Bill Clark, UA Board of Trustees Chairman...paying the bill for stAte??????
How about paying some of OUR Little Rock bills first?
What a moron..he needs to go NOW.
ASU Has Good Deal In Little Rock
Saturday, July 6, 2002
Column By Harry King
Arkansas News Bureau/RazorbackCentral
Arkansas State University's next athletic director will find that ASU has a too-good-to-be-true deal to play San Jose State in Little Rock on Aug. 31.
It's part of a long-range plan to maintain an ASU presence in the state's largest city.
And, it's on a handshake basis.
Former ASU athletic director Paul Griffin was fired up when he heard about the can't-lose guarantee. Where is the contract, he asked one of the people who helped pull together the five money men who made the deal work.
When told there was nothing on paper, Griffin was incredulous.
No problem, he was told. These people will not renege.
Under the deal, ASU will get 75 percent of the gate and will not have to pay out a cent. Those interested in Little Rock and the Indians are putting up $30,000 each and the total of $150,000 is exactly the amount of the guarantee to San Jose. In return, the backers get 25 percent of the gate — almost certain to be a losing proposition this year. Tickets are going for $14, which means the paid attendance would have to top 42,000 for the backers to break even. But, these people are not in it for the money.
If the crowd is 25,000, the gate would be $350,000 and ASU would take home $262,500 — a tidy sum for a school with an athletic budget deficit of $1.8 million this year.
Bill Clark, chairman of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, is one of those putting up the money. He says he is supporting the project because War Memorial Stadium needed a game and because he would like to see ASU play in Little Rock every year. Clark said his support had nothing to do with losing the fight to keep the Razorbacks from moving most of their games to Fayetteville. This year, Arkansas has a Nov. 29 game against LSU in Little Rock, plus courtesy appearances against South Florida and Troy State.
For ASU to meet new NCAA criteria, a good crowd in Little Rock looks like a must. Beginning in a couple of years, the Indians must average 15,000 people in the stands per home game to continue in Division I-A football. Last year, the Indians averaged 11,614 for six home games, but that figure was based on tickets sold. The crowds were often meager — maybe less than 2,000 for the 28-22 Thanksgiving loss to Nicholls State.
Many tickets for the San Jose game are likely to be distributed through kid-league football programs and Boys Clubs. One of the backers, Jerry Davis of Affiliated Foods, has a natural outlet through his business.
Also involved are Joe Ford of Alltel, ASU product Jack Fleischauer of Regions Bank, and Warren Stephens, chief executive officer of Stephens Inc.
Many casual fans are likely to wait until a few days before the game before deciding whether to buy tickets and that could cut both ways for the Indians. On Sunday, Aug. 25, they play Virginia Tech on ESPN in the only game in the country. A competitive showing in Steve Roberts' debut as ASU coach could persuade some fans to come see for themselves. A blowout, like those against North Texas (45-0), Middle Tennessee (54-6) last year, could keep them on the couch.
One plus for sure is the $600,000 payday for ASU's participation in the Hispanic College Fund Classic against the Hokies. A former chairman of the football certification committee of the NCAA, Griffin played a significant role in landing ASU a spot in the game.
Oklahoma and North Carolina played in the game last year and the inaugural matched Texas Tech and New Mexico.
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