http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/col...olumn.html

Athletic director Mike Thomas was named in the lawsuit in what is the third damning — and damaging — story that alleges misconduct from an Illinois coach in the last month. Yes, the last month.


It begs two questions: What standards has Thomas established among his coaches for properly treating athletes? .....

Then Thomas moved three Champaign football games to Soldier Field – 2015, 2017 and 2019 – in a trade of home-field advantage for extra revenue. (You might suspect you've made a bad decision when the fans of your rival school want to give you a standing ovation.) ....


Illinois Appellate Judge Terrence J. Lavin, a South Side native and 1977 graduate of Illinois, was among previous donors not writing a check. He told Thomas his next contribution would come after he resigns or is fired, telling the Tribune on Tuesday: "He has done nothing in the interim to make me think I was wrong in my assessment."


Steve Bowsher feels the same. Once a major Illinois donor, the 1972 graduate told the Tribune in 2012 that he would no longer support the school, saying: "I don't think Mike Thomas is capable in any fashion."

Bowsher on Tuesday said he has since become a Northwestern donor even though he has no affiliation to the school: "I think these (issues with student-athletes) are symptomatic of his leadership. A guy asked me the other day what it would take to come back (to Illinois). It would take Thomas leaving."

It does not look as though MT is moving the needle in the right direction.

Was never a fan. Never thought he had the persona or drive that you want in an effective AD.

Follow the money... once there is a big enough loss in donations MT's goose is cooked. IIRC he bought himself some time from securing a multi-million dollar donation from State Farm Insurance a couple years ago. Have to think he will not be the AD come the 2016-17 season.

(06-10-2015 01:43 PM)Marcus Wrote:  Was never a fan. Never thought he had the persona or drive that you want in an effective AD.

Problem is neither did the next guy. Jury is still out on the current one, IMO.

(06-10-2015 02:43 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(06-10-2015 01:43 PM)Marcus Wrote:  Was never a fan. Never thought he had the persona or drive that you want in an effective AD.

Problem is neither did the next guy. Jury is still out on the current one, IMO.

I think Whit had the drive. I think his inexperience was a problem. He bungled up football scheduling in 2012 and 2013. He made a huge mistake in extending the contract of the women's basketball coach. He probably should have vetted Tommy Tuberville more and considered other options before making the hire (although I could argue reasons why it was smart to hire him anyway). Bottom line for Whit IMO was that his heart was not in it here if UC was not in a BCS/Power Conference. I recall the day it was announced the ACC was taking Louisville. Whit was on the radio and it was clear he was exhausted and felt hopeless. When the invite came to go close to him it was just too easy for him to pack up the bags and head out.

As for Bohn I do agree the jury is still out. Ultimately he will be judged by his ability/inability to improve UC's lot in life. It might be a bit unfair though because I think our goose was cooked before he got here.

Whit renovated Nippert Stadium. He's a hero on my book.

(06-10-2015 03:11 PM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote:  Whit renovated Nippert Stadium. He's a hero on my book.

He just tied the bow around the gift. Nippert's renovation would have happened without him.

Just as when Mike Thomas left, there was no one with tears in their eyes when Whit left.

(06-10-2015 03:11 PM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote:  Whit renovated Nippert Stadium. He's a hero on my book.

Couldn't agree more. He rallied the troops and made it happen. Yeah, our schedule was bungled but only because he was already gone.

My last post aside I give Whit a grade of Incomplete. Two years is not enough time to really judge a guy's body of work. Yes he "rallied" the troops on the Nippert re-do but he did not stick around long enough to get complete credit for it IMO. Hell he was not even there for the "topping off ceremony". As Rod Monroe said he left before he had an opportunity to fix the scheduling issues.

Microphone Thomas was both incompetent and a jerk. Whit perhaps was not real competent.

(06-10-2015 03:19 PM)Bearcat Otto Wrote:  

(06-10-2015 03:11 PM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote:  Whit renovated Nippert Stadium. He's a hero on my book.

He just tied the bow around the gift. Nippert's renovation would have happened without him.

Just as when Mike Thomas left, there was no one with tears in their eyes when Whit left.

Yep. The construction company had this locked in the pipeline well before anyone on here had ever heard of Whit Babcock.

(06-10-2015 03:42 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  My last post aside I give Whit a grade of Incomplete.

I gave him a grade of incompetent.

(06-10-2015 03:58 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(06-10-2015 03:19 PM)Bearcat Otto Wrote:  

(06-10-2015 03:11 PM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote:  Whit renovated Nippert Stadium. He's a hero on my book.

He just tied the bow around the gift. Nippert's renovation would have happened without him.

Just as when Mike Thomas left, there was no one with tears in their eyes when Whit left.

Yep. The construction company had this locked in the pipeline well before anyone on here had ever heard of Whit Babcock.

Turner had four option plans in their database back when I co-opped there in '09...it was happening regardless

Yep. I did work related to some of the contracts.

Whit could have been a cardboard cutout of Flat Stanley and that project was going ahead.

(06-10-2015 04:14 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Yep. I did work related to some of the contracts.

Whit could have been a cardboard cutout of Flat Stanley and that project was going ahead.

Flat Stanley couldn't find $90M, which is why it hadn't happened yet. Gotta give Whit credit he made it happen. You think Mike Thomas and Brian Kelly didn't think Nippert needed renovated?

Don't forget these awful renderings..

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U72QTDcNpU0/ST...nsion1.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U72QTDcNpU0/ST...nsion3.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U72QTDcNpU0/ST...nsion2.jpg

Right.

I'm not going to waste a second worrying about the fate of Mike Thomas nor Whit Babcock. I don't care whether they succeed at Illinois or VaTech or whether they fail. All I really need to know is that neither one wanted to be at UC. They collected their paychecks and left town. That's pretty much the end of the story as far as I'm concerned.

Life's too short to go around hating or pining for a former AD.

(06-10-2015 04:35 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  I'm not going to waste a second worrying about the fate of Mike Thomas nor Whit Babcock. I don't care whether they succeed at Illinois or VaTech or whether they fail. All I really need to know is that neither one wanted to be at UC. They collected their paychecks and left town. That's pretty much the end of the story as far as I'm concerned.

Life's too short to go around hating or pining for a former AD.

Mike Thomas leaving was the best thing that ever happened to UC. End of story.

(06-10-2015 04:26 PM)RodrickMonroe Wrote:  

(06-10-2015 04:14 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Yep. I did work related to some of the contracts.

Whit could have been a cardboard cutout of Flat Stanley and that project was going ahead.

Flat Stanley couldn't find $90M, which is why it hadn't happened yet. Gotta give Whit credit he made it happen. You think Mike Thomas and Brian Kelly didn't think Nippert needed renovated?

Don't forget these awful renderings..



[img] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U72QTDcNpU0/ST...nsion3.jpg[/img]

Rodrick... Those renderings were done WITHOUT the sanction, input, or even the invitation of the Athletic Department. They were done, if memory serves, by a firm that was seeking UC's interest.

Point is, that was only one architect's vision of "what might be" and were never fully evaluated as being practical.