I feel like he needs to have atleast 2 speeches every year that are broadcast on Beavers All Access or available as a video from the OSU website or something and describe his vision better. I also would like to see him change contracts or in the future do better ones where a guy isn’t extended every year he goes 6-6. I want higher standards and expectations for excellence in football.
I don’t think he capitalized as much as he should have on our two years we almost made the Rose Bowl and he was awfully slow in doing what it took to fill Reser by just lowering the prices in the upper reaches which were overpriced by common sense.
I would like to see him shoot for a 95% capacity at most venues and do what it took to accomplish that. We are better served as a fanbase if we get whatever we can from the facilities we have then go with empty seats. If that means lowering the prices of all upper seats in Gill by 50% then do it. Atleast try to create a better atmosphere, reward more fans, and have us showcased better especially considering all the TV coverage coming to our conference…not yet in football. ;)
Work with the smart economics professors and figure it out. It really is pretty easy and it is trial and error largely anyway but get it close to right.
I want to see DeCarolis realize we want a great football program and do whatever it takes to grow our economic engine of our athletic department and create a high buzz, electric gameday atmosphere. I want him to challenge Oregon verbally for football prominence and relevance and then implement strategic and aggressive steps to get there.
We need a POWERFUL brand and I would like to see him get this done by next year. I believe we will be doing something fairly aggressive by then. I would like to see the endzones idea get used and I want to see good changes within a year and not go with the wrong thing or something too conservative and have to wait and hope for another 4 or 5 years for the changes we want and need.
A POWERFUL brand has to lean towards arrogance because when you think of all the best teams they are brimming with high confidence and bring attitude to the field. If we don’t bury this Mayberry garbage into the bowels of the earth it will continue to hinder, limit and haunt us and keep us anywhere near our full potential. Erickson caught some lightning in a bottle back in 2000 but we are not even close to being aggressive enough as a culture to have a good enough shot at it again. Things must change. We have to win more big games and realize that the spotlight games make or break our national reputation.
Larry Scott has shown the way on being aggressive and going for your best effort. I expect BDC to do the same. In the Pac-12 we have the platform to be on the national map and make a statement that we have become a POWERFUL brand/program. A number of things have to happen in conjunction but I know they can be done if we get AGGRESSIVE and boldly keep putting our best foot forward. I want to see desire that the football team should rarely finish below the Sun Bowl instead of the Sun Bowl being our best bowl under Riley in more than 10 years. I want recruiting to improve and sell the athletes on the fact we place alot of NFL talent and and are a part of a premier conference with the nation’s best platform for exposure, innovation and success.
Riley has to demand more from himself as well. Hopefully the new assistants can boost recruiting and give the program a younger, fresher and more hip vibe.
We have alot of fans. DeCarolis has to want as many of them as possible. Not just the larger donors. Keep investing in facilities and have a plan stated for what it takes to get the new West Side built and where we are. Show the fans we are continuing to actively push the programs and brand forward and that you want the fans help to make OSU Athletics a nationally successful, prominent and POWERFUL brand.
Not capitalizing on opportunities presented is a problem across the board. Given we had a household name in Quizz Rodgers for three years, there should not be depth issues at RB.
This is definitely a “what have you done for me lately” situation, and I really can’t say he’s done anything positive for the school lately. I would admit to being an outside observer who doesn’t know ALL the facts. For all I know BDC has done great, but that’s not visible from where I’m standing. I remember when he was instrumental in keeping Pat Casey and getting the Reser expansion off the ground, and the new athletic performance center. My hope is that the basketball facility gets done in his tenure. 5 more years is now a reality… hopefully in those 5 years BDC actually does a tremendous amount of good for our athletics program.
Curious, Angry do you know what other AD’s in our conference get paid? I’m sure all the state schools release that info and I bet USC does too… Stanford, prolly not so much.
BDC “instumental in keeping Pat Casey…” WTF??? Sure, if by instrumental you mean he was AD when Phil Knight came to town and said, “how can you let this man go?” If by instrumental you mean he authorized his staff to deposit Phil’s check. Instrumental if you mean staying out of Pat’s way while Pat did all the planning and fundraising for the Goss expansion, and offering little to no interest or support. He’s so interested in keeping Casey around he goes to all the games – well, at least one every other year for the past half dozen years.
Please don’t be so disingenuous as to add anything related to the success of OSU’s baseball program to BDC’s resume.
What did Knight offer up for Casey? $25k per year for ten years? It is truly the one good thing Knight has done for OSU. I won’t begrudge him that one action.
But Bobby D also needed to squeeze the turnip for about another $70k per year. And he had to lock Casey in for 10 years.
And would a lesser AD allow Casey to do what he wants when he wants? Maybe staying out of Pat Casey’s way is the wise way. Maybe that’s hard for many AD-alpha types.
And maybe a lesser AD does not keep the channels open to alums who are willing to give only after they see tangible success… thereby giving Casey a leg up for his fundraising efforts at every turn.
Passive management might be better than micro-management sometimes, though I’m sure someone still had to crunch the numbers and manage the bid-to-build process.
I’m thinking people are making too much of this. If it’s a symptom of a problem, good. Nobody can be quiet about his problem again. Compulsions require being at rock bottom in order to break them. That level is different for everyone. If eating a napkin and passing out at a Denny’s is his rock bottom, more power to him. Some people do some seriously bad stuff before they turn their lives around.
The interviewer was out of line when he implied a threat against the kids who filmed the vid. Let’s be real here. Many things could have happened to Mike in that condition… at 3am… in West Hollywood. People laughing at him is a ridiculous thing to be upset about. You make yourself a spectacle, and people watch. That is that.
And… it was pretty funny.
I’ll take unconscious napkin eating over fighting or naked three-point stances any day. Hell, I’ll take it over joy rides in golf carts, and you all know I would be a hypocrite if I said late night drunk joy rides in OSU golf carts are a bad, bad thing.
Sometimes people put the lamp shade on. If it happens too often, then there’s a problem. If Mike thinks this was the last straw, then I hope he finds redemption through honesty. If projection onto a deity is what he requires, I hope that helps him find his inner voice. I don’t think he’s truly hurt or embarrassed anyone… well… maybe his liver… and one scared napkin.
I forgive Mike and admire his heartfelt apology. He seems to realize that he has alcohol issues, and he is believable in his admission that that he is working on this problem in a rehab program, sponsor, etc. Mike is a very good man so lets support him in this time that he needs help.
Agree with KC. All BDC HAS DONE LATELY is sign unproven coaches to extensions(John , Riley, Wagner, Robinson), and don’t forget Lavonda was makinjg more than Pat when we won our first CWS. Latest accomplishment was the incredible effort he put into the spring “game” to make it worth attending. All you had to do was look 45 miles south to see how it was done up right. Status quo definitely being rewarded here, just as xcalguy says. Can’t hold a candle to Mitch Barnhart.
Nikegon is not a shining example of greatness. They throw a lot of money at the department, so there is a lot of glitz. But I would say most of the fans down here are in denial about the true state of their athletics because all they see is that glitz while winning. They are the Calvinists of sport. Sine they’re winning, they MUST be blessed. They can do no wrong. Their programs aren’t really running off the rails.
As far as I am concerned the Stanford game in Luck’s last year and since we would have been the #1 NFL draft pick last year and is expected to be next year makes Stanford a hot ticket. Maybe not every year, but this year coming off the Orange Bowl and Luck returning it is. I think atleast $55 would make more sense as I expect a full house. Just $10 more than Sacremento St.? I hope we sell out BYU at $60. We want revenge for the bowl loss but I would probably rather see the Arizona game myself. You could maybe get $50 for Arizona and UCLA if they were promoting and marketing better but in our current circumstances $45 is probably the right level to try to get all sellouts. Stanford stands out to me though, this year, as leaving value on the table.
Atleast they are pushing season tickets hard on the website trying to get every seat full. That is a good sign of wanting our stadium to look packed and energized on TV. They also need to up the production value at all games and get rid of the long and confusing exit video that kills the vibe and “Whose Muscles?”.
Ugh, Beaver Biceps and that horrible Dairy Princess are downright awful. We need to not give ad space to any bum who shuffles up with $5.
And the exit video is lame at best, but with a close game it is terrible! The most intense part of the game and all the video board can talk about is how to get out of there. And come on…how do someone get lost in Corvallis anyway?
I think Bobby D deserves it. He’s worked hard to do a lot of things on a campus where not only were the facilities poor, but the school had decided to remove some facilities before they ran the rest into the ground.
And the part about getting us from there to here to the next level and beyond is the hardest part for some to bear. It just takes time to build a program to the top. And facilities are usually the least of that building process. We just happened to be in a position where decent was the first level we needed to reach before we moved on.
Sometimes a school lucks into a great coach who is willing to stay and make the program great on his or her own. Sometimes it takes a great AD to pick up all the pieces and make them fit. I think Bobby D fits into the great category. And impartial observers do as well.
Our athletic department has gone from a shambles to a rebirth to about halfway to respectability in about 14 years. There have been plateaus along the way, and this is one now. But that it’s a plateau at all is nothing short of a miracle. The cuts made in 2009 to balance the budget were pretty steep. Good morale must be tough to maintain, yet we seem to be getting incrementally better at several sports all at once. Football is its own beast, and I’m sure all eyes are on it and its facilities. But the other sports are as important as football if not more so.
If you doubt this, think about what Nikegon’s football team and athletic department would look like today if they had decided to dump track and field back in the 60’s.
As an attorney who represented a prior OSU woman’s basketball coach when she was terminated by our then athletic director, I am somewhat familiar with the contracts OSU and other colleges use with their coaches. Bobby D. should have defended the university when Lavonda Wagner left after ruining the women’s basketball program, rather than handing her a million dollar settlement without even a fight. There would have been a significant chance she would have lost a lawsuit had she been terminated “for cause”, or in any event negotiated a settlement for far less money than she received. DeCarolis is the guy also who signed Riley to an apparent lifetime contract. President Ed, this is a bad decison on youir part to give this rascal an extension.
I get somewhat tired of BDC always talking about how we can’t do this or that because of money. Sometimes I wish he would think out side of the box and make improvements that necessarily wouldn’t take much money. For example, the logo Angry has mentioned. This would be a very non-expensive improvment, that could help OSU athletics stand out. The commercials for advertising OSU that play on ESPN or other channes during games do not stand out at all. If you are spending money for the advertising at least create a commercial that stands out and catches potential recruits eyes. Hold Mike Riley and other coaches to higher standards.
Another example is one of the biggest complaints I have heard from fellow Beaver fans that the football players don’t show the energy and desire they used to (like the Erickson days). How can fans get excited to go to a football game if the players don’t respond. Just like in business, it all comes from the top.
We may not have all the money to compete with all the stuff the big schools due for promotion, but I hate this attitude of being idle. Lets take what we have and exploit it to our best ability and have an attitude that we will do all we can to compete with the big schools. The fans will see that and respond accordingly. Once that starts attendence and donations will increase thus helping make more major improvements to the athletic department.
When Bobby D took over, OSU was operating with a $12m debt, a 35k capacity football stadium, a dilapidated Gill, no men’s or women’s track and field (let alone a facility), insufficient facilities for gymnastics, wrestling and crew, and haphazard conditioning facilities.
We now have state of the art facilities for gymnastics, wrestling and conditioning. We’re halfway there for football and crew. Basketball will have a state of the art practice facility in the near future, and track will break ground next month for what is considered the finest facility built for that sport in the US in several decades.
And the OSU AD debt now stands at $11m. That’s some pretty good value in my book.
He is being paid for the job he has done and is expected to continue doing in the future to shepherd our athletic department and foster victory built on a solid foundation. That foundation’s progress has been slow, but I’ve never sensed that Bobby D has diminished his commitment to complete it in the face of some pretty harsh constraints. And now that his position warrants a higher pay grade, it is one nearing “destination” status rather than perennially being one of career transition.
I like that he has been responsible at every turn. I think some things could have been done better, but I don’t know all the details of every instance. And the positives far outweigh the negatives. Bobby D may have entertained thoughts of moving on to greener pastures, and he may yet do so. But he has taken what was a mish-mash of an athletic department and made it into one which warrants his own greener pasture here and now. He has also expanded the AD position’s profile to such a degree that, if he ever does leave, it will be much easier to hire someone who has a much greater profile than he did when he took over.
Some of this is due to the commitments of the fans and the university itself. But a lot of it is due to his work as the AD.
I can’t remember which publication I read about new track and field facilities either newly built or in design/build phase. But one devoted to running praised Oregon State for not only glad-handing the sport, but instead committing to a facility which would rival any in terms of technology implemented and its sole use for the sport. Even the capacity outpaced several new stadiums. At a 4000 person capacity grandstand, I think only Icahn Stadium beats that number for new facilities. And its design will allow for future grandstand expansion and upgrades as demand warrants them.
Yeah, I don’t think angry will ever have a post polling the readers for their thoughts on whether the new track surface should be Rekortan, Mondo or Conica. If I were stupid enough to gamble, I would put my money on our new surface being Beynon BSS 2000. It’s what they have at Hayward Field, and it has a nice hardness while also being soft enough for their teams’ strength–distance runners.
I will see how I feel if Riley has a bunch of 6-6 years with some 7-5 years thrown in and he gets extended all the way to 2029. I don’t like at all that 6-6 is just as “aw shucks” dandy as 9-3 or 10-2.
I would like to have seen 8-4 or better for extensions and bonuses. 7-5 is a neutral year, not something to be lauded and rewarded as an achievement and especially not 6-6. He should have signed him to a 5 or 6 year extension with bigger bonuses kicking in for the achievements we want at 8-4 or better and Holiday Bowl or higher. Less than that is ho hum, does nothing to move us forward, and keeps expectations too low. But that is not what the BDC and Riley drew up. I agree that getting in the BCS Bowl deserves major kicker but if you ask the fans they don’t care much about Sun Bowl or less anymore. We have done that too much and it doesn’t really make a name for your program. Us never reaching a Holiday Bowl or better with Riley is a MAJOR disappointment. I think Angry is right that the new assistants give Riley yet another few years to “prove himself.” I want someone like a Chip Kelly or Harbaugh who just come in, expect excellence and reach their goals through force of will. Riley’s passive demeanor means we probably are looking at quite a few more mediocre years. I am a huge OSU fan so that is tough. My hope though is with POWERFUL branding and pursuing steps to move the program forward aggressively we can make strides. We need the high fans support and buzz in this program to be more successful. BDC doing nothing with the Spring Game and not promoting and marketing well to this point are frustrations. We do need better commercials for the university and athletics. They need more vibrancy and the effort has to show for the fans to alsp step up and give their best. I am energized by the 3 billion deal and Larry Scott for sure. When the track and basketball facility near completion I expect Reser Phase 3 to get full attention as our MAJOR project hopefully to begin in the next 5 years. Without being aggressive, we will lose ground to UW and Cal. If we make the right moves we can be right there with Oregon where we want where Civil Wars could have alot of extra meaning and allow us chances at Pac-12 North titles and getting massive national exposure in the Pac-12 championship game. Our players have to have their minds and hearts in it and that was lacking in atleast a few games last year for no good reason. Riley has to figure out ways to start quick so his players will keep believing they can win for long stretches and so that we stay in the national conversation all year long instead of having to hopefully work our way back in late in the season. Somehow Riley has to figure out how to get the results he wants and then work tirelessly to achieve them. As a culture we are too slow to change and too conservative. With a POWERFUL brand and our influx of TV money we have a great opportunity here to strike boldly and be more innovative and get people across the nation interested in Oregon State. You do that by making it clear you are stepping up to the national stage and then when you have that spotlight you get Cold-Blooded and make the most of it. Then people will actually respect that we are becoming a strong program. If Tinker can help us forge a more powerful identity that is bold and aggressive and puts us on the map then lets go for it and make the most of our Pac-12 platform and aggressive commishioner. Lets not be too conservative as has been a key reason we have stayed mediocre and not sparked the national imagination. You have to dream big to go big. You also have to passionately drive the program/brand towards that goal so the fans will get caught up in that excitement and the synergy allows something special to occur. Then the brand can and will be clearly elevated to nationally important and POWERFUL.
People can bitch and moan all they want about the stadium, 6-6 records, getting crushed by the ‘ucks in 3 straight Civil War football games, whatever…DeCarolis has done some great things here at Oregon State.
One thing that very few people seem to mention is the 12,000 by 2012 campaign to roughly double our donor base. From what I hear, that campaign is going very well. If we hit the mark, we’ll have the largest donor base in the Pac-12. That would obviously be huge and it’s all Bob De Carolis.
I can’t believe some people saying this is rewarding inaction or the status quo…really? The athletic department budget has nearly doubled since De Carolis arrived in 1998. We’ve enjoyed more success athletically in just over 10 years than we had in the 30 previous years combined. As jackBeav mentioned, we’re building a sweet track facility, we’re breaking ground on an academic center for athletes, we have more donors than we’ve ever had before and donations have quadrupled since De Carolis arrived.
Sure, he’s made some mistakes. Everyone does. But overall, he’s done well with what he has to work with.
Here’s a remark about BDC – (women’s bb) “I’m very excited Quortni is going to Oregon State because one of the neatest things is the quality of people that work at Oregon State and the leadership and direction they get from Bob De Carolis throughout that department,” Northwest Florida State College head coach Patrick Harrington said. “That makes Oregon State a very special place to work and to go to school. I hope Quortni is able to take advantage of the opportunity because Oregon State is a really neat place. I had an outstanding experience when I was there, and it’s kind of nice to see someone go back there.”
I agree on slow pace and some of the contract issues but BDC has had successes (Reser expansions, Gill remodel, practice facilities, and more). We have moderately kept up with the arms race in college sports. It is not a perfect situation but much better than the soap opera that goes on at Nikegon and what Canzano has referred to as the “boy’s club” that runs their athletic program. Nikegon has been sloppy since they pushed Moos out and it will bite them in the ass as NCAA sanctions sooner or later. Also, I really hope we take a lesson from the Jock Box, which is a laughing stock nationally and very controversial among UO students, and avoid glitz and ultra-exclusivity.
I used to believe it was a matter of time before Oregon got busted, but now I’m wondering if it’ll ever become a reality. There’s been ample opportunity over the past two years, yet nothing has happened. The NCAA hasn’t peeped about Lyles or Seastrunk since the news broke months ago.
I hate the move. Only because I think BDC reached his ceiling and he’s locked us into horrible contracts, doesn’t put pressure on losing programs (I’m looking at you, Men’s basketball) and I just hate his weasel face.
Disappointed. It signals the status quo is rewarded.
If not, what else can one take away from this? (other than: he’s all we can afford?)
I feel like he needs to have atleast 2 speeches every year that are broadcast on Beavers All Access or available as a video from the OSU website or something and describe his vision better. I also would like to see him change contracts or in the future do better ones where a guy isn’t extended every year he goes 6-6. I want higher standards and expectations for excellence in football.
I don’t think he capitalized as much as he should have on our two years we almost made the Rose Bowl and he was awfully slow in doing what it took to fill Reser by just lowering the prices in the upper reaches which were overpriced by common sense.
I would like to see him shoot for a 95% capacity at most venues and do what it took to accomplish that. We are better served as a fanbase if we get whatever we can from the facilities we have then go with empty seats. If that means lowering the prices of all upper seats in Gill by 50% then do it. Atleast try to create a better atmosphere, reward more fans, and have us showcased better especially considering all the TV coverage coming to our conference…not yet in football. ;)
Work with the smart economics professors and figure it out. It really is pretty easy and it is trial and error largely anyway but get it close to right.
I want to see DeCarolis realize we want a great football program and do whatever it takes to grow our economic engine of our athletic department and create a high buzz, electric gameday atmosphere. I want him to challenge Oregon verbally for football prominence and relevance and then implement strategic and aggressive steps to get there.
We need a POWERFUL brand and I would like to see him get this done by next year. I believe we will be doing something fairly aggressive by then. I would like to see the endzones idea get used and I want to see good changes within a year and not go with the wrong thing or something too conservative and have to wait and hope for another 4 or 5 years for the changes we want and need.
A POWERFUL brand has to lean towards arrogance because when you think of all the best teams they are brimming with high confidence and bring attitude to the field. If we don’t bury this Mayberry garbage into the bowels of the earth it will continue to hinder, limit and haunt us and keep us anywhere near our full potential. Erickson caught some lightning in a bottle back in 2000 but we are not even close to being aggressive enough as a culture to have a good enough shot at it again. Things must change. We have to win more big games and realize that the spotlight games make or break our national reputation.
Larry Scott has shown the way on being aggressive and going for your best effort. I expect BDC to do the same. In the Pac-12 we have the platform to be on the national map and make a statement that we have become a POWERFUL brand/program. A number of things have to happen in conjunction but I know they can be done if we get AGGRESSIVE and boldly keep putting our best foot forward. I want to see desire that the football team should rarely finish below the Sun Bowl instead of the Sun Bowl being our best bowl under Riley in more than 10 years. I want recruiting to improve and sell the athletes on the fact we place alot of NFL talent and and are a part of a premier conference with the nation’s best platform for exposure, innovation and success.
Riley has to demand more from himself as well. Hopefully the new assistants can boost recruiting and give the program a younger, fresher and more hip vibe.
We have alot of fans. DeCarolis has to want as many of them as possible. Not just the larger donors. Keep investing in facilities and have a plan stated for what it takes to get the new West Side built and where we are. Show the fans we are continuing to actively push the programs and brand forward and that you want the fans help to make OSU Athletics a nationally successful, prominent and POWERFUL brand.
Not capitalizing on opportunities presented is a problem across the board. Given we had a household name in Quizz Rodgers for three years, there should not be depth issues at RB.
This is definitely a “what have you done for me lately” situation, and I really can’t say he’s done anything positive for the school lately. I would admit to being an outside observer who doesn’t know ALL the facts. For all I know BDC has done great, but that’s not visible from where I’m standing. I remember when he was instrumental in keeping Pat Casey and getting the Reser expansion off the ground, and the new athletic performance center. My hope is that the basketball facility gets done in his tenure. 5 more years is now a reality… hopefully in those 5 years BDC actually does a tremendous amount of good for our athletics program.
Curious, Angry do you know what other AD’s in our conference get paid? I’m sure all the state schools release that info and I bet USC does too… Stanford, prolly not so much.
Here’s a list from 2009…Pac-10 only has 6 schools that released the info.
http://www.shaggybevo.com/board/showthread.php/26410-Athletic-Directors-salaries?p=639294&viewfull=1
Oregon didn’t have a contract with their during that time so it is not surprising they didn’t report.
I doubt USC releases any info without a court order. And even then….
BDC “instumental in keeping Pat Casey…” WTF??? Sure, if by instrumental you mean he was AD when Phil Knight came to town and said, “how can you let this man go?” If by instrumental you mean he authorized his staff to deposit Phil’s check. Instrumental if you mean staying out of Pat’s way while Pat did all the planning and fundraising for the Goss expansion, and offering little to no interest or support. He’s so interested in keeping Casey around he goes to all the games – well, at least one every other year for the past half dozen years.
Please don’t be so disingenuous as to add anything related to the success of OSU’s baseball program to BDC’s resume.
What did Knight offer up for Casey? $25k per year for ten years? It is truly the one good thing Knight has done for OSU. I won’t begrudge him that one action.
But Bobby D also needed to squeeze the turnip for about another $70k per year. And he had to lock Casey in for 10 years.
And would a lesser AD allow Casey to do what he wants when he wants? Maybe staying out of Pat Casey’s way is the wise way. Maybe that’s hard for many AD-alpha types.
And maybe a lesser AD does not keep the channels open to alums who are willing to give only after they see tangible success… thereby giving Casey a leg up for his fundraising efforts at every turn.
Passive management might be better than micro-management sometimes, though I’m sure someone still had to crunch the numbers and manage the bid-to-build process.
Off-topic:
Parker on his napkin eating fiasco:
http://www.kpam.com/upload/MikeParkeronVideosituation.mp3
I’m thinking people are making too much of this. If it’s a symptom of a problem, good. Nobody can be quiet about his problem again. Compulsions require being at rock bottom in order to break them. That level is different for everyone. If eating a napkin and passing out at a Denny’s is his rock bottom, more power to him. Some people do some seriously bad stuff before they turn their lives around.
The interviewer was out of line when he implied a threat against the kids who filmed the vid. Let’s be real here. Many things could have happened to Mike in that condition… at 3am… in West Hollywood. People laughing at him is a ridiculous thing to be upset about. You make yourself a spectacle, and people watch. That is that.
And… it was pretty funny.
I’ll take unconscious napkin eating over fighting or naked three-point stances any day. Hell, I’ll take it over joy rides in golf carts, and you all know I would be a hypocrite if I said late night drunk joy rides in OSU golf carts are a bad, bad thing.
Sometimes people put the lamp shade on. If it happens too often, then there’s a problem. If Mike thinks this was the last straw, then I hope he finds redemption through honesty. If projection onto a deity is what he requires, I hope that helps him find his inner voice. I don’t think he’s truly hurt or embarrassed anyone… well… maybe his liver… and one scared napkin.
I forgive Mike and admire his heartfelt apology. He seems to realize that he has alcohol issues, and he is believable in his admission that that he is working on this problem in a rehab program, sponsor, etc. Mike is a very good man so lets support him in this time that he needs help.
Yeah, agree with all that.
What sucks is that every time OSU messes up it’s something ridiculous/embarrassing that makes us look like inbreds.
Agree with KC. All BDC HAS DONE LATELY is sign unproven coaches to extensions(John , Riley, Wagner, Robinson), and don’t forget Lavonda was makinjg more than Pat when we won our first CWS. Latest accomplishment was the incredible effort he put into the spring “game” to make it worth attending. All you had to do was look 45 miles south to see how it was done up right. Status quo definitely being rewarded here, just as xcalguy says. Can’t hold a candle to Mitch Barnhart.
Nikegon is not a shining example of greatness. They throw a lot of money at the department, so there is a lot of glitz. But I would say most of the fans down here are in denial about the true state of their athletics because all they see is that glitz while winning. They are the Calvinists of sport. Sine they’re winning, they MUST be blessed. They can do no wrong. Their programs aren’t really running off the rails.
It’s gonna get ugly before it gets better.
BDC’s pricing is not quite ideal:
Single Game Ticket Prices
Sacramento State: $ 35
UCLA: $ 45
Arizona: $ 45
BYU: $ 60
Stanford: $ 45
Washington: $ 75
As far as I am concerned the Stanford game in Luck’s last year and since we would have been the #1 NFL draft pick last year and is expected to be next year makes Stanford a hot ticket. Maybe not every year, but this year coming off the Orange Bowl and Luck returning it is. I think atleast $55 would make more sense as I expect a full house. Just $10 more than Sacremento St.? I hope we sell out BYU at $60. We want revenge for the bowl loss but I would probably rather see the Arizona game myself. You could maybe get $50 for Arizona and UCLA if they were promoting and marketing better but in our current circumstances $45 is probably the right level to try to get all sellouts. Stanford stands out to me though, this year, as leaving value on the table.
Atleast they are pushing season tickets hard on the website trying to get every seat full. That is a good sign of wanting our stadium to look packed and energized on TV. They also need to up the production value at all games and get rid of the long and confusing exit video that kills the vibe and “Whose Muscles?”.
Ugh, Beaver Biceps and that horrible Dairy Princess are downright awful. We need to not give ad space to any bum who shuffles up with $5.
And the exit video is lame at best, but with a close game it is terrible! The most intense part of the game and all the video board can talk about is how to get out of there. And come on…how do someone get lost in Corvallis anyway?
Hahahah
I think Bobby D deserves it. He’s worked hard to do a lot of things on a campus where not only were the facilities poor, but the school had decided to remove some facilities before they ran the rest into the ground.
And the part about getting us from there to here to the next level and beyond is the hardest part for some to bear. It just takes time to build a program to the top. And facilities are usually the least of that building process. We just happened to be in a position where decent was the first level we needed to reach before we moved on.
Sometimes a school lucks into a great coach who is willing to stay and make the program great on his or her own. Sometimes it takes a great AD to pick up all the pieces and make them fit. I think Bobby D fits into the great category. And impartial observers do as well.
Our athletic department has gone from a shambles to a rebirth to about halfway to respectability in about 14 years. There have been plateaus along the way, and this is one now. But that it’s a plateau at all is nothing short of a miracle. The cuts made in 2009 to balance the budget were pretty steep. Good morale must be tough to maintain, yet we seem to be getting incrementally better at several sports all at once. Football is its own beast, and I’m sure all eyes are on it and its facilities. But the other sports are as important as football if not more so.
If you doubt this, think about what Nikegon’s football team and athletic department would look like today if they had decided to dump track and field back in the 60’s.
As an attorney who represented a prior OSU woman’s basketball coach when she was terminated by our then athletic director, I am somewhat familiar with the contracts OSU and other colleges use with their coaches. Bobby D. should have defended the university when Lavonda Wagner left after ruining the women’s basketball program, rather than handing her a million dollar settlement without even a fight. There would have been a significant chance she would have lost a lawsuit had she been terminated “for cause”, or in any event negotiated a settlement for far less money than she received. DeCarolis is the guy also who signed Riley to an apparent lifetime contract. President Ed, this is a bad decison on youir part to give this rascal an extension.
I get somewhat tired of BDC always talking about how we can’t do this or that because of money. Sometimes I wish he would think out side of the box and make improvements that necessarily wouldn’t take much money. For example, the logo Angry has mentioned. This would be a very non-expensive improvment, that could help OSU athletics stand out. The commercials for advertising OSU that play on ESPN or other channes during games do not stand out at all. If you are spending money for the advertising at least create a commercial that stands out and catches potential recruits eyes. Hold Mike Riley and other coaches to higher standards.
Another example is one of the biggest complaints I have heard from fellow Beaver fans that the football players don’t show the energy and desire they used to (like the Erickson days). How can fans get excited to go to a football game if the players don’t respond. Just like in business, it all comes from the top.
We may not have all the money to compete with all the stuff the big schools due for promotion, but I hate this attitude of being idle. Lets take what we have and exploit it to our best ability and have an attitude that we will do all we can to compete with the big schools. The fans will see that and respond accordingly. Once that starts attendence and donations will increase thus helping make more major improvements to the athletic department.
When Bobby D took over, OSU was operating with a $12m debt, a 35k capacity football stadium, a dilapidated Gill, no men’s or women’s track and field (let alone a facility), insufficient facilities for gymnastics, wrestling and crew, and haphazard conditioning facilities.
We now have state of the art facilities for gymnastics, wrestling and conditioning. We’re halfway there for football and crew. Basketball will have a state of the art practice facility in the near future, and track will break ground next month for what is considered the finest facility built for that sport in the US in several decades.
And the OSU AD debt now stands at $11m. That’s some pretty good value in my book.
He is being paid for the job he has done and is expected to continue doing in the future to shepherd our athletic department and foster victory built on a solid foundation. That foundation’s progress has been slow, but I’ve never sensed that Bobby D has diminished his commitment to complete it in the face of some pretty harsh constraints. And now that his position warrants a higher pay grade, it is one nearing “destination” status rather than perennially being one of career transition.
I like that he has been responsible at every turn. I think some things could have been done better, but I don’t know all the details of every instance. And the positives far outweigh the negatives. Bobby D may have entertained thoughts of moving on to greener pastures, and he may yet do so. But he has taken what was a mish-mash of an athletic department and made it into one which warrants his own greener pasture here and now. He has also expanded the AD position’s profile to such a degree that, if he ever does leave, it will be much easier to hire someone who has a much greater profile than he did when he took over.
Some of this is due to the commitments of the fans and the university itself. But a lot of it is due to his work as the AD.
what about the track? very curious now, what is so great about it?
Here’s an overview, site plan and a video tour (albeit choppy):
http://www.osubeavers.com/sports/w-track/spec-rel/track-field-virtual-tour.html
I can’t remember which publication I read about new track and field facilities either newly built or in design/build phase. But one devoted to running praised Oregon State for not only glad-handing the sport, but instead committing to a facility which would rival any in terms of technology implemented and its sole use for the sport. Even the capacity outpaced several new stadiums. At a 4000 person capacity grandstand, I think only Icahn Stadium beats that number for new facilities. And its design will allow for future grandstand expansion and upgrades as demand warrants them.
This was the news last fall:
http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=128493700129622000
I didn’t know there was such a thing as a high tech track. It honestly seems like a huge waste of money to me.
Yeah, I don’t think angry will ever have a post polling the readers for their thoughts on whether the new track surface should be Rekortan, Mondo or Conica. If I were stupid enough to gamble, I would put my money on our new surface being Beynon BSS 2000. It’s what they have at Hayward Field, and it has a nice hardness while also being soft enough for their teams’ strength–distance runners.
I will see how I feel if Riley has a bunch of 6-6 years with some 7-5 years thrown in and he gets extended all the way to 2029. I don’t like at all that 6-6 is just as “aw shucks” dandy as 9-3 or 10-2.
I would like to have seen 8-4 or better for extensions and bonuses. 7-5 is a neutral year, not something to be lauded and rewarded as an achievement and especially not 6-6. He should have signed him to a 5 or 6 year extension with bigger bonuses kicking in for the achievements we want at 8-4 or better and Holiday Bowl or higher. Less than that is ho hum, does nothing to move us forward, and keeps expectations too low. But that is not what the BDC and Riley drew up. I agree that getting in the BCS Bowl deserves major kicker but if you ask the fans they don’t care much about Sun Bowl or less anymore. We have done that too much and it doesn’t really make a name for your program. Us never reaching a Holiday Bowl or better with Riley is a MAJOR disappointment. I think Angry is right that the new assistants give Riley yet another few years to “prove himself.” I want someone like a Chip Kelly or Harbaugh who just come in, expect excellence and reach their goals through force of will. Riley’s passive demeanor means we probably are looking at quite a few more mediocre years. I am a huge OSU fan so that is tough. My hope though is with POWERFUL branding and pursuing steps to move the program forward aggressively we can make strides. We need the high fans support and buzz in this program to be more successful. BDC doing nothing with the Spring Game and not promoting and marketing well to this point are frustrations. We do need better commercials for the university and athletics. They need more vibrancy and the effort has to show for the fans to alsp step up and give their best. I am energized by the 3 billion deal and Larry Scott for sure. When the track and basketball facility near completion I expect Reser Phase 3 to get full attention as our MAJOR project hopefully to begin in the next 5 years. Without being aggressive, we will lose ground to UW and Cal. If we make the right moves we can be right there with Oregon where we want where Civil Wars could have alot of extra meaning and allow us chances at Pac-12 North titles and getting massive national exposure in the Pac-12 championship game. Our players have to have their minds and hearts in it and that was lacking in atleast a few games last year for no good reason. Riley has to figure out ways to start quick so his players will keep believing they can win for long stretches and so that we stay in the national conversation all year long instead of having to hopefully work our way back in late in the season. Somehow Riley has to figure out how to get the results he wants and then work tirelessly to achieve them. As a culture we are too slow to change and too conservative. With a POWERFUL brand and our influx of TV money we have a great opportunity here to strike boldly and be more innovative and get people across the nation interested in Oregon State. You do that by making it clear you are stepping up to the national stage and then when you have that spotlight you get Cold-Blooded and make the most of it. Then people will actually respect that we are becoming a strong program. If Tinker can help us forge a more powerful identity that is bold and aggressive and puts us on the map then lets go for it and make the most of our Pac-12 platform and aggressive commishioner. Lets not be too conservative as has been a key reason we have stayed mediocre and not sparked the national imagination. You have to dream big to go big. You also have to passionately drive the program/brand towards that goal so the fans will get caught up in that excitement and the synergy allows something special to occur. Then the brand can and will be clearly elevated to nationally important and POWERFUL.
I love it.
People can bitch and moan all they want about the stadium, 6-6 records, getting crushed by the ‘ucks in 3 straight Civil War football games, whatever…DeCarolis has done some great things here at Oregon State.
One thing that very few people seem to mention is the 12,000 by 2012 campaign to roughly double our donor base. From what I hear, that campaign is going very well. If we hit the mark, we’ll have the largest donor base in the Pac-12. That would obviously be huge and it’s all Bob De Carolis.
I can’t believe some people saying this is rewarding inaction or the status quo…really? The athletic department budget has nearly doubled since De Carolis arrived in 1998. We’ve enjoyed more success athletically in just over 10 years than we had in the 30 previous years combined. As jackBeav mentioned, we’re building a sweet track facility, we’re breaking ground on an academic center for athletes, we have more donors than we’ve ever had before and donations have quadrupled since De Carolis arrived.
Sure, he’s made some mistakes. Everyone does. But overall, he’s done well with what he has to work with.
Off topic: Fiesta stays a BCS Bowl.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/sports/ncaafootball/fiesta-bowl-fined-one-million-dollars.html
Good work by BDC there. That is good for the strategic position of the Pac-12. We have two BCS bowls where we have a home field advantage.
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Good article on MAJOR renovations at Memorial Stadium at Cal. That will be a slick stadium as will UW’s new one.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/10/SPTO1JEBUU.DTL
Here’s a remark about BDC – (women’s bb) “I’m very excited Quortni is going to Oregon State because one of the neatest things is the quality of people that work at Oregon State and the leadership and direction they get from Bob De Carolis throughout that department,” Northwest Florida State College head coach Patrick Harrington said. “That makes Oregon State a very special place to work and to go to school. I hope Quortni is able to take advantage of the opportunity because Oregon State is a really neat place. I had an outstanding experience when I was there, and it’s kind of nice to see someone go back there.”
Are you sure this wasn’t something Mike Riley said? I mean- with all the uses of the word “neat” I just assume it had to be. :)
I agree on slow pace and some of the contract issues but BDC has had successes (Reser expansions, Gill remodel, practice facilities, and more). We have moderately kept up with the arms race in college sports. It is not a perfect situation but much better than the soap opera that goes on at Nikegon and what Canzano has referred to as the “boy’s club” that runs their athletic program. Nikegon has been sloppy since they pushed Moos out and it will bite them in the ass as NCAA sanctions sooner or later. Also, I really hope we take a lesson from the Jock Box, which is a laughing stock nationally and very controversial among UO students, and avoid glitz and ultra-exclusivity.
I used to believe it was a matter of time before Oregon got busted, but now I’m wondering if it’ll ever become a reality. There’s been ample opportunity over the past two years, yet nothing has happened. The NCAA hasn’t peeped about Lyles or Seastrunk since the news broke months ago.
I hate the move. Only because I think BDC reached his ceiling and he’s locked us into horrible contracts, doesn’t put pressure on losing programs (I’m looking at you, Men’s basketball) and I just hate his weasel face.