Once aGAIN - Byrne just gets it...

[dawgstudent]

As we have said all along, athletic success equals more people wanting to go to school at Mississippi State.

http://www.starkvilledail.../content/view/162393/60/

They call it the "Flutie Factor."

According to statistics Mississippi State University Athletic Director Greg Byrne shared with the audience at Monday's Starkville Rotary Club meeting, admission applications to Boston College rose 30 percent two years after Doug Flutie threw a "Hail Mary" pass to beat the University of Miami in football.

In his presentation, Byrne also cited figures which showed Georgetown University marked at 45 percent increase in applications following the school's basketball Final Four appearances with Patrick Ewing in the mid-1980s.

"We can be one of the best marketing items" for the university, Byrne told the audience. After the meeting, he said: "We're going to do everything we can to be strong in all of our sports, especially our revenue-generating sports, because that gives us the best opportunity for exposure and growth within our department," with "revenue-generating" being football, baseball and men's and women's basketball.

"We want Mississippi State to be a destination spot," he told the audience.

After the meeting, Byrne also clarified the five principles he promotes to help guide the program.

These include graduating student athletes, following the rules, putting forth a first-class approach in how the department represents the university, exercising fiscal integrity while maximizing revenue and competing for championships.

Byrne told the audience that officials are looking to hire a national company who will work with a local firm in developing a facilities master plan.
Under the heading "Where do we go from here?," Byrne's presentation listed several points. These include growing staff for revenue generation, achieving an overall 3.0 grade point average and leading every team to qualify for post-season in the same year and every program feeling like it can compete for a Southeastern Conference title.

Among the successes Byrne listed for the 2008-2009 season were: Men's basketball earning the SEC championship; the women's basketball program beating Texas and moving to the second round of the NCAA tournament, men's track moving to the NCAA championships and placing 17th, the softball team reaching
the NCAA tournament and the men's golf team making it to the NCAA regionals.

Another feature of the program Byrne mentioned was the uniform arrangement with Adidas.

"Kids pay attention to uniforms," he said.

Byrne also says officials hope to boost active participation in the Bulldog Club from its current number of more than 8,000 members to 12,000 over the next five years.

 

[DerHntr]

</p>

 

[RebelBruiser]

It annoys me when you see presidents and chancellors that look down on athletics as if they are a hindrance to the university's mission.

Some academians don't seem to realize that your athletic department, namely your football and basketball programs if you're a major program, are by far the best advertising outlet you have as a university. You win in football and basketball, your enrollment increases and all of a sudden you can become more selective. Any university leader that doesn't look at athletics in that light is being very short-sighted. You win at your major sports and it is good for the university as a whole.

 

[BigMotherTucker]

living tribute to the man.

 

[615dawg]

after the Final Four season, 2 straight CWS appearances in '97 and '98, and football success from '98 - '00.

MSU enrollment in 1994: 11,500
MSU enrollment in 2001: 16,500

That's a 43 percent jump in 7 years.</p>

 

[Shmuley]

nm

 

[Indndawg]

and a point of reference to most is success in (mostly) football followed distantly by basketball.</p>

Ratios, scholars, etc are minutia to most h/s'ers. Right now OM gets alot of love from teens locally b/c of their outstanding year last year</p>