Post by Athletic Department Monitor on Jul 6, 2004 7:15:28 GMT -5
11. Have we reached our goals in fundraising and season ticket request for our inaugural football season?
Answer: Football has been going very well and we are starting our campaign for basketball. We need to make more of an impact in our other sports, we are going to start inside (campus, students, and alumni) and work our way out (community). We are going to make an effort to sell our campus, our faculty and staff, and then go out to our alumni. Hopefully, the type of team we recruited, in men’s basketball, what we have coming back in women’s basketball and the success of our baseball team will help.
But right now, I believe our success this year in basketball and others will be measured more by what we do on an individual game basis. With the size of our arena and what we have done in the past, there hasn’t been a tremendous demand for season tickets. The success of our program this season will be measured as the schedule progresses.
Focusing on the comments about football - Season ticket sales have not gone very well. +0 pts. [30]
12. Having been at FIU for a year now, what do you feel are our strengths and weaknesses? How are you working to improve these weaknesses?
Answer: Our strengths are that we have great coaches and student athletes who play with a level of competitiveness. We are a competitive program. Our biggest weakness right now is outside. Support, revenue generation and corporate support over the past few years are virtually nothing by Division I standards. This has to change and it will, but it won’t happen overnight.
This is inaccurate. Great coaches can recruit and coach. We don't have any great coaches. We don't have very good athletes, overall. We finished last in the conference and didn't win a conference championship in 1 sport.
AND NOW WE HAVE "STUDENTS" WHO CARY AND SHOOT GUNS AND ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES THAT WOULDN'T BE TOLERATED AT 99% OF THE COLLEGES IN THE COUNTRY - WE KNOW STROCK RECRUITED THEM-HE SHOULD ALSO TAKE SOME OF THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DISCGRACE.
Currently, we are restarting a philosophy, a framework, a marketing approach, and a community approach. We need consistency because we have had so many changes in leadership. We have to develop a long-term commitment with ideas and programs that we think are right. Then we have to have the courage to stick with them for more than a year or two. Understand that tradition is something you cannot buy. You have to build it. Until we have the courage to start planning for tomorrow and understand that it’s going to take some time, then we are never going to get where we need to be. There is no such thing as a short cut or a quick fix.
+0 pts. [30]
13. The SBC currently has a TV contract with CSSE; unfortunately South Florida cable stations do not carry their feed. Are there any plans to change that or maybe purchase some equipment that will allow FIU fans to watch events (i.e. Basketball tournament and Baseball tournament) at FIU (maybe Gracie’s’)?
Answer: We are currently in negotiation for a television contract that would include carrying CSSE games. At the end of last year, Sunshine Network did carry some games from CSSE. We are in negotiations for our own television package and for a continuation of the CSSE broadcasts. But right now, with the help of corporate sponsorships, we are putting more of our efforts and emphasis into radio because it’s a more consistent media that we can afford economically in prime time. If we can get a television package this year that would be great. We need to make certain we have one in place by football season.
We are starting to see real progress in this area. The football team will be on TV this year. +5 pts. [35]
14. What are your criteria for judging the success of a coach (i.e. Wins/losses, recruitment, graduation of athletes, moral behavior, etc.)?
Answer: It is important that a coach possesses everything listed in the question because that’s what it takes to be a successful coach. I want a coach who is highly successful and competitive and does so within the framework of the overall mission of the university, and with the best interest of the student-athletes at heart.
Our coaches (last year) demonstrated they couldn't win or recruit. At this level of sport competition that is the bottom line. My question is, are you going to replace any coaches, and if not, why not? Losing should not be tolerated. +0 pts. [35]
15. What is view as to the large geographic that the current SBC schools seem to cover? How does it negatively and positively affect us?
Answer: This league has helped us tremendously and it has really been an upgrade as far as competition is concerned. We have a presence across the country with a lot of outstanding institutions. Look at the success we had getting three NCAA Tournament bids in baseball and six postseason berths in women’s basketball.
But being so spread out geographically does create same challenges. First, because you are in so many geographical footprints, it’s more challenging to secure a television package that reaches every market and second, travel costs and missed-class time for student-athletes. The further away you have to go, the more money it is going to cost, and the more class your students will miss due to extended travel time.
We have changed our conference affiliation, so to a large degree, this has been rectified. +5 pts. [40]
16. Have there been any attempts to try and get local retail stores to sell FIU merchandise? I have been to some stores that actually carry UCF/USF t-shirts or hats but not FIU. Why is that?
Answer: We are trying to interest a national apparel company who will utilize their marketing presence to get some signature items or replica of ours into major retail outlets. Right now, we need that entree and we are currently working on it. Obviously being in a state institution, there are some limitations and parameters that I must follow but it is something that’s been addressed.
No progress has been made locally. This may take a few more years. +0 pts. [40]
17. Will FIU Football have local radio/TV contract for it’s first season?
Answer: Yes, most definitely. Local radio is already done. It’s WAXY 790. We are also currently in negotiation with a cable entity to do a television package.
We have the radio station and are developing a TV presence. Hopefully each year we will have one more game televised so that in a few more years every game will be televised locally. Every away game should be televised on campus. +5 pts. [45]
Answer: Football has been going very well and we are starting our campaign for basketball. We need to make more of an impact in our other sports, we are going to start inside (campus, students, and alumni) and work our way out (community). We are going to make an effort to sell our campus, our faculty and staff, and then go out to our alumni. Hopefully, the type of team we recruited, in men’s basketball, what we have coming back in women’s basketball and the success of our baseball team will help.
But right now, I believe our success this year in basketball and others will be measured more by what we do on an individual game basis. With the size of our arena and what we have done in the past, there hasn’t been a tremendous demand for season tickets. The success of our program this season will be measured as the schedule progresses.
Focusing on the comments about football - Season ticket sales have not gone very well. +0 pts. [30]
12. Having been at FIU for a year now, what do you feel are our strengths and weaknesses? How are you working to improve these weaknesses?
Answer: Our strengths are that we have great coaches and student athletes who play with a level of competitiveness. We are a competitive program. Our biggest weakness right now is outside. Support, revenue generation and corporate support over the past few years are virtually nothing by Division I standards. This has to change and it will, but it won’t happen overnight.
This is inaccurate. Great coaches can recruit and coach. We don't have any great coaches. We don't have very good athletes, overall. We finished last in the conference and didn't win a conference championship in 1 sport.
AND NOW WE HAVE "STUDENTS" WHO CARY AND SHOOT GUNS AND ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES THAT WOULDN'T BE TOLERATED AT 99% OF THE COLLEGES IN THE COUNTRY - WE KNOW STROCK RECRUITED THEM-HE SHOULD ALSO TAKE SOME OF THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DISCGRACE.
Currently, we are restarting a philosophy, a framework, a marketing approach, and a community approach. We need consistency because we have had so many changes in leadership. We have to develop a long-term commitment with ideas and programs that we think are right. Then we have to have the courage to stick with them for more than a year or two. Understand that tradition is something you cannot buy. You have to build it. Until we have the courage to start planning for tomorrow and understand that it’s going to take some time, then we are never going to get where we need to be. There is no such thing as a short cut or a quick fix.
+0 pts. [30]
13. The SBC currently has a TV contract with CSSE; unfortunately South Florida cable stations do not carry their feed. Are there any plans to change that or maybe purchase some equipment that will allow FIU fans to watch events (i.e. Basketball tournament and Baseball tournament) at FIU (maybe Gracie’s’)?
Answer: We are currently in negotiation for a television contract that would include carrying CSSE games. At the end of last year, Sunshine Network did carry some games from CSSE. We are in negotiations for our own television package and for a continuation of the CSSE broadcasts. But right now, with the help of corporate sponsorships, we are putting more of our efforts and emphasis into radio because it’s a more consistent media that we can afford economically in prime time. If we can get a television package this year that would be great. We need to make certain we have one in place by football season.
We are starting to see real progress in this area. The football team will be on TV this year. +5 pts. [35]
14. What are your criteria for judging the success of a coach (i.e. Wins/losses, recruitment, graduation of athletes, moral behavior, etc.)?
Answer: It is important that a coach possesses everything listed in the question because that’s what it takes to be a successful coach. I want a coach who is highly successful and competitive and does so within the framework of the overall mission of the university, and with the best interest of the student-athletes at heart.
Our coaches (last year) demonstrated they couldn't win or recruit. At this level of sport competition that is the bottom line. My question is, are you going to replace any coaches, and if not, why not? Losing should not be tolerated. +0 pts. [35]
15. What is view as to the large geographic that the current SBC schools seem to cover? How does it negatively and positively affect us?
Answer: This league has helped us tremendously and it has really been an upgrade as far as competition is concerned. We have a presence across the country with a lot of outstanding institutions. Look at the success we had getting three NCAA Tournament bids in baseball and six postseason berths in women’s basketball.
But being so spread out geographically does create same challenges. First, because you are in so many geographical footprints, it’s more challenging to secure a television package that reaches every market and second, travel costs and missed-class time for student-athletes. The further away you have to go, the more money it is going to cost, and the more class your students will miss due to extended travel time.
We have changed our conference affiliation, so to a large degree, this has been rectified. +5 pts. [40]
16. Have there been any attempts to try and get local retail stores to sell FIU merchandise? I have been to some stores that actually carry UCF/USF t-shirts or hats but not FIU. Why is that?
Answer: We are trying to interest a national apparel company who will utilize their marketing presence to get some signature items or replica of ours into major retail outlets. Right now, we need that entree and we are currently working on it. Obviously being in a state institution, there are some limitations and parameters that I must follow but it is something that’s been addressed.
No progress has been made locally. This may take a few more years. +0 pts. [40]
17. Will FIU Football have local radio/TV contract for it’s first season?
Answer: Yes, most definitely. Local radio is already done. It’s WAXY 790. We are also currently in negotiation with a cable entity to do a television package.
We have the radio station and are developing a TV presence. Hopefully each year we will have one more game televised so that in a few more years every game will be televised locally. Every away game should be televised on campus. +5 pts. [45]