ETSU dropped football in 2003 to save money. Football was "losing" over $1 million a year, it was claimed. At the time, ETSU's athletic budget was some $6.5 million annually. Today, ETSU's annual athletic budget is $9.5 million per Dave Mullins. That's an increase of some 46 percent (5.7 percent a year) since the end of football.

WAS FOOTBALL REALLY DROPPED DUE TO FINANCES? Is ETSU getting its money's worth spending $9.5 million annually on the currently structured athletic program? Could ETSU be preparing for the 2011 NCAA FCS football season on a differently structured $9.5 million athletic program?

(06-21-2011 04:52 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  ETSU dropped football in 2003 to save money. Football was "losing" over $1 million a year, it was claimed. At the time, ETSU's athletic budget was some $6.5 million annually. Today, ETSU's annual athletic budget is $9.5 million per Dave Mullins. That's an increase of some 46 percent (5.7 percent a year) since the end of football.

WAS FOOTBALL REALLY DROPPED DUE TO FINANCES? Is ETSU getting its money's worth spending $9.5 million annually on the currently structured athletic program? Could ETSU be preparing for the 2011 NCAA FCS football season on a differently structured $9.5 million athletic program?

I think the answers are no, no, and YES. My question is "how can we NOT be preparing for an FCS football season?".

From the August 2011 issue of the free Loafer-esque Out 'N About, at the end of an article about Scott Calabrese, is this closing paragraph:

"Coach Calabrese credits ETSU's commitment financially to its program as the real key to its success. 'Just think what we have here,' he interjects enthusiastically. 'A new stadium, lights, a travel budget enabling us to recruit world-wide, and being able to equip our kids properly. The administration here, [Athletic Director] Dave Mullins and [Ast. Athletic Director] Barbie Breedlove care about our soccer team. This would not be possible without their support and the hard work of our staff. It's really a team effort.'"

I'm not going to knock the coach, because I think he's done a fine job for what he was hired to do, and I applaud his success. I *am* surprised they allow him to recruit world-wide by *traveling* world-wide (at least that's what it seems to indicate). To the best of my knowledge, Fred Warren, Yaser Zaatini, and Dave Walker don't get ETSU funds for that purpose (foreign travel). It's possible I'm wrong, but I don't think so.
Anyway, thought some of you all would want to see that.

Not sure about Coach Walker, but I'm pretty sure Coach Zaatini and Coach Warren just returned from overseas recruiting trips. I have a friend in the financial buildings that said their travel claims were difficult due to the exchange rates. It's very necessary to recruit abroad in those sports at this level. The elite talent stateside go to the bigger schools.

(08-16-2011 03:42 PM)BucMania Wrote:  Not sure about Coach Walker, but I'm pretty sure Coach Zaatini and Coach Warren just returned from overseas recruiting trips. I have a friend in the financial buildings that said their travel claims were difficult due to the exchange rates. It's very necessary to recruit abroad in those sports at this level. The elite talent stateside go to the bigger schools.

Sure, I would be happy coaching one of these minor/invisible sports with all that administrative/financial support. And, I would do my best to puff up my sport and praise those administrators to high heaven who toss the money my way. No problem with them doing this, and certainly no disrespect to those students that they recruit in the states and overseas. The structure of the ETSU athletic department is not of their making. However, it is the making of the ETSU administration --- and, that's where the problem is for the university. This athletic department is structured backwards with relation to ETSU's old football playing peers. Spending the money on the minor/invisible sports has never been explained because it's unexplainable to even the most casual college sports fan. This is money mostly lifted from students via fees and spent where it brings the least publicity for the university and the least opportunity for the students as spectators. THE BIGGEST MYSTERY OF ALL, WHY ARE THE STUDENTS NOT CONCERNED WITH HOW THEIR ATHLETIC FEES ARE SPENT? AND, WHY DO THE ALUMNI AND AREA FOLKS NOT ASK ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ETSU ATHLETIC MODEL AND WHAT THIS ADMINISTRATION IS REALLY TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH IT?

(08-16-2011 05:46 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  

(08-16-2011 03:42 PM)BucMania Wrote:  Not sure about Coach Walker, but I'm pretty sure Coach Zaatini and Coach Warren just returned from overseas recruiting trips. I have a friend in the financial buildings that said their travel claims were difficult due to the exchange rates. It's very necessary to recruit abroad in those sports at this level. The elite talent stateside go to the bigger schools.

Sure, I would be happy coaching one of these minor/invisible sports with all that administrative/financial support. And, I would do my best to puff up my sport and praise those administrators to high heaven who toss the money my way. No problem with them doing this, and certainly no disrespect to those students that they recruit in the states and overseas. The structure of the ETSU athletic department is not of their making. However, it is the making of the ETSU administration --- and, that's where the problem is for the university. This athletic department is structured backwards with relation to ETSU's old football playing peers. Spending the money on the minor/invisible sports has never been explained because it's unexplainable to even the most casual college sports fan. This is money mostly lifted from students via fees and spent where it brings the least publicity for the university and the least opportunity for the students as spectators. THE BIGGEST MYSTERY OF ALL, WHY ARE THE STUDENTS NOT CONCERNED WITH HOW THEIR ATHLETIC FEES ARE SPENT? AND, WHY DO THE ALUMNI AND AREA FOLKS NOT ASK ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ETSU ATHLETIC MODEL AND WHAT THIS ADMINISTRATION IS REALLY TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH IT?

Fortunately the days are ticking down for this administration.

(08-16-2011 03:42 PM)BucMania Wrote:  Not sure about Coach Walker, but I'm pretty sure Coach Zaatini and Coach Warren just returned from overseas recruiting trips. I have a friend in the financial buildings that said their travel claims were difficult due to the exchange rates. It's very necessary to recruit abroad in those sports at this level. The elite talent stateside go to the bigger schools.

I've addressed this at least twice before. Zaatini (and Steve Brooks, especially, who's now departed) have been fortunate for their tenure here to get good recruits via tape and word-of-mouth, often from former student-athletes who've graduated. George Paris and Pierre Arnold, to name just two, sent several players here, without the need for traveling to recruit. I haven't asked him the last couple of years, though, so maybe he's been recruiting in person. He and his wife *do* have family in Venezuela, after all....

I also know Walker hardly ever went over to Ireland to recruit; maybe a couple of times. Mostly they came to him - again mostly word-of-mouth. But I don't know about lately....

Looks like donations are up since the elimination of football?

No Tiger. Student Fees have skyrocketed since football was dropped, including an additional fee added back after the botched student vote.

interesting stuff. a $9.5 million budget is not sufficient for a program with FCS football (and i dont blame any of the coaches for feeling good about being well funded). Would need an additional $2 million at least to make a decent go of it. i am all for football - however, someone needs to pony up if we want it. perhaps the support is out there if the leadership truly wants to go and find it - i guess time will tell.

(08-17-2011 08:35 AM)silence dogood Wrote:  interesting stuff. a $9.5 million budget is not sufficient for a program with FCS football (and i dont blame any of the coaches for feeling good about being well funded). Would need an additional $2 million at least to make a decent go of it. i am all for football - however, someone needs to pony up if we want it. perhaps the support is out there if the leadership truly wants to go and find it - i guess time will tell.

It is funny that no one else is asked to "pony up" for any of their part of the $9.5 million. But I believe that football could bring in the $2 million this is needed if it was competently managed. Start an active fund raising program for football and ACCEPT the money. Also remember that the program can bring in around 400K or so from a 1A game. Also game tickets can bring in around 500K. Then go out and ASK for money for football and it can be done. Let's do this.

(08-17-2011 08:35 AM)silence dogood Wrote:  interesting stuff. a $9.5 million budget is not sufficient for a program with FCS football (and i dont blame any of the coaches for feeling good about being well funded). Would need an additional $2 million at least to make a decent go of it. i am all for football - however, someone needs to pony up if we want it. perhaps the support is out there if the leadership truly wants to go and find it - i guess time will tell.

You might find the link below interesting. According to USA Today, ETSU spent more on athletics in 2009-10 than Ga Southern, Jacksonville State, Tennessee Tech, Austin Peay, etc. If their numbers are accurate, it sounds like ol Dave is understating the budget.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/n...nances.htm

Silence and Buc66...you site objective facts. It's obvious by now the objective fact of eliminating football to prosper the nearly invisable sports has not helped them significantly as they are not winning NCAA championships even from the crappy ASun. The facts stare school executives in the face and are being ignored. It's obvious that ETSU would benefit more from a last place football operation than what these minor sports are putting out with their big budgets. This experiment has been a total failure and anyone who has eyes to see can clearly assess. Fix the problem! Come on new president! Use that unilateral power the first day you lead! I want to see ETSU on television in the fall!

mister - i am not quite where you are but i understand the sentiment. etsu has a nice athletics program that is reasonably successful across the board - some sports more than others. however, there is no doubt there is a significant hole because there is no football. perhaps that will change one day . . .

Per USA Today College Athletic Budgets:
State Schools - Tennessee
NCAA Division I FCS
Total Operating Expenses 2009-2010
UTC $13,115,269.00
ETSU $10,375,506.00
TSU $9,607,967.00
TTU $9,488,436.00
UTM $8,808,664.00
APSU $7,203,428.00



FBS
UT $111,670,619.00
UM $39,520,842.00
MT $20,800,017.00

I googled the USA Today site just now. I'd never seen that database before and it's actually pretty interesting. 50 percent of App State's budget from 2009-2010 was STUDENT FEES. As for ETSU, it definitely was not contributions from donors, they raised LESS than a million dollars in private athletic contributions in that year. That my friends, is ABYSMAL. A total fail on their part that they can use the economy to attribute to that. I blame the university and here's one of my reasons. There are no alumni assocations. How many alumni live outside of the Tri-Cities? A bunch. There are a ton of ETSU alums in the Knoxville and Nashville areas, yet no organized alumni assocation chapters for these cities. Very simply, this is unacceptable. There should be gatherings in both cities, ESPECIALLY NASHVILLE so every time basketball comes down here a Nashville ETSU alumni association can gather with the university for meet and greets, go to games and fellowship. And for the school? A chance to get alumni together and atleast attempt to get more in donations from their alumni/fan base.

You cannot rally alumni, students and the surrounding communities with no football, no marching band, asuck basketball and country club sports. ETSU has tried alumni meeting Knoxville, Nashville , Atlanta, Jacksonville with little success.

No football and asuck basketball equals lousy interest.

I live in Nashville, I've never seen nor heard of any formation of a Nashville chapter of the ETSU Alumni Assocation.

There certainly did used to be one, and I'm actually surprised it no longer is active. There have been chapters in Nashville, Knoxville, Orlando, northern VA, and Atlanta that I know of. This is the first I've heard that they're inactive. But, on the other hand, I also haven't heard anything about them in years..........kinda like our football team....

Well if that's the case, then who at the ETSU Alumni Assocation office is dropping the ball? Or maybe they don't care about the average alum. I find it to be ridiculous that there hasn't been more of an effort made to do that, especially if you get the ETSU alums in Nashville together, we would take over the arenas on Belmont/Lipscomb weekends.