post on GT $$$'s and coaching changes....

[clapper]

As far as the money goes... i dont know anything about the current situation except for what i read on here...but for soneone to tell me that GT cannot find ways to pay the bills then we either
1) are not hiring GT grad. business ppl
or
2) GT's business school is not as good as many national rankings suggest
or
3) wont pony up the cash to hire quality people to run the program

if any of the 3 are true the somebody needs a kick in the rear. A chain is only as strong as it weakest link.

The business school has absolutely nothing to do with the AA not having cash. For that matter, GT has nothing to do with it either, other than not acting in the AA's best interests over the last decade. It looks like the weakest link in the chain appears to be supporters getting their information on the financial stability of our athletic department off message boards.

The AA isn't hemoraging anymore, but it will be at least 4 years before we are in a position of strength, longer if we move our football coach. I suspect that was one of Braine's motivations for locking up Chan. DRad appears to have a contingency plan that makes it the non-issue it should be.

 

[YodaBee]

there's one rather large problem to moving the game

Georgia isn't stupid. They would be fools to move the game to Labor Day. They know that they're deeper and we're beat up come Thanksgiving. To agree and play us on Labor Day would be extremely foolish.

They will NEVER move the game.

If we don't like the game's date, then we need to admit we're beat and cancel the series OR hire a coach who is better than Richt because they aren't going to help us become more competitive by moving it's slot on the schedule.


As for the idea that Dodd didn't think we could consistently be competitive....that's total BS. Dodd pulled us out of the SEC because he thought we had the financial clout to become the Notre Dame of the South.

If we lack the ability to compete financially, it's his fault for pulling us out of the most lucrative conference in football where all our traditional rivals remain....out of our reach except for the yearly loss to Georgia and the twice per decade series with Auburn.

yoda

PS -- the only question that we should be asking during the interview process to replace Gailey....is this guy better than Richt currently or do we think he can become better than Richt in whatever time frame we think is acceptable to wait. Because if we get a coach that can consistently (even 50% of the time) beat Georgia, then we have a coach that can win the ACC with regularity.

 

[beej67]

If we go on enough shooting sprees they'll have to cancel the game.

 

[UncleBee]

Re: there's one rather large problem to moving the game

Georgia isn't stupid.

As for the idea that Dodd didn't think we could consistently be competitive....that's total BS. Dodd pulled us out of the SEC because he thought we had the financial clout to become the Notre Dame of the South.

Obviously, you haven't read the book "Dodd's Luck". According to Dodd the only reason Tech got out of the SEC was that he felt we couldn't compete with the rest of the SEC under their 140 rule. This rule limited to 140 the total number of football and basketball players on scholarship at the end of the year. Since basketball had only 10 to 12 on scholarship that left about 130 for football. The problem was that the SEC allowed teams to sign 45 scholarsips per year which meant teams would have to lose 40 players a year to stay under the 140 limit. According to Dodd, running off players that were recruited by the end of the year because they weren't good enough amounted to nothing more than a legal tryout and was against his philosophy about student athletes. He refused to do this and only signed 30-35 a year.

The popular story about Tech leaving the SEC so they could be the Notre Dame of the South and keep all the monies from tv and bowls is BS.

 

[MatatoGT]

Re: there's one rather large problem to moving the game

Obviously, you haven't read the book "Dodd's Luck". According to Dodd the only reason Tech got out of the SEC was that he felt we couldn't compete with the rest of the SEC under their 140 rule. This rule limited to 140 the total number of football and basketball players on scholarship at the end of the year. Since basketball had only 10 to 12 on scholarship that left about 130 for football. The problem was that the SEC allowed teams to sign 45 scholarsips per year which meant teams would have to lose 40 players a year to stay under the 140 limit. According to Dodd, running off players that were recruited by the end of the year because they weren't good enough amounted to nothing more than a legal tryout and was against his philosophy about student athletes. He refused to do this and only signed 30-35 a year.

The popular story about Tech leaving the SEC so they could be the Notre Dame of the South and keep all the monies from tv and bowls is BS.

It had nothing to do with not competing in the SEC, it was everything to do with doing what is right to your student athletes, and staying committed to your scholarship offer whether they materialized into a good player or not. All about keeping your word to a young man. And yes, Bobby Dodd did believe we could become a powerful independent. He also had a little running feud with Paul Bryant, partially over the scholarship thing, and bigger over how academics and athletics mix, which led to us pulling out.

In retrospect, I would much rather be in the SEC now, but it made sense at the time.

 

[MatatoGT]

In regards to funding, Tech folks do think different than most SEC schools in regards to giving money. The academic side has raised bookoos of money (think I heard one billion in 5 years?) for new buildings and research facilities. We give our money to the Institute, not so much the AA. That is a sharp contrast to 11 of the 12 SEC schools. In this regard, we are like Vandy. Tech grads came to the school for the academics, the athletics are a bonus. I don't think that's the case for most of the big state schools in the south (again, almost all of the SEC). If there were no football, how many folks wouldn't have gone to Georgia or Alabama or Tennessee?

 

[UncleBee]

Re: there's one rather large problem to moving the game

It had nothing to do with not competing in the SEC, it was everything to do with doing what is right to your student athletes, and staying committed to your scholarship offer whether they materialized into a good player or not. All about keeping your word to a young man. And yes, Bobby Dodd did believe we could become a powerful independent. He also had a little running feud with Paul Bryant, partially over the scholarship thing, and bigger over how academics and athletics mix, which led to us pulling out.

In retrospect, I would much rather be in the SEC now, but it made sense at the time.

It had everything to do with competing in the SEC. Dodd was an intense competitor and wanted to level the playing field for Tech by getting rid of the 140 Rule. He knew that he couldn't compete with the SEC state universities for the quality players if he held to his policies about student athletes and the other teams followed the 140 Rule. And without enough quality players Dodd knew Tech could not win against them. He said in his book that even if Tech had not left the conference, "all the SEC teams would've been beating us, except Vanderbilt and Tulane."

I, too, wish we were still in the SEC. I have been a Tech fan for 45 years and miss the annual games with Auburn, Alabama, and Tennessee. We just don't have those type intense rivalries anymore.

 

[goldmember]

Re: there's one rather large problem to moving the game

Obviously, you haven't read the book "Dodd's Luck". According to Dodd the only reason Tech got out of the SEC was that he felt we couldn't compete with the rest of the SEC under their 140 rule. This rule limited to 140 the total number of football and basketball players on scholarship at the end of the year. Since basketball had only 10 to 12 on scholarship that left about 130 for football. The problem was that the SEC allowed teams to sign 45 scholarsips per year which meant teams would have to lose 40 players a year to stay under the 140 limit. According to Dodd, running off players that were recruited by the end of the year because they weren't good enough amounted to nothing more than a legal tryout and was against his philosophy about student athletes. He refused to do this and only signed 30-35 a year.

The popular story about Tech leaving the SEC so they could be the Notre Dame of the South and keep all the monies from tv and bowls is BS.

Not the be blesphemous, but the reasons given by Dodd seemed to of been conjured up years after the fact. Acamecs, not being able to be competetive, etc... Those reasons might of been valid in 1978 but we left in the early 60's. And frankly if you add all the given reasons up, they don't make 1 ounce of sense combined.

It's crazy that Dodd wanted to leave and even crazier GT let him do it. It was also disasterous but that is another thread.

 

[MaconGTfan]

All I can say is that if this season finishes like I suspect it will and Chan is not fired, I will not be buying season tickets next year. At most I will get the Flex Pack, or hell, just buy them for 1/2 off on the street if I feel like going. The product on the field is simply not worth it. Call me a terrible fan, but thats just the way I feel. I am just fed up with the whole situation.

Its pretty sad when you can't even sale 2 tickets to a primetime thursday night game against a top 10 inter-conference rival with BIG BOI playing at half time for more than half value. We didn't even sell out! that is simply piss poor and speaks volumes about the state of our program.

 

[UncleBee]

Re: there's one rather large problem to moving the game

Not the be blesphemous, but the reasons given by Dodd seemed to of been conjured up years after the fact. Acamecs, not being able to be competetive, etc... Those reasons might of been valid in 1978 but we left in the early 60's. And frankly if you add all the given reasons up, they don't make 1 ounce of sense combined.

It's crazy that Dodd wanted to leave and even crazier GT let him do it. It was also disasterous but that is another thread.

You too should read "Dodd's Luck". He complains many times about Tech's academics and its effect on his ability to recruit quality student athletes. He even tried to get the calculus requirement for management majors changed but failed.

You can choose to believe whatever you want. Neither one of us were there. But, given Dodd's character I believe what he wrote in his book.

 

[thwg]

To ignore our $40M budget versus UGA's $80M budget is crazy. UGA football probably requires a donation of $1000 annually to get season tickets. (Someone here said LSU required $3000, so I'm guessing.) That money is what pays out the new going rate of $4M to get the top notch coach, plus extras given out to top notch recruiters, etc.

Our company has season tickets to many SEC schools. GT costs just as much as most if not all. I think for UGA we give $2000 for 8 seasons. for LSU we give like $800 for 8 seasons. All seats are lower level for everywhere.

Granted, this just proves the Tech Fund is too high because there is much more demand for UGA and LSU than GT.

 

[MaconGTfan]

You have to pay over $1,000 just to be able to buy 1 season ticket at UGA and that includes the worst seats in the house. Yet they sell out every game every year. Supply and Demand

At $270 or so total cost for the cheap seats, GT is very, very cheap and I am thankful for it, but I would pay more to be able to see better football.

 

[YodaBee]

Dodd's Luck -- the book

Sadly, that was revisionist history on Dodd's part to explain away the inept decision made 15+ years earlier.

Read the original AJC clips at the time praising the move for financial reasons.

As for the idea that he left the SEC in the early 60s because he couldn't compete and was worried about always losing....have you ever actually researched GT's records during the period leading up to the departure?

55 - 9-1-1 (sugar)
56 - 10-1 (gator)
57 - 4-4-2
58 - 5-4-1
59 - 6-5 (gator)
'60 - 5-5
'61 - 7-4 (gator)
'62 - 7-3-1 (blue bonnet bowl
'63 - 7-3
'64 - 7-3
'65 - 7-3-1 (gator)
'66 - 9-2 (orange)

Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, 4 Gator Bowl trips and a Blue Bonnet Bowl during that 12 year period. And glance over at the '50-'54 run and you'll see multiple SEC titles and co-national title.

With the exception of a rough patch from '57-60, we had one of our best all-time runs leading up and directly after his decision to pull us out of the SEC.

It's revisionist history to say we left over academic standards. We had every advantage at the time. We still had great facilities, a stadium larger than UGA's and the economic engine of the South's largest market without any pro sports in town when he did the deal.

Don't make it something it wasn't. Because if it was just academics related, then why did we crawl back to the SEC in the 70s to get let back in?

That's illogical.

 

[GEETEELEE]

It's revisionist history to say we left over academic standards.

We left because of scholarship restrictions which would place GT at a disadvantage.

Because if it was just academics related, then why did we crawl back to the SEC in the 70s to get let back

Because it was originally the SEC rules that limited the number of scholarships schools could carry. So Dodd pulled us out. When the NCAA placed limits on scholarships, there wasn't much we could do about that. And we are at a disadvantage.

After Fulcher, Pepper and during the Curry lean years it became necessary to join a conference to get the revenue sharing. We started with the SEC because of our history in the conference and the Bear along with Uga screwed us.

 

[PreventOffense]

Re: Dodd's Luck -- the book

Sadly, that was revisionist history on Dodd's part to explain away the inept decision made 15+ years earlier.

Read the original AJC clips at the time praising the move for financial reasons.

As for the idea that he left the SEC in the early 60s because he couldn't compete and was worried about always losing....have you ever actually researched GT's records during the period leading up to the departure?

55 - 9-1-1 (sugar)
56 - 10-1 (gator)
57 - 4-4-2
58 - 5-4-1
59 - 6-5 (gator)
'60 - 5-5
'61 - 7-4 (gator)
'62 - 7-3-1 (blue bonnet bowl
'63 - 7-3
'64 - 7-3
'65 - 7-3-1 (gator)
'66 - 9-2 (orange)

Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, 4 Gator Bowl trips and a Blue Bonnet Bowl during that 12 year period. And glance over at the '50-'54 run and you'll see multiple SEC titles and co-national title.

With the exception of a rough patch from '57-60, we had one of our best all-time runs leading up and directly after his decision to pull us out of the SEC.

It's revisionist history to say we left over academic standards. We had every advantage at the time. We still had great facilities, a stadium larger than UGA's and the economic engine of the South's largest market without any pro sports in town when he did the deal.

Don't make it something it wasn't. Because if it was just academics related, then why did we crawl back to the SEC in the 70s to get let back in?

That's illogical.

Wow. After seeing that in print again, there is no reason why we shouldnt fire Gailey- THey only had 7 or 8 bowls back then!

 

[midatlantech]

Don't forget that Atlanta was the center of the south and there was no professional sports. So Atlantans, who had money, would and could make the travel to those bowls.

Unlike today, travel was more difficult too so the southern schools had a built in advantage. Actually they still have a built in advantage.

Tech was a primo choice for a bowl back then.

 

[UncleBee]

Read the original AJC clips at the time praising the move for financial reasons.

The move was "suppose" to have had a positive financial impact, but it didn't happen. Not only did we lose conference money but in the 17 years that Tech competed as an independent we only went to 4 bowl games in which we managed to win only two.

It's revisionist history to say we left over academic standards. We had every advantage at the time. We still had great facilities, a stadium larger than UGA's and the economic engine of the South's largest market without any pro sports in town when he did the deal.

You got to be kidding me. This is total garbage. I started Tech in 68 and the facilities were terrible then. I roomed down the hall from a starting corner back and he was constantly complaining about how bad it was.

One of the other academic problems that worried Dodd was not being able to recruit black athletes. He knew that as southern colleges began to intergrate that Tech would have an even more difficult time recruiting them because of the Tech's ACADEMICS and their separate but unequal education.

It seems to me it's you who are revising history in order to fit your agenda.