and the team regarding Covid testing. Herm Frazier is the football AD.



- the softball issues. Herm Frazier is the admin for softball.

I've wanted Herm fired since that time he couldn't answer a simple question about a game vs FCS Wagner counting for bowl eligibility.