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Topic: Kirby Joke-Cutt at it again....
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Bobcat Love
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Posted: 11/30/2010 9:21 AM
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Well, that didn't take long....

Kirby Joke-cutt's two forays into the National Media thus far:

1. Posing with that cheater Alex Rodriguez while dedicating a baseball field that was donated with A-Rod's dirty money.

and now this....

2. Tapping the good old boy network for a marginal search firm to lead his coaching search.

Somebody please tell me what this guy does for the athletic department, because in his time at Ohio - I saw absolutely nothing. He just strutted around the facilities like some kind of figurehead, but he didn't really DO anything.

He reminded me of the The Big Lebowski (not, the dude) in the The Big Lebowski. Acted like he was important, tried to look important...but the reality was that he was a complete farce.

I have a feeling Shalala made the move to can Shannon, effectively freeing Joke-cutt up to finish his last solitaire game...and now, when tasked with hiring a new coach - he's outsourced that job so that he can get back to Minesweeper.

During Joke-cutt's tenure, we got him to cut sports (McDavis), implement the Bobcat Club Points Program (was in use at 85% of the FBS schools already), and hired Sylvia Crawley (actually a good hire).

I met the man once (NW Bobcat Bash) and let's just say I was WAY less than impressed....

If we can get them in the Sun Bowl...it would make beating his ass that much more sweet.
John C. Wanamaker
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Posted: 11/30/2010 9:27 AM
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We used a search firm to hire Groce and Frank, Schaus
Last Edited: 11/30/2010 9:27:38 AM by John C. Wanamaker
Bobcat Love
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Posted: 11/30/2010 9:35 AM
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I realize it is commonplace...however, is it commonplace to recycle the same marginal one b/c of your ties to the Principal? Seems like a no-bid contract situation.
Alan Swank
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Posted: 11/30/2010 9:38 AM
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John C. Wanamaker wrote:expand_more
We used a search firm to hire Groce and Frank, Schaus


To be more specific, we used the same guy for both Kirby and Schaus - a fellow out of Dallas - and to borrow Love's words - I was way less than impressed.

http://www.eastman-beaudine.com/pages/keypersnl.html
Last Edited: 11/30/2010 9:40:37 AM by Alan Swank
Bobcat Love
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Posted: 11/30/2010 9:42 AM
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In these times of budget austerity, if you can't come up with a list of candidates to interview and handle the subsequent background checks and hiring procedures in-house - that is a YOU problem.
71 BOBCAT
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Posted: 11/30/2010 9:47 AM
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My impression of this guy was that he is very politically savy.
I too met him at a Columbus bash one year and he really seemed very aloof and not really engaged with the fans present.
He has done real well for himself in the past 5 or so years. If the school makes the right hire for football then he will be looking great in the eyes of the alumni as well as other larger schools that may be looking for a new AD. IMHO Kirby is an opportunistic guy and will make moves to advance his career, and at the same time not be in any one place long enough to be held accountable for many decisions he has made.  





GO BOBCATS
Alan Swank
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Posted: 11/30/2010 9:47 AM
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Bobcat Love wrote:expand_more
In these times of budget austerity, if you can't come up with a list of candidates to interview and handle the subsequent background checks and hiring procedures in-house - that is a YOU problem.


That's actually kind of funny in that a simple google search on the last list of AD candidates pretty much eliminated 3 or 4 of the list that the "expert" gave us.  Put it this way, there is a good deal of recycling going on.
Bobcat Love
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Posted: 11/30/2010 9:58 AM
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71 BOBCAT wrote:expand_more
My impression of this guy was that he is very politically savvy.
I too met him at a Columbus bash one year and he really seemed very aloof and not really engaged with the fans present.
He has done real well for himself in the past 5 or so years. If the school makes the right hire for football then he will be looking great in the eyes of the alumni as well as other larger schools that may be looking for a new AD. IMHO Kirby is an opportunistic guy and will make moves to advance his career, and at the same time not be in any one place long enough to be held accountable for many decisions he has made.  


Very well summed up.

I get too crazy to be that eloquent, but you hit all the main points right on the head.
DublinCat
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Posted: 11/30/2010 10:19 AM
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Bobcat Love wrote:expand_more
In these times of budget austerity, if you can't come up with a list of candidates to interview and handle the subsequent background checks and hiring procedures in-house - that is a YOU problem.


There are a lot of great successful coaches out there who would jump at the opportunity to be one of only 120 FCS head coaches.  The only reason I can think that any school would need to hire an outside consultant is to CYA when things don't work out.  Even at Kent I would think you could find 100+ great coaches that would jump at the opportunity simply because they may not have another chance.  From there it becomes a sales job to the recruits and HS recruiting community.  Someone at least with assistant HC or coordinator experience vs. what happened at Akron.  

Frank was a dream hire for the MAC.  Its rare when a successful coach with a winning record is available at the right age and timing in his career. Otherwise,  I would take the upcoming coordinator over the big name previously failed Gerry Faust model any day.  
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 11/30/2010 10:59 AM
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I agree hiring a consultant is usually a CYA move more than anything.  But, many times the search committee ignores the consultant's recommendations, so it isn't even a good CYA move in those cases.  My general bias is to not hire a consultant except in very unusual situations where the positives outweigh the negatives.  My favorite consultant story is from the 1950s.  The West Virginia Legislature wanted to establish the first medical school in the state.  They paid a consultant multi-millions of dollars.  After an exhaustive study the consultant recommended Huntington, which at that time had seven hospitals and state's broadest range of medical specialty practices.  The Legislature, made up primarily of WVU law graduates at time, found this recommendation totally unacceptable.  So they ignored it and started the medical school in Morgantown where there was very little medical infrastructure at the time.  In the same breath they started the state's first dental school in Morgantown, too.  Years later, of course, a medical school was started in Huntington and an osteopathic medical school in Lewisburg.  The medical school at Marshall required the combined moxie of the late Sen. Byrd and a doctor from Huntington who just happened to have been the president of the AMA in the crucial year.  WVU partisans fought it tooth and nail, of course, but this time they lost.
colobobcat66
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Posted: 11/30/2010 11:10 AM
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I never met the man, but I will say this-apparently there are people out there (Ohio and Miami) who thought enough of him to hire him.  He must be doing something right, but since he's not a smoozer, he apparently doesn't have what it takes to be a good AD. 

Love did give credit to Hocutt for hiring Sylvia Crawley (?).  But hiring someone who stays a couple years and leaves quickly is not exactly a big plus in my book.  The rent-a -coach approach doesn't do much for long term stabilty in a program IMO.  I would have been a lot happier about that hire if she had stayed longer.

I'll defer on how good an AD Hocutt was to you guys who are real close to the program, but I wonder-could he really be as bad as you say he was?
Last Edited: 11/30/2010 11:11:20 AM by colobobcat66
Alan Swank
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Posted: 11/30/2010 11:45 AM
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colobobcat66 wrote:expand_more
I never met the man, but I will say this-apparently there are people out there (Ohio and Miami) who thought enough of him to hire him.  He must be doing something right, but since he's not a smoozer, he apparently doesn't have what it takes to be a good AD. 

Love did give credit to Hocutt for hiring Sylvia Crawley (?).  But hiring someone who stays a couple years and leaves quickly is not exactly a big plus in my book.  The rent-a -coach approach doesn't do much for long term stabilty in a program IMO.  I would have been a lot happier about that hire if she had stayed longer.

I'll defer on how good an AD Hocutt was to you guys who are real close to the program, but I wonder-could he really be as bad as you say he was?


Got to jump in on this one.  I was president of the Green and White Club when Kirby was here.  The first time our treasurer and I met with him, he immediately pulled out his check book and wrote a check for his membership dues.  He made a special effort to keep us informed as to what was happening.  He called me before four sports were cut and he called me before it hit the news that an employee had stolen over $30,000.  He viewed us a partners in the support and promotion of OU athletics.  

As a person, I found him to be a nice guy.  I never felt like he was telling me what I wanted to hear.  Personally I don't think we'd have quite the level of animosity toward athletics that we have today if he were still here.  Now,that's just one person's opinion but I feel it's necessary to share a local's other side of the story.
Mike Johnson
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Posted: 11/30/2010 1:19 PM
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I spoke with Kirby numerous times and worked with him once.  I look favorably on  his brief Ohio tenure.
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Posted: 11/30/2010 1:40 PM
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I fell that I need to reply to this one as well.  I have absolutely nothing good to say about Kirby Hocutt as a person, or an AD.

He lied directly to me twice about the situation involving the Men's Track Program. 

The first time, I was in Athens attending the annual alumni chapter conference and was seated next to him at the dinner.  I had helped organize the Elmore Banton Endowment Fund for the Track program.  At the dinner I asked him if the track team was safe from being cut, b/c other schools in the MAC had been cutting their men's track teams.  I also offered that if we were on shaky ground, we could initiate another fundraising round to raise more money to help the team.
                      
               His answer, "No, the track team is doing fine...."

The 2nd bald-faced lie occured at the GMAC Bowl Festivities in Mobile.   I again asked him about the situation with the Track Program b/c I had heard rumors about it being in trouble.

               His answer, "No, everything is fine..."

This was about 2 weeks before he announced the cuts!

I would love nothing more than to see the Bobcats shred the 'Canes in a bowl.
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Posted: 11/30/2010 1:51 PM
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Kirby doesn't work here anymore so who cares what he is doing.   Is this really thread worthy?
Last Edited: 11/30/2010 1:52:23 PM by cc-cat
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 11/30/2010 4:17 PM
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cc cat wrote:expand_more
Kirby doesn't work here anymore so who cares what he is doing.   Is this really thread worthy?
 

Yes, because he's part of our history.  Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.  And, a repeat of Kirby is something we do not want, Mr. Swank's opinion notwithstanding. 
MedinaCat
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Posted: 11/30/2010 5:36 PM
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OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
Kirby doesn't work here anymore so who cares what he is doing.   Is this really thread worthy?
 

Yes, because he's part of our history.  Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.  And, a repeat of Kirby is something we do not want, Mr. Swank's opinion notwithstanding. 


So everyone go over to the baseball board and discuss the history being repeated year after year with that program.
John C. Wanamaker
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Posted: 11/30/2010 6:08 PM
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In fairness to Kirby, he was flat out lied to when he came to campus about the financial situation, and he was told the deficits were real and tried to adhere to a budget.  When he got on campus he had no clue as to the real problems that ICA was facing. 
cc-cat
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Posted: 11/30/2010 6:14 PM
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OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
Kirby doesn't work here anymore so who cares what he is doing.   Is this really thread worthy?
 

Yes, because he's part of our history.  Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.  And, a repeat of Kirby is something we do not want, Mr. Swank's opinion notwithstanding. 


If we were looking for an AD I would agree, but we are not.  So why are we concerned with what he is doing at Miami?
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Posted: 11/30/2010 6:16 PM
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I had several conversations over the years with Kirby while he was at Ohio.  I personally liked him because all of my dealings with him were similar to what Alan experienced.  I never once felt like he was aloof or insincere.  I did feel that way about Tom Boeh.  As far as ragging on him for implementing the OBC points system, why is that a negative.  If 85% of schools had that in place, why is it a negative for him to notice it should be done and start it up?  I do not think he wanted to cut the four sports either, but was the one who had to deliver the very bad news that it had to be done. 

I am not sure how you evaluate whether an AD did a good job or not.  Football scheduling is not exciting purely due to finances.  We have to play big teams on the road and cannot afford for them to come to Athens.  We simply need the paydays.  I think any of our dissatisfaction with athletics can be squarely based on being a member of the MAC.  I am more disgusted with the collective MAC School presidents and Rick Chryst than I am with anything that has been done in the Convo in the past 15 years.
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Posted: 11/30/2010 6:36 PM
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I'll put my two cents worth in about Kirby and swimming cuts.

Yes, the swimmers were lied to on many occasions... similar to the track team.
When one swimmer wanted to transfer and get scholarship money elsewhere, Kirby adamantly told him that the program was safe -- two weeks before the announcement of the cuts. This was a financial nightmare for the family.

Aside the lies,  you just need to ask the athletes and parents of these cut teams about these... I will give the nod to Tom Boeh in regards to the swimming program.  He came to the banquets, was seen at meets, and seemed to support ALL THE ATHLETES, not just the football team. I had both a swimmer and football player at Ohio at the same time.

I never missed a swim meet or football game. I couldn't understand why Kirby couldn't walk across the street for even ten minutes of a swim meet during his tenure here --- never happened.  I was even more upset when OHIO hosted the Men's MAC championships in Athens and for THREE DAYS, morning, afternoon, and evening, Kirby could not walk across the street and put in an appearance.

And yet, I watched him parade around for 5 days in Mobile. 

At least Tom Boeh supported all the athletes... Kirby never did.
John C. Wanamaker
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Posted: 11/30/2010 8:09 PM
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I supported those cuts, it is not popular, but those sports were not funded on a level to be competitive, in fact in Men's track and swimming we were having to compete against the DIII schools of the state, and the travel and other areas of those programs were not DI status.
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Posted: 11/30/2010 8:58 PM
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Sounds like the jargon we heard years ago.

It's an insult to me that anyone would believe the reasons given. Several excuses were given.  WE can't make your locker rooms nice... yes, that was said. The women were told that they would renovate their locker rooms when the men's team was cut.  The women were outraged. YOu should have been at the meeting that night with Kirby, the team and coaches.

The Title IX nonsense -- anyone can use the parts they want and ignore the other parts. They even proved how little money was needed .  M and W used the same buses, not airplanes, the same coaches, the same pool, the same lifeguards. It was such a little amount that it was quite attainable.  When Coach asked if they got the money, could they NOT be cut?  Answer NO. The money was never the issue as I have stated on here numerous times.Can you imagine?  Saying you'll swim with no scholarships? AND you'll get the money? I wonder how many other athletes would compete with no scholarships?

Even the selection of which teams to cut was SUSPECT!!   The GPA's were super... they only had  about ONE scholarship at that point so they ended up losing money when all the men left (since they were paying their own way). The MEN swam fewer meets than women.... Ohio State DIV I, Kenyon Div III powerhouse, and mostly other MAC teams. That's not too shabby. And quite a bit of success without 85 scholarships.

It's been proven that Ohio athletics/university actually lost money by cutting men's swimming.  After waiting for nearly two years for KIRBY or McDavis to show up just ONCE to a meet, it became clear that not all sports were important to them.  How could you not attend a meet for 10 minutes -- ever? Why was it allowed?
I wonder how many other sports got the same treatment.

They weren't too busy to spend 5+ days at GMAC.

Sorry, but I witnessed both sides from the inside. 

John C. Wanamaker
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Posted: 11/30/2010 9:06 PM
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Title IX may be nonsense to you but the DOJ is currently doing an investigation with pending suit on the shape of the swimming program that is left. 

We hashed this years ago, I respect you a ton OA, and your two boys were/are great Bobcats, fine students and even better people!, we will simply have to agree to disagree.
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Posted: 11/30/2010 9:25 PM
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I don't know much at all about the previous AD so i digress a bit.  Title IX has been around for a number of years and I don't know of any institution that has had their federal funds cut.  I know some programs still do not meet the "criteria" but they ar making "progress" so nothing happens to them.  Personally, IMHO, if some institution wants to be first in line I think if the whole Title IX thing went to the (current) courts it might not survive.  Most schools are just too afraid of the publicity to stand up for what's right because of all the PC involved.  
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