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Remember when rath named him Opie? I kid, but we've come a long way in a short time baby...

Quote:UC extended John Cunningham's contract through June 2028 recently. The Athletic's Justin Williams reported the news as Cincinnati extends its athletic director's deal from 2024 to 2028.

Williams reports the salary starts at $650,000 (up from $475,000) beginning July 1, 2023, and then increases by $25,000 annually up to $750,000 for the 2027-28 academic year. He has a $4.95 million if he were to leave on or before June 30, 2024, and it drops to $900,000 on or before June 30, 2028.

John > Mike

ESPN has an article about the mess at Virginia Tech and Whit(less) Babcock. The undercurrent is that the VaTech athletic office never moved on from Beemer and was in a guerrilla war against Fuente and Babcock mishandled the situation. Now they have a completely inexperienced coach who was a Beemer guy but led the Hookies to a 4-7 season last year but remains an open question as to whether he's capable of turning things around.

Point is, we've done so much better than when Whitless was driving the bus.

Cunningham is our best AD since Goin. I don't think it is particularly close.

Good work if you can get it.

I've only ever seen him perform at the pregame tent in South Bend, then on the train ride back to Chicago after sweet victory. He seemed great at his job after an amazing victory, at a point when his job should seem easy.

(08-19-2023 02:47 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Cunningham is our best AD since Goin. I don't think it is particularly close.

I'll second that and add that I believe we have a very capable President right now with Pinto and his working with Cunningham was critically important in blazing the trail to the Big 12 gateway before it was unlocked for our entry.

All the recent realignment discussion tended to take my focus from the here and now but I'm ready for home football games with OK, Baylor, Iowa State and more. This is a season to celebrate like none before. Trying to fill the seats in Nippert against the likes of ECU, Tulsa, and USF in a city spoiled to major league sports was a tough sell. Here's hoping Cunningham gets to see his vision for UC Athletics realized even more completely this year with more SRO crowds.

(08-19-2023 02:47 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Cunningham is our best AD since Goin. I don't think it is particularly close.

Meh. I'd probably agree that he might be the best since Goin, but I don't necessarily agree that it isn't close. I know a lot of people didn't like Mike Thomas, but I feel he's a little underrated. He did a lot of good. People just didn't like his personality, they tie him to Nancy Zimpher, and they hold a grudge for turning the microphone off on Andy Kennedy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Thoma..._director)

Quote:The University of Cincinnati named Thomas as its athletic director on October 20, 2005. Thomas was charged with the competitive rebuilding of the Bearcats Program by then President Nancy Zimpher. During his tenure in Cincinnati, Thomas hired men's basketball coach Mick Cronin, and football head coaches Brian Kelly and Butch Jones. Cincinnati Football enjoyed the greatest success in its history under these coaches, winning several Big East titles and advancing to the school's only BCS Bowl Games in the 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl and the 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl, which capped the undefeated 12-0 regular season.

While holding the role of Director of Athletics, Thomas increased the university's donor base by 180% and raised $70 million for the annual fund, capital projects, and endowments. Thomas secured and expanded a regional television agreement with FOX Sports, which substantially increased coverage for football, men's basketball, and women's basketball. He also increased football season ticket sales and revenue by more than 300%. Lastly, under Thomas's leadership the university experienced an increase in annual student-athletes on Big East Academic All-Star Team from 124 to 218. In 2009, Thomas was honored to receive the Sports Executive of the Year Award from the Cincinnati Sports Professional Network. In 2008, Thomas was awarded for the second time the General Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletic Director Award from the All-American Football Foundation.[4]

Thomas increased the graduate success rate and the APR, and under his direction UC was one of the leaders in the Big East conference for academic success. Membership in the school's athletic fundraising arm increased by almost 300% under Thomas' tenure, and funds were raised for several capital projects. He was recognized as the Cincinnati Sports Executive of the Year in 2010.

https://gobearcats.com/news/2011/8/10/Mi..._Athletics

Quote:Thomas had been lauded for his vision for success in all areas of UC athletics, guided by the strategic plan that was put in place soon after arriving on campus. Titled CATAPULT - an acronym for championships, academics, and together - the plan focused on three main initiatives: winning BIG EAST team championships, high-level academic achievement, and a comprehensive integration with the UC Campus and Greater Cincinnati community. During the course of the plan, UC athletics produced one NCAA individual champion, four BIG EAST team titles, 12 All-Americans, and 72 All BIG EAST honorees. It also called for expanded and redefined academic services and the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program, which resulted in UC being one of the most recognized schools in the 16-member BIG EAST Conference for academic success, earning multiple BIG EAST Academic Excellence Awards. The overall Academic Progress Rate (APR) of all UC athletics programs increased and in the most recent APR report five UC athletic teams earned perfect APR scores of 1000, including men's basketball. UC's student-athletes also emerged as community leaders, and since 2006 their community service hours have grown from 1000 annual hours to over 5500.

On the external side, the University of Cincinnati is growing at a tremendous rate. Since his arrival Thomas has increased UC's athletic department budget by $7 million, a vital 20% increase, while simultaneously reducing the annual operating deficit by over $6 million. UC established single-season attendance and revenue records for football in each of the past three years and its donor base has increased by nearly 300 percent during Thomas' tenure while raising $70 million in capital projects, endowments, and sports-specific giving. Thomas negotiated UC's first across-the-board shoe and apparel contract with adidas and revamped UC's multimedia rights partnership, reaching an agreement with IMG College, increasing overall revenues in this area by over $17 million.