I think Roger makes good sense here.
Other efforts, including a very severe "nuclear option" are still on the table, but this is worth doing.
"As much as is possible, I want to hear from EVERY young man who played – FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME– on this year’s football team, and/or last year’s team. (parents too, and managers, and anyone else close to the scene)
We will be able to move forward with much more assuredness if we include substantive input from the players as part of the decision-making process. Not only do these young men have the most to gain or lose via a good or bad coach, but they know better than anybody how they feel about their coach professionally - and as a person. (BOTH of which are important!)
I think we need to give the players, and other respondees, the choice of anonymity; because I have heard that they are afraid of repercussions if they speak out. While I personally don’t think it would hurt them re graduating and getting jobs – in fact I think it might actually help - I can see where their admittance to grad schools (especially Columbia schools) might be compromised by their taking a stand.
But really it doesn’t matter what I think – it has to be their choice. Whoever feels that speaking out might be harmful later on must have the right to stay anonymous.
WE NEED THEIR TRUTH, not necessarily their names.
Here’s what seems to me to be a good plan:
A. Have players choose a person whom they trust (to protect their identities) to collect all their assessments and compile them into one document.
B. Ask players (parents, etc.) to respond to these three questions:
1- Do you think the head coach should be retained or let go, and why?
2- Do you have anything you want to say about any of the assistant coaches?
3- Any other thoughts, ideas, stories?
C. (Individuals who so choose should surely identify themselves.)
D. The designated ‘receiver’ will compile all the assessments into one document and forward same to all the appropriate people. (Jake and those of you who are closer to the situation than I am will have a better idea of who ‘all the appropriate people’ are.)
E. A parent whom I heard from yesterday had what I think is a good idea; i.e. keep this document ‘under the radar’ initially. If the comments are generally supportive of the coach then maybe he should be retained – but if the comments are strongly suggesting his removal then give ‘the powers that be’ the opportunity to act accordingly and keep this an ‘in house’ issue.
F. If the comments suggest removal, and ‘the powers’ do not respond appropriately, then go public!"
Roger Dennis CC’66
29 comments:
Maybe this works with the senior class, but my guess is that underclass men who want to play next year will be reluctant to engage in any action which might expose them to the fury of Dianne Murphy. It is going to be difficult to pull this off unless one of the current seniors in a respected position of leadership is prepared to be the point man. In case you have forgotten, after Norries was canned and Dianne called a meeting of the players, she just about tore the head off of one of the seniors who had the temerity to ask a question or two about the selection process of the next coach. And if you don't think that Dianne is not going to engage in a witch hunt, you don't know the fury she is capable of unleashing.
Then it's time for the "nuclear option," and there is one.
Listen to yourself Jake! The "nuclear option"? You are like a cult leader willing to cut off your nose to spite your face. Come off the edge man! This is sickening and crazy. The student athletes have the right to leave the team or transfer if they are not happy. Stop trying to create turmoil for these young men. You heard the administration now let it play out. If PM doesn't improve next year then he's gone.
Again, let's see if you have the guts to ID yourself and then tell the players on the team how they should give up yet another year just to give PM another year.
Can someone please provide bill campbells email address: we should individually direct our comments to him to make sure he cants say he is not aware of the depth of the sentiments out there
The nuclear option is extreme, but the kids and Parents have to seriously way the prospects of going through another very difficult year and then the ramifications of that. If this does happen then the current group of Freshman and Sophomores would go through the same experience as this years seniors. In short, there will be nobody to blame but yourselves (parents-players) when/if this happens.
If I were paying 60k a year, I would want to make sure that my kids liked all facets of the experience including the athletics, in this case football. If they do then there is nothing to say here. If they do not then they have an obligation to their kids to stand up for them. There is nothing that is going to happen to the kids. The school cannot take away financial aid, the coach does not help in getting them jobs after they have finished. In fact the athletic department has very little to do in getting players jobs after college. The kids can/wil be most affected by keeping the current regime in place, assuming they dont like it.
As I said earlier, if they like what they have then stick with it.
Delaney 1st team , Olinger 2nd, Padilla HM All Ivy
Obviously the least represented Ivy team by far as we expected. Congrats to those three during a very difficult season.
Jake my name is Christopher Thomas I am former player at Columbia Class of 2013. If you have an email you can send to Cthomas@phacil.com there are some words I would like to express for you consideration, I believe that as we request players to speak out we listen all they have to say and I would like to share a few words that the comment box is too small to express.
To all that have played any organized sport. Played almost all from 10 though 40 years old. Do not remember any specific games or scores. Do remember some of the coaches good and bad. Mostly remember team mates and fun times on and off the field. I wonder if we, and I include myself, are telling our selfs that our concerns are for the kids when it is really our pride that is under attack
Padilla only second year. Good young returners on D with plenty of playing time this year coming back.
Can't wait for Jake's 2014 early report.
teacher mike 196
Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi got their professional coaching careers started as defensive and offensive assistants on the staff of NY Giant Head Coach Jim Lee Howell during the 1950's. Howell played for the Giants and was head coach for Wagner College before being hired as HC by the Giants. Obviously two future NFL Hall of Fame head coaches thrived under the steady and calm leadership of Jim Lee Howell.
In a different field,Don Knotts, Tom Poston, Louie Nye, Pat Harrington, Jr. and Bill Dana thrived under the steady and calm leadership of Steve Allen on his Sunday night variety show of the late 50's and early 60's.
Despite the fact that two former NFL coaches left the CU football staff before the 2013 started, on paper it looks like there was a pretty good mix of experienced veteran and experienced young coaches on the staff.
Makes you wonder why with what looks like a winning assistant coaching staff the record was 0-10. What was the missing ingredient?
We’ve lost a little of that at Columbia, but we are going to get it back. Truth is we never really lost it; we just haven’t created an environment that facilitates the connection. This program is about the people in it – the players that are here, the players we have recruited and the players that came before. Each generation learns from the last. All football players have that football “gene.” if you haven’t been a part of it, it’s hard to understand. It doesn’t matter how much you win, it’s the journey teams take, all together, basically all alone. Once you have been part of that, it never goes away, and it’s why we play.
Who do you think made that statement spring 2012???
He has made no attempt to create a " connection"
he has disconnected the program and alums
I know Rippon left but who is the other NFL assistant? If you are referring to McDanials he lasted 3 months, at most, before Pete ever coached a game.
Very funny analogy posted above re Steve Allen and Don Knotts, Louie Nye, etc. Let's look a bit closer at that!
When Steve Allen refused to roll over for mob-influenced powers-that-be in Hollywood about bookings on his show, he was blackballed from booking many celebrity guests. Instead he took a bunch of unknown comedians and created a whole new format in which to use their talents. He took the players that were available and built his offense around them. He invented a new genre of entertainment that became hugely successful. No Steve Allen, no David Letterman, I can assure you of that.
Similarly, when Andy Griffith and his writers were developing the Mayberry show, Andy was going to be the comic lead. Then Don Knotts showed up and everyone realized that he should be the funny person. Neither Andy not anyone else quibbled about Don Knotts fitting in to their system. Don Knotts was going to carry the "funny" ball. It didn't matter who threw the pass or who caught the pass because they all had the desire that hungers for the goal line.
Oh, if Andy Griffith could coach Columbia! Oh, if the quarterback could be Don Knotts!
Yeah, but now our Coach is Otis.
teacher mike 196
The other former pro coach who left the CU coaching staff was Kevin Lempa who returned for a third tour to Boston College. I wonder if the coaches who left realized there was something wrong with the program and jumped ship. No coach wants a bad stop on his resume.
If Pres. Bollinger, Trustee Campbell and AD Murphy really care about their student athletes, perhaps they should seriously look into breaking ground for a "ONE HUNDRED YARD PRACTICE FOOTBALL FIELD" on the new Manhattanville campus. I am sure the current football players would contribute their labor to this worthy endeavor. I am also quite sure that some local alumni would contribute a few hours of labor and a few bucks to support CU football. Wouldn't this be a great start to a new era of competitive Lion football.
It would also take away a major recruiting tool from opposing coaches inside and outside of the Ivy League. If I was an opposing coach, I would have a ball telling a recruit about the God awful time in the morning that CU football players wake up, the ride up to Inwood to practice and the ride back down to Morningside Heights. I might mention that the players could maybe fit in breakfast if they were lucky. If they didn't make breakfast, it could be a positive because it would keep them in fighting shape. And of course an empty stomach makes for a very attentive student athlete.
"MANHATTANVILLE OR BUST."
teacher mike 196
I almost forgot, wouldn't it be nice if the new "MANHATTANVILLE PRACTICE FOOTBALL FIELD" was named after former CU footballer Lou Gehrig. I'm curious, did Columbia Lou practice his football on the Morningside Heights campus or at Baker Field? If it was at Baker Field, maybe that's why he decided to play hardball for the Yankees. After all Lou played baseball on the Morningside campus and didn't have to travel too far to do it.
"MANHATTANVILLE OR BUST."
Roughly 3 years ago there were plans for a field in morningside park that would double as a community field. It was shot down by Dianne so that Baker could be further developed.
That's right, Lempa, who Rippon replaced. That said, how can you count McDaniels who never participated in one practice during his illustrious 2 months at Columbia?
Weber State has fired its football coach after just two seasons.
Jody Sears went 4-19 in his two seasons as head coach of the Wildcats, who play in the Big Sky Conference. The northern Utah school announced Sears' dismissal Tuesday afternoon.
Athletic director Jerry Bovee says Sears came into a difficult situation, but said that he didn't see the progress he wanted.
Sears came to Weber State in January 2012 as a defensive coordinator, but was promoted to interim head coach after the previous head coach resigned before coaching any games. He was given a three-year contract in November 2012.
Before coming to Weber State, Sears was co-defensive coordinator at Washington State, where he played collegiately.
Weber State finished this season 2-12, and just 1-7 in conference play.
I am surprised to hear these comments as a recent graduate 2013 - I can only attest to feeling hope for the program and finally reaching a point during my senior season of mending my relationship with the game of football after 4 years of trailing times. That being said my heart goes out to my brothers there doesn't seem to be a discussion so much as a gather of shared sentiments, but for any of the current Lions that are reading this get off this blog and focus on the game - this is not where your time should be spent you have games to win!!! That is the only message I would like to leave here.
A practice field on a tiny slice of Manhattanville is one practical benefit Bollinger could bestow on all players and coaches to come. But if Bollinger ever actually considered a practice field there, he quickly buried the idea. No doubt he's holding on to every last inch to get a well-heeled donor to put up an unnecessary building with his name on it in return for a huge donation,and football be damned.
Or maybe he's holding out for the Bollinger-Ahmahdinejad Conference Center.
What would be the point of a practice field in Manhatanville, at least 45 minutes from main campus?
Manhattanville is the new campus between 125th and 133rd Streets. You're talking a ten minute walk.
However, I doubt it would ever happen. Columbia's been in desperate need for space for years. The engineering school needs at least three buildings to realize its potential. They might set up a temporary practice field after some of the buildings are razed, but sooner or later the team would be booted out.
What about a practice field on top of an academic building in Manhattanville just like the science tower on top of dodge fitness center on the morningside campus!
Too much talk about facilities. Need a coach that can recruit and develop players. It can be done with what we have. It will happen in our lifetime, but not for at least 5 years. After next year it will start all over. Then, hopefully, a good coach will be hired and it will take him 4 years to win a championship.
Old Lion, you may very well be right. Not only might underclassmen be worried about repercussions, but the culture of football is not very conducive to players speaking badly about their coaches. Most of my Columbia coaches have passed on - all except John Toner - and yet even today, 48 years later, I would be very reluctant to say anything against them.
So you are right; it's going to be challenging to get our players to speak up. I think you are also correct in saying that "It is going to be difficult to pull this off unless one of the current seniors in a respected position of leadership is prepared to be the point man."
And that's what I'm hoping for - that one or a couple of the respected player-leaders step up and take charge!
While I hate the all the losing, I am especially concerned about what kind of person the coach is. If he is a good guy but just a very tough football coach then his staying or leaving can just be a football decision, but if as a coach and person he stepped over the line and was undeniably abusive, then he needs to be gone yesterday!
THIS IS WHY THE PLAYERS - AND THE PARENTS - MUST BE HEARD!
Roger Dennis '66
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