The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Lol WMU just had its most historically successful decade in history across the entire department and you people act like WMU is some piece of garbage. Just go put on some maize & blue and be a Michigan fan

I'll take a season or 2 near the cellar if it ultimately leads to division championships. Lester had his shot, time to move on. His best season we were last place in our division anyway. Personally I would have axed him 15 minutes after losing 4 in a row to EMU.

Under Pappa-PJ we have 2 good years (8W reg with bowl loss; 8W with bowl win) -- then a historic one. I think that's pretty much carried it all. Praise PJ, for He is our guiding light...

Last 10 years:
2013: 1-11
2014: 8-5
2015: 8-5
2016: 13-1
2017: 6-6 (no bowl)
2018: 7-6 (stomped by BYU in bowl)
2019: 7-6 (lost barnburner to WKy in bowl)
2020: 4-2 (Covid half-season)
2021: 8-5 (stomped depleted NV in Det Bowl)
2022: 5-7 (first losing season since 2013, challenged against the weakest MAC in forever)

(12-02-2022 04:30 PM)StrikeGold1 Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 04:28 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 04:25 PM)StrikeGold1 Wrote:  It's hilarious reading this board. I feel bad for you guys. Complete delusion and misunderstanding of the realities of mid-major college athletics. No other job in the world do you not want people 100% invested in your community.

Yeah, the truth - that WMU is the gold standard of MAC athletic departments because of the "old boys club" - really hurts most of you.

The point is you don't have to be free of upward ambition to be 100% invested. You just have to be 100% invested while on the payroll.

The delusion is you coming on here and pretending to be remotely objective.

I'm sorry that I just actually know how these things work.

Most of your posting for the better part of 2 months was having meltdowns and chastising anyone who dared suggest WMU may move on from Lester. Apologies if you aren't commanding the respect you think you deserve.

I have higher expectations than 6-6 or 7-5. Clearly Dan does and that really all that matters. The rest of this chatter is like dogs barking. Fun but meaningless.

(12-02-2022 04:35 PM)StrikeGold1 Wrote:  Lol WMU just had its most historically successful decade in history across the entire department and you people act like WMU is some piece of garbage. Just go put on some maize & blue and be a Michigan fan

And what was the most historically significant moment? Was it engineered by an outsider? How did we follow it up? Aggressively or back to the old boys' club?

Quote:I have higher expectations than 6-6 or 7-5. Clearly Dan does and that really all that matters. The rest of this chatter is like dogs barking. Fun but meaningless.

True 'dat. IMO, those should be notable rebuilding years without easy schedules. And 2017 after our dear PJ left -- that wasn't a rebuilding year, coming off a 13-1 season and a decent QB to take the helm. That should have been more like an 8-4 season.

Going just by regular season, when 12 game seasons became the standard:
2006: 8-4
2007: 5-7 [But we beat @Iowa and beat Temple to finish it off]
2008: 9-3
2009: 5-7
2010: 6-6
2011: 7-5
2012: 4-8
2013: 1-11
2014: 8-4
2015: 7-5
2016: 13-1
2017: 6-6
2018: 7-5
2019: 7-5
2021: 7-5
2022: 5-7

(12-02-2022 04:50 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 04:35 PM)StrikeGold1 Wrote:  Lol WMU just had its most historically successful decade in history across the entire department and you people act like WMU is some piece of garbage. Just go put on some maize & blue and be a Michigan fan

And what was the most historically significant moment? Was it engineered by an outsider? How did we follow it up? Aggressively or back to the old boys' club?

Lol. Football most success it's ever had, MBB four division championships and an ncaa birth, best both soccer programs have ever been, lost two womens soccer coaches to P5 programs, baseball mac championship, tennis is the most successful program in the mac, hockey is the most successful it's ever been, softball championship. I'm sorry you aren't as smart as you think you are :((((((

Why don't we just win in all the sports like wmubroncopilot thinks we should? It's just so easy!!!! Why do we ever even lose games??????

(12-02-2022 05:27 PM)StrikeGold1 Wrote:  Why don't we just win in all the sports like wmubroncopilot thinks we should? It's just so easy!!!! Why do we ever even lose games??????

And here you are back in meltdown mode. I'm very sorry I offended you on behalf of your AD buddies. Just kidding, get over yourself.

I'm proud of all the accomplishments you listed (although "four MBB division championships" when put in context.. you're proving my point). Probably not that many fans who actually sit and watch things like mens soccer and baseball, which I do and I'm proud of what they're able to accomplish.

You're intentionally strawmanning and pretending I'm saying things I'm not, so it's not really worth trying to have a discussion with you.

Question: if the goal is turning WMU into some national power with great vision and success, why is WMU not a destination job?

(12-02-2022 05:35 PM)RunningGame Wrote:  Question: if the goal is turning WMU into some national power with great vision and success, why is WMU not a destination job?

National power? We can't seem to win consistently in the worst conference in FBS right now, let's start there.

(12-02-2022 02:15 PM)StrikeGold1 Wrote:  I don't think Dan gives a **** about WMU & I've been around him quite a few times. He says the right thing but the minute a P5 comes calling - he won't think twice about leaving us in the dust. WMU has been the most stable athletic department in the MAC for a decade. He did not inherit some dumpster fire. And if you think he did, you're only kidding yourself.

The only way he'll get a better P5 AD job is if he is successful @ Western.

Hiring talented people with upward mobility is a good way to hire people in many industries including college athletics. In football for example, we had our best season in school history.

(12-02-2022 06:44 PM)BroncoMinor Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 02:15 PM)StrikeGold1 Wrote:  I don't think Dan gives a **** about WMU & I've been around him quite a few times. He says the right thing but the minute a P5 comes calling - he won't think twice about leaving us in the dust. WMU has been the most stable athletic department in the MAC for a decade. He did not inherit some dumpster fire. And if you think he did, you're only kidding yourself.

The only way he'll get a better P5 AD job is if he is successful @ Western.

Hiring talented people with upward mobility is a good way to hire people in many industries including college athletics. In football for example, we had our best season in school history.

Striving to be a Boise St is not unreasonable. They win (or did until recently) but regularly lost coaches to bigger programs. Start by winning the MAC more often that once a generation. But I think we can do better more quickly than people think. There's no Stryker money in Mt Pleasant.

Let's look at this article with an objective perspective.

From that article:

Quote:“I’ll look forward to that, but that was the thing on Monday, when he said something about several meetings about the future of the program – I don’t want to get into a ‘he said, she said,’ but I can tell you it’s not true.”

This is TL telling the world that he had meetings (not one) with Dan Bartholomae about his future with WMU. And that he was told things and promised things that didn't pan out. Instead of calling DB a lair, this was his chosen method of delivery.

Quote:Lester declined to elaborate, but said he felt confident he would be keeping his job based on a meeting with Bartholomae heading into the final two games of the season – a 12-10 win over Central Michigan and a 20-14 victory over Toledo.

Tim Lester would not have stated Salopek ahead of Bourguet in the Toledo game if he thought his job was in jeopardy. Why did TL feel confident that his job was secure? See above.

Quote:And so he was relieved of his duties less than an hour after WMU’s 20-14 upset over MAC West champ Toledo on Friday, marking the fourth time in five seasons the Broncos have defeated the West division winner, but failed to take care of business against some less-accomplished squads.

Though he felt his job was secure at WMU based upon what he was told at "several meetings" he'd had with DB, he was informed he'd was being fired on the way to the press conference ("less than an hour") after the Toledo game.

Quote:“If you show the ability to hire a successful football coach and support them, then you’ll be in the SEC in a couple of years. That’s the way of the world. Every coach in America knows when you get a new A.D. that it’s going to be hard because they’re going to want to hire their own guy, so now he gets to hire his own guy.”

DB is ambitious. And that's OK.

If he's successful at WMU, it helps him, and WMU.

But honesty and character count too.

Worth watching as things progress.

(12-02-2022 02:15 PM)StrikeGold1 Wrote:  I don't think Dan gives a **** about WMU & I've been around him quite a few times. He says the right thing but the minute a P5 comes calling - he won't think twice about leaving us in the dust. WMU has been the most stable athletic department in the MAC for a decade. He did not inherit some dumpster fire. And if you think he did, you're only kidding yourself.

When are people going to accept the fact that in the MAC you're either

A. Good enough to get a better job
B. Average enough to hang around for a bit
C. Bad enough to get fired

These schools aren't a destination for anyone. I hope like hell Dan does leave on his own accord in 4-5-6 years. It will mean he's done great things with out AD.

(12-02-2022 04:35 PM)StrikeGold1 Wrote:  Lol WMU just had its most historically successful decade in history across the entire department and you people act like WMU is some piece of garbage. Just go put on some maize & blue and be a Michigan fan

This is an impressive meltdown

(12-02-2022 05:39 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 05:35 PM)RunningGame Wrote:  Question: if the goal is turning WMU into some national power with great vision and success, why is WMU not a destination job?

National power? We can't seem to win consistently in the worst conference in FBS right now, let's start there.

Yep, how about we win the West, which is the only way we win the MAC. 1966, 1988, 2016..... baby steps.

(12-02-2022 02:19 PM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 12:00 AM)BroncoMD Wrote:  

Quote:“He’s going to be supported, I think, and he’ll be funded like I used to be funded. The budget will probably go back. All the positions that were taken away will probably go back…

“I’ll look forward to that, but that was the thing on Monday, when he said something about several meetings about the future of the program – I don’t want to get into a ‘he said, she said,’ but I can tell you it’s not true.”

I find these comments interesting, to say the least.

Bartholomae and Lester praise one another, yet, there were no conversations about the future of the program? Lester's program was not funded properly even prior to Bartholomae becoming AD? And what about the contract extension in January?

Maybe Lester had an OC offer in hand from Pitt, and leveraged that to force Bartholomae's hand. Might explain why Pitt's HC was such a ****** guest this Fall after being rebuffed.

Interesting theory but that's not along the lines of my thinking. It appeared that Lester didn't have the support of the current administration prior to the new AD. Bartholomae moves to extend his contract in January. Then, they have no dialog about the future during the regular season. Is it possible that Bartholomae was told to fire Lester at the end of the season? It seems more logical to me.

(12-02-2022 09:24 PM)BroncoMD Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 02:19 PM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(12-02-2022 12:00 AM)BroncoMD Wrote:  

Quote:“He’s going to be supported, I think, and he’ll be funded like I used to be funded. The budget will probably go back. All the positions that were taken away will probably go back…

“I’ll look forward to that, but that was the thing on Monday, when he said something about several meetings about the future of the program – I don’t want to get into a ‘he said, she said,’ but I can tell you it’s not true.”

I find these comments interesting, to say the least.

Bartholomae and Lester praise one another, yet, there were no conversations about the future of the program? Lester's program was not funded properly even prior to Bartholomae becoming AD? And what about the contract extension in January?

Maybe Lester had an OC offer in hand from Pitt, and leveraged that to force Bartholomae's hand. Might explain why Pitt's HC was such a ****** guest this Fall after being rebuffed.

Interesting theory but that's not along the lines of my thinking. It appeared that Lester didn't have the support of the current administration prior to the new AD. Bartholomae moves to extend his contract in January. Then, they have no dialog about the future during the regular season. Is it possible that Bartholomae was told to fire Lester at the end of the season? It seems more logical to me.

That's plausible but if you think back to the New Hampshire game. Dan makes a big post game deal about giving the game ball to Tim. Something happened after that (like bad losses to easy opponents).