Well, this has been an interesting follow…
Pardon sharing a long form set of insights.
In the summer of 2021, Coach Solich had a really unfortunate event that led to his premature and untimely retirement. It seems pretty clear that if there would have been an “heir apparent” through Frank’s tenure, it would have been Jimmy Burrow. More comfortable in groups and in front of a microphone, a little more polished, and consistently good performance on his side of the line of scrimmage seemed to make Jimmy “the guy”. But we never found out because…Joe won the Heisman…gave the speech…the donations poured in, and Jimmy and Robin had a foundation to run and a son in the NFL to proudly follow.
Coach Albin becomes “the guy”, and due to the untimely event above, never really received the “grooming” required to be immediately ready for prime time in season one. He struggled in public appearances, was challenged in front of donors because he never had the opportunity to be “the guy”, and the on the field product that first season wasn’t quite right…and for good and understandable reasons.
How did the University reward Tim after a challenging season? They stood by him and supported him in various ways. Alongside Coach Solich, who was placed on retainer for several seasons in part to help mentor Tim, the Administration and Development staff saw to it that Coach Albin was able to have a lot of exposure to faculty, staff, donors and sponsors, allowing him to grow as a public speaker and improve his off the field craft. Tim invested in improving his skills as well, as he knew this was an important part of his new role. He became very engaged in the University community and the Athens community.
And how did those investments turn out? Pretty darn good for all parties involved: The University, the Department, Administration, the coaching staff…and most importantly, the Student Athletes. Three double digit win seasons in a row, two MACC appearances and the long-coveted Championship. Coach was rewarded with a contract re-negotiation that led to a raise, improved bonuses and automatic extensions for eight-win seasons. Administration also expanded the coaching staff budget to bring in more talent to support the program and allow Coach to support and enhance the program. Coach honed his craft on and off the field, became a more rounded professional…and ultimately earned himself increased notoriety which led to opportunities that he hadn’t been afforded when he was simply the OC. And we, the fans, also benefited…greatly. Something we all have been yearning for since 1968.
Did the time leading up to and immediately after the MACC go very awkwardly…clearly.
Was the University aware of other job offers to Coach…absolutely.
Was the Department working to enhance the compensation programs for Football…indeed.
You see, just as it occurred with John Groce in 2010, after the first NCAA tourney appearance, supplemental budget dollars to boost coaches’ salaries come from…donors. Many of you run and work in business, and you all know that you don’t just “find” budget dollars. They have to come from somewhere. What do you think the University/Department is going to do: eliminate Baseball so the revenue generating sports can get an increase in salaries? Eliminate the World Religions department?
JG had a “Basketball Enhancement Program”…funded by donors…that was effectively his raise. And to do something like that…you need the element of TIME. T Boone Pickens ain’t walkin’ through that door. It takes a lot of folks like…US…to pay for things like that. So, if you want something like that to come together overnight in this program, you might as well give up waiting.
It isn’t the responsibility of the leader of an organization to pay its employees at a rate equal to or higher than its peers. It is their responsibility to hire and retain the best associates at a rate that fits into the budget they are presented, and if they are contract employees, to honor those contracts in good faith.
You need to remember five things:
1. We have the second smallest Intercollegiate Athletics budget in the MAC, and for its investment, OHIO is getting a great ROI.
2. The MAC has the smallest budgets in the Group of Five.
3. Anything you do for Football, you are almost certainly going to have to be prepared to match in MBB, as those two are very much toggled together in our athletic department.
4. The Administration and Board of Trustees is not about to put the onus on Students to increase ICA budgets.
5. And OHIO, as an institution, is KILLING IT regarding student applications and total enrollment, as well as most other metrics versus our peer institutions in the Midwest. (student retention, graduation rates, etc.) And OHIO is doing this WITHOUT being in a higher level, more prestigious Athletic Conference.
To insinuate that anyone was “disrespected” when you consider the factors above is clearly not looking HOLISTICALLY at what happened over the last four seasons. As some have already noted…we didn’t make the MACC in ’23 and we got COMPLETELY THROTTLED at home by Fiami…so one could have easily argued that Chuck Martin was the best coach in the MAC going into the 2024 MAC, having won the MACC five years prior. In 2023, we went on to win nine games, eventually ten, and Coach was rewarded, as per the terms of his renegotiated contract.
As others have noted…. we didn’t exactly look like a juggernaut after the first four weeks in 2024…and again got THROTTLED by FIAMI. FEW could have been the soothsayer that would have predicted we would win out, but most rational people would have viewed that eventuality dubiously.
And yet WE DID win out…and the Department started working on an enhancement…which obviously couldn’t happen on Coach Albin’s timeline. Appearances are that the die was cast before the MACC weekend. Who knows what Coach Albin and his family were ultimately considering as their “tipping point” factors for deciding to take the Charlotte gig. I know one thing: they don’t owe us an explanation. They invested 20 years in Athens, and I am thankful for that investment. They are good people.
If anyone has followed Tim and Brooke on social media, you could see that they LOVE to vacation on lakes like Lake of the Ozarks, in Florida, etc. I'm certain they may have fallen in love with the idea of being able to buy a lake house, and the trappings that would bring every day of the week while living on Lake Norman. They likely didn't expect OHIO to be able to dig into the couch cushions to find the money for a counter. Perhaps the Albins wanted access to better climate, more health care options…and perhaps wanted to be able to go to a Target and take less than an hour to get there. Corporate sponsorships are clearly going to be more plentiful at UNC-C…and NIL dollars will be easier to come by…and there won’t be one of the top three athletic programs sitting 74 miles away, taking nearly 100% of the spotlight off of their accomplishments. And all that comes while still being a short six hour drive from friends and family that they love, and who support them.
Was the departure awkward…sure. Did he think he was worth more money...of course...don’t we all? Was Coach disrespected during his tenure at OHIO…no. Do I believe Coach has axes to grind with University leadership when in most post-game interviews, including before the MACC trophy presentation, he first thanked LSG/JC, and he specifically requested that LSG and JC address the team post-game in the locker room BEFORE he or any of the coaches addressed the team…not likely. Am I thankful for what Tim was able to achieve in his 20 years in the program…absolutely. Is the program in a better place at this point in time…without a doubt. Does anyone deserve to be fired due to the last several week’s events…absolutely not.
Just watch Parker Titsworth’s passionate video on College Green: there is clearly a strong culture in place with the team and program that has the student athletes bought it, and it would be great if the next leader can carry that forward. I’m thankful for everything those Student Athletes have done for OHIO, they deserve to be rewarded in kind and I hope OHIO can deliver them a great leader. It’s a tough decision that will be made, and at this point, I am choosing to trust the people paid to make the decision to make the right one.
So, everyone just relax, enjoy the history that we just witnessed…and let’s beat those ‘cocks on Friday!
Last Edited: 12/17/2024 10:48:06 PM by D.A.