Orsini exstension

[NickSMU17]

I know that Orsini did not protect JJ from his daily meeting with RGT...

I know that JJ basically told Orsini to handle it or he was out of here...and just stopped attending the daily meeting with RGT...

They may be on the same page, but only due to the fact that JJ can push Orsini around a bit...

At the end of the day this isn't about Orsini. its about JJ and his own issues with RGT...Orsini is somewhere behind expanding Ford to 50k in JJ's level of importance....

[PonyKai]

[quote="NickSMU17"]I know that Orsini did not protect JJ from his daily meeting with RGT...[quote]

RGT: So, June...what did you have for breakfast today?

JJ: Pineapple. Am I done here?

RGT: Did you make your bed this morning?

JJ: That's it, there goes your mascot. Any more of this and the school's colors are next.

RGT: Did you make sure to clean your breakfast dishes...

[NickSMU17]

I know that Orsini did not protect JJ from his daily meeting with RGT...

RGT: So, June...what did you have for breakfast today?

JJ: Pineapple. Am I done here?

RGT: Did you make your bed this morning?

JJ: That's it, there goes your mascot. Any more of this and the school's colors are next.

RGT: Did you make sure to clean your breakfast dishes...

Sounds funny, but not far from the truth I am told...

[RGV Pony]

Nothing but a power trip for RGT. Show me any of you with any kind of skins on the wall who would put up with that.

[PonyKai]

Well if it's true, nobody would want to, and probably no one should have to. A daily meeting with an experienced and reputable individual with a reliable background? The idea sounds absurd and impacts productivity and just pisses of your employee. It's an employee/manager relationship not a parolee/parole officer relationship.

[NickSMU17]

Well if it's true, nobody would want to, and probably no one should have to. A daily meeting with an experienced and reputable individual with a reliable background? The idea sounds absurd and impacts productivity and just pisses of your employee. It's an employee/manager relationship not a parolee/parole officer relationship.

It happened, orsini playing both sides of the coin...

[BIGHORSE]

Sounds like Turner is the control freak!!!

[NickSMU17]

Sounds like Turner is the control freak!!!

Its a battle amongst the 2 largest egos in the world, no offense to stallion, Turner is gone soon, hopefully things can be made better until a replacement comes in...

All that donate should make it known to your contact that football is a primary reason for donation and communication amongst the Admin and AD office needs to get better...

[PerunaPunch]

Orsini gets credit for hiring JJ/putting together the Circle of Champions.

I think Orsini unfairly gets credit for the JJ hire. If you recall, everybody Orsini approached turned him down. We were in the 11th hour... the last college gig open... and June needed somewhere to storm off to when Hawaii (incorrectly) called his bluff. And Eric Dickerson hand delivers his buddy June to Orsini's office gift-wrapped. In my mind, getting June to the Hilltop was the pendulum finally swinging the positive direction after 20+ years of bad karma.

Orsini absolutely gets credit for CoC, as well as keeping the deal quiet. Huge props for that.

The Crum Center also came under his watch, no?

Yes, but improving the basketball facilities has been on the drawing board for ages, and according to sources I know know, it is riddled with construction issues (oversight of which falls under Orsini). Also, where's our renovated Moody?

But as a whole the athletic department continues to be underfunded and woefully understaffed. Granted, the rise of the football program has been too recent for it to impact much in the way of attendance and funding. Orsini was hired for the same reason Turner was hired - to raise money. Whether he has accomplished this goal beyond the hire of JJ, I couldn't say. I just know the athletic department still seems to operate on a shoestring budget.

Underfunded has always been a problem. Understaffed is because Orsini fired almost the entire staff -- specifically including marketing -- which has been a huge problem. If Orsini was hired for the same reason Turner was hired -- to raise money -- then the gutting of the athletics department is a direct indictment of his failure to do so adequately and/or proper budget allocation. The fact is, giving and attendance have improved some, yet the athletics dept which had operated small and lean for all these years, got slashed.

Please don't take this to mean I think Orsini has done a bad job. I just think that everyone has gone completely gaga over Orsini because of the June Jones hire (which accurately, I think he should only be credited with an assist for), and I think it's important to look at the whole scorecard (like this other hires, fires, facilities, marketing, gameday experience, etc.) before throwing open the vault doors and signing him to a ridiculous extension.

[EastStang]

Orsini either ran the worst search in the history of college football or the best one. I don't know. He kept Bennett an extra year when Bennett went 6-6, but lost to Rice with a bowl bid on the line and then went 1-11. He hired Doh, but Doh has not been a winner here. Hyndmann left on his watch and its taken a couple of years to right that program. Our swimming, golf, tennis teams have all slipped in power since he took over. Our womens soccer program has dipped under Erwin. He is the Athletics Director and that means he's responsible for the entire athletics program. This board has long been complaining about the quality of our athletics marketing, our lack of liberality in branding, all under Orsini's control. How about our basketball schedule? Sure Doh had imput into that but Orsini makes the deals. Visiting a Division III school? Unless there is a six star player in that town there is no reason to do that. And last but not least, Jerry World has scheduled everyone but SMU to play there. If Orsini is such a ND guy why is ND coming to Dallas and NOT playing SMU? Orsini has done some good things and messed up in places, but to say that he has to stay or the President has to go is pretty lame. Turner deserves his own level of grilling. He was slow to make admissions changes requested by Cavan, Bennett, and finally had to capitulate when JJ arrived. He has not raised funds for an IPF. He was slow getting a PE major approved. SMU could do better on both fronts. Each gets a C- grade from me. Passing, but just barely.

[NickSMU17]

Orsini either ran the worst search in the history of college football or the best one. I don't know. He kept Bennett an extra year when Bennett went 6-6, but lost to Rice with a bowl bid on the line and then went 1-11. He hired Doh, but Doh has not been a winner here. Hyndmann left on his watch and its taken a couple of years to right that program. Our swimming, golf, tennis teams have all slipped in power since he took over. Our womens soccer program has dipped under Erwin. He is the Athletics Director and that means he's responsible for the entire athletics program. This board has long been complaining about the quality of our athletics marketing, our lack of liberality in branding, all under Orsini's control. How about our basketball schedule? Sure Doh had imput into that but Orsini makes the deals. Visiting a Division III school? Unless there is a six star player in that town there is no reason to do that. And last but not least, Jerry World has scheduled everyone but SMU to play there. If Orsini is such a ND guy why is ND coming to Dallas and NOT playing SMU? Orsini has done some good things and messed up in places, but to say that he has to stay or the President has to go is pretty lame. Turner deserves his own level of grilling. He was slow to make admissions changes requested by Cavan, Bennett, and finally had to capitulate when JJ arrived. He has not raised funds for an IPF. He was slow getting a PE major approved. SMU could do better on both fronts. Each gets a C- grade from me. Passing, but just barely.

Excellent Post...

[PerunaPunch]

SMU has a habit of burying its head in the sand when bad news hits. They can't seem to figure out that in an absence of information, concerned fans usually think the worst.

So props to Orsini for this:

"Our focus right now is on winning our second straight bowl game and beating Army in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. But it comes as no surprise that Coach Jones would be contacted by another institution. He is a former National Coach of the Year and has taken our program to heights not seen in a quarter of a century. This is a part of managing a successful football program. When you have a coach of Coach Jones' stature, other programs are going to show interest. That said, Coach Jones has reiterated his commitment to building a big-time football program on the Hilltop, and SMU, as an institution, is committed to building a top-25 program as well. As I have said since I arrived at SMU five years ago, we will win at SMU and nothing will keep us from achieving our goals."

[ponyboy]

Love it.

[PerunaPunch]

Orsini either ran the worst search in the history of college football or the best one. I don't know.

I believe he ran the luckiest one. A very fortunate convergence of circumstances. Without Jones, you have to wonder what Orsini's tenure would have been. With Jones, Orsini went from goat to hero overnight.

Hyndmann left on his watch and its taken a couple of years to right that program.

Schellas turned down a lot of pro gigs before Orsini and his suits took over. Was Hyndmann fired? No. Did Schellas all the sudden have a 180 degree change of heart and decide to go pro? No. The truth lies somewhere in the middle I believe.

Each gets a C- grade from me. Passing, but just barely.

And really none of that matters if you have a football team vying for conference championships and going to bowls. Sad, but true.

[Samurai Stang]

I believe he ran the luckiest one. A very fortunate convergence of circumstances. Without Jones, you have to wonder what Orsini's tenure would have been. With Jones, Orsini went from goat to hero overnight.

Orsini gambled and won. Far better than the previous model of not taking a chance on winning at all.

And really none of that matters if you have a football team vying for conference championships and going to bowls. Sad, but true.

Winning is the measure by which an athletic director is measured, and that makes you sad?

Turner would have extended Copeland's contract with SMU by now. Evidently, he shares your lack of enthusiasm for success.