athletic spending tracked in new database

[Old Fart Dawg]

we would have to raise $10 million per year just to hit the SEC average. $17 million to match Alabama.

Miss State $138k per scholarship fb player
SEC Average $259k per scholarship fb player
Alabama $342k per scholarship football player



Database Home Page

Figures are through 2011 (most current available) real interesting info f'sho

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Actually, on football spending per football player...

MSU is spending $94K.
The SEC median is $180K.
Alabama is spending $230K.

You're still right on raising money it appears.

 

[BigMotherTucker]

 

[Old Fart Dawg]

A $200,000,000 endowment would do the trick. Furk.

 

[Old Fart Dawg]

A good question for Scott Striklands. What do other institutions do that we aren't doing? Why aren't we doing it? What steps do you propose to close the funding gap?

We can't keep settling for the same old, but we are a poor state, yada yada, and begin thinking about solutions rather than excuses. That is, IF we are serious about rising above mediocrity and going to the next level.

There's a whole lot more to it than finding a coaching messiah to lead us out of the wilderness.

 

[HD6]

If he could somehow conjure another 100000 alumni, it would help.

 

[Old Fart Dawg]

yup. how many age 25-70 alumni would you guess there are, assuming we graduate about 20% of each incoming freshmenz class?

 

[Seinfeld]

Ok, now I'm intrigued. Aside from slightly higher tuition, what in the world could Alabama be spending an additional $136k on?

 

[BigDog72.sixpack]

It's all about getting folks to buy in

I think we've done an excellent job over the last 5 years to build our program in way I would have never dreamed, but the problem we're having now is that Alabama, Florida, Auburn, and LSU have all won nat. championships in the last 10 years. They've estimated that the State of Alabama has received 2 Billion in funds from the Bama/Auburn runs over the last 4 years. Could you imagine our state getting those kinds of funds?? This run Bama has been on has put them on a whole new level.

In my opinion, we've got to do a better job of getting more alumni involved. Yes, winning will help that, but I do think with these facility upgrades, that will help as well. Problem is that there are so many affluent alumni that give absolutely nothing to the school! I've got at friends that may give $25.00 to $100.00 annually to the BC and that's pathetic based on what I know that they make. If you received a degree from MSU, you should want to give back to MSU and I think this is where we come up short. It's not as bad as it used to be and we are raising money, but we really have to get those that aren't involved MORE involved. This requires a better marketing approach to missing alumni.

Byrne was fabulous at this. I remember him telling me stories about certain influential alumni that we had not reached out to because of friction between LT and other cigar boys. I'm told it's not that way anymore, but it could still be better.

I think with the numbers we are graduating annually, we should be getting closer to numbers similar to Auburn/Ala. back in the 90's. With more graduates, we need to make MSU "fashionable from a giving sense to these newbies.

Great example is the Dug Out Club. Costs $75.00 to join and that just makes me want to laugh! We finished 2nd in the
U.S. at CWS and we are asking alumni to give $75.00 to join this club???

Hell, I'd give 5 times that if they would have called and requested it! See my point?

It's like selling something for $5.00 because that's the way it's always been done when the market is getting $25.00.

I need some more coffee!!!

 

[Old Fart Dawg]

Anything. Everything. Facilities. Salaries: not only Saban's salary, but his assistants are among the highest paid in the nation also.

 

[sandwolf.sixpack]

yup. how many age 25-70 alumni would you guess there are, assuming we graduate about 20% of each incoming freshmenz class?

****, is that a realistic assumption? I would hope that we graduate a hell of a lot more than that.......

 

[BigMotherTucker]

maybe get the ones we have to join the BDC and donate.

 

[Old Fart Dawg]

19.7
MSU graduation efficiency



19.1

Mississippi 4-year publics
20.5

U.S. Average, 4-year publics


source: http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/

we are in line with the national average. But that still leaves 80% of those who never graduated, but are still fans, and will support the program.

 

[jb1020]

We have over 125,000 living alumni, the BDC has less than 10,000 members

Thats the problem. I realize one BDC membership might account for 2 or more alumni, but its ridiculous the BDC cant grow.

I remember that being Byrnes big talking point and as good as he was there was no major BDC increase, if I recall.

 

[Shamoan]

honestly, we need more seal-like families as alumni and continue to grow enrollment. we need more prosperous alumni and we need those alumni to give more. i know we have some wealthy alumni, but based on size, economics, and the types of careers that msu alumni have, is it really that shocking? we are vets, engineers, and architects....our business school is not very prominent, and thus does not draw the brightest business minds....a school that offer economically socially elite careers breed university giving. we have an alumni base that makes a good living, but we dont have very many extremely wealthy outliers. we can rattle off exceptions to that, but the truth of the matter is every sec school has those same types of exceptions. its all about getting bankrolled by wealthy alumni and we dont have enough compared to the rest of the sec. alabama is in that goldilocks zone where they have the right environment of enrollment, academics, wealth, history that self-promotes giving, and willing sidewalk population only all to eager to pay out the *** for nosebleed seats in a 100K seat stadium. thats my take on it anyway.

 

[Old Fart Dawg]

I think we've done an excellent job over the last 5 years to build our program in way I would have never dreamed, but the problem we're having now is that Alabama, Florida, Auburn, and LSU have all won nat. championships in the last 10 years. They've estimated that the State of Alabama has received 2 Billion in funds from the Bama/Auburn runs over the last 4 years. Could you imagine our state getting those kinds of funds?? This run Bama has been on has put them on a whole new level.

In my opinion, we've got to do a better job of getting more alumni involved. Yes, winning will help that, but I do think with these facility upgrades, that will help as well. Problem is that there are so many affluent alumni that give absolutely nothing to the school! I've got at friends that may give $25.00 to $100.00 annually to the BC and that's pathetic based on what I know that they make. If you received a degree from MSU, you should want to give back to MSU and I think this is where we come up short. It's not as bad as it used to be and we are raising money, but we really have to get those that aren't involved MORE involved. This requires a better marketing approach to missing alumni.

Byrne was fabulous at this. I remember him telling me stories about certain influential alumni that we had not reached out to because of friction between LT and other cigar boys. I'm told it's not that way anymore, but it could still be better.

I think with the numbers we are graduating annually, we should be getting closer to numbers similar to Auburn/Ala. back in the 90's. With more graduates, we need to make MSU "fashionable from a giving sense to these newbies.

Great example is the Dug Out Club. Costs $75.00 to join and that just makes me want to laugh! We finished 2nd in the
U.S. at CWS and we are asking alumni to give $75.00 to join this club???

Hell, I'd give 5 times that if they would have called and requested it! See my point?

It's like selling something for $5.00 because that's the way it's always been done when the market is getting $25.00.

I need some more coffee!!!

Give that man a cigar!

I was sitting here thinking about the first MSU game I attended, vs Texas Tech in Memorial Stadium late 60's. Bought one of those tinker-bell cowbells at the concession stand for a buck. Watched David Smith catch passes. My ears rang for hours afterwards after hearing so many REAL cowbells clang in the night. Fell in love with Bulldog football and have been there ever since. I didn't learn to hate OM till I got to Starkville, got caught up in the whole "Archie" thing.

I see your point BigDog72.

There is a solution out there. We need our people to think creatively. Do what works at other schools, but be willing to take some chances on ideas that haven't been tried before. Striklands has shown some creativity in generating "buzz", and for the most part, I welcome it. Now it's time to turn some of the buzz into a recurring revenue stream.

 

[BigMotherTucker]

Seems like it was in the 8k range when he started beating that drum. It blows my mind at the amount of people I know that wont join.

 

[Old Fart Dawg]

Seems like it was in the 8k range when he started beating that drum. It blows my mind at the amount of people I know that wont join.

True dat. Another thing, I wonder how many alums have actually been asked to join? You would think that the athletic department could hire a telemarketing firm to reach out and make a formal pitch for BDC membership. Offer a team photo holding the Golden Egg as a freebie for joining.

 

[DirtyDog]

Making a Dent

I served on a department's advisory board for several years a while back. While on the advisory board, we began a campaign for a new building. It was an eye opening experience. The university has these campaigns down to a science. I was thinking, why don't we just get all the alumni in our department to give $500-$1000/year for 3-5 years or something like that since, as someone noted, we are engineers who make a decent living but not entrepreneurs. The university staff scoffed at anything like that. They showed mathematically that every campaign has to have big donors to make any significant dent. They start with a major gift, then tier the gifts down. They don't even really consider the average "Bully's" donation, except as an afterthought. They target the alumni capable of big gifts, fly to meet them, and beg for their money. This system doesn't use any "grass roots" collection plate system since the donations from that are a small percentage of the target. I think it is a mistake personally because they are thinking short-term, project-based versus a longer-term giving profile. There really isn't that much incentive for the average "Bully" to give to the BDC, is there? Are your season tickets going to be a lot better right away? Are there a lot of special incentives? I'm all for giving to the school, and I do contribute, but you don't owe the school anything. Most people paid for their education. If you want to get people to contribute, you can't take that approach. Additionally, they do contact us to join the BDC and give. I get mail and calls from at least 3 different parts of the school at least quarterly to give, but it does seem a bit haphazard. Who do I give to? The BDC? The College of Engineering? My Department? A scholarship program? Everyone has got their hand out and the average "Bully" don't have enough extra in this economy to meet all these requests. I still think that they can be creative in their marketing and re-engage many more of our alumni, but I'm not sure how to do it effectively.

 

[dawgstudent]

There are over 125,000 living alumni of Mississippi State.