So football makes it to the FCS title game and loses. We are told that $150,000 has been raised to cover expenses of the playoff run, but no where have we heard of any revenues from going all of the way to Frisco. Winning in the "revenue" sports was supposed to make money for Towson, or so we were told. What happened?

The University signs the football coach to a new contract, doubling his salary from $250,000 to $500,000 annually. Nice story, the alumni coach comes back home to lead the program to the promised land. I am told that all of the assistants also received raises, which is another added expense.

Two days later (Friday) four employees, including two alumni, are fired, in budget saving moves.

Tversky
Lacour * Alumni, Champion of the Baseball Program last spring
Toutsis
Terrelle * Alumni, has been employed at Towson since October

So four people lose their jobs, with a total salary of $198966 being transferred over to the football coach.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2014-01...ity-system

Today the basketball team wins the 13th straight game at home before an "announced" crowd of 1750. I was there. 1749 other people were not.

Just before the end of the semester the University made an end run on the SGA to raise student fees for athletics, already the highest for Athletics welfare of any USM institution. This was stopped by the SGA and more debate will be coming when our students return to campus later this month.

My point is we were sold a bill of goods last spring about not raising student fees and having a budget shortfall. We were told that when teams won, that the money from donors and sponsors would be pouring in. That more people would come to the games. Trouble is none of this is true.

The football team just had their best season ever, but the playoff game at home in early December drew less than half the crowd that came out in 2011. The football team has won more games over the past three years than any three year period in their history, but no fans are coming out to games and paying for tickets. Less than 1,200 season tickets were sold for the 2013 season.

The basketball team went 1-31 two years ago, 18-13 last year, and this year moved into a new arena that cost over 70 million dollars and for which naming rights were sold for less than 5 million. Less than 500 season tickets were sold for this season, or 10% of the capacity.

Students made up most of the crowds during the football season, more than 60% of the total attendance. None of that beings in "revenue" as it is defined by the University. Student Fees make up 84% of the Athletics Budget each year. Now, the University is going to pay the football coaches more, despite the program not selling tickets, losing money on a home playoff game, and losing money overall through the course of the 4 game playoffs.

Meanwhile, the head baseball coach who has been at Towson for over 30 years makes $44151 while the football director of operations, not even a on field coach, makes $48000 a year.

This system is appalling.

You pay the people who make a difference. Ambrose made a difference in 2013 and has since the 2011 season. Not many thought much of what he was doing after the first two years and he has proven to be able to win on the field. His maturity level is another story, and that was glossed over pretty good with the winning this year compared to the circus of 2012 when the team was not winning early and it was chaos. He is the IAA version of Lane Kiffin. He is our coach for a long time to come so it's time to get involved if you are not already.

As for the baseball coach and his salary, not really sure anyone cares about that program to wage an argument. They had their run last year but I would not think they will finish in the top half of the CAA this season. One tricky pony, but they did win when the cards were against them on campus. Good for them.

(01-11-2014 06:30 PM)Towson2006 Wrote:  So football makes it to the FCS title game and loses. We are told that $150,000 has been raised to cover expenses of the playoff run, but no where have we heard of any revenues from going all of the way to Frisco. Winning in the "revenue" sports was supposed to make money for Towson, or so we were told. What happened?

The University signs the football coach to a new contract, doubling his salary from $250,000 to $500,000 annually. Nice story, the alumni coach comes back home to lead the program to the promised land. I am told that all of the assistants also received raises, which is another added expense.

Two days later (Friday) four employees, including two alumni, are fired, in budget saving moves.

Tversky
Lacour * Alumni, Champion of the Baseball Program last spring
Toutsis
Terrelle * Alumni, has been employed at Towson since October

So four people lose their jobs, with a total salary of $198966 being transferred over to the football coach.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2014-01...ity-system

Today the basketball team wins the 13th straight game at home before an "announced" crowd of 1750. I was there. 1749 other people were not.

Just before the end of the semester the University made an end run on the SGA to raise student fees for athletics, already the highest for Athletics welfare of any USM institution. This was stopped by the SGA and more debate will be coming when our students return to campus later this month.

My point is we were sold a bill of goods last spring about not raising student fees and having a budget shortfall. We were told that when teams won, that the money from donors and sponsors would be pouring in. That more people would come to the games. Trouble is none of this is true.

The football team just had their best season ever, but the playoff game at home in early December drew less than half the crowd that came out in 2011. The football team has won more games over the past three years than any three year period in their history, but no fans are coming out to games and paying for tickets. Less than 1,200 season tickets were sold for the 2013 season.

The basketball team went 1-31 two years ago, 18-13 last year, and this year moved into a new arena that cost over 70 million dollars and for which naming rights were sold for less than 5 million. Less than 500 season tickets were sold for this season, or 10% of the capacity.

Students made up most of the crowds during the football season, more than 60% of the total attendance. None of that beings in "revenue" as it is defined by the University. Student Fees make up 84% of the Athletics Budget each year. Now, the University is going to pay the football coaches more, despite the program not selling tickets, losing money on a home playoff game, and losing money overall through the course of the 4 game playoffs.

Meanwhile, the head baseball coach who has been at Towson for over 30 years makes $44151 while the football director of operations, not even a on field coach, makes $48000 a year.

This system is appalling.

It's too early to make an evaluation of the new AD or his system, do I think they dropped the ball on marketing 2014 season tickets during the playoff run? Yes, they failed miserably to capture the excitement and sign new season ticket holders, should of done marketing at the watching parties in the area such as Batemans and Mothers.

With that being said, you come across like you prefer all the sports to regress back to mediocrity like we did for the longest time over the past administrations. Good lord, why would anyone in their right mind settle for mediocrity? If anything... the past 20 years should set an example of what not to do with an athletic department. I like the direction we are going, I certainly don't like the firing of some key people in the fundraising department nor the pathetic salary that Coach G is receiving at this time. However, I can see the level of interest in our sports programs reaching levels like no other time in the past both locally and nationally. This should translate into more season tickets and merchandise. I have to think the merchandise has been at all time levels over the past year, does the athletic department directly benefit from this? And I'm all for playing a BCS and FBS school in the same season like '12 to generate more guaranteed money, the playoff run was nice, but to be honest without NDSU ...the championship game would of had less than 8,000 fans if another team won that side of the bracket.