IMO: Does Warde provide updates on his "monitoring" of the conference situation

[FfldCntyFan]

We found out late spring 2003 that fat Lew Perkins was bolting for Kansas. Hathaway officially took over at some point late that summer and we opened the Rent against Indiana not long after that. Considering that the 2003 season followed a very inspiring second half of the 2002 season and very little else, at a 15k seat Memorial Stadium that we could not sell out until we started bringing in some schools with a bit of a name, football attendance during JH's honeymoon as the guy in charge was nothing short of remarkable.

Someone who is an achiever, someone who aspires to considerable heights, someone who needs to continually prove to himself that he can accomplish great things would have said to himself "if we can reach these attendance levels today, in 20-25 years we can sell out a 75k seat stadium!". Hathaway instead saw that the Rent was filled and said to himself "No need to do any work here, the job is already done.".

Before anyone tries to blame any current employee of the University of connecticut they need to take a better look at what was thrown away. Day one at the Rent should not have been our peak.

 

[husky91]

Love your posts, real insightful and great handle. Cool 20 something hipster

Go to Chipolte and steal a Tabasco, fin' loser

Why do people respond to this clown?

 

[Tenspro2002]

If a portion of those people can just ante up 20 ' dollars using a weekly Promo code for discounted tickets, then that would help our situation.

I wonder if we'd sell more tickets if the AD marketed them as a $20 donation towards our entry in a P5, with a complementary seat at the Rent on Saturday thrown in.

I don't care that much about UConn football as an entity, but I'd spend 20 bucks to improve our lot in the conference landscape.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Love your posts, real insightful and great handle. Cool 20 something hipster

Go to Chipolte and steal a Tabasco, fin' loser

LMAOOOO someone remind me who it was that was actually talking about keeping the tobasco from Chipotle? That cheap bast ard hahaha

and nah bro you got it all wrong, I steal sugar packets and stirers from Starbucks

 

[HistoryMajor]

WTF do you want Warde to do? Provide daily updates about CR? Warde didn't hire P. Hathaway did. And if you think Warde is an inferior AD to Hathaway, then you are as lost as you said.

"Yesterday I shared with the Illinois AD about what we ate for breakfast. I think I've established a core friendship and secured a "Yes" vote for a B1G invite. Today, I tried calling OSU AD about scheduling a football home and home and he hung up on me."

You asked what Warde is doing. He's scheduling games to give UCONN fans a chance to prove our market reach. He's cutting ticket prices in half for all home games. UCONN fans packed MSG in last year's Regional Finals. That's great but not enough because Hoops aren't driving the CR bus, as we all should know by now. Football drives the bus and we're the only tri-state team that hasn't played a single game at Yankee Stadium or MetLife to show our NYC reach. Believe it or not, a Yankee Stadium game IS important and strategic. If there are only 20K at that game against Army, then that falls WELL short of what Rutgers and Cuse have drawn in their opportunities. If we draw equally or outdraw them, then we show our NYC reach.

I can't believe that I have to spell this out so many ' times. If you don't understand this, then maybe you should stop posing these types of questions on the CR board. Fans = money. Money = Power Conference invite. Football is the sport that generates the most money for Power Conferences. Warde can't force people into buying tickets. That, my friend, falls on the UCONN fanbase. 250K packed the streets of downtown Hartford for a parade. If a portion of those people can just ante up 20 ' dollars using a weekly Promo code for discounted tickets, then that would help our situation. If you're waiting for UCONN football to win first before going to games, then you might not go to a game for a few years. By then, Cincinnati/UCF/BYU/Houston will have leapfrogged us as the next in the line (if they haven't already). And if you have that "team has to win first before I go to a game" attitude, what happens if we get into the B1G or ACC and we suck for a while? Neither Delany or Swofford will want to add UCONN if we are a losing program AND our fanbase won't go to games while we lose. If UCONN fans supported a lousy team, then that makes a HUGE statement about the fanbase that it will bring in tons of extra loot towards a Power conference.

Ultimately, everyone decides whether or not they will buy a ticket based on their own individual situation. That's fine. But if you're choosing to not go to football games because the team is losing, then you can't complain that UCONN is in the AAC or that "Warde is doing nothing". He's hired Diaco and a whole new coaching staff, has scheduled games in the #1 and #7 DMA that UCONN would like to establish a presence in to the B1G/ACC, and has slashed prices to tickets at every single home game. If our diehard football fanbase is only 15-25K strong (using this range based on announced crowds from the past two seasons), then like it or not, that's AAC worthy. Sorry.

 

[HistoryMajor]

Dooley, you are a true fan and I enjoy reading your posts. They are pro UCONN but also balanced with a touch of reality - which is appropriate. That said, please don't waste any more of your time responding to H91. I can't prove it but have always suspected H91 is a BCU troll. True or not, it's beside the point. Strongly advise you don't waste any more energy or time with H91.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Dooley, you are a true fan and I enjoy reading your posts. They are pro UCONN but also balanced with a touch of reality - which is appropriate. That said, please don't waste any more of your time responding to H91. I can't prove it but have always suspected H91 is a BCU troll. True or not, it's beside the point. Strongly advise you don't waste any more energy or time with H91.

If he is not a troll,his Meds definitely need to be adjusted.

 

[Dooley]

I wonder if we'd sell more tickets if the AD marketed them as a $20 donation towards our entry in a P5, with a complementary seat at the Rent on Saturday thrown in.

I don't care that much about UConn football as an entity, but I'd spend 20 bucks to improve our lot in the conference landscape.

Years ago, there was a bar near CCSU that lost its liquor license but remained open selling candy. With your purchase of the candy (Snickers for a beer, Milky Way for a cocktail with prices set accordingly), you got a "complimentary beverage". I went one night and actually had to go through the process of buying the candy and then answering what kind of complimentary beverage that I wanted. It was fun.

 

[Dooley]

Dooley, you are a true fan and I enjoy reading your posts. They are pro UCONN but also balanced with a touch of reality - which is appropriate. That said, please don't waste any more of your time responding to H91. I can't prove it but have always suspected H91 is a BCU troll. True or not, it's beside the point. Strongly advise you don't waste any more energy or time with H91.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[RMoore1999]

Fans show up in hard times, bandwagoneers show up when the "product is good" or the "name opponent" is in town.

But that's exactly the challenge facing the program.

While most of the existing true fans will continue to show up irrespective of performance, obviously the current core fanbase is nowhere near large enough by big-time standards, primarily because we don't have the benefit of duration and generational allegiance.

The formula to sustained expansion/growth/cultivation of the fanbase is very simple: WIN. AND WIN MORE. AND THEN CONTINUE TO WIN EVEN MORE.

 

[Ha Who]

But that's exactly the challenge facing the program.

While most of the existing true fans will continue to show up irrespective of performance, obviously the current core fanbase is nowhere near large enough by big-time standards, primarily because we don't have the benefit of duration and generational allegiance.

The formula to sustained expansion/growth/cultivation of the fanbase is very simple: WIN. AND WIN MORE. AND THEN CONTINUE TO WIN EVEN MORE.

Your thought process is correct. However, look at the attendance for the hoops programs. Winning has not helped. They meed to grow the base even if it means lowering ticket prices and getting very creative in other ways

 

[The Viking]

This is not about the Athletic Director. This is about Bob Diaco. We aren't going anywhere if he turns out to be a dud. I don't think he will, but it might take 2-3 years. Will that be too long? Who knows.

I'm not going to get into the whole Ollie situation but ultimately he kept Ollie and paid him handsomely twice.

Warde brought in Diaco and Cavanaugh and was at the helm when we got into the best hockey conference in the country. If memory serves, he was basically told to butt out of the whole UConn/Louisville arm wresting match to get into the ACC by his higher-ups.

Not sure what the hell you expect from the man.

I will say this though, I'm surprised he hasn't been able to leverage our hoops programs to get a 1 for 1 or even a 2 for 1 with a good P5 football team. I'm not talking about Illinois or Indiana. But I'm not in the negotiations, maybe he is trying to move the moon and starts to get stuff and it's just not working, who knows. Maybe he's close on stuff and it will come out over the next few months. I'd love to see a home and home or even a 2 for 1 with Wisconsin and get some hoops games going as well, but what are you going to do.

Overall I'd say he's done a good job. This CR forum is a bit tiresome and there's a lot of rehashing of the same stuff over and over, but I can't help myself. I still come in here and read it so I deserve to have my eyes burn I guess. Seems once a month someone throws something on the CR forum to peak my interest, and there's always the non-key tweets for some laughs.

 

[WestHartHusk]

Dooley, you are a true fan and I enjoy reading your posts. They are pro UCONN but also balanced with a touch of reality - which is appropriate. That said, please don't waste any more of your time responding to H91. I can't prove it but have always suspected H91 is a BCU troll. True or not, it's beside the point. Strongly advise you don't waste any more energy or time with H91.

I think he is a Cuse troll. Mention how Boheim is a terribe game coach who will never won another championship and watch him reveal himself.

 

[Ha Who]

I think he is a Cuse troll. Mention how Boheim is a terribe game coach who will never won another championship and watch him reveal himself.

I bet you are winning powerball Wednesday. Just because truth and reality hurt, it does not make Dooley a lover of coach Lemon and his one less national championship than Olander

 

[TRest]

This is not about the Athletic Director. This is about Bob Diaco. We aren't going anywhere if he turns out to be a dud. I don't think he will, but it might take 2-3 years. Will that be too long? Who knows.

I'm not going to get into the whole Ollie situation but ultimately he kept Ollie and paid him handsomely twice.

Warde brought in Diaco and Cavanaugh and was at the helm when we got into the best hockey conference in the country. If memory serves, he was basically told to butt out of the whole UConn/Louisville arm wresting match to get into the ACC by his higher-ups.

Not sure what the hell you expect from the man.

I will say this though, I'm surprised he hasn't been able to leverage our hoops programs to get a 1 for 1 or even a 2 for 1 with a good P5 football team. I'm not talking about Illinois or Indiana. But I'm not in the negotiations, maybe he is trying to move the moon and starts to get stuff and it's just not working, who knows. Maybe he's close on stuff and it will come out over the next few months. I'd love to see a home and home or even a 2 for 1 with Wisconsin and get some hoops games going as well, but what are you going to do.

Overall I'd say he's done a good job. This CR forum is a bit tiresome and there's a lot of rehashing of the same stuff over and over, but I can't help myself. I still come in here and read it so I deserve to have my eyes burn I guess. Seems once a month someone throws something on the CR forum to peak my interest, and there's always the non-key tweets for some laughs.

If it helps at all, I saw a Scott Grey column in the West hartford Press last week where he has adjusted his prediction that UConn will be announced in a P5 conference at the end of this school year (spring 2015). Based on what his "sources" told him. He thought we would be in the B1G this summer "but the AAU status is taking longer than anticipated." Lol, as they say.

 

[Stinger92860]

I like the Aau reference, but I thought Aau only votes in November. Can some confirm that?

 

[WestHartHusk]

I bet you are winning powerball Wednesday. Just because truth and reality hurt, it does not make Dooley a lover of coach Lemon and his one less national championship than Olander

I was referring to Husky91. Dooley bleeds pure national flag blue.

 

[Ha Who]

I was referring to Husky91. Dooley bleeds pure national flag blue.

Sorry,my bad. Thanks for not ripping into me. I was doing my morning check for the invite

 

[UConn9604]

I like the Aau reference, but I thought Aau only votes in November. Can some confirm that?

I don't know when they vote schools in, but their vote to boot Nebraska out was held in April 2011:

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/26078/nebraska-loses-aau-status

 

[UConn9604]

The immediate hurdle is bumping up our strength in all of the Membership Indicators (see pages 3 and 4 of the PDF linked below):

https://www.aau.edu/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=10972

After that, the AAU will engage in "a more qualitative set of judgments about an instiution’s mision, characteristics, and trajectory" (see page 1 of the PDF linked above). That's when the inter-academia connections will come into play.

Interestingly enough, the last four schools to be admitted? Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Stony Brook and Boston University.

 

[WestHartHusk]

Sorry,my bad. Thanks for not ripping into me. I was doing my morning check for the invite

No worries.

 

[HuskyPete]

 

[TRest]

I like the Aau reference, but I thought Aau only votes in November. Can some confirm that?

We are not up for a vote to enter the AAU. Scott Grey is a very confused man.

 

[amory]

If you're not starting to settle in for the long haul in the AAC you're somewhat delusional.

There's nothing Warde or anyone else can do until our football team improves. Once the team improves the fans will come back. Once the fans come back we might have a shot at jumping ship. But we may never get out. That's the reality that we need to come to terms with and we need to get back to just enjoying UConn sports. I mean hell, we're the goshdarn national champs in men's and women's basketball. Things could be worse.

 

[buddy]

If you're not starting to settle in for the long haul in the AAC you're somewhat delusional.

There's nothing Warde or anyone else can do until our football team improves. Once the team improves the fans will come back. Once the fans come back we might have a shot at jumping ship. But we may never get out. That's the reality that we need to come to terms with and we need to get back to just enjoying UConn sports. I mean hell, we're the goshdarn national champs in men's and women's basketball. Things could be worse.

I think that you are correct that UConn is stuck in the AAC for a long long time. I don't think the fans will come back even if the team improves. There is just no sense of passion for games against the AAC brethren. No sense of rivalry. UConn-Pitt, UConn-Cuse, UConn-UWV, were games that generate enthusiasm. UConn-anyone AAC, just not so much.