RE: Great fans
If we were real fans we would strike back at the administration. If we were real fans we would show up to basketball games in solidarity with matching shirts that read bring back football, save etsu athletics by firing stanton/mullins, or simply headshots of stanton and mullins with the word "Traitor" written in blue and gold. Imagine if we had a thousand or more fans wearing such a shirt on Asun game of the week night. Nothing puts the fear of god in this administration like bad press. All we do is complain that the administration never gets bad press and yet we sit on our collective arses with timid hearts doing nothing to excerscise our own power as a body of people. When Stanton and Mullins go center court most of us applaud. Real fans my ass. There isn't a real ETSU fan left in this world. We all sit around with our fingers up our backsides unwilling to do anything controversial. F*ck us! We aren't worthy of being called real fans. ETSU is dead. A country club has replaced it. And not one of us had the gumption to try and do anything about it. Live with that, "real fans."



Gold… that was a great post with the exception of the profanity.

I’m in.

We need a leader. This effort is really a full time job. Organization is critical and follow through is essential.

Has there been a petition drive in the past? Political pressure is a must. Who is tight with the first district congressperson? How ‘bout the mayors of Johnson City and Washington County? The Johnson City Chamber? Who is buddies with Governor Haslam? What about Buc donors? Other than the obvious clue about named buildings, I have no idea who they are. Would past ETSU president and former TBR Head Roy Nicks be involved? What about football economic impact? What about the resources of all former Buc football players? What about featuring Falcon’s Coach Mike Smith in a multimedia advertising campaign?

High schools use to have a marching band festival in the dome. I think it was a recruiting tool for the Marching Buccaneers. Hundreds of students participated. With football, that can be started again.

Someone knows what went on behind the scenes to eliminate football. That information needs to be shared so it can be countered.

An objective budget with objective numbers of future ETSU football would have to be presented. Salaries would have to be listed for the coaching staff, playing place etc. Every dollars needs to have it’s own line item.

If the team plays again in the dome, costs of new artificial surface, uniforms…all that stuff needs to be detailed.

Fund raising targets need to be identified…The first targets are ETSU friends, followed by businesses that would benefit by the return of football. What would really make it happen if there was commitments in dollars that were objective and would prove ETSU football can break even. Breaking even removes all objections to football.

The way Stanton has secured the pharmacy and hopefully the dental school is by under bidding Tennessee. It was easy for the medical school because of Jimmy Quillen securing federal dollars. Taking advantage of the VA that Tennessee didn’t have access too made the medical school happen. Make no mistake, the big Orange wanted the Med School…but ETSU outsmarted them through the efforts of Quillen.

It took someone like Quillen to make it happen. Who is the new Quillen to bring back football? Access to dollars is what this is all about.

My bet is that Coach Robertson knows all these answers…he probably has tried all of this. The timing could have been wrong.

If the attempt has been made, we have discouraged folks thinking what’s the use? Timing is everything…and even in a recession…it’s time to try again. Collaboration is the value to make this happen.

Be encouraged...logic says football is just a smidgen away. Let's get going.

What do you say?

(01-01-2011 04:52 PM)Mister Jennings Wrote:  RE: Great fans
If we were real fans we would strike back at the administration. If we were real fans we would show up to basketball games in solidarity with matching shirts that read bring back football, save etsu athletics by firing stanton/mullins, or simply headshots of stanton and mullins with the word "Traitor" written in blue and gold. Imagine if we had a thousand or more fans wearing such a shirt on Asun game of the week night. Nothing puts the fear of god in this administration like bad press. All we do is complain that the administration never gets bad press and yet we sit on our collective arses with timid hearts doing nothing to excerscise our own power as a body of people. When Stanton and Mullins go center court most of us applaud. Real fans my ass. There isn't a real ETSU fan left in this world. We all sit around with our fingers up our backsides unwilling to do anything controversial. F*ck us! We aren't worthy of being called real fans. ETSU is dead. A country club has replaced it. And not one of us had the gumption to try and do anything about it. Live with that, "real fans."



Gold… that was a great post with the exception of the profanity.

I’m in.

We need a leader. This effort is really a full time job. Organization is critical and follow through is essential.

Has there been a petition drive in the past? Political pressure is a must. Who is tight with the first district congressperson? How ‘bout the mayors of Johnson City and Washington County? The Johnson City Chamber? Who is buddies with Governor Haslam? What about Buc donors? Other than the obvious clue about named buildings, I have no idea who they are. Would past ETSU president and former TBR Head Roy Nicks be involved? What about football economic impact? What about the resources of all former Buc football players? What about featuring Falcon’s Coach Mike Smith in a multimedia advertising campaign?

High schools use to have a marching band festival in the dome. I think it was a recruiting tool for the Marching Buccaneers. Hundreds of students participated. With football, that can be started again.

Someone knows what went on behind the scenes to eliminate football. That information needs to be shared so it can be countered.

An objective budget with objective numbers of future ETSU football would have to be presented. Salaries would have to be listed for the coaching staff, playing place etc. Every dollars needs to have it’s own line item.

If the team plays again in the dome, costs of new artificial surface, uniforms…all that stuff needs to be detailed.

Fund raising targets need to be identified…The first targets are ETSU friends, followed by businesses that would benefit by the return of football. What would really make it happen if there was commitments in dollars that were objective and would prove ETSU football can break even. Breaking even removes all objections to football.

The way Stanton has secured the pharmacy and hopefully the dental school is by under bidding Tennessee. It was easy for the medical school because of Jimmy Quillen securing federal dollars. Taking advantage of the VA that Tennessee didn’t have access too made the medical school happen. Make no mistake, the big Orange wanted the Med School…but ETSU outsmarted them through the efforts of Quillen.

It took someone like Quillen to make it happen. Who is the new Quillen to bring back football? Access to dollars is what this is all about.

My bet is that Coach Robertson knows all these answers…he probably has tried all of this. The timing could have been wrong.

If the attempt has been made, we have discouraged folks thinking what’s the use? Timing is everything…and even in a recession…it’s time to try again. Collaboration is the value to make this happen.

Be encouraged...logic says football is just a smidgen away. Let's get going.

What do you say?

I know Haslam, and you can forget about him. He is Mr. UT Sports. It is going to be very difficult for any other school in the state to get anything at all for the next 4 years. Watch for bigtime dollars to roll into UTK. I hope he proves me wrong, but don't bet on it!

How about Lt Governor Ron Ramsey, an ETSU grad. I don't know if he will be reappointed in 2011, since he ran and lost for Governor.

http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/speaker.html

This is all well and good but it's not exactly my plan. I'm not a big fan of trust me goverment. I don't believe there is a fairy godmother out there who will eagerly join our cause (in its current state) and fight for ETSU Athletics. What is in it for them? I think this has been the major flaw in most of our collective attitudes on the board for the past three or so years I have been a member here. We are so desperate for an all powerful messiah to swoop down from the clouds and restore ETSU athletics to what it was just eight years ago that we seemingly have no concept of the kind of raw power we have in our own hands.

If there is one thing I've learned about the Mullins administration over the past three years it is this......they do not like criticism and are fearful of receiving it on a large scale. If they didn't fear it why would they have confiscated the football signs? Why pull press privelages to reporters who were asking legitimate questions?

Everyone reading this site knows the stories there is no need for me to go into them.

In order for there to be change at ETSU it's going to have to start with US!

I layed out a detailed plan over a year ago but to summarize... what would be more of a statement than to show up at the Dome and see even just 1,000 fans wearing ETSU shirts that advocated for new leadership? I promise you that would shake the pilars of heaven inside the Mullins administration.

They fear us. They do not fear what we are. They fear what we could be. What we have it in our power to do. Remember the bring back ETSU football sign that was on national tv? I know for a fact that they were privately panicked over the possibilities of receiving attention over it.

The Mullin duo has absolute control over ETSU athletics right now. They are running it as they always wanted it to be run while he was just a tennis coach jealous of the bigger sports power.He has crippled us in order to remake the program in his own image. He is banking on the fact that we lack the courage, the orginization, and a singular determination to voice out against his unpopular policy. But his great fear is that we could come together and speak out with a singular powerful voice. We know that is his fear. It is obvious. Look at the underlings that are sent to this site, that very few fans know exist, in order to squash us.

There are many on this board who do not want to become involved in the politics of it all. But I say to each one of us....If we do not have the gumption, the backbone, and the spirit to show up at games and voice our disaproval in a civil manor (shirts) than by our forefathers standards we are cultural cowards.

It's got to start somewhere.

Ramsey is on board as wanting the return of football. I think he's a true Buc!

His position is similar to the speaker of the house of the United States Congress in that he succeeds the governor if they can't fulfill their duties. "The leader of the Senate, or speaker, is also the state's lieutenant governor. The speaker of the Senate is elected by the Senate at each organizational session of the General Assembly. The lieutenant governor stands in immediate succession to the governorship if such is necessary."

Ramsey ought to map out a plan of what steps to follow politically to get football back.

(01-01-2011 09:51 PM)Mister Jennings Wrote:  Ramsey ought to map out a plan of what steps to follow politically to get football back.

My point is simple....Where has this gotten us?

Amen Goldfinger. This isn't about just the return of football...this is about moving ETSU forward!

This isn't about just the return of football...this is about moving ETSU forward!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You're damn right it is! I'm tired of living in a world where Queen Mullins tries to stifle Bucfaithful's voice. What inappropriate thing has bucfaithful ever done?

Bucfaithful is a hero! The name embodies the shape of his heart. There are many loyal Bucs...but he is right at the top of the list! He is very effective of spreading the Buc gospel.

Gentleman, if you want it done, then do it! What I've always seen on here is a ton of talk over the years about: "Well we should do this, or we should do that," well damn it DO IT! Gold you seemed to get it going when CP needed fan support, it grew on here and then passed through word of mouth to facebook and other social media until it worked. There's enough Photoshop talent, media creativity/savvy, and ability to get things done that if you guys really wanted to do it, then it's simple. Set a date for a game, on that game then everyone is to wear ETSU Football shirts, either the one's sold at Fanatics, or the ones that the Foundation did a few years ago, or order ones that call for Mullins and Stanton's head. Wear it to the game. Also, everyone take signs. Nothing tacky, nothing disrespectful, but just something to state your message. I'm guessing those of you who donate and/or are season ticket holders wouldn't be disturbed. ETSU isn't THAT stupid, there's not enough donors left to screw with the few that are there and if a public scene were made where a sign was taken away from a 50 something year old man they'd have a mess on their hands, especially if there were several of you carrying them in. So here's my challenge to those of you who are up there and can make it happen, DO IT.

My guess is the thread ends here....and that's too bad.

Instead of trying to make a statement at a basketball game, why not try to find someone that has the money to finance the football program? An ex-Pro football player or a group of investors to help finance the football program. The problem is, is that it cost more money to run a football program than any other sport. The seats must be filled every Saturday. I guess you can blame the fans for losing football in the first place. When a football program loses $1m in a single season.. there is an attendance problem. I would love to have football back, but if you want to get something done about it, it all comes down to the money$$$ Show them the money and football will be back. These arent excuses. Its fact! Sales and Marketing is where the money is. But if an investor or investors put the money up and build it... they MUST come. Sell BEER at the games. Again... the community doesnt want BEER on campus. Beer is a huge money maker. Little things like this prevent football at ETSU.

The problem is that the current administration has refused to accept all monies for football. Money was being raised at a strong rate when contributions were rejected in 2005. You first have to get someone running ETSU that would ACCEPT money for football. Yes our FCS program could be self-susstaining if done properly. That is why every other state university in Tennessee has football and could not afford to NOT have football.

I'm going to design shirts and get this started.....details soon.

(01-03-2011 04:38 PM)32Degrees Wrote:  Instead of trying to make a statement at a basketball game, why not try to find someone that has the money to finance the football program? An ex-Pro football player or a group of investors to help finance the football program. The problem is, is that it cost more money to run a football program than any other sport. The seats must be filled every Saturday. I guess you can blame the fans for losing football in the first place. When a football program loses $1m in a single season.. there is an attendance problem. I would love to have football back, but if you want to get something done about it, it all comes down to the money$$$ Show them the money and football will be back. These arent excuses. Its fact! Sales and Marketing is where the money is. But if an investor or investors put the money up and build it... they MUST come. Sell BEER at the games. Again... the community doesnt want BEER on campus. Beer is a huge money maker. Little things like this prevent football at ETSU.

Men's Basketball's current budget is around $1.2 million... HOW much are they losing?? ohhh, about a million!! And baseball? Budget around $800,000 and they bring in about $65 at the gate. Football cost money just like the other sports cost, it's the price your institution pays for fielding Division I non-FBS athletics.

Things were moving in the right direction under Stansbury's leadership BUT the minute he left, off-with-the-heads! After the "announcement" was made, there was one donor in particular... a multi-millionare Ken Simonds... he called ol' stanton (small caps intended) and his call was NOT returned... but ol' stanton and mullins (gag-reflex) sure did take the check that Mr. Simonds wrote for women's golf.

I'm in GOLD... tell me what I need to do.

Straight... great post. Athletics at ETSUs level is minimize your losses...In terms of publicity, recruiting for the school, TV possibilities... football is king. Since your going to loose money, might as well get something out of it...better conference, better publicity etc.
It's like buying a car...you are going to lose...just how much. Minimize your loses!

1.2 million...for basketball-wow. I wonder how that stacks up to conference members... Southern Conference too. I suspect our travel budget is absurd compared to the SC days. The more we learn about getting rid of football, the Southern Conference...the dumber the decision is.

800-thousand for baseball? That's probably more than Tennessee?

Historically the only sports to ever bring in revenue at ETSU are football and basketball. We got rid of football over not wanting to replace the carpet in the dome? The more light that is shed, the more accountability. It may be time to expose all the dirty stuff. These decisions are so stupid it makes you wonder if there is more to it?

I apologize for throwing out the figure for baseball... was going from memory and got the teams confused... I have the figures tracking back to 1998 and baseball's allocations have grown from less than $150,000 per year to over $400,000... sorry about the confusion.

here's the link to the actual budget projections for 2010-11.... if you will arrow down to page 124 you'll begin to see the Athletics section

http://www.etsu.edu/budget/documents/ETS...0_2011.pdf

(01-05-2011 12:27 AM)straightfromthehorsesmouth Wrote:  I apologize for throwing out the figure for baseball... was going from memory and got the teams confused... I have the figures tracking back to 1998 and baseball's allocations have grown from less than $150,000 per year to over $400,000... sorry about the confusion.

here's the link to the actual budget projections for 2010-11.... if you will arrow down to page 124 you'll begin to see the Athletics section

http://www.etsu.edu/budget/documents/ETS...0_2011.pdf

From my humble opinion, those numbers show me an FCS football program. Several SoCon football schools don't show overall athletic expenditures to be much different from these do they? Correct me if I'm wrong, ETSU never reduced its athletic budget by the $1 million that football was "losing". In fact, the athletic budget has been going up since 2003 along with student fees (that they didn't vote for) and increased student enrollment. This is old stuff, I know, but for over seven years, no one, to my knowledge, has fully exposed the big lie.

From my humble opinion, those numbers show me an FCS football program. Several SoCon football schools don't show overall athletic expenditures to be much different from these do they? Correct me if I'm wrong, ETSU never reduced its athletic budget by the $1 million that football was "losing". In fact, the athletic budget has been going up since 2003 along with student fees (that they didn't vote for) and increased student enrollment. This is old stuff, I know, but for over seven years, no one, to my knowledge, has fully exposed the big lie.


Bravo Buc66! I don't know the motives...but the football budget crisis seems to be a hoax. An investigation needs to occur and those involved in the wrong doing should be punished.

The really sad part is the loss. I've lost all those game experiences, the school has lost it name on all those football score lists on national television...but the real loser is the University. The players who never were, will not be able to be listed in the record books...great coaches like Mike Smith are undiscovered...great games we will never know. No competing against Phil Simms or Terry Bradshaw and certainly no playing in the national championship games that occurred in Chattanooga.

I've looked, and I can't find any mention on the boards of the passing of Ken Simonds, so I'm amending it to this thread. There is a one-post thread from 2006, posted by rockytopbearcat, that had a moderately extensive account of a meeting of the BFFF at which Mr. Simonds made some significant comments. To those of you who don't know, Mr. Simonds would have been the one writing perhaps the biggest check to ETSU WHEN football was reinstated. I have no idea if his widow will be so inclined - I somehow doubt that she would.
Ken worked very hard behind the scenes to try and get football reinstated. I can't believe his passing didn't get mentioned on this board. I only learned of it recently. I'm sure some of you here knew him from the BFFF. To put it bluntly, this likely makes the financial mountain to be climbed to reinstate football a bit higher....


Ken Simonds obit