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Woelk: Extension for Bohn the right step
A nyone who has paid close attention to the Colorado athletic department over the last half-dozen years has no reason to quibble with the proposed contract extension for CU athletic director Mike Bohn.
Here's hoping CU's regents have been paying attention, and ensure that Bohn stays in Boulder.
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Bohn has helped bring Colorado back from one of its darkest periods. With the shadow of the recruiting ordeal still looming large, with finances in tremendous disarray and the two revenue-generating sports (football and men's basketball) slipping, Bohn has turned the ship around.
It hasn't been easy, and it's a job that's far from complete. Every time the department takes a couple of steps forward, it seems that there's yet another detour that forces a step back.
But today, CU athletics are at least headed back in the right direction, a dramatic change from when Bohn took the reins in April 2005.
Fundraising is up. Facilities have been upgraded across the board, from the women's soccer stadium to the football locker rooms to a new operations center for men's and women's basketball. The new practice bubble proved to be a boon for the women's soccer team during early-morning practices this fall, and improvements are currently being made at CU's track in preparation for the Big 12 Outdoor Championships next spring.
Other, more subtle steps forward have also been taken. CU's academic support system for student athletes has markedly improved, student support for football and basketball has increased and cross-campus cooperation hasimproved dramatically.
Even such things as the "Buffalo Stampede" on the Pearl Street Mall before CU home football games have helped improve CU's public image and visibility.
Still, there's plenty of work remaining. Overall, CU's facilities are not yet even middle-of-the-pack when compared to Big 12 brethren. Fundraising is up, but not yet close to the level it needs to be to make the Buffs competitive in all areas. Meanwhile, there are still customer-service glitches that exasperate both fans and CU officials.
And, of course, there's the highest-profile area needing improvement: on-the-field records.
Dan Hawkins' football team has taken strides in his second year, but there's still a long way to go. New men's hoops coach Jeff Bzdelik has a monumental task in front of him, and women's coach Kathy McConnell-Miller is finding that rebuilding in the Big 12 isn't an overnight task.
But overall progress is being made. That couldn't be said just a few years ago.
Next up for Bohn? We'll suggest something that would be his most controversial move yet at CU, but an issue that needs to be addressed soon.
Take a quick look at the college football landscape and see what Mark Mangino has done at Kansas. Look at Missouri's Gary Pinkel and Kentucky's Rich Brooks. All have taken time to rebuild, but they've established foundations for long-term success.
Their common thread? Each of their ADs had faith in them when the public began to doubt.
Yes, that's right: the next extension at CU should be aimed at Dan Hawkins.
Posted by rswright on November 20, 2007 at 1:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Neill,you say "overall progress is being made" but considering Bohn administers 15 sports what progress has been made on the 13 sports other than football and basketball? While Hawk gets a brand new office, the golf team has no home matches because it has no place to play. While the basketball team gets new locker rooms the tennis team has no plumbing at the South Campus Tennis Complex. While the football team gets 3 flat screen TV's the Big 12 officials threaten to cancel competition at Pott's track field because the facilities are so bad. Though it is the truth,I have never seen either Neill nor Kyle ever mention that the coaches for the other sports are not paid a decent living wage.
A University's primary purpose in providing sports for its students is for the benefit of its students. But, come on Neill, as well as all you one sport wonders, admit it, you want CU to spend money not so the students can compete in sports but for the interests of fans, alums and the media. Proof? fans and alums urged Tharp to spend 43 million luxury box seats so you fans and alums can watch the game and have a drink in comfort. Because football is fans and alums major concern none of the money raised this year (especially the 3 million for the bubble) was used for any sport other than football (nice try, mentioning it can be used for women's soccer). Media's concern is a winning team which creates interest in reading about the team. Media, the fans and the alums concern themselves with what they want not with what the student athletes want. When they appeared in front of the regents begging them to save men's tennis they were ignored. CU sports are run for the benefit of the fans,alums and the media, not for the students.
Don't kid yourselves that football and basketball pays for every other sport or there would not be any other sports except for football. Maybe you believe that the 05 and 06 deficits were caused by tennis,golf and cross country. Over spending on football was the primary reason for the disappearance of baseball, wrestling, hockey, swimming and tennis. Think of all the students who have been deprived of the right to compete in Division 1 athletics a right for which they pay when they enter CU so you fans and the media can sit in your 43 million dollar box seats.
To alums, fans and the media: Put more pressure on CU to buy a winning team but don't for a moment think you doing so for the benefit of the students or anyone other than yourselves.
Posted by rabeu on November 20, 2007 at 2:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Camera:
Why is it that comments made to stories linked through the main sports page are not seen when you link the same story through the BuffZone, and vice versa?
Seems kinda silly to me.
Posted by NorCalLovesDaBuffs on November 20, 2007 at 5:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Without FOOTBALL there would be no NCAA, there would be no Big 12, and there would be no golf or swimming teams. People who say schools "overspend" on football seem incapable of realizing this is the ONLY sport that EVER has a positive cash flow. Football does not subtract from other NCAA sports, it allows them to exist.
Posted by mgmtgrad on November 20, 2007 at 7:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
rswrong I said it before, what is your problem? You complain about the accomplishments and you bring up items that were out of Bohn's control.
Say what's really brothering you. Did you played a sport other then football in HS and were unhappy about the way football took the headlines or was it that you couldn't play any sport and just plain are unhappy about sports?
State your true agenda and admit to why you are so are so unhappy about CU and other colleges having a Football program.
Posted by skibuff on November 21, 2007 at 6:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
RS....2 words for most of the problems concerning every other sport and it's ability to survive on campus..."Title Nine".
2 other words that didn't help matters..."Georgeous Dick" (Tharp).
Kudos to Bohn!
Go Buffs!!
Posted by rswright on November 21, 2007 at 12:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ask yourselves, do I really care that CU is spending money it doesn't have or takes from the other sports so long as CU has a winning record in football. If you answer yes, you are a fan for your own interests rather than that of CU. If not, then you can't support an AD who has this agenda.
Posted by Ruckus on November 21, 2007 at 5:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
rswright, you are an idiot, plain and simple. Why don't you go knit a sweater or something?
Posted by rswright on November 23, 2007 at 2:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The truth obviosly hurts as Ruckus et.al. shows he would rather attack the messenger than answer hard questions. The true idiot is the one puts his head in the sand,yells "Go Buffs" while letting the students pay for his fun. But why not blame the messenger rather than respond to the facts it works for Fox news.
Posted by rswright on November 23, 2007 at 2:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
On the theory that the only sports at CU should be those who have a positive cash flow, why doesn't CU eliminate all the other sports?
Posted by jj3bagger on November 23, 2007 at 3:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
RSW, your ignorance is baffling. Do you think the donors that support CU bought the $3 million bubble so that women's soccer team could use it ?? The money was raised for football. How long do you think it would take the women's soccer team to even raise $3 million on their own ?? I'm sure that if you sat down off the record with most ADs throughout the country and asked them if they could eliminate most sports except for football and basketball, they would do it in a heartbeat because it's a FACT that most sports other than those two don't make money. Title IX is the only reason why they still exist. I'm not picking on women's soccer, it's just an example, but if you do support other sports, you should be the biggest football supporter, because that's only way that the facilities and the overall cash flow of the university will improve.
Posted by bzainthemd on November 24, 2007 at 5:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
rswright, Bohn is turning this around to make all sports better. Unfortunately, apparently in your case, it has to come from #1 Football and #2 Men's Basketball. Without the money generated from these programs, other athletics can't exist. If you think otherwise, check the numbers and accounting books. I'd love to hear that evidence! We all want CU to dominate in everything, but the truth is that we need improvements in the money makers to make everything better. That's the truth.
Also, to say "Think of all the students who have been deprived of the right to compete in Division 1 athletics a right for which they pay when they enter CU so you fans and the media can sit in your 43 million dollar box seats." is rediculous. If you came to CU to take part in a wrestling program or baseball program that doesn't exist, you did not do you homework. Nobody is "paying" to come to CU to take part in programs that don't exist. If you do, you're an idiot.
Posted by rswright on November 25, 2007 at 5:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Without the money generated from these sports (basketball & football) other athletics can't exist." Wrong. If you think basketball generated money in the last few years you haven't done your homework. Secondly,overspending on football drives 87% of Athletics Departments nationwide into debt.Read the NCAA stats. (Fiscal Responsibility in Intercollegiate Athletics)available on its websites. If we had to rely solely on ticket sales the deficits would be worse. CU gets money from the Big 12 for the other bowl games football. Why do you think CU was 8 million dollars in debt in 05 and 4 million last year? It wasn't golf, or tennis that did it. It was because our loyal alums turned in their season tickets, that is, football caused deficit, not Title 1X.
Next: "Bohn is turning this around to make all sports better". Where is the evidence to support this. Bohn has been here two years and there has been no improvement in facilities (except for football and basketball) since Bohn arrived.In fact the evidence is that any money Bohn raised was used solely for football and basketball.
It is as likely that Bohn will use any money made from football for more facilities for football rather than pay our other coaches a wage then can live on.
Next myth:
"I am sure that if you sat down off the record with most ADs throughout the country and asked them if they could eliminate most sports except for football and basketball, they would do it in a heartbeat because it's a FACT that most sports other than those two don't make money."
Reason why this is wrong. Ask yourself, if the purpose of sports at a University is to make money why do Universitiies provide sports which don't make money. It is because Unversities sports should be part of a students college education thus through the NCAA they require a minimum of 15 sports. An AD is not like the general manager of an NFL franchise who primary duty it to make money from football but is to adminster sports programs for students. Unfortunately, it is the fans, alums and media that for their own purposes scream for the AD's ouster if the team doesn't win. But it is the students who pay if the AD overspends on football, as do the students at CU. It is just easier to deprive the students because they can't complain that is until the time when the University cuts into academic programs to pay for football, which according to the NCAA is not too far off.
Finally, what about the students who came to the University in 1980 when CU offered wrestling, baseball, hockey and the students who came to CU to play men's tennis. In both cases, their sports were simply eliminated by a University AD whose department overspent on football. Thus, CU students pay for the AD not doing the job he was hired to do, that is administer all the sports, not just football and basketball.
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