Enough with the Silent Treatment

The happy and optimistic feeling I’ve been enjoying ever since Columbia removed the previous football coaching regime is starting to fade as we continue to get no updates whatsoever on the Athletic Director job search.

To be clear: I DON’T think the administration should be required to give us the names on a possible short list, salary offers, or other intimate details.

But it would be very wise for Columbia to be a lot more forthcoming in this hiring process and in the hiring process for the new football head coach than it has been so far.

Remember, the secretive and unethical process used to hire Pete Mangurian in 2011 produced nothing but the predictable disastrous results. The administration should do whatever it can to prove to the fans and alumni that it’s keeping everything above board this time.

It’s still not too late to do that, especially since the students and much of the administration are off on vacation right now.

But if by the end of next week, we’re still completely in the dark about this process that will simply not be acceptable and a bad omen for the hiring decisions that will eventually be made. It will also be yet another signal from Low Library that the alumni and fans are not worthy of being informed or listened to.

Considering the defensive and petty bashing of this blog by the many people in this administration and its toadies, you’d think they would try to drown out its voice with some steady information of their own. I’m really not sure why these people have yet to learn the very first lesson of P.R.: "control the message."

As of now, there is no message and that’s not good.

On the bright side, I can report that some very strong candidates for both jobs have shown at least private interest to the appropriate people inside the administration. So it’s not like we’re not getting anywhere in this effort. And speed is still not a priority over making the best choice in personnel.

But we’re listening and waiting and we’re about a week away from becoming truly impatient. 

It’s Black Monday, Think Outside the Box

John Idzik and Rex Ryan

The fact that Columbia still does not have an athletic director or a football head coach is definitely not the best news at this very moment on the recruiting front.

But with “Black Monday” happening now in the NFL, it’s good to have many more options available to us now that the pro teams are making a lot of changes.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’m clamoring to hire a bunch of just-fired GM’s and head coaches from the pro ranks. But remember that some of the top coordinators and other assistants will likely lose their jobs too when their bosses get the heave-ho.

The key is that Columbia should not hesitate to think outside the box when it comes to filling its open positions. And even though a former NFL coach really failed for us with our last hire, that should not preclude us from looking at the NFL ranks if there are truly some good candidates among them.  

This is truly uncharted territory, because I don’t believe Columbia has ever had these two positions still open post-Black Monday.

So far, Head Coach Rex Ryan and GM John Idzik have already been axed by the Jets. The Bears have fired GM Phil Emery and Head Coach Mark Trestman. The Falcons just fired Head Coach Mike Smith. Jim Harbaugh is going to Michigan, presumably leaving at least some of his excellent San Francisco 49er staff behind.

Are there any names on the staffs of the people fired just before 10am today that Columbia should consider? I would be shocked if there weren’t at least two or three.

I feel like even for Columbia, we are suddenly entering a true buyer’s market. 

Another Name

Howard Endelman



I'm not the first one here to mention the name of Howard Endelman as good possible candidate for Athletic Director.

Here's a short bio.

Lots of schools, even very big schools, keep the A.D. job in the family of alumni. And as long as that person from inside the family has the chops to do the job, that's not a bad thing.

I think Columbia still needs to make a serious effort for an outside big name like Tim Pernetti, but if that effort fails, (and it has to be a serious effort), Endelman is the kind of exemplary guy who could get a lot accomplished.

A knock on Howie, (everyone calls him that), is that he was not a football player and came to Columbia as a tennis guy. But that alone should no disqualify him. MANY of the football players from the years Endelman attended Columbia have the highest regard for him. And many of those players are significant donors.

And the fact that Endelman is a good candidate is proof that not EVERYTHING the Columbia administration touches turns to dust.

The continued secrecy and lack of news on the A.D. search front is starting to get a little unsettling.

But I do know that at least phone interviews have begun.

Let's hope the right people are getting those calls.

Three Quick Hits

1) Don’t be surprised or alarmed if Columbia does not meet its self-imposed target of early January for hiring the new Athletic Director. Again, I don’t see this as a reason to panic. I’d be much more concerned by a rush to hire which has characterized most of our major hiring decisions in the past. Even though I am eager to see Dianne Murphy out the door literally and figuratively as soon as possible, we should take the time do this right and make sure all the best potential candidates have a chance to either be approached or approach us.

2) Columbia basketball is getting lots of attention lately thanks to good showings at Kentucky and UConn and a nice win at home vs. Hofstra. But the fans like to focus on star players, or just one star player and we really have one in junior Maodo Lo. His unconventional path to basketball and the Ivy League should serve as a lesson to the football program when it comes to recruiting. Most importantly, it’s just a joy to watch him play.

3) Classes resume on Tuesday January 20^th and students will return to campus. Four days later, Cornell will come into the Levien Gymnasium for the Ivy League home opener, (the Lions play Cornell at Cornell the week before). That day and that game would be a logical time to introduce the new A.D. to the fans. A week later, the Lions have a home stand against Yale and Brown and those could be good games to introduce the new football coach. 

Saying the Right Things & the Wrong Things

Coach Mac today


Stadium Journey interviewed former Columbia Head Coach Larry McElreavy and it included a large amount of Columbia content including Coach Mac's thoughts on the program right now.

It should be noted that McElreavy at one time or another, had close professional ties to two people who loom large on Columbia's radar screen right now: Rick Taylor and Joe Moglia.

McElreavy knows both of these men quite well and I know he would be a good source for them if Taylor's affiliation with Columbia continues and if Moglia decides to consider taking the coaching job here.

Some of the kinds of players and regions of the country McElreavy recruited well for Columbia have been ignored ever since, especially the New England preps. He also had a very good eye for offensive line talent. Any new regime at Columbia would be wise to look at all of those deficiencies and address them.

As far as Taylor's report, we do know that it was presented to President Lee Bollinger and presumably outgoing Athletic Director Dianne Murphy on Thursday. I agree with those who believe the general public will never see even an executive summary. But stranger things have happened.

For me, getting our hands on the report is not really all that important. Much more important is what I and so many others have been saying for months now, and that is what Bollinger says and does in the coming weeks.

We all saw and read the absolute garbage Bollinger said about football and athletics last year. His words had an impact as we all endured another terrible year for football as a result. We knew it was going to happen as soon as those words hit the Spectator's presses. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Take some time to read the 100+ comments on the post I linked to at the beginning of this paragraph to get an idea just how many of us knew what was in store this past season. It seems only Bollinger didn't see it.

When Bollinger made that statement it sent a strong message to the fans, the alumni, the potential recruits and our opponents that Columbia really didn't give a damn about winning or even a degree of respectability for football.

Smarter words and actions by Bollinger this time around can easily have the opposite effect. Yes, even the words alone could help. I have no problem if he waits to say those words until he hires a new A.D., but he has to say something substantive and positive soon. And he should talk at least in general terms about what Taylor suggested to him in his report.

Because Murphy is out and so is Mangurian, Bollinger's words and actions are more important than ever. Unless he wants to lean on Bill Campbell or Jonathan Schiller for help here, Bollinger is on his own.

Let's see what he says and give him a chance to say it.