C.M. Newton
- Thread starter konnor
- Start date
He and Cliff Hagan are the two main reasons fb is in the shape it's in today...MB isn't great , but he is the best in the country next to these two...The reason his name is on the fb stadium $$$$$$$$$$ and good old boy backscratching and it needs to COME DOWN ASAP!!!!!!!:football::football::thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown::flush::flush:
The OP has hit a major sore point with me as well. This is living proof of our misplaced and misguided priorities in how to manage a FB program. Slugger didn't mention it, but I believe it was Larry Ivy (Newton's successor) who saw to it that Newton's name is on the stadium. Backscratching to the MAX! Otherwise, slugger pretty much nailed it.
Actually, it was president Charles Wethington who insisted the field be named after CMN.
Pretty much sums up Kys football heritage to have the football field named after a basketball oriented athletic director that hired the football coach that got us put on probation .
For some reason past (and present) AD's seem to have UK presidents in their back pocket. [eyeroll]
The naming of the stadium only shows that the UK administrators didn't think when it was time to build our football tradition. Nothing has ever been done to show that we had the greatest HC first with the Bear. But there's been a few good football people that we could have named the stadium after if we had given any thought to football tradition.
The playing field is named "C. M. Newton Field", not the stadium.
There was a message thread long ago making fun of this insult and giving the honor to former football Coach Claiborne. It got bumped and lasted over a year. Title was something like "It's raining at Jerry Claiborne Field today". Anybody else remember?
There was a message thread long ago making fun of this insult and giving the honor to former football Coach Claiborne. It got bumped and lasted over a year. Title was something like "It's raining at Jerry Claiborne Field today". Anybody else remember?
C.M. was a fine BASKETBALL coach and athletic director at both Vanderbilt and Alabama. He was a well deserved honoree in basketball circles and respected nationwide.
He was a terrible football athletic director to the point of disgrace. Why Jerry Claiborne's name isn't honored at CWS is an embarrassment to the university, the state of Kentucky and the Southeastern Conference.
C.M. was a very respected man (and still is) in college athletics. He also was a very good fundraiser here at UK. He was very well liked. He hurt the football program a bunch by keeping Bill Curry much too long. He let his personal feelings get in the way of his business decisions. I still feel that the Mumme hire was a good one at the time. Mumme was a very successful "head coach" in a lower division that played a very exciting brand of football. Mumme couldn't adapt at this level and if Bassett hadn't got caught cheating, I often wonder what he might have accomplished here.
Regardless, C.M.'s name should have never been put on the football field.
Regardless, C.M.'s name should have never been put on the football field.
In fairness, he was the athletic director that hired an unconventional, wildly popular coach and oversaw the expansion of the football stadium at the height of UK football's popularity. He was walking on water there for a stint.
Not to say it was the right decision, but there were reasons.
Not to say it was the right decision, but there were reasons.
Hal Mumme wasn't a "wildly popular" coach at a lower level coaching program. Hal was long reputed to cheat and do whatever it takes to win. While offensively innovative with the so called Air Raid, he also hired Claude Bassett who was a small time coach who bought players while Hal professed he knew nothing about. The ensuing NCAA investigation brought the dreaded "lack of institutional control" and probation one step away from the "death penalty." This was the guy CM Newton hired to coach "basketball on grass." His name should be removed from CWS.
I had a friend that lived in Valdosta and he said they loved Hal down there and was mad a UK for stealing him away. Never heard he was a reputed cheater. Whether he knew what was going on with Bassett was never proven one way or another. Also, C.M. said he was hiring Mumme because he can "shoot the three on grass", not "coach basketball on grass".
Meant he was wildly popular at UK, which he was. Nobody in my lifetime (post-Curci, so can't speak to him) was been anywhere close to Mumme's popularity his first 3.5 seasons in Lexington. Closest the football program has ever come to Pitino/Calipari-level rock star worship.
I mean, we're still sounding Air Raid sirens almost 20 years later trying to chase that time. Or at least sell it to the fans.
The quote was "basketball on grass" nothing more or less. As far as Hal being loved at Valdosta, I'm sure he was as he won a lot. Hal did know about Claude Bassett's recruiting. That is like saying Rick Pitino knew nothing of the alleged sex scandal at UofL. Bassett was nothing more than a fat pig who last was known to be coaching in junior high in far south Texas. Please tell us where Hal was ever successful as a college coach.
Newton was a Basketball AD that gave no support to football & baseball. He was the typical basketball centric AD that has hampered UK over tyhe years. You have to go back to Bernie Shively to find an AD that cared about football until Barnhart came along.
I'm not going to weigh in on whether it is deserved or not, but I do understand the angst that the "irony" of it causes for many football fans.
But I think the simple answer to the OP's question is that athletic facilities are commonly named after retiring/ed AD's. I assume that the history of this practice involves a facility that the particular AD was instrumental in the development of. Unless I'm mistaken, the timing was such that CM's retirement lined up with the major stadium upgrade that happened on CM's watch. CWS is the largest of UK's facilities, so a piece (the field) was carved out to honor his time as AD. Something will be named after Mitch when his time is done.
But I think the simple answer to the OP's question is that athletic facilities are commonly named after retiring/ed AD's. I assume that the history of this practice involves a facility that the particular AD was instrumental in the development of. Unless I'm mistaken, the timing was such that CM's retirement lined up with the major stadium upgrade that happened on CM's watch. CWS is the largest of UK's facilities, so a piece (the field) was carved out to honor his time as AD. Something will be named after Mitch when his time is done.
If I were recruiting against UK I would use it everytime. " Hey kid you know UK named their Football field after a former UK basketball player ! " They don't really care about their Football Program there ! I was Psst when they NAMED AFTER NEWTON ! They have Should named it after one of our football players or coaches !!!!!!
The field was named after C.M. by Pres. Charles Wethington. It was one of his last duties as UK president. He should have consulted with former players as I think he would have had a change of heart!
Could be the reason the field was named after Newton,was because he made as much money off the project as the contractor !? Humzy Yessin ,former UK golf coach and professional greens keeper,with many years experience in agra drainage and grass development , told me personally, that he offered his expertise to resolve the field issues because he had identified them from being at games,and observing the problems. According to Yessin the problems could be fixed for$2-300,000, which he told Newton, but instead ignored his advice and issued a contract for $1.2 million! Begs the question,why?
Because CM was more of a politician than anything else . And don't get me started on what I think of politicians.
No The Field was named by the UKAA (University of Kentucky Athletics Association Board in a Unanimous vote..It was sponsored by then Director of Athletics Larry Ivy..
I know G and I know you are friends with CM, but I still don't think he was good for FB..what's the latest on LT...Merry Christmas to you and the wife
It's currently 48 degrees under fair skies at Jerry Claiborne Field.....