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Not enough seats at the BCS revenue table-did you just become a college football fan a month ago? You support your opinions with an amazing void of knowledge

redpony wrote:I think it is an absurdity that our admin (RGT) is not willing to spend even a small amount for sports facilities when they spend mega-million on other facilities for the university. Just a classic example of how anti-sports he really is. Actions speak louder than words.

10 years ago I sat and talked with a professor - I am going to have to go back and look at my transcripts to remember his name, I'll edit this when I do - after a class. The talk went longer than I expected and eventually it got around to athletics and RGT.

Apparently Turner had managed to pi$$ off half the faculty in the late 90's during the $500M fundraising campaign at the time. According to this professor, there had been a 'President's fund' that RGT had discretion over, and it had in it tens of millions of dollars. With the amount of money this fund had in it had come very strong feelings from each of the faculty about how it was to be used. However, Tuner, as president, had final say-so.

Turner apparently shocked everyone by using the entire fund to pay for the cost of the stadium. The difference between the cost of the stadium and the actual amount of money that had been raised had been significant, and Tuner used this money to make up the difference. A large part of the school had never wanted the stadium in the first place - I believe RGT had been the difference in getting it built in the first place - and openly referred to it as the 'money pit.' Additionally, many had been openly angered at him paying for it in such a way and viewed him as an open liar.

RGT has been used as a scapegoat by too many people for the problems he inherited from the post-DP and Pye years. His actions have included backing a new on campus football stadium, increasing money for the athletic budgets, pushing for new basketball facilities and hiring a legendary basketball coach all the while doing with a faculty and many in alumni who wanted nothing to do with athletics. He has absolutely helped to change the culture at SMU, and the idea that he would not 'spend even a small amount for sports facilities' is wrong.

EDIT: Stupid transcripts don't have the professors name, but it was 'Intro to Puritan Lit' in 2003. The guy had just gotten his MA from Brown.

Also, the fact that flipping OLE MISS ran him off because he wouldn't do everything the football team said to do should alarm nobody at SMU. Believe me, we don't need to use them as a model. (No offense to my sister.)

leopold wrote:

redpony wrote:I think it is an absurdity that our admin (RGT) is not willing to spend even a small amount for sports facilities when they spend mega-million on other facilities for the university. Just a classic example of how anti-sports he really is. Actions speak louder than words.

10 years ago I sat and talked with a professor - I am going to have to go back and look at my transcripts to remember his name, I'll edit this when I do - after a class. The talk went longer than I expected and eventually it got around to athletics and RGT.

Apparently Turner had managed to pi$$ off half the faculty in the late 90's during the $500M fundraising campaign at the time. According to this professor, there had been a 'President's fund' that RGT had discretion over, and it had in it tens of millions of dollars. With the amount of money this fund had in it had come very strong feelings from each of the faculty about how it was to be used. However, Tuner, as president, had final say-so.

Turner apparently shocked everyone by using the entire fund to pay for the cost of the stadium. The difference between the cost of the stadium and the actual amount of money that had been raised had been significant, and Tuner used this money to make up the difference. A large part of the school had never wanted the stadium in the first place - I believe RGT had been the difference in getting it built in the first place - and openly referred to it as the 'money pit.' Additionally, many had been openly angered at him paying for it in such a way and viewed him as an open liar.

RGT has been used as a scapegoat by too many people for the problems he inherited from the post-DP and Pye years. His actions have included backing a new on campus football stadium, increasing money for the athletic budgets, pushing for new basketball facilities and hiring a legendary basketball coach all the while doing with a faculty and many in alumni who wanted nothing to do with athletics. He has absolutely helped to change the culture at SMU, and the idea that he would not 'spend even a small amount for sports facilities' is wrong.

Wow. That's interesting, and I've never heard that before. I always heard that RGT was run out of Ole Miss because he wasn't as on board with athletics as the big money folks would like him to be.

If he was, in fact, instrumental in getting the additional money necessary to construct Ford then hats off to him. I may have to rethink some of my previous criticisms of him

East Coast Mustang wrote:

leopold wrote:

redpony wrote:I think it is an absurdity that our admin (RGT) is not willing to spend even a small amount for sports facilities when they spend mega-million on other facilities for the university. Just a classic example of how anti-sports he really is. Actions speak louder than words.

10 years ago I sat and talked with a professor - I am going to have to go back and look at my transcripts to remember his name, I'll edit this when I do - after a class. The talk went longer than I expected and eventually it got around to athletics and RGT.

Apparently Turner had managed to pi$$ off half the faculty in the late 90's during the $500M fundraising campaign at the time. According to this professor, there had been a 'President's fund' that RGT had discretion over, and it had in it tens of millions of dollars. With the amount of money this fund had in it had come very strong feelings from each of the faculty about how it was to be used. However, Tuner, as president, had final say-so.

Turner apparently shocked everyone by using the entire fund to pay for the cost of the stadium. The difference between the cost of the stadium and the actual amount of money that had been raised had been significant, and Tuner used this money to make up the difference. A large part of the school had never wanted the stadium in the first place - I believe RGT had been the difference in getting it built in the first place - and openly referred to it as the 'money pit.' Additionally, many had been openly angered at him paying for it in such a way and viewed him as an open liar.

RGT has been used as a scapegoat by too many people for the problems he inherited from the post-DP and Pye years. His actions have included backing a new on campus football stadium, increasing money for the athletic budgets, pushing for new basketball facilities and hiring a legendary basketball coach all the while doing with a faculty and many in alumni who wanted nothing to do with athletics. He has absolutely helped to change the culture at SMU, and the idea that he would not 'spend even a small amount for sports facilities' is wrong.

Wow. That's interesting, and I've never heard that before. I always heard that RGT was run out of Ole Miss because he wasn't as on board with athletics as the big money folks would like him to be.

If he was, in fact, instrumental in getting the additional money necessary to construct Ford then hats off to him. I may have to rethink some of my previous criticisms of him

Wow, first time I hear about this. Good to know RGT did the right thing.

Stallion wrote:Not enough seats at the BCS revenue table-did you just become a college football fan a month ago? You support your opinions with an amazing void of knowledge

I am of the opinion that there is more revenue out there that goes untapped. It is up to us to prove to the big conferences that we can grab it. Dallas is a huge market that no school completely controls. We can grab a large chunk of the pie through putting a superior product in the field. Once we start doing that, the invites will start flying in. We are not a mid major school even though we are in a de facto mid major conference, we have been to the dance before, way too many times. We will be back, we just need to build our fanbase and funding by winning.

I hear they are also looking at NYU to join a p5 conference.

It is in a big market.