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Ohio Football Topic
Topic: Sad State of Affairs - Team, Department, et al.
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OhioAlumX2
9/17/2021 10:08 AM
OK so I am writing this while slightly hungover in Laffy so excuse the typos/general angst.

Like all of you, I bleed Green/White. I went to school at Ohio (twice), worked there a little, am a football season ticket holder and teaching my kids how awesome it is to be a Bobcat. I am profoundly disappointed at the last few months of Ohio Athletics:

1. Frank suddenly retires for health and Tim gets the job. Sad for Frank and happy for Tim. We all understand the hire and wanted this to be different. For those who have met him,Coach Albin is a great guy. However, the first three soon to be 4 weeks have been a disaster. Maybe things will get better but this is not the program Frank built. We just are not good now.

2. The way Frank's retirement announcement played out was not what you'd expect from a school with one of the best sports admin programs in the country. A crappy zoom press conference that was hard to find to even watch. Nothing to celebrate him. No ceremony during the summer. Zero. When they did do something, the school hardly promoted it. It wasn't emailed that I saw and was buried in the game notes. It was held at the beginning of the game and MANY people hadn't made it in due to stadium operations.

3. Speaking of which...Syracuse game experience was, as noted on this site, pathetic. Hellish, superspreader lines and no beer or vendors in the concrete area behind the end zone. Jackie O's gone. I get the school probably signed a deal with Bud and made a little $, maybe dress it up and tell us! Everyone is having issues navigating the COVID world and staffing is hard for everyone. Duquesne gm was better but not by much. It is like the Ath Dept isn't noticing or trying or...

4. Is wildly understaffed but doing the best they can yet still not performing at all to the level of where a school at our size should be. It sucks for lots of schools but at least own it and say you will work to make it better. NIU did that publicly but I have heard zero from our dept. The poorly staffed communication folks constantly make simple mistakes that can be fixed by just a little better attention to detail. The game notes always have typos (hey I am not perfect. probably plenty in this post but own it). For god's sake, our web story on next week's game time says we are playing Northernwestern not Northwestern. Been that way for days.

Maybe I am tired or I am expecting more than I should but these last few weeks have been rough. See you in Evanston for the Northernwestern game!
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ExVideoCat
9/17/2021 10:54 AM
OhioAlumX2 wrote:expand_more
OK so I am writing this while slightly hungover in Laffy so excuse the typos/general angst.

Like all of you, I bleed Green/White. I went to school at Ohio (twice), worked there a little, am a football season ticket holder and teaching my kids how awesome it is to be a Bobcat. I am profoundly disappointed at the last few months of Ohio Athletics:

1. Frank suddenly retires for health and Tim gets the job. Sad for Frank and happy for Tim. We all understand the hire and wanted this to be different. For those who have met him,Coach Albin is a great guy. However, the first three soon to be 4 weeks have been a disaster. Maybe things will get better but this is not the program Frank built. We just are not good now.

2. The way Frank's retirement announcement played out was not what you'd expect from a school with one of the best sports admin programs in the country. A crappy zoom press conference that was hard to find to even watch. Nothing to celebrate him. No ceremony during the summer. Zero. When they did do something, the school hardly promoted it. It wasn't emailed that I saw and was buried in the game notes. It was held at the beginning of the game and MANY people hadn't made it in due to stadium operations.

3. Speaking of which...Syracuse game experience was, as noted on this site, pathetic. Hellish, superspreader lines and no beer or vendors in the concrete area behind the end zone. Jackie O's gone. I get the school probably signed a deal with Bud and made a little $, maybe dress it up and tell us! Everyone is having issues navigating the COVID world and staffing is hard for everyone. Duquesne gm was better but not by much. It is like the Ath Dept isn't noticing or trying or...

4. Is wildly understaffed but doing the best they can yet still not performing at all to the level of where a school at our size should be. It sucks for lots of schools but at least own it and say you will work to make it better. NIU did that publicly but I have heard zero from our dept. The poorly staffed communication folks constantly make simple mistakes that can be fixed by just a little better attention to detail. The game notes always have typos (hey I am not perfect. probably plenty in this post but own it). For god's sake, our web story on next week's game time says we are playing Northernwestern not Northwestern. Been that way for days.

Maybe I am tired or I am expecting more than I should but these last few weeks have been rough. See you in Evanston for the Northernwestern game!
I will say as far as the no in person honor thing, when I was there the university was super strict as far as gatherings. I know everyone is outdoors for games, but sometimes their rules were weird. Also having a ton of people show up to shake hands during COVID with a guy retiring for health reasons isn't the greatest plan haha. As far as not having any videos or anything ready to go, I remember reading there was supposed to be a big interview with Frank and Russ, but I'm guessing that video got left on the cutting room floor when the rest of the video department left. It could very well also be Frank just said no. Man doesn't have to attend things if he doesn't want to.

The department is understaffed, but the catch 22 is you don't have the funds to hire more people but you're expected to try and compete with larger schools in the area that have the staff and budget. There aren't concessions made to scale to what you're capable of. In regards to the staffs that operate concessions, I think they need to follow a HS model and have people come in and take a cut of the profits for a good cause. Hoping random person in the area wants to make $25 after tax to work in those stands isn't going to get you anyone.
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Y-CityCatFan
9/17/2021 10:56 AM
I completely agree with everything stated. This goes way beyond being frustrated. As someone who absolutely bleeds green and white, this just plain sucks.
I get that our athletic department is not the best funded around, but I feel like they aren't even pretending to care about building a program anymore.
I feel like we were just beginning to grow a stable fan base in this O$U world we live in, and this is absolutely killing that momentum. Heck, the students have even largely been staying well past halftime!
I am not a fair weather fan and will always show up, but man, this is brutal.
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OhioCatFan
9/17/2021 11:17 AM
Y-CityCatFan wrote:expand_more
I completely agree with everything stated. This goes way beyond being frustrated. As someone who absolutely bleeds green and white, this just plain sucks.
I get that our athletic department is not the best funded around, but I feel like they aren't even pretending to care about building a program anymore.
I feel like we were just beginning to grow a stable fan base in this O$U world we live in, and this is absolutely killing that momentum. Heck, the students have even largely been staying well past halftime!
I am not a fair weather fan and will always show up, but man, this is brutal.
I agree, Cuz. I didn't know exactly what to expect when Albin was named head coach, but a team that looks this inept was not within my realm of expectations. I don't know how, but I think we've got to figure out a way to buy out his contract. I posted earlier that I was waiting to see how we played this Louisiana game before deciding if I thought the Albin hire was a bad one. Well, for what it's worth, I'm now in the fire him as soon as possible camp. I'm getting that Cleve-Papa L feeling all over again. The wheels are coming off . . . emergency surgery is necessary!
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Pataskala
9/17/2021 11:23 AM
As we've seen in other industries, when you cut back on staffing, service and quality due to funding issues, it just leads to a financial death spiral. Customers won't come back if you can't serve them right.

I don't know if this is already being done, but maybe the solution to some of the staffing issues at games is to have (and make it known that) some of the players from other sports staff concession stands or what have you. Who wouldn't want to get a hot dog and Dr. Pepper served up by BVP?

As for typos and such in press releases, that's been an issue for several years, even before the staffing cuts.
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OhioCatFan
9/17/2021 11:33 AM
Pataskala wrote:expand_more
As for typos and such in press releases, that's been an issue for several years, even before the staffing cuts.
This is true. I remember sometime in the first decade of this century pointing out to them that in the game program (remember those things?) they left out Vince Costello from the a list of NFL Bobcats. Well, they thanked me for the information and then went ahead and left him out of the list in the game programs the following year as well. Attention to detail has never been a strong point of the AD's office, and particularly the SID (using old term) operation. I call it the legacy of Frank Morgan, who believed that if you couldn't see it from a galloping horse it didn't matter.

[Let me add that I liked Frank. He had a kind of charm about him that made you overlook some of his faults.]
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Y-CityCatFan
9/17/2021 11:51 AM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
I agree, Cuz. I didn't know exactly what to expect when Albin was named head coach, but a team that looks this inept was not within my realm of expectations. I don't know how, but I think we've got to figure out a way to buy out his contract. I posted earlier that I was waiting to see how we played this Louisiana game before deciding if I thought the Albin hire was a bad one. Well, for what it's worth, I'm now in the fire him as soon as possible camp. I'm getting that Cleve-Papa L feeling all over again. The wheels are coming off . . . emergency surgery is necessary!
Somethings gotta give, that's for sure!

In addition, how is it that we have never been able to better market athletics as a whole any better than we do? It's like they hear the typical "middle of nowhere" and "small market" and just accept that as fact. The reality is that we have the best campus in the best college town, carry the name of a state with 11 million people (very important), and have very large alumni bases in all of the large Ohio markets. Again, its like the athletic department doesn't even try, or frankly care that much. I really think they are just happy putting out mediocre (at best) products with 1/2 full facilities. We have never been able to fully sustain any sort of momentum in any sport, even basketball.
(Yes, I realize I'm just frustrated and rambling a bit 🥴)
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OhioCatFan
9/17/2021 12:12 PM
Y-CityCatFan wrote:expand_more
I agree, Cuz. I didn't know exactly what to expect when Albin was named head coach, but a team that looks this inept was not within my realm of expectations. I don't know how, but I think we've got to figure out a way to buy out his contract. I posted earlier that I was waiting to see how we played this Louisiana game before deciding if I thought the Albin hire was a bad one. Well, for what it's worth, I'm now in the fire him as soon as possible camp. I'm getting that Cleve-Papa L feeling all over again. The wheels are coming off . . . emergency surgery is necessary!
Somethings gotta give, that's for sure!

In addition, how is it that we have never been able to better market athletics as a whole any better than we do? It's like they hear the typical "middle of nowhere" and "small market" and just accept that as fact. The reality is that we have the best campus in the best college town, carry the name of a state with 11 million people (very important), and have very large alumni bases in all of the large Ohio markets. Again, its like the athletic department doesn't even try, or frankly care that much. I really think they are just happy putting out mediocre (at best) products with 1/2 full facilities. We have never been able to fully sustain any sort of momentum in any sport, even basketball.
(Yes, I realize I'm just frustrated and rambling a bit 🥴)
Well, I agree with your general premise, but it does look like that's changing on the basketball side of the equation thanks to Coach Boals.

I also think that the new Sherman administration is going to shake things up a bit when it comes to institutional image. He's told anyone who will listen that he is not happy with how our fair institution is perceived by the public at large and that we need to do a much better job in that regard. He includes athletics as an important part of projecting our institutional image. He can't be happy with the state of affairs in the football program.

[Got to love having a prez with the last name of Sherman!]
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mf279801
9/17/2021 12:39 PM
Pataskala wrote:expand_more
I don't know if this is already being done, but maybe the solution to some of the staffing issues at games is to have (and make it known that) some of the players from other sports staff concession stands or what have you. Who wouldn't want to get a hot dog and Dr. Pepper served up by BVP?
First things first, i realize you were engaging in some hyperbole. Given that, my paragraph below is probably overly serious. That said:


I mean, i guess if you want to ask for volunteers to staff the booths or sell drinks in the stands (and offer to pay them for it) that’s fine. And who knows, some people might take them up on it. But if I’m Jeff Boals (or ANY OTHER VARSITY COACH for that matter) and i hear that the athletic department is pressuring one of my scholarship benchwarmers to work a concession stand at a football game, let alone a starter and standout player, i tell the athletic director to pound sand and tell my agent to get me to a serious (as in non-farcical) job.
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Pataskala
9/17/2021 12:52 PM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
Well, I agree with your general premise, but it does look like that's changing on the basketball side of the equation thanks to Coach Boals.
One big plus is that Boals has Columbus media connections from his time at O$U and isn't afraid to use them. During b-ball season he shows up frequently on Channel 4 and The Fan, and that's gotta help with the school's image and with recruiting. I haven't seen anything like that on the football side, and unfortunately about the only time our alma mater shows up on newscasts is when there's a hazing issue, an out-of-hand party, or some other story that doesn't help the image.
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Catdude
9/17/2021 1:27 PM
Baseball players were always "made" to be ballboys at home football games. I'm not sure if this is still going on but yea, athletes can help out at sporting events
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Pete Chouteau
9/17/2021 2:17 PM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
I agree, Cuz. I didn't know exactly what to expect when Albin was named head coach, but a team that looks this inept was not within my realm of expectations. I don't know how, but I think we've got to figure out a way to buy out his contract. I posted earlier that I was waiting to see how we played this Louisiana game before deciding if I thought the Albin hire was a bad one. Well, for what it's worth, I'm now in the fire him as soon as possible camp. I'm getting that Cleve-Papa L feeling all over again. The wheels are coming off . . . emergency surgery is necessary!
Somethings gotta give, that's for sure!

In addition, how is it that we have never been able to better market athletics as a whole any better than we do? It's like they hear the typical "middle of nowhere" and "small market" and just accept that as fact. The reality is that we have the best campus in the best college town, carry the name of a state with 11 million people (very important), and have very large alumni bases in all of the large Ohio markets. Again, its like the athletic department doesn't even try, or frankly care that much. I really think they are just happy putting out mediocre (at best) products with 1/2 full facilities. We have never been able to fully sustain any sort of momentum in any sport, even basketball.
(Yes, I realize I'm just frustrated and rambling a bit 🥴)
Well, I agree with your general premise, but it does look like that's changing on the basketball side of the equation thanks to Coach Boals.

I also think that the new Sherman administration is going to shake things up a bit when it comes to institutional image. He's told anyone who will listen that he is not happy with how our fair institution is perceived by the public at large and that we need to do a much better job in that regard. He includes athletics as an important part of projecting our institutional image. He can't be happy with the state of affairs in the football program.

[Got to love having a prez with the last name of Sherman!]
Sherman may damn well need to burn it to the ground.
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Ohio69
9/17/2021 3:44 PM
Restaurants are struggling to hire anyone at all. I wonder if the same issues are being felt at Peden? Or is OU and Athens just different? 🤷‍♂️

Are we sure Coach Solich didn’t want to have some big event? Regardless, seems like someone could crank out a sweet video.

With OU still tens of millions in debt, we aren’t gonna see much dedicated to athletics me thinks. At least for a few more years.
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BillyTheCat
9/17/2021 4:09 PM
Ohio69 wrote:expand_more
Restaurants are struggling to hire anyone at all. I wonder if the same issues are being felt at Peden? Or is OU and Athens just different? 🤷‍♂️

Are we sure Coach Solich didn’t want to have some big event? Regardless, seems like someone could crank out a sweet video.

With OU still tens of millions in debt, we aren’t gonna see much dedicated to athletics me thinks. At least for a few more years.
The University is no longer 10’s of Million in debt. Covid has been a budget miracle for the University coffers.
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bshot44
9/17/2021 4:45 PM
Pete Chouteau wrote:expand_more
I agree, Cuz. I didn't know exactly what to expect when Albin was named head coach, but a team that looks this inept was not within my realm of expectations. I don't know how, but I think we've got to figure out a way to buy out his contract. I posted earlier that I was waiting to see how we played this Louisiana game before deciding if I thought the Albin hire was a bad one. Well, for what it's worth, I'm now in the fire him as soon as possible camp. I'm getting that Cleve-Papa L feeling all over again. The wheels are coming off . . . emergency surgery is necessary!
Somethings gotta give, that's for sure!

In addition, how is it that we have never been able to better market athletics as a whole any better than we do? It's like they hear the typical "middle of nowhere" and "small market" and just accept that as fact. The reality is that we have the best campus in the best college town, carry the name of a state with 11 million people (very important), and have very large alumni bases in all of the large Ohio markets. Again, its like the athletic department doesn't even try, or frankly care that much. I really think they are just happy putting out mediocre (at best) products with 1/2 full facilities. We have never been able to fully sustain any sort of momentum in any sport, even basketball.
(Yes, I realize I'm just frustrated and rambling a bit 🥴)
Well, I agree with your general premise, but it does look like that's changing on the basketball side of the equation thanks to Coach Boals.

I also think that the new Sherman administration is going to shake things up a bit when it comes to institutional image. He's told anyone who will listen that he is not happy with how our fair institution is perceived by the public at large and that we need to do a much better job in that regard. He includes athletics as an important part of projecting our institutional image. He can't be happy with the state of affairs in the football program.

[Got to love having a prez with the last name of Sherman!]
Sherman may damn well need to burn it to the ground.
Beat me to it.

Burn it.
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ExVideoCat
9/17/2021 4:52 PM
Ohio69 wrote:expand_more
Restaurants are struggling to hire anyone at all. I wonder if the same issues are being felt at Peden? Or is OU and Athens just different? 🤷‍♂️

Are we sure Coach Solich didn’t want to have some big event? Regardless, seems like someone could crank out a sweet video.

With OU still tens of millions in debt, we aren’t gonna see much dedicated to athletics me thinks. At least for a few more years.
It’s hard to crank out a sweet video when there’s no video department. 😬
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KyleWvr13
9/17/2021 6:24 PM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
The University is no longer 10’s of Million in debt. Covid has been a budget miracle for the University coffers.
Genuinely curious as to why? Was it all the furloughs and no students on campus, thus not needing to house/feed them?
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Diamond Cat
9/17/2021 7:16 PM
Greatest work study job ever. In the 80's, we were actually paid $20/game. Best seat in the house. I couldn't wait to get there and we didn't even win many.

Dime beer night in the Hanger was funded from that 20 stones.
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colobobcat66
9/17/2021 9:49 PM
The way things are going, we won’t have to worry about crowds at the concession stands, so that’s one problem solved.
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BobcatLackey2017
9/17/2021 10:34 PM
I was an undergrad assistant for the defense. It’s comical seeing so many people go on about the concessions. At one of the Bowl games myself and a few of the other coaching assistants had to go out of our way to complain to the DFO assistants because they were feeding everyone but us because Chris Rodgers (thank God he is gone) was essentially trying to cut budgetary corners at which point we were labeled ungrateful for providing an absolute boatload of free labor. The University isn’t trying to spend a penny they don’t have to. Anyone who thinks the school itself cares about the “game day experience” is kidding themselves. I spent years working for this program and I like all of the coaching staff as people and they are great to deal with and have some of the best and funniest memories of my life working there but the way the program is run from the inside is often mind boggling. I keep in touch with a lot of the guys I worked with and the joke has always been if they did a Hard Knocks style documentary it would much more closely resemble an R-rated football version of The Office.
Last Edited: 9/17/2021 11:02:07 PM by BobcatLackey2017
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BillyTheCat
9/17/2021 10:55 PM
KyleWvr13 wrote:expand_more
The University is no longer 10’s of Million in debt. Covid has been a budget miracle for the University coffers.
Genuinely curious as to why? Was it all the furloughs and no students on campus, thus not needing to house/feed them?
Just in electric bills alone, the University save $1million a month last year! Not to mention the many millions they received in PPE Funds and a other monies that most just didn’t realize was coming in.
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BillyTheCat
9/18/2021 12:11 AM
KyleWvr13 wrote:expand_more
The University is no longer 10’s of Million in debt. Covid has been a budget miracle for the University coffers.
Genuinely curious as to why? Was it all the furloughs and no students on campus, thus not needing to house/feed them?
And actually furloughed employed just got most of their money back this summer.
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Bobcat Love
9/18/2021 12:06 PM
BobcatLackey2017 wrote:expand_more
I was an undergrad assistant for the defense. It’s comical seeing so many people go on about the concessions. At one of the Bowl games myself and a few of the other coaching assistants had to go out of our way to complain to the DFO assistants because they were feeding everyone but us because Chris Rodgers (thank God he is gone) was essentially trying to cut budgetary corners at which point we were labeled ungrateful for providing an absolute boatload of free labor. The University isn’t trying to spend a penny they don’t have to. Anyone who thinks the school itself cares about the “game day experience” is kidding themselves. I spent years working for this program and I like all of the coaching staff as people and they are great to deal with and have some of the best and funniest memories of my life working there but the way the program is run from the inside is often mind boggling. I keep in touch with a lot of the guys I worked with and the joke has always been if they did a Hard Knocks style documentary it would much more closely resemble an R-rated football version of The Office.
Sign me up for this. Much more of this. I'm here for ALL of it.
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Ohio69
9/18/2021 3:29 PM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
The University is no longer 10’s of Million in debt. Covid has been a budget miracle for the University coffers.
https://woub.org/2021/08/20/ohio-university-recovering-fr... /

WOUB disagrees….

Anyway, it is strange how OU concessions seem to be a struggle every year no matter what.
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