With all of the talk about MSU being a coaching graveyard, I would have to agree with that statement at this point of our existense. If you look at where we have been the last 25 years, it's pretty easy to understand how we got here. Just consider what we all know. First, we came out of probation in the late 70's and started to turn the program around. I know a lot of you weren't around back then, but it was more exciting than you can imagine. Bellard was the man. But, he didn't recruit quality players and the program slipped slowly back into the toilet. Add to that a clueless AD at that time who didn't build on the excitement. Felker was brought in after that. I can't remember exactly when LT was named athletic director, but he may have actually been part of Felker's hiring. It was par for the course for MSU. Either way, when LT took over as AD, he pretty much didn't do anything to rock the boat. He let Felker try to learn on the job and it just didn't happen. Eventually, in desparation, LT hired Sherrill and got lucky as hell. Sherrill was trying desparately to get out Starkville his entire career with us, but something always bit him in the *** and kept him from leaving. He eventually got complacent and ended up following that same coaching path of his predecessors. Once again, LT went to that age old knowledge of not know what the hell he was doing and hired Croom. Croom's hire was most likely done to allow the NCAA to pass quietly in the night. LT yet again, let Croom do it his way, when a competent AD would have known that he was not qualified for the job at all.
With all of this said that we all know, everyone needs to realize that we have had an incompetent AD for over the last 20 years. He was totally powerless against coaches and let them do it their way. He never got into it with Felker, Sherrill, or Croom. I believe without a doubt that LT was completely afraid of Sherrill. If we would have had a real AD, he would have been completely involved during a decline in 2001. He did not and let things run there course.
So putting that into perspective, you can see why we are where we are today. We basically had a CEO of our athletic department that was completely hands off and without a clue, except for doing what he was told to do by the big donors. He never did any marketing of our university other than selling us out on ESPN. So now you can see why we have ended up at this point. Does that mean we are always doomed to be this way? Not at all. Byrne will change this, but it will take a few years and a helluva lot of patience. It will take a different mindset of most of our alumni as well. If he raises ticket prices, accept it. We are in the SEC. If he raises BC seat level prices, accept it. We are in the SEC. If he expands DW and you don't exactly agree, accept it. He's moving us forward, not backward.
Greg, in my opinion, is a visionary and I personnally feel that he is going to get it done the right way. It's up to everyone here to understand that changes are coming, like it or not, and we will all have to get on board. If not, we will continue with less that mediocracy and being a bottom dweller in football in the SEC. We, as alumni, have to be ready for change. It's also up to us to not over analyze this hire. Our new coach will be better-guaranteed. Will he be that Nick Saban announcement everyone is looking for? Probably not. But I can tell you this, the new Coach will be more innovative, knowledable, and organized than any coach we have had in the last 25 years. Please let Byrne do his job and support whoever he hires and let's right this ship.
With all of this said that we all know, everyone needs to realize that we have had an incompetent AD for over the last 20 years. He was totally powerless against coaches and let them do it their way. He never got into it with Felker, Sherrill, or Croom. I believe without a doubt that LT was completely afraid of Sherrill. If we would have had a real AD, he would have been completely involved during a decline in 2001. He did not and let things run there course.
So putting that into perspective, you can see why we are where we are today. We basically had a CEO of our athletic department that was completely hands off and without a clue, except for doing what he was told to do by the big donors. He never did any marketing of our university other than selling us out on ESPN. So now you can see why we have ended up at this point. Does that mean we are always doomed to be this way? Not at all. Byrne will change this, but it will take a few years and a helluva lot of patience. It will take a different mindset of most of our alumni as well. If he raises ticket prices, accept it. We are in the SEC. If he raises BC seat level prices, accept it. We are in the SEC. If he expands DW and you don't exactly agree, accept it. He's moving us forward, not backward.
Greg, in my opinion, is a visionary and I personnally feel that he is going to get it done the right way. It's up to everyone here to understand that changes are coming, like it or not, and we will all have to get on board. If not, we will continue with less that mediocracy and being a bottom dweller in football in the SEC. We, as alumni, have to be ready for change. It's also up to us to not over analyze this hire. Our new coach will be better-guaranteed. Will he be that Nick Saban announcement everyone is looking for? Probably not. But I can tell you this, the new Coach will be more innovative, knowledable, and organized than any coach we have had in the last 25 years. Please let Byrne do his job and support whoever he hires and let's right this ship.