We now have about 65 former players who have signed on to the petition/letter calling for Dianne Murphy and Pete Mangurian to be removed immediately.
I know hundreds more former players feel the same way and the CU football program, especially all the younger players who will return in the coming years, really NEED you to step up and speak out for them.
Coach Magurian says we're trying to tear down the program. We know the truth is just the opposite.
Note the MAJOR names listed below who have already stood up. They include a former Trustee, two Columbia Athletics Hall of Famers, and a very large group of our most successful alumni.
If you are a former CU football player or student athlete who agrees with the sentiments of the signatories, I am told you can add your name to this letter at any time. To do that, you can email me at roarlions2012@gmail.com or Rich Forzani at rforzani1@optonline.net.
Dear President Bollinger and Chairman Campbell:
As alumni of Columbia and the Columbia football program, we feel compelled to speak out about the current state of the program and the disastrous job performance of its current head coach.
In fewer than two years, Pete Mangurian has done what many thought impossible. He’s taken a program with a very sad recent history and made it clearly worse. The scores and statistics tell a woeful story. This team is performing worse than even the squads at the height of the infamous 44-game losing streak of 1983-88. We went 0-10 this season for the first time since 1987.
That alone would be unacceptable, but we can also see that much of this futility is not an accident. Coach Mangurian has deliberately enacted policies that are not only making it impossible for us to win but are also putting the players in physical danger.
We refer to the deliberate practice of forcing the team’s linemen to slim down to weights sometimes 50 to 60 pounds lighter than the Ivy League norm. We also refer to the deliberate benching of experienced upperclassmen, some of them All-Ivy awardees, in favor of first-year players who have not been given a chance to develop their skills and boost their strength. As much as we hate to see the team continue to lose, we hate even more to see our current players put in a totally unnecessarily dangerous situation.
We know of no other solution to this problem but to replace Coach Mangurian as soon as the season ends. It pains us to publicly embarrass the program in this way, but it’s essential that the athletics department cut its losses and move on. Many of us were dismayed two years ago when we saw the hiring process for Mangurian not being carried out in the open way we were all promised. We know of several candidates willing to coach at Columbia who were not even interviewed. Some of those candidates include excellent former Columbia players and assistant coaches. In short, we believe the hiring of Coach Mangurian was not conducted properly, and thus the current poor results should not be a surprise to anyone.
To that end, we also strongly request that an outside group be brought in to assess the entire athletics department and conduct the hiring process for a new head football coach. We believe too many of the same people in and outside the department have failed in the past in this endeavor, and it’s time to look elsewhere for this crucial decision.
We remain ever loyal to Alma Mater, and that is the main reason we have decided to make this plea in this way. The signatories below include three Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame members and several substantial donors to the University. We all know that football and athletics in general can be more successful at Columbia provided our teams and athletes get the proper leadership. We are ready and willing to do whatever we can to help you make that happen.
Sincerely,
Jim Armstrong '99; Patrick Armstrong '94; Chad Andrzejewski , CC ’94, three-time letterwinner; Rod Azar, ’93; Billy Basso, ’93; Matt Barsamian '07, 2006 team captain; Richard Beggs '66; Mark Bernstein '01; Rashad Biggers '05, 2003-04 team captain; Matt Bloodgood '00, Chandler Bockledge '00; Ed Botwinick '56, Trustee Emeritus; Greg Bowman '00; Rob Carey, CC ’92; Joe Calcagno, CC ’93; Thomas Chorba, ’66; Jim Daine, CC ’94; Marcel Deans '98; Jay DePurtuis '98; Gary Edmonds, ’95; Tommy Enright '03; Darren Finestone '91; Rich Forzani, ’66; Ray Gerena '98; Michale Hefferon '94; Brett Hixon, ’03; Brad Hutton '92, 1991 team captain, Jennifer Jackson Strange, manager 1988-90; John Jennings, ’94, three-time letterwinner; Michael Kamen '66; Quinn Kayser-Cochran, CC ’91; Bob Kent, CC ’92, letterwinner; Chris Konovalchik '90; Neal Kravitz '00; Justin Logan '02; John MacKinney '00; Alberto Marconi, ’93; Chad Moore, ’93; Dean Mothard; Paul Myott '90; Lawrence Nelson; Kiernan O’Connor, CC ’92; Matt Orlowsky '99; Jason Overdorf '93; Daniel Palmer '07; Pete Passaro '92; Matt Porter '01; Matt Radley '00; David Ramirez, CC ’96; Christopher Reed '90; Dominic Riebli '98; Claude Roxborough '00; Tom Samuelson, ’84; Mitch Sisskind '68; Scott Spivey '93; Matt Stary '02; Matt Streem '93; Kyle Stupid '12; Matt Swyers, ’93; Jason Tarbart, ’93; Jeremy Taylor '99, team captain; Matt Thompson, ’93; Kevin Townley '85; John Vomvolakis '91; Bob Walcott, SEAS ’92; Desmond Werthman, CC ’93, Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame; Rory Wilfork, CC ’97, Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame; Stephen Wolfson
30 comments:
Jake,
The above letter needs an edit. Written before the season ended, it says "We will likely go 0-10"...unfortunately, we have.
Also, if former players want their own letter, fine, but then there should also be an additional letter from alums, students, parents, friends et al. To broaden the base of the protest. Without loyal alums, there is no program.
Will we put anyone besides Delaney on the All Ivy teams?.. My guess is no. Garret would have been if he had a chance to play the last 4 or 5 games. What a shame.
Jake,
I leave this blog for a couple of years and DAMN! Pretty brutal stuff. I see most of my brothers still go anonymous. I am not going to weigh in just yet, but I will read all of it and get back into the game.
John, we NEED you!
Olinger will get no worse than 2nd team All Ivy (maybe first) and East should get something as well. Their numbers are up there with the defensive leaders.
Did you happen to hear East comment to press after game?
jake
why don't we see your name on the petition?
Because I'm not a former player
Jake , you mentioned earlier , several higher level meetings are being held to discuss issues about DM and PM. Who has initiated these meetings and who will be attending. Please Explain.
I will when I am liberty to do so.
See today's Spec. Sounds like the power structure is circling the wagons. Not surprising at this stage.
The article basically says that Bollinger, Campbell and Murphy are in favor of Mangurian's plan and we need to rally around the cause. Give him the time to change a long culture of losing and a negative fan base. I actually agree with the power trust. GO Lions
It's a shocking story, really. The adults in charge of this program tell us that results don't matter. The safety and well-being of the players doesn't matter. Providing 100 students with a good experience playing football for alma mater doesn't matter.
What matters is Pete's empirical process, which he never explains and, obviously, could never explain. No adult in a position of authority is accountable, there is no timeline for improving, and the major issue with the program is the pesky alumni, who outrageously
want better for the program and the athletes. Rest assured, when 50kids show up for spring practice, Jake will be blamed.
Spec article today:
Regardless, Bollinger doesn’t see the need to make a coaching change at this point in time.
“I think Dianne has done an excellent job. She’s totally dedicated to this, and I think the results show this,” he said. “Give him [Mangurian] and give the program some time. I don’t accept for a second that we’ve got to change leadership and so on. That’s not my view, not my position, and it’s not going to happen.”
That is a definitive statement from the President of the University. The Chairman of the Trustees, Bill Campbell, agrees.
GAME OVER. It is time to stand down and stop bashing the program. Things will improve or PM will be gone after next year. Further attempts to escalate the criticism of PM and the program will only hurt the kids who will be here over the next few years. That is the reality of the situation, like it or not. PM is now under the microscope. I expect the skinny guy experiment is over and also, the number of unhappy upperclassmen will be falling sharply. I don't think PM is a stupid person and changes will be made, quietly.
I just read the Spectator piece. Sounds like Campbell is of the "time's not right yet" school of thought. Really? Then when? We're about to graduate a stud senior class. What hope do we have of bringing in a good CU class of 2018 into this flaming mess? And where is the empirical evidence to support PM's belief that an undersized line can be effective? We were DFL in FCS in all the offensive stats this year! Will current freshmen who had options elsewhere and can transfer/redshirt somewhere else really stick it out another year to THEN have PM get sacked with the hope that the next new guy won't come in and write them off the way it sounds like PM wrote off the current upperclassmen? The kids work too hard to be this badly supported by the "adults" in charge of the program. Enough really is enough!
It's not game over. The statements Bollinger and Campbell are making are strikingly similar to comments politicians and corp. boards make all the time before they can people.
We have time to fix this. Yale and Cornell recently lost/fired coaches close to January.
And stop talking about how we're "bashing the program." This is silly coming after the worst season any Ivy football team has ever recorded. The scoreboard is bashing the program by everyone's logic.
Also, what evidence do you have that the "skinny player experiment" is over? Has Mangurian said so? Has he shown any evidence that when something fails he changes strategies and moves on?
The answer is no.
We can't stop now because these players deserve better and so do the fans. I would like some of the courageous anonymous commenters here to look the current players in the eye, (especially the juniors), and tell them that after just one more year of losing, THEN we'll look into making changes.
I must agree with the above poster that the bosses have made clear there will be no change and that's simply the reality. There seems be no choice but to disconnect from all of this, unless one has the stomach to get behind an obviously lousy program, which I do not.
Perhaps after another train wreck of a season next year something will change. We'll see. Meanwhile it's a sad situation for people who have first hand experience of trying to play football for CU in the past, and especially for the current players and their parents.
I urge the current players to consult the websites of Princeton, Penn, Harvard, etc for information about transferring. I believe November 30 is the deadline for transfer applications so don't delay as there are only a few days left. Good luck to all and thanks for your hard work.
I agree with last post. Shut down the blog, encourage existing players to transfer or quit. Discourage prospects from attending and boycott all Columbia events and stop contributions.
Ignore them and let them die a slow death!
Jake, there is not the slightest bit of equivocation in the statement: "I don’t accept for a second that we've got to change leadership and so on. That’s not my view, not my position, and it’s not going to happen.”
The type of cosmetic statements of support that you are referring to are always equivocal and full of weasel words. "It's not going to happen" is about as strong as you can get.
I agree that it would be best if PM left but that is not going to happen.
I think that is silly to assume that PM won't evaluate and make changes. Under him, Cornell was 5-2 and 5-2 in the Ivy League two years in a row.
Yes, lets help screw over the kids who WILL be playing there over the next few years. Let's help make things worse. Great idea! Why don't you sneak up to the Campbell center and knock it down with bulldozer while you are at it. (That was sarcasm by the way. Never sure with some of you guys.)
Oh no, I really care about the poor players, yatta, yatta yatta. BS
If we take the President at face value, the coach stays at least one more year. Can we look for a win/win situation? Is it naiive to expect the coach to recognize that this last season was a disaster. Is he so delusional that he thinks Nottingham would have given him more than possibly one win (Penn) sans injury? Does he even want to be successful at Columbia?. If so, shouldnt we expect him to clean house to save his job? OC, WR, DB, TE, QB position coaches must be let go??
I'm sorry. It just isn't in my DNA to encourage players to transfer, to scare players from applying, or to take any steps to increase the misery index in the hope that it will facilitate positive change. That, to me, is over the top. Demand that Murphy and Mangurian fire if they don't have the decency to submit their resignations, by all means. Put pressure on Bollinger, for sure. Work back channels, yes.
Im with Old Lion. I wouldnt want any existing players to be hurt by the above actions.
Bollinger's statement has no wiggle room. He is not going to change his position. Any extreme measures you take from this point out such as suggesting current players transfer is, from his perspective, far more likely to delegitimatize its proponents and mark them as deranged than it is to effect M & M's departure.
Give it up. For the next year at least, you're not going to win, and unless your sole interest is in self-fulfilling prophecies, you're going to inflict a lot of damage, both collateral and direct, on the football program.
Old lion I am glad you are not losing your free will and ability to think for yourself. You always have posted intelligent observations and I'm happy that there is a line that you will not cross.
Mitch,
Are you sure that you are a CU rooter? You can't really think any players will take your advise. Only one freshman has already made noise about transferring to a bigger program. Why don't you take your own advise and
transfer your "help" to one of those schools.
It's "advice", not "advise". Geese, I wish members of the current staff would get it right!
Jake, you've warned everyone... For whatever reason, they've refused to act, so go nuclear! If Nathan's, BC, Bollinger, or Dianne refuse to act, then it's on them! Bombs away!!! We support you!
Sorry to cause you so much grief. Are you off your meds again?
That's "Jeez," not "Geese." ;)
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