Rich Rod out at AZ- Wells listed as candidate

Madmartigan · Post by **Madmartigan** » January 3rd, 2018, 9:09 am

http://tucson.com/sports/arizonawildcat ... 5ce06.html

With the other names available I doubt Wells gets a sniff, but interesting all the same.

captain68 · Post by **captain68** » January 3rd, 2018, 9:18 am

Oh please baby Jesus!!!

ineptimusprime · Post by **ineptimusprime** » January 3rd, 2018, 9:26 am

This would be okay with me, but won't happen.

JonnyCienPesos · Post by **JonnyCienPesos** » January 3rd, 2018, 9:39 am

Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Post by **aggies22** » January 3rd, 2018, 9:45 am

captain68 wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 9:18 am
Oh please baby Jesus!!!

brownjeans · Post by **brownjeans** » January 3rd, 2018, 9:56 am

JonnyCienPesos wrote:Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It is a tough job. 7.5 wins/year on average is the pretty much our ceiling.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Post by **AGinNEIowa** » January 3rd, 2018, 10:13 am

maybe US and UA can work a trade, we get RichRod, they get the Wellsbros

Madmartigan · Post by **Madmartigan** » January 3rd, 2018, 10:21 am

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 9:56 am

JonnyCienPesos wrote:Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is a tough job. 7.5 wins/year on average is the pretty much our ceiling.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

I don't want to open a can of worms here, as we've discussed Wells ad nauseum here, but what the hell. Internally I vacillate between this train of thought and wanting to roll the dice and maybe get an exceptional head coach. I think Wells is an average to maybe slightly above average HC. If we got someone else, there is no guarantee he would be better given the factors that make USU a tough job. If we did get someone exceptional, he would likely leave for more money and a better program quickly. It's just so frustrating after one exceptional season to be mired in mediocrity and see the same things happen over and over again. The good news is, I think Wells has recruited and developed talent well enough that we could see an 8 + win season next year.

Another big factor, does our fanbase deserve better than what we have? We certainly think we do, but look at attendance, donations, in-game experience, etc. We don't support what we have well at all and traditionally have never been a very large or supportive fan base.

JonnyCienPesos · Post by **JonnyCienPesos** » January 3rd, 2018, 10:42 am

Madmartigan wrote:
brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 9:56 am

JonnyCienPesos wrote:Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is a tough job. 7.5 wins/year on average is the pretty much our ceiling.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
I don't want to open a can of worms here, as we've discussed Wells ad nauseum here, but what the hell. Internally I vacillate between this train of thought and wanting to roll the dice and maybe get an exceptional head coach. I think Wells is an average to maybe slightly above average HC. If we got someone else, there is no guarantee he would be better given the factors that make USU a tough job. If we did get someone exceptional, he would likely leave for more money and a better program quickly. It's just so frustrating after one exceptional season to be mired in mediocrity and see the same things happen over and over again. The good news is, I think Wells has recruited and developed talent well enough that we could see an 8 + win season next year.

Another big factor, does our fanbase deserve better than what we have? We certainly think we do, but look at attendance, donations, in-game experience, etc. We don't support what we have well at all and traditionally have never been a very large or supportive fan base.

Yep. It frustrated the hell out of Gary. He couldn’t even get fan support during the best season in recent memory.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hickaggie · Post by **hickaggie** » January 3rd, 2018, 11:00 am

Madmartigan wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 10:21 am

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 9:56 am

JonnyCienPesos wrote:Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is a tough job. 7.5 wins/year on average is the pretty much our ceiling.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
I don't want to open a can of worms here, as we've discussed Wells ad nauseum here, but what the hell. Internally I vacillate between this train of thought and wanting to roll the dice and maybe get an exceptional head coach. I think Wells is an average to maybe slightly above average HC. If we got someone else, there is no guarantee he would be better given the factors that make USU a tough job. If we did get someone exceptional, he would likely leave for more money and a better program quickly. It's just so frustrating after one exceptional season to be mired in mediocrity and see the same things happen over and over again. The good news is, I think Wells has recruited and developed talent well enough that we could see an 8 + win season next year.

Another big factor, does our fanbase deserve better than what we have? We certainly think we do, but look at attendance, donations, in-game experience, etc. We don't support what we have well at all and traditionally have never been a very large or supportive fan base.

Sorry, you always roll the dice over mediocrity. However, we'll see. Although on paper this team should improve and be a 7-8 win bunch, other teams won't be static either and I certainly see nothing to indicate this team will compete at all against the few talented, well coached teams on their schedule.

Reality is though that Wells is probably here at least 2 more years and it will be 2 years I won't have much interest unless at some point it looks like this team really cares about winning or losing. 2-10 in games decided by 7 points since Orlando left is the breaking point for me. Every one of those games the Aggies appeared to have equal or better talent but didn't want the wins like their opponents IMO (in addition to being out coached). I'd rather watch an untalented, poorly coached team that played hard. Of course that doesn't happen either as poorly coached teams don't play hard for long.

GeorgiaAggie · Post by **GeorgiaAggie** » January 3rd, 2018, 11:28 am

AGinNEIowa wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 10:13 am
maybe US and UA can work a trade, we get RichRod, they get the Wellsbros

Did you see why they let Rich go? It will probably complicate the trade.

USU78 · Post by **USU78** » January 3rd, 2018, 11:48 am

Since Kolonel Klink downgraded (by 17%) the "official" capacity of pre-renovation Romney Stadium for the 2005 season, USU's home attendance has been on a mild upward arc, with attendance presently "resting" at about 20K per game. Here are the numbers:

SBC/Guy Year:

13,131 (2-10 record)

WAC/Guy Years:

11,360 (1-11 record)
13,131 (2-10 record)
14,736 (3-9 record)

WAC/Andersen Years:

15,971 (4-7 record)
17,878 (4-7 record)
17,469 (7-6 record, with bowl loss)
20,054 (11-2 record, with bowl win)

MWC/Wells Years:

23,263 (9-5 record, with bowl win)
20,467 (10-4 record, with bowl win)
21,362 (6-7 record, with bowl loss)
19,136 (3-9 record)
20,108 (6-7 record, with bowl loss)

Post by **Aglicious** » January 3rd, 2018, 1:48 pm

Madmartigan wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 10:21 am

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 9:56 am

JonnyCienPesos wrote:Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is a tough job. 7.5 wins/year on average is the pretty much our ceiling.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
I don't want to open a can of worms here, as we've discussed Wells ad nauseum here, but what the hell. Internally I vacillate between this train of thought and wanting to roll the dice and maybe get an exceptional head coach. I think Wells is an average to maybe slightly above average HC. If we got someone else, there is no guarantee he would be better given the factors that make USU a tough job. If we did get someone exceptional, he would likely leave for more money and a better program quickly. It's just so frustrating after one exceptional season to be mired in mediocrity and see the same things happen over and over again. The good news is, I think Wells has recruited and developed talent well enough that we could see an 8 + win season next year.

Another big factor, does our fanbase deserve better than what we have? We certainly think we do, but look at attendance, donations, in-game experience, etc. We don't support what we have well at all and traditionally have never been a very large or supportive fan base.

I used to find myself in this boat until last year and this year only cemented my position further. We need to demand more as a fan base, the athletic department needs to demand more, and the coaches need to demand more.

I really think this is a case of the whipped puppy syndrome that far too many Aggie fans suffer from. The older generation has basically endured a lifetime of disappointment and embarrassment. The younger generation may have had a small taste of success but nothing consistent enough to build any kind of long term hope on. It almost always feels like our fans either have been conditioned to believe they don't deserve better or they truly don't care that much about Aggie athletics. Even here where it is basically a collection of superfans and diehards there are some who simply think there is a cap or ceiling to what Aggie football or basketball is or can be due to _(insert excuse here )_. We are conditioned to believe we only deserve so much or can only achieve so much, as if USU has magical restriction on success. I do think that mentality could be broken over time with the right people in the AD and the right coaches in place but unfortunately the people currently in those positions seem to believe they are on some long term plan for success. In other words, they think they are doing all they can or at least enough to satisfy the person above them.

brownjeans · Post by **brownjeans** » January 3rd, 2018, 3:21 pm

"Demanding more" are empty words.

What is you demand (quantify it specifically)? Is the demand reasonable? What is your plan to make it happen?

Roy McAvoy · Post by **Roy McAvoy** » January 3rd, 2018, 3:25 pm

JonnyCienPesos wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 9:39 am
Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There's a lot of coaches out there that are highly regarded by many. I'm sure Matt Wells is well respected.

Here's the reality though, while he's "highly regarded by many", no one of any significance (a p5 school) actually wants to hire him as a head coach and triple his salary. If they did, he'd be gone. Especially given the climate of many aggie fans publicly calling for his firing.

Post by **Aglicious** » January 3rd, 2018, 4:06 pm

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 3:21 pm
"Demanding more" are empty words.

What is you demand (quantify it specifically)? Is the demand reasonable? What is your plan to make it happen?

I am not employed by the AD, nor do I occupy a position to help establish a plan or vision for the future. I am a fan and alumnus demanding a plan or course of action to get behind and support.

We used to hear from the AD and school president regularly about the goals, direction, and and general vision for athletics. We had a plan in place to undertake one large facility upgrade each year, new programs to raise a certain amount of money, and events, countdowns, promos, to get the fan base involved and excited about Aggie athletics. Now?...

We just seem to be adrift and in some holding pattern of mediocrity.

Jjoey52 · Post by **Jjoey52** » January 3rd, 2018, 4:37 pm

Aglicious wrote:
brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 3:21 pm
"Demanding more" are empty words.

What is you demand (quantify it specifically)? Is the demand reasonable? What is your plan to make it happen?
I am not employed by the AD, nor do I occupy a position to help establish a plan or vision for the future. I am a fan and alumnus demanding a plan or course of action to get behind and support.

We used to hear from the AD and school president regularly about the goals, direction, and and general vision for athletics. We had a plan in place to undertake one large facility upgrade each year, new programs to raise a certain amount of money, and events, countdowns, promos, to get the fan base involved and excited about Aggie athletics. Now?... We just seem to be adrift and in some holding pattern of mediocrity.

Buuuuu uutt Hartwell is working behind the scene doing wonderful things.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

brownjeans · Post by **brownjeans** » January 3rd, 2018, 7:15 pm

Aglicious wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 4:06 pm

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 3:21 pm
"Demanding more" are empty words.

What is you demand (quantify it specifically)? Is the demand reasonable? What is your plan to make it happen?
I am not employed by the AD, nor do I occupy a position to help establish a plan or vision for the future. I am a fan and alumnus demanding a plan or course of action to get behind and support.

We used to hear from the AD and school president regularly about the goals, direction, and and general vision for athletics. We had a plan in place to undertake one large facility upgrade each year, new programs to raise a certain amount of money, and events, countdowns, promos, to get the fan base involved and excited about Aggie athletics. Now?... We just seem to be adrift and in some holding pattern of mediocrity.

My point is, it's easy to "demand more" but I think we have an obligation to be intelligent about our demands. When we go to an AD and a coach and demand more we need to understand what we're asking.
Is it more wins? Okay, how do we get more wins? A better coach? Okay, how do we get a better coach and when that coach wins, how do we keep him? If we can't keep him, how do we ensure we replace him with a coach as good or better? With more money? Okay, how much money will it take? How do we get more money? I'm fine with demanding more, but I think we have a responsibility to understand what we're asking for and a responsibility to help achieve it.

Madmartigan · Post by **Madmartigan** » January 4th, 2018, 11:40 am

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 7:15 pm

Aglicious wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 4:06 pm

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 3:21 pm
"Demanding more" are empty words.

What is you demand (quantify it specifically)? Is the demand reasonable? What is your plan to make it happen?
I am not employed by the AD, nor do I occupy a position to help establish a plan or vision for the future. I am a fan and alumnus demanding a plan or course of action to get behind and support.

We used to hear from the AD and school president regularly about the goals, direction, and and general vision for athletics. We had a plan in place to undertake one large facility upgrade each year, new programs to raise a certain amount of money, and events, countdowns, promos, to get the fan base involved and excited about Aggie athletics. Now?... We just seem to be adrift and in some holding pattern of mediocrity.
My point is, it's easy to "demand more" but I think we have an obligation to be intelligent about our demands. When we go to an AD and a coach and demand more we need to understand what we're asking.
Is it more wins? Okay, how do we get more wins? A better coach? Okay, how do we get a better coach and when that coach wins, how do we keep him? If we can't keep him, how do we ensure we replace him with a coach as good or better? With more money? Okay, how much money will it take? How do we get more money? I'm fine with demanding more, but I think we have a responsibility to understand what we're asking for and a responsibility to help achieve it.

The only way I know how to demand more is by opening my wallet: donating and buying season tix. A lot of Aggies that can afford it and are within driving distance are big talkers but don't actually attend games with any sort of regularity.

MrBiggle · Post by **MrBiggle** » January 4th, 2018, 12:27 pm

JonnyCienPesos wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 10:42 am

Madmartigan wrote:
brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 9:56 am

JonnyCienPesos wrote:Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is a tough job. 7.5 wins/year on average is the pretty much our ceiling.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
I don't want to open a can of worms here, as we've discussed Wells ad nauseum here, but what the hell. Internally I vacillate between this train of thought and wanting to roll the dice and maybe get an exceptional head coach. I think Wells is an average to maybe slightly above average HC. If we got someone else, there is no guarantee he would be better given the factors that make USU a tough job. If we did get someone exceptional, he would likely leave for more money and a better program quickly. It's just so frustrating after one exceptional season to be mired in mediocrity and see the same things happen over and over again. The good news is, I think Wells has recruited and developed talent well enough that we could see an 8 + win season next year.

Another big factor, does our fanbase deserve better than what we have? We certainly think we do, but look at attendance, donations, in-game experience, etc. We don't support what we have well at all and traditionally have never been a very large or supportive fan base.
Yep. It frustrated the hell out of Gary. He couldn’t even get fan support during the best season in recent memory.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You must be joking...

JonnyCienPesos · Post by **JonnyCienPesos** » January 4th, 2018, 1:03 pm

MrBiggle wrote:
JonnyCienPesos wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 10:42 am

Madmartigan wrote:
brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 9:56 am

JonnyCienPesos wrote:Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is a tough job. 7.5 wins/year on average is the pretty much our ceiling.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
I don't want to open a can of worms here, as we've discussed Wells ad nauseum here, but what the hell. Internally I vacillate between this train of thought and wanting to roll the dice and maybe get an exceptional head coach. I think Wells is an average to maybe slightly above average HC. If we got someone else, there is no guarantee he would be better given the factors that make USU a tough job. If we did get someone exceptional, he would likely leave for more money and a better program quickly. It's just so frustrating after one exceptional season to be mired in mediocrity and see the same things happen over and over again. The good news is, I think Wells has recruited and developed talent well enough that we could see an 8 + win season next year.

Another big factor, does our fanbase deserve better than what we have? We certainly think we do, but look at attendance, donations, in-game experience, etc. We don't support what we have well at all and traditionally have never been a very large or supportive fan base.
Yep. It frustrated the hell out of Gary. He couldn’t even get fan support during the best season in recent memory.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You must be joking...

About which part?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

newhouse9 · Post by **newhouse9** » January 4th, 2018, 1:29 pm

Madmartigan wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 11:40 am

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 7:15 pm

Aglicious wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 4:06 pm

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 3:21 pm
"Demanding more" are empty words.

What is you demand (quantify it specifically)? Is the demand reasonable? What is your plan to make it happen?
I am not employed by the AD, nor do I occupy a position to help establish a plan or vision for the future. I am a fan and alumnus demanding a plan or course of action to get behind and support.

We used to hear from the AD and school president regularly about the goals, direction, and and general vision for athletics. We had a plan in place to undertake one large facility upgrade each year, new programs to raise a certain amount of money, and events, countdowns, promos, to get the fan base involved and excited about Aggie athletics. Now?... We just seem to be adrift and in some holding pattern of mediocrity.
My point is, it's easy to "demand more" but I think we have an obligation to be intelligent about our demands. When we go to an AD and a coach and demand more we need to understand what we're asking.
Is it more wins? Okay, how do we get more wins? A better coach? Okay, how do we get a better coach and when that coach wins, how do we keep him? If we can't keep him, how do we ensure we replace him with a coach as good or better? With more money? Okay, how much money will it take? How do we get more money? I'm fine with demanding more, but I think we have a responsibility to understand what we're asking for and a responsibility to help achieve it.
The only way I know how to demand more is by opening my wallet: donating and buying season tix. A lot of Aggies that can afford it and are within driving distance are big talkers but don't actually attend games with any sort of regularity.

I just donate and go to the games. Winning, losing, all are part of the deal. Demand more wins? OK...but making demands doesn't change anything. Aggies who care support. Those who don't, don't. To each their own.

Post by **GeoAg** » January 4th, 2018, 1:33 pm

Yes. The typical was to 'demand more' is self-defeating as it pulls the resources needed to deliver more.

2004AG · Post by **2004AG** » January 4th, 2018, 2:09 pm

newhouse9 wrote:
Madmartigan wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 11:40 am

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 7:15 pm

Aglicious wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 4:06 pm

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 3:21 pm
"Demanding more" are empty words.

What is you demand (quantify it specifically)? Is the demand reasonable? What is your plan to make it happen?
I am not employed by the AD, nor do I occupy a position to help establish a plan or vision for the future. I am a fan and alumnus demanding a plan or course of action to get behind and support.

We used to hear from the AD and school president regularly about the goals, direction, and and general vision for athletics. We had a plan in place to undertake one large facility upgrade each year, new programs to raise a certain amount of money, and events, countdowns, promos, to get the fan base involved and excited about Aggie athletics. Now?... We just seem to be adrift and in some holding pattern of mediocrity.
My point is, it's easy to "demand more" but I think we have an obligation to be intelligent about our demands. When we go to an AD and a coach and demand more we need to understand what we're asking.
Is it more wins? Okay, how do we get more wins? A better coach? Okay, how do we get a better coach and when that coach wins, how do we keep him? If we can't keep him, how do we ensure we replace him with a coach as good or better? With more money? Okay, how much money will it take? How do we get more money? I'm fine with demanding more, but I think we have a responsibility to understand what we're asking for and a responsibility to help achieve it.
The only way I know how to demand more is by opening my wallet: donating and buying season tix. A lot of Aggies that can afford it and are within driving distance are big talkers but don't actually attend games with any sort of regularity.
I just donate and go to the games. Winning, losing, all are part of the deal. Demand more wins? OK...but making demands doesn't change anything. Aggies who care support. Those who don't, don't. To each their own.

That’s the problem. More and more Aggie fans don’t care anymore. There just aren’t enough fans like you who will watch and pay for a crappy product.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

swordsman1989 · Post by **swordsman1989** » January 4th, 2018, 2:52 pm

USU78 wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 11:48 am
Since Kolonel Klink downgraded (by 17%) the "official" capacity of pre-renovation Romney Stadium for the 2005 season, USU's home attendance has been on a mild upward arc, with attendance presently "resting" at about 20K per game. Here are the numbers:

SBC/Guy Year:

13,131 (2-10 record)

WAC/Guy Years:

11,360 (1-11 record)
13,131 (2-10 record)
14,736 (3-9 record)

WAC/Andersen Years:

15,971 (4-7 record)
17,878 (4-7 record)
17,469 (7-6 record, with bowl loss)
20,054 (11-2 record, with bowl win)

MWC/Wells Years:

23,263 (9-5 record, with bowl win)
20,467 (10-4 record, with bowl win)
21,362 (6-7 record, with bowl loss)
19,136 (3-9 record)
20,108 (6-7 record, with bowl loss)

Guy never coached in the Sun Belt. His first season was 2005, which was USU's first season in the WAC.

Post by **Aglicious** » January 4th, 2018, 3:24 pm

Madmartigan wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 11:40 am

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 7:15 pm

Aglicious wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 4:06 pm

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 3:21 pm
"Demanding more" are empty words.

What is you demand (quantify it specifically)? Is the demand reasonable? What is your plan to make it happen?
I am not employed by the AD, nor do I occupy a position to help establish a plan or vision for the future. I am a fan and alumnus demanding a plan or course of action to get behind and support.

We used to hear from the AD and school president regularly about the goals, direction, and and general vision for athletics. We had a plan in place to undertake one large facility upgrade each year, new programs to raise a certain amount of money, and events, countdowns, promos, to get the fan base involved and excited about Aggie athletics. Now?... We just seem to be adrift and in some holding pattern of mediocrity.
My point is, it's easy to "demand more" but I think we have an obligation to be intelligent about our demands. When we go to an AD and a coach and demand more we need to understand what we're asking.
Is it more wins? Okay, how do we get more wins? A better coach? Okay, how do we get a better coach and when that coach wins, how do we keep him? If we can't keep him, how do we ensure we replace him with a coach as good or better? With more money? Okay, how much money will it take? How do we get more money? I'm fine with demanding more, but I think we have a responsibility to understand what we're asking for and a responsibility to help achieve it.
The only way I know how to demand more is by opening my wallet: donating and buying season tix. A lot of Aggies that can afford it and are within driving distance are big talkers but don't actually attend games with any sort of regularity.

Exactly, we are the consumers. This, combined with donating our time or perhaps any other resources we may have, is our role as fans. When I say "demand more", I am not implying we should tell someone we want more wins. I am saying we should raise expectations....from everyone involved. If we ever want to see long term success or have this program operate at the level it is capable of, then we need to have a plan to do so and the people in place with the vision to make it happen. Why do we continue to have an apathetic fan base? Why do we have an AD so disconnected from the fan base? Are there expectations or goals set by the AD for the growth and future of the the various athletic programs? If so, what are they are why are they not regularly shared with the fans and alumni whom should be key to achieving those goals? Why do we continue to deal with the same issues year after year like an inept ticket dept., etc?

I would love to see a 5 year, 10 year plan laid out that addresses future budget goals, future performance goals (conference championships), future facility upgrade goals, and future media rights/advertising/ticket sales goals?

AgMac · Post by **AgMac** » January 4th, 2018, 4:20 pm

Madmartigan wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 11:40 am
The only way I know how to demand more is by opening my wallet: donating and buying season tix. A lot of Aggies that can afford it and are within driving distance are big talkers but don't actually attend games with any sort of regularity.

This is, quite literally, the opposite of demanding more. This is a sustaining vote for the current state of our athletic programs.

Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful for those who do as you propose. But to suggest that is the only way of demanding more is absurd and hopefully not an axiom shared by anyone walking around with a business degree from USU.

Also, I believe Aglicious has done well answering what more he demands - SOMETHING!!!! It feels like our programs are on life support, slowly losing a pulse and sinking into the depths of the MWC graveyard. If only we had an entire department dedicated to athletics, with a full-time leader who could come up with solutuons to breathe life and excitement back into our programs.

I laugh at those who criticize Barnes for being a self-promoter. That's exactly what made him a good AD - being a promoter. I won't reiterate what Aglicious has already mentioned. In summary, Barnes and the old administration knew how to invigorate a fanbase. The current disinterest of our fans is alarming.

newhouse9 · Post by **newhouse9** » January 4th, 2018, 4:37 pm

AgMac wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 4:20 pm

Madmartigan wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 11:40 am
The only way I know how to demand more is by opening my wallet: donating and buying season tix. A lot of Aggies that can afford it and are within driving distance are big talkers but don't actually attend games with any sort of regularity.
This is, quite literally, the opposite of demanding more. This is a sustaining vote for the current state of our athletic programs.

Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful for those who do as you propose. But to suggest that is the only way of demanding more is absurd and hopefully not an axiom shared by anyone walking around with a business degree from USU.

Also, I believe Aglicious has done well answering what more he demands - SOMETHING!!!! It feels like our programs are on life support, slowly losing a pulse and sinking into the depths of the MWC graveyard. If only we had an entire department dedicated to athletics, with a full-time leader who could come up with solutuons to breathe life and excitement back into our programs.

I laugh at those who criticize Barnes for being a self-promoter. That's exactly what made him a good AD - being a promoter. I won't reiterate what Aglicious has already mentioned. In summary, Barnes and the old administration knew how to invigorate a fanbase. The current disinterest of our fans is alarming.

I also find the disinterest intriguing. It's hard to imagine choosing to not engage with Aggie athletics anymore. Going to games is a great experience. The Spectrum was really fun last night, especially in those last 10 minutes of play. I just never know what is going to happen, except that 100% of the time, one team wins and the other team loses. And 50% of fans nationwide are disappointed, while the other 50% are happy. I am just guessing that those who disengage or choose disinterest don't feel either way?

That's not to fault anyone for their feelings. Just the way I view it.

MrBiggle · Post by **MrBiggle** » January 4th, 2018, 7:38 pm

JonnyCienPesos wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 1:03 pm

MrBiggle wrote:
JonnyCienPesos wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 10:42 am

Madmartigan wrote:
brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 9:56 am

JonnyCienPesos wrote:Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

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It is a tough job. 7.5 wins/year on average is the pretty much our ceiling.

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I don't want to open a can of worms here, as we've discussed Wells ad nauseum here, but what the hell. Internally I vacillate between this train of thought and wanting to roll the dice and maybe get an exceptional head coach. I think Wells is an average to maybe slightly above average HC. If we got someone else, there is no guarantee he would be better given the factors that make USU a tough job. If we did get someone exceptional, he would likely leave for more money and a better program quickly. It's just so frustrating after one exceptional season to be mired in mediocrity and see the same things happen over and over again. The good news is, I think Wells has recruited and developed talent well enough that we could see an 8 + win season next year.

Another big factor, does our fanbase deserve better than what we have? We certainly think we do, but look at attendance, donations, in-game experience, etc. We don't support what we have well at all and traditionally have never been a very large or supportive fan base.
Yep. It frustrated the hell out of Gary. He couldn’t even get fan support during the best season in recent memory.

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You must be joking...
About which part?

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Your entire statement.

I really started paying attention to Aggie football in 2007. I went to several games that year and even more over the next 6 years. The increase in fans in the seats was great. Remember, they count the total number of student seats weather or not they are filled, which makes the attendance numbers skewy.

We have a family member on the pay roll that would save us seats on the front row, and it was a bitter sweet day when we could no longer do that because of the increase in tickets sold.

TheConspirator · Post by **TheConspirator** » January 4th, 2018, 8:08 pm

brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 9:56 am

JonnyCienPesos wrote:Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is a tough job. 7.5 wins/year on average is the pretty much our ceiling.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

So we haven’t hit our ceiling in 3 years.

JonnyCienPesos · Post by **JonnyCienPesos** » January 4th, 2018, 8:08 pm

MrBiggle wrote:
JonnyCienPesos wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 1:03 pm

MrBiggle wrote:
JonnyCienPesos wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 10:42 am

Madmartigan wrote:
brownjeans wrote: ↑
January 3rd, 2018, 9:56 am

JonnyCienPesos wrote:Believe it or not, and this is not an endorsement, but Wells is pretty highly regarded by many. Most see USU as a tough job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is a tough job. 7.5 wins/year on average is the pretty much our ceiling.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
I don't want to open a can of worms here, as we've discussed Wells ad nauseum here, but what the hell. Internally I vacillate between this train of thought and wanting to roll the dice and maybe get an exceptional head coach. I think Wells is an average to maybe slightly above average HC. If we got someone else, there is no guarantee he would be better given the factors that make USU a tough job. If we did get someone exceptional, he would likely leave for more money and a better program quickly. It's just so frustrating after one exceptional season to be mired in mediocrity and see the same things happen over and over again. The good news is, I think Wells has recruited and developed talent well enough that we could see an 8 + win season next year.

Another big factor, does our fanbase deserve better than what we have? We certainly think we do, but look at attendance, donations, in-game experience, etc. We don't support what we have well at all and traditionally have never been a very large or supportive fan base.
Yep. It frustrated the hell out of Gary. He couldn’t even get fan support during the best season in recent memory.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You must be joking...
About which part?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Your entire statement.

I really started paying attention to Aggie football in 2007. I went to several games that year and even more over the next 6 years. The increase in fans in the seats was great. Remember, they count the total number of student seats weather or not they are filled, which makes the attendance numbers skewy.

We have a family member on the pay roll that would save us seats on the front row, and it was a bitter sweet day when we could no longer do that because of the increase in tickets sold.

Ha ha. Yeah ok. Gary was tickled pink that your buddy couldn’t even save you a front row seat any more. He was also very satisfied with the fact that he couldn’t even sell out Romney with a top 25 team. He was also extremely ecstatic that he couldn’t pay his assistants a competitive salary.

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WAaggieFan · Post by **WAaggieFan** » January 5th, 2018, 12:59 pm

JonnyCienPesos wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 8:08 pm
Ha ha. Yeah ok. Gary was tickled pink that your buddy couldn’t even save you a front row seat any more. He was also very satisfied with the fact that he couldn’t even sell out Romney with a top 25 team. He was also extremely ecstatic that he couldn’t pay his assistants a competitive salary.

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I love the, "couldn't sell out MOFARS with a top 25 team," argument. USU didn't become a top 25 team until they beat LATech on the road. After that, there was exactly one game left in MOFARS which was against Idaho; A game that saw a 2,000 fan attendance bump over the previous couple of MOFARS games and at the end of November to boot. Then, after putting just over 29k fans in the potato bowl (and how many of those 29k were Toledo fans?), GA loved the Aggies and then left the Aggies. Talk about expecting immediate results....

JonnyCienPesos · Post by **JonnyCienPesos** » January 5th, 2018, 1:39 pm

WAaggieFan wrote:
JonnyCienPesos wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 8:08 pm
Ha ha. Yeah ok. Gary was tickled pink that your buddy couldn’t even save you a front row seat any more. He was also very satisfied with the fact that he couldn’t even sell out Romney with a top 25 team. He was also extremely ecstatic that he couldn’t pay his assistants a competitive salary.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I love the, "couldn't sell out MOFARS with a top 25 team," argument. USU didn't become a top 25 team until they beat LATech on the road. After that, there was exactly one game left in MOFARS which was against Idaho; A game that saw a 2,000 fan attendance bump over the previous couple of MOFARS games and at the end of November to boot. Then, after putting just over 29k fans in the potato bowl (and how many of those 29k were Toledo fans?), GA loved the Aggies and then left the Aggies. Talk about expecting immediate results....

So.....areyou arguing that it didn’t bother Gary or that it shouldn’t have bothered Gary?

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WAaggieFan · Post by **WAaggieFan** » January 5th, 2018, 3:12 pm

JonnyCienPesos wrote:
WAaggieFan wrote:
JonnyCienPesos wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 8:08 pm
Ha ha. Yeah ok. Gary was tickled pink that your buddy couldn’t even save you a front row seat any more. He was also very satisfied with the fact that he couldn’t even sell out Romney with a top 25 team. He was also extremely ecstatic that he couldn’t pay his assistants a competitive salary.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I love the, "couldn't sell out MOFARS with a top 25 team," argument. USU didn't become a top 25 team until they beat LATech on the road. After that, there was exactly one game left in MOFARS which was against Idaho; A game that saw a 2,000 fan attendance bump over the previous couple of MOFARS games and at the end of November to boot. Then, after putting just over 29k fans in the potato bowl (and how many of those 29k were Toledo fans?), GA loved the Aggies and then left the Aggies. Talk about expecting immediate results....
So.....areyou arguing that it didn’t bother Gary or that it shouldn’t have bothered Gary?

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1. It shouldn’t have bothered GA.
2. As a corollary, I don’t think it should be used (it wasn’t by you in this instance) as evidence of lack of fan support.

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ChicAggie · Post by **ChicAggie** » January 5th, 2018, 3:23 pm

WAaggieFan wrote: ↑
January 5th, 2018, 12:59 pm

JonnyCienPesos wrote: ↑
January 4th, 2018, 8:08 pm
Ha ha. Yeah ok. Gary was tickled pink that your buddy couldn’t even save you a front row seat any more. He was also very satisfied with the fact that he couldn’t even sell out Romney with a top 25 team. He was also extremely ecstatic that he couldn’t pay his assistants a competitive salary.

I love the, "couldn't sell out MOFARS with a top 25 team," argument. USU didn't become a top 25 team until they beat LATech on the road. After that, there was exactly one game left in MOFARS which was against Idaho; A game that saw a 2,000 fan attendance bump over the previous couple of MOFARS games and at the end of November to boot. Then, after putting just over 29k fans in the potato bowl (and how many of those 29k were Toledo fans?), GA loved the Aggies and then left the Aggies. Talk about expecting immediate results....

I think you're splitting hairs. Regardless of when the Aggies were voted into the top 25, they were a "top 25" caliber team all season, with only the narrowest of losses on the road at Wisconsin and BYU and had won 5 regular season games in a row to end the prior season.

Here are the reported attendance figures for 2012:

Date................Time.............Opponent.................Result.................Attendance
August 30....6:00 PM.....Southern Utah..............W 34–3..................17,009
Sept 7..........6:00 PM.............Utah......................W 27–20 OT...........25,513
Sept 29........6:00 PM............UNLV......................W 35–13................24,226
Oct 20..........1:00 PM............NMSU.....................W 41–7.................17,001
Nov 3...........1:00 PM........Texas State................W 38–7.................17,222
Nov 24.........1:00 PM.............Idaho.....................W 45–9..................19,350

In a stadium with an official capacity of just over 25,000 and an unofficial capacity of 33,000 (the largest crowd to attend a football game at Maverik nee Romney Stadium), the Ags could muster only two near sell-outs. Those numbers are disappointing for a team of that caliber regardless of when they were voted into the Top 25. I also suspect the 2,000 additional bodies in the stadium on Nov. 24 had a lot more to do with the proximity of the opponent in comparison to the prior two opponents than it did with being voted into the Top 25 following the prior week's win against La Tech. Nor can weather be blamed for the abysmal turnouts against NMSU and Texas State -- those games were played on gorgeous fall days with temperatures hitting the 60s and 70s and zero precipitation. There simply seems to be an enduring and impregnable apathy and perhaps parsimony among a significant percentage of CV and Wasatch Front Aggie alums and residents.

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