If Ted Gregory gets the A.D. job, all is lost
1) Mangurian is Gone
We already knew this. but based on his "performance" at the pre-Homecoming dinner, Head Coach Pete Mangurian lost all support and is now just two games away from completing his woeful tenure here at Columbia.
2) But WHO will Fire Him?
Outgoing Athletic Director Dianne Murphy will not be allowed to do anything to replace Mangurian, and that's where we're stuck at this point. Somebody else may actually have to fire Mangurian in 12 days and it's not 100% clear who that is right now.
3) Ted Gregory is Hanging Around
A big reason why we have no word on the replacement process for Murphy and no search committee has been formed is because Bill Campbell wants Ted Gregory to get the job... and no one seems to have the guts to tell Campbell that Gregory is a terrible choice.
Remember, it was Gregory who let us all down and rubber stamped Mangurian for Murphy when he led the search and vetting committee for coaching candidates.
Let me make this as clear as possible: TED GREGORY CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO BE OUR NEXT A.D,, CHOOSE OUR NEXT A.D., OR HAVE ANY ROLE IN HIRING OUR FUTURE FOOTBALL COACH!!!
He's not remotely qualified for this job, period.
If he somehow does get the job, it will be because Campbell pushed for him and no one in the administration had the guts to say no. It would be the clearest evidence on top of a pile of clear evidence that the administration does not really care about the success of athletics in the least bit and the department basically exists solely to please one person.
4) Yes, Coaching DOES Matter
Did anyone watch the Eagles shred the Panthers on Monday Night Football last night?
If you did, you saw Eagles QB Mark Sanchez play a super game.
That's the same Mark Sanchez who imploded with the Jets.
Coaching and the right offensive schemes to fit your players does matter. It's as simple as that. Everyone who clings to the notion that no coach and no system could help Columbia football improve is being entirely too pessimistic and frankly, useless to this process.
19 comments:
For someone like myself probably out of thye loop, Jake, could you please supply some details about Ted Gregory's background?
Otherwise, it's sort of like grumbling about "that upstart Heydrich" (as I once read he was termed by German generals) without any real context. Thanks.
Sure.
Let me start by saying that Gregory was a great player and is a very nice guy.
He spent many years on Wall Street and left about 7-8 years ago to get into the business of executive search.
But the big thing is that he is a very close friend of Bill Campbell. And Campbell has always looked out for his friends. Sometimes, to everyone's detriment.
Gregory is just not remotely the right guy to be the A.D. No other school would consider him or someone with his background, even at their school, for this job.
There's a reason why Columbia is such a failure in football. And it's because we do the things no one else would be dumb enough to do, like hiring Mangurian and even for one second considering Gregory for this job.
I musses the homecoming performance by Pete. Was that the radio interview? It's amazing how the guy is in complete denial and continues to deflect blame. I've never seen a head coach do that to the extent this guy is. It comes with being a leader, you fess up and recognize your shortcomings.
What is also unbelievable is Campbell can't get out of his own way. It's like a lifelong pursuit to change what cannot be changed - Bill you never had any skills as a football coach or even as a booster. Despite your generic ideas people inexplicably figured you for greatness and you are a very wealthy man as a result. But that's all. Even T. Boone Pickens doesn't meddle like you.
Al:
Pete's speech at the HC dinner was filled with pass the buck platitudes about how he doesn't have his players yet.
Then, when people gave him the cold shoulder he started saying the he "didn't have a disease."
Jake--Pres. Bollinger can and should fire Mangurian. It is his responsibility now that he has properly sidelined Murphy. If she doesn't want to fire the friend she hired, she can leave now instead of hanging around till June to launch another disastrous season.
I have said from the start that the University President has the ultimate power and responsibility in this mess.
Is there a law that says a a University president can't get off his fanny and act?
I don't have all the facts and inside info that went into the entire process but Ted Gregory SHOULD know better and should have been wiser with advocating Pete's hire. As a football man just looking at Pete's plans and playbook SHOULD have been a red flag to the entire operation it was not the right fit. Instead, he and others took it as the best fit. Maybe that is part of the problem is Pete did come in with a plan at all and people were somehow impressed by that fact alone. We know he had a tangible strategy for people to look at and sift through in PDF. Am I ignorant to assume other candidates were not as prepared for the process? I am just guessing but I know from business your portfolio is a big deal to communicate what you are capable of. Pete's does have credentials - just the wrong ones for the CU program.
Looking at the worst case scenario can Gregory the AD be that ignorant to make another mistake like that? Or can we assume a smart man would learn from his errors? A different AD with no football background could be worse.
Just tossing around ideas....
Clarification: I meant act like a president, not act like his fanny.
1) To Chick: The law of self-preservation.
2) Regardless of Bill's relationship with Gregory, I find it hard to comprehend how the admin could or would select someone so closely linked to the previous failed regime, and with such a dearth of credentials.
This would be political suicide given the inevitable results.
Well, now
RPI has us, for the first time, losing to Cornell. Up till now, we were favored.
Has the job even been posted on any CU site yet?
What qualifies TG for an AD position? He's always been in Human Resources (please see the last three disastrous coaching hires that he vetted). Based on that type of employ, he hasn't managed more than 2-3 people at most. Between facilities and coaches, there must be over 100 Staff members for goodness sakes. He is completely UNQUALIFIED!
Why give a penny more when this guy is at the helm? He should publish his Athletic Platform and explain how he intends to change Columbia Athletics as a whole; as opposed to getting a drink with the rest of the NHDC to make him feel qualified.
Okay, the upside is there won't be a bidding war with Oscar Meyer, or Hebrew Nationals... I believe Ted will renew the Nathan's contract so that all cronies will flourish.
The Mafia has NOTHING on CU politics...
I would be shocked if CU hires a new football coach before they choose an AD.
My bet is that TG is a done deal.
With all due respect to those who follow this blog, I believe that Ted Gregory would be a terrific AD. Being a successful businessman and an alum and football player at Columbia is just what the school needs. The most critical job of the AD at Columbia
Is to work, and negotiate with admissions and financial aid. Gregory would be perfect for this critical requirement.
I don't recall anybody stating he was overly successful or that he was a good negotiator, but that is all based upon the definition of success.
At Columbia success is defined as being a friend of NHDC and Bill C.
I see this all going nowhere quickly. another poor selection at AD followed by either keeping a bad coach or finding another bad coach, lost years of recruiting. Does any of this sound familiar to people?
I believe that a Columbia alum, such as Ted Gregory, would have much more clout with admissions, financial aid, and fund raising than any outsider. This is not to say that an outstanding candidate might come along even better, and I do not know Mr. Gregory, but it seems that he would be in a position to get things done at Columbia- if he is a person that is truly respected by Bollinger and the trustees , then he is a good choice.
A further comment about the AD position- I believe that the new AD should have 3 basic jobs- run the football program, and the basketball program, coordinate admissions and financial aid as it applies to these 2 programs, and fund raise for the athletic's department. The responsibility of the other sports programs need to be delegated to Associate AD's at least for a few years.
Moglia will stay as a football coach.
Columbia had the chance to hire Moglia after Wilson. He joins a long list of football coaches that Columbia could have hired including Gerry DiNardo, Steve Addazio, and Tom Gilmore.
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