Future Of Tulane Athletics

[50's PONY]

From the Tulane message board:

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:33 pm Post subject: Tulane Athletics Future

To try and dispell (or validate) some of the many rumors out there, here goes:

Turchin - The construction contract has been supsended (as have all capital projects within the University). The University is strictly in a refurbishment mode with no outlays for any pending or existing projects. We cant play there this spring anyway so there is no rush.

Baseball Season - Negotiations are ongoing with Zephyr to play most if not all 30 home games there. There are some conflicts for a couple of the weekend series and a few mid-week games but they are trying to work it out. Bayou Segnette Park (where Loyola plays) could be an option for a few of the conflicting games.

Recruiting - Yes our recruiting budget has been drastically cut but they are out there recruiting. In fact many coaches are on the road tonight and tomorrow recruiting FB players (and staying in hotel rooms not their cars) in the Houston and Dallas area. This is a very difficult time and the coaches understand we are operating on a shoestring budget. If any coaches or players are planning on leaving at season's end its a mystery to the higher ups. It may happen but no one knows at this point.

Athletic Budget - We are operating on a budget that would make Div 3 schools cry. We literally have no income coming in and are surviving on donations from other schools ( a la Navy last week), foundations, etc. However, we can not openly solicit for donations (another one of those great NCAA rules). We just got a nice donation from a major bowl and from a major west coast athletic dept. And the idea to keep playing athletics this fall and "carry the torch" for the university was not Cowen's idea, it was Ricks. Rick knew he could do it, even with such a miniscule budget and knowing the university would not be able to help much, and convinced Cowen to let him try and do it. Cowen obliged and Rick has made it happen as all of our fall sports are playing ball.

Dec 07/08 - This Board meeting will decide the fate of all depts within the university. No decision has been made yet regarding athletics and there is no conspiracy. Contrary to what others have posted, the University is in a major financial bind and there will have to be major cutbacks. The major cash cow for Tulane, the medical center, is probably going to be out of commission for at least a year. That means no govt research grants, patient billings, etc.
Our leader will present his vision and business model to the board and tell them what he thinks he can accomplish with our athletic dept. We will have to be meaner and leaner and we will have to continue growing our fan base and giving levels. If they buy it, we will continue. If not, well that is just the facts of life in the post-Katrina world. But this is much more than about athletics, it is about the survival of the university.

How Can we Help - First, quit the bellyaching about Scelfo and the football team. Very few of you, myself included, have any idea what these kids have been through and for them to be on the field competing is the victory. I know many of you despise Scelfo for saying these words but they are the truth. All the rumor spreading and negativisms are really hurting the coaches, players and athletic dept as a whole. They are doing the besy they can given their situation.

Buy Tickets - The only way for the athletic dept to get direct revenue is from ticket sales. Buy the 10 game home Basketball package, try and attend the last home football game and buy Baseball season tickets. Trust me, as a homeless Katrina victim, I know $$$ is tight. But maybe think about buying a few basketball season tickets, or a extra baseball ticket or two. If we get the go-ahead on Dec 07/08 it will be up to us to prove we can sustain this program.

I have full faith and confidence in Rick D. and think he can bring us back to where we were heading pre-Katrina. We had quadrupled our TAF giving, more than doubled season ticket sales in football and baseball and had grown our endowment by over 100%. That being said, there is the chance that our athletics program could be eliminated or reduced is status. However, if it happens, you can blame it on the [deleted] named Katrina and not on Dr. C. This is just the realities of life now in this city and there is no conspiracy. There was one back in the spring of '03, and I know about it all too well and some people at the university still have a [deleted] for me because of the action I took, but in this instance the only grassy knoll was knocked out by Katrina.

Your questions please (but please dont tell me I dont know what the hell I'm talking about here because I've forgotten more about Tulane athletics than most of you will ever know)

[LakeHighlandsPony]

I hope Tulane survives.. if not I hope they transfer to SMU.

[Pony4Life]

Agreed, on both counts. Sure, they have some players who could help us. But that's a great school in a great city, and what they've been through is something none of us ever will appreciate fully. I hope they do survive.

[RGV Pony]

Am I the only one that thinks Tulane will still have a recruiting class ranked higher than SMU's?

[Corso]

Yes, you are.
Coach Scelfo can recruit, but that's got to be an extremely hard sell this year.

[jtstang]

No, he's not.