Greg Byrne new Alabama AD

splitsecond · Post by **splitsecond** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 1:13 pm

Beachcat97 wrote:Is it really so hard to see Miller leaving for another job?

Can we institute a rule here like many reddit forums have done that bans concern trolling? This kind of shit is just obnoxious.

splitsecond · Post by **splitsecond** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 1:19 pm

Irish27 wrote:

Lol, fuck the entire Mason family (but not literally because they will play the Duke Lacrosse card on you)

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 2:08 pm

splitsecond wrote:
Irish27 wrote:
Lol, fuck the entire Mason family (but not literally because they will play the Duke Lacrosse card on you)

They are a very attractive family.

Beachcat97 · Post by **Beachcat97** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 2:31 pm

Harvey Specter wrote:
Beachcat97 wrote:
Irish27 wrote:
Beachcat97 wrote:Is it really so hard to see Miller leaving for another job?
Yes. He has everything here, a top-10 program and can recruit any kid he wants.
If one of the blue bloods came after him, he'd be gone. I could see him at Syracuse as well.

He won't leave right away. It would disrupt his family too much. But in a few more years? Especially if he keeps getting close but no cigar in Tucson?
Your envy of other programs obviously extends beyond the hallowed grounds of Westwood.

But all the way to Syracuse? STFU and go troll somewhere else...

Syracuse has won the same number of titles as AZ, has been to the FF more recently, and recruits nationally. They're down a little at the moment, but I'm not sure Cuse is too far off from AZ in terms of history and prestige.

azcat34 · Post by **azcat34** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 2:40 pm

Beachcat97 wrote:
Harvey Specter wrote:
Beachcat97 wrote:
Irish27 wrote:
Beachcat97 wrote:Is it really so hard to see Miller leaving for another job?
Yes. He has everything here, a top-10 program and can recruit any kid he wants.
If one of the blue bloods came after him, he'd be gone. I could see him at Syracuse as well.

He won't leave right away. It would disrupt his family too much. But in a few more years? Especially if he keeps getting close but no cigar in Tucson?
Your envy of other programs obviously extends beyond the hallowed grounds of Westwood.

But all the way to Syracuse? STFU and go troll somewhere else...
Syracuse has won the same number of titles as AZ, has been to the FF more recently, and recruits nationally. They're down a little at the moment, but I'm not sure Cuse is too far off from AZ in terms of history and prestige.

13 of the 19 listed players are from NY or NJ.

http://cuse.com/roster.aspx?path=mbasket" target="_blank

EVCat · Post by **EVCat** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 2:54 pm

I know you are still trolling, but history and past prestige only matters in coaching hirings in the moment. In that case, I suppose USF is a factor because the Dons were powers in the 50s. And living in upstate NY is no factor of course. Hell...CCNY has a greater NCAA presence back in the day, so look out there, too.

For that matter, UTEP, airtight? They had a MOVIE made about them.

We can lose Miller to: UNC, NBA, death, GCU when they offer him $15MM per year. No one else.

It is a fucking stupid comment and you know it is.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 3:23 pm

Beachcat97 wrote:
Harvey Specter wrote:
Beachcat97 wrote:
Irish27 wrote:
Beachcat97 wrote:Is it really so hard to see Miller leaving for another job?
Yes. He has everything here, a top-10 program and can recruit any kid he wants.
If one of the blue bloods came after him, he'd be gone. I could see him at Syracuse as well.

He won't leave right away. It would disrupt his family too much. But in a few more years? Especially if he keeps getting close but no cigar in Tucson?
Your envy of other programs obviously extends beyond the hallowed grounds of Westwood.

But all the way to Syracuse? STFU and go troll somewhere else...
Syracuse has won the same number of titles as AZ, has been to the FF more recently, and recruits nationally. They're down a little at the moment, but I'm not sure Cuse is too far off from AZ in terms of history and prestige.

You just made the crystal clear case that going to Syracuse from Arizona is a lateral move at best. Way to go genius. Miller has less competition in his conference at Arizona both in recruiting and in the standings, he also makes millions more than Cuse pays their coach.

Shut up Beachcat.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 5:12 pm

Beachcat97 · Post by **Beachcat97** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 6:01 pm

By the way, Miller was close to leaving for Maryland. Is Maryland a better program than Syracuse?

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 6:04 pm

Beachcat97 wrote:By the way, Miller was close to leaving for Maryland. Is Maryland a better program than Syracuse?

5 or 6 years ago?

Longhorned · Post by **Longhorned** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 6:05 pm

Beachcat97 wrote:By the way, Miller was close to leaving for Maryland. Is Maryland a better program than Syracuse?

Arguably, yes. It was considered a sleeping giant before Miller turned it down.

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 6:07 pm

I don't care who they hire as long as he/she is a great fundraiser and uses social media like GB.

Beachcat97 · Post by **Beachcat97** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 6:11 pm

Longhorned wrote:
Beachcat97 wrote:By the way, Miller was close to leaving for Maryland. Is Maryland a better program than Syracuse?
Arguably, yes. It was considered a sleeping giant before Miller turned it down.

Cuse vs. MD isn't even debatable. Cuse has a HOF coach, multiple FFs, a NC, tons of NBA Draft picks, and with the exception of a few seasons here and there, they have been ahead of MD in just about any possible category.

The point, though: Miller seriously considered leaving for what, for all intents and purposes, is a 2nd tier program.

Longhorned · Post by **Longhorned** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 6:13 pm

Everybody should channel their inner Beachcat and imagine how Miller might leave for Xavier, and his successor will be Mark Gottfried, for whom we should feel honored to have considered Arizona a lateral move worth rolling toward.

Longhorned · Post by **Longhorned** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 6:16 pm

Beachcat97 wrote:
Longhorned wrote:
Beachcat97 wrote:By the way, Miller was close to leaving for Maryland. Is Maryland a better program than Syracuse?
Arguably, yes. It was considered a sleeping giant before Miller turned it down.
Cuse vs. MD isn't even debatable. Cuse has a HOF coach, multiple FFs, a NC, tons of NBA Draft picks, and with the exception of a few seasons here and there, they have been ahead of MD in just about any possible category.

Go back to 2010 and re-do that math, keeping in mind the attractiveness of jobs with a single, long-time Hall of Fame coach.

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 6:41 pm

Longhorned wrote:
Beachcat97 wrote:
Longhorned wrote:
Beachcat97 wrote:By the way, Miller was close to leaving for Maryland. Is Maryland a better program than Syracuse?
Arguably, yes. It was considered a sleeping giant before Miller turned it down.
Cuse vs. MD isn't even debatable. Cuse has a HOF coach, multiple FFs, a NC, tons of NBA Draft picks, and with the exception of a few seasons here and there, they have been ahead of MD in just about any possible category.
Go back to 2010 and re-do that math, keeping in mind the attractiveness of jobs with a single, long-time Hall of Fame coach.

Syracuse has been a little more consistent than MD, but their heights are comparable. Also, MD is right next to DC. Syracuse used to rely on NYC during their glory days and have been less consistent recently.

Of course, Syracuse post-Boeheim is a little like Arizona post-Lute.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 6:45 pm

Late to the party on this, just heard about Byrne leaving for Bama.

One can obviously understand why he would leave. I mean hell, it's Bama. He'll never have to scrimp and save there for football facility upgrades that's for sure. Also that retention bonus money he left here by leaving, is chump change that Bama wouldn't blink twice at, so yeah they compensated him way over what he was losing.

However, I must state that I'm not as in love with the guy as the overall message board populace is. Sure, he's friendly/personable a good fund raiser and fairly communicative. But he also hired RR and has had a couple miscues along the way. Did a good job and I liked the guy, but when Bama comes knocking you go (well, for a football job or an AD job at least).

Good luck to him, and hopefully we'll hit a home run with the next one (or even an RBI scoring Double might be good enough).

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 6:58 pm

The "I'm not as enamoured with Byrne" takes are always conspicuously vague outside of the fact he hired RichRod . . . a guy that two years ago 99 out of 100 of us thought was a homerun hire.

Longhorned · Post by **Longhorned** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 7:03 pm

PieceOfMeat wrote: Did a good job and I liked the guy, but when Bama comes knocking you go (well, for a football job or an AD job at least).

I'm not going find the sources, but early in his tenure at Arizona there was media discussion that he valued the importance of football over basketball, which makes perfect sense for an AD, and is easily justified. And yet as of now, football isn't in a strong place at Arizona, and still all his dreams come true in going to the department with the best football program in the country. I know it isn't his fault, and it certainly isn't for lack of attention. Good on him.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 7:16 pm

Chicat wrote:The "I'm not as enamoured with Byrne" takes are always conspicuously vague outside of the fact he hired RichRod . . . a guy that two years ago 99 out of 100 of us thought was a homerun hire.

Why would you consider it vague when the obvious #1 mistake is mentioned. If you want more complaints, start a "all the things byrne did wrong" thread and I'm sure you'll get plenty of responses in it. Personally speaking, I don't feel the need/desire to bother listing them all out in this particular thread and instead would rather wish him well on his journey. Especially when, as I said, I liked the guy (I just wasn't in love with him as many seem to have been).

Gilbertcat · Post by **Gilbertcat** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 7:18 pm

He was pretty good. He was professional. Kept hires on the download. And kept alumni happy and money flowing. Couldn't ask for more. Hopefully a new person can keep it up.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 7:33 pm

PieceOfMeat wrote:
Chicat wrote:The "I'm not as enamoured with Byrne" takes are always conspicuously vague outside of the fact he hired RichRod . . . a guy that two years ago 99 out of 100 of us thought was a homerun hire.
Why would you consider it vague when the obvious #1 mistake is mentioned. If you want more complaints, start a "all the things byrne did wrong" thread and I'm sure you'll get plenty of responses in it. Personally speaking, I don't feel the need/desire to bother listing them all out in this particular thread and instead would rather wish him well on his journey. Especially when, as I said, I liked the guy (I just wasn't in love with him as many seem to have been).

So his numerous mistakes are worth mentioning since you're not in love with the guy but you're not going to discuss them because you like him a bunch and want to wish him well? Haha, ok...

I thought Byrne was an A-level AD. Not sure why I'd be the one to start the Byrne's Mistakes thread. I'll leave that to the "I'm not in love with him like the rest of you" crowd.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 7:48 pm

Chicat wrote:So his numerous mistakes are worth mentioning since you're not in love with the guy but you're not going to discuss them because you like him a bunch and want to wish him well? Haha, ok...

You didn't ask for any further detail on the other mistakes, you only stated you thought such complaints were "vague" because all they did was mention the #1 mistake he made in hiring RR. I responded why should you consider it vague when the obvious #1 thing was mentioned. I suggested you start a different thread if you're really interested in getting that further detail (which you never asked for, yet you're now complaining about me not wanting to give?). Why are you feeling so salty that not every loves the guy as much as you?

Chicat wrote: I thought Byrne was an A-level AD. Not sure why I'd be the one to start the Byrne's Mistakes thread. I'll leave that to the "I'm not in love with him like the rest of you" crowd.

Then why falsely label others as not wanting to "discuss them" when you A) don't ask for the details and B) won't start a thread to get the details you didnt ask for but now want?

Don't know who pissed your cheerios this morning Chi, but I assure you that I didn't do it from Tucson (don't have that much pressure behind the hose any longer).

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 7:58 pm

The one big negative about Byrne (if you portray it as a negative) is he adopted an AD that was in the black (Livengood's strength) and left it in debt to the tune of 7 figures. Of course the facilities have a lot to do with that, but those numbers will cripple the new athletic director quite a bit. Byrne's other negative is Sears Cup standings, which have steadily gone down since Livengood left.

I'm a Byrne fan fwiw, just pointing out some things that can be argued as negative on his watch.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 8:25 pm

Looks like ChooChoo beat you to it POM, but I'd love to hear the other mistakes you think Byrne made.

Harvey Specter · Post by **Harvey Specter** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 8:26 pm

ChooChooCat wrote:The one big negative about Byrne (if you portray it as a negative) is he adopted an AD that was in the black (Livengood's strength) and left it in debt to the tune of 7 figures. Of course the facilities have a lot to do with that, but those numbers will cripple the new athletic director quite a bit. Byrne's other negative is Sears Cup standings, which have steadily gone down since Livengood left.

I'm a Byrne fan fwiw, just pointing out some things that can be argued as negative on his watch.

Well there are a number of Byrne fans who did not believe the man walked on water. and we were clearly wrong.

RR was a fantastic, home run hire because 2 years ago most of us thought he was. (I actually did not like the hire when it was made... but I did like Stoops' hire - so I guess that was a good one).
No one cares about the Sears Cup... as long as we are doing better in swimming, women's soccer, and women's BB it's all good.
Running in the red means nothing. So long as he raised money, it does not matter how he much he spent.

This is obviously facetious... but there does not seem to be room for any opinion that deviates from "The guy was essentially perfection and flawless". Because a B+ is considered a "mediocre grade"... I actually thought C was mediocre, and B+ is just shy of an A.

Regardless - the guy did something right... everyone to a person is sorry to see him leave but wishes him well and harbors no resentment for his departure. Well done, Mr. Byrne - and best of luck!

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 8:42 pm

Harvey Specter wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:The one big negative about Byrne (if you portray it as a negative) is he adopted an AD that was in the black (Livengood's strength) and left it in debt to the tune of 7 figures. Of course the facilities have a lot to do with that, but those numbers will cripple the new athletic director quite a bit. Byrne's other negative is Sears Cup standings, which have steadily gone down since Livengood left.

I'm a Byrne fan fwiw, just pointing out some things that can be argued as negative on his watch.
Well there are a number of Byrne fans who did not believe the man walked on water. and we were clearly wrong.

RR was a fantastic, home run hire because 2 years ago most of us thought he was. (I actually did not like the hire when it was made... but I did like Stoops' hire - so I guess that was a good one).
No one cares about the Sears Cup... as long as we are doing better in swimming, women's soccer, and women's BB it's all good.
Running in the red means nothing. So long as he raised money, it does not matter how he much he spent.

This is obviously facetious... but there does not seem to be room for any opinion that deviates from "The guy was essentially perfection and flawless". Because a B+ is considered a "mediocre grade"... I actually thought C was mediocre, and B+ is just shy of an A.

Regardless - the guy did something right... everyone to a person is sorry to see him leave but wishes him well and harbors no resentment for his departure. We done, Mr. Byrne - and best of luck!

Of course there's room for every opinion. I was just looking for something other than "he hired RichRod". Thank you for illustrating the negative things you see that I don't.

splitsecond · Post by **splitsecond** » Mon Jan 16, 2017 10:38 pm

Chicat wrote:The "I'm not as enamoured with Byrne" takes are always conspicuously vague outside of the fact he hired RichRod . . . a guy that two years ago 99 out of 100 of us thought was a homerun hire.

And once Khalil Tate learns and is starting they will all love him again.

HiCat · Post by **HiCat** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 4:33 am

Sean Miller reacts to Greg Byrne’s departure to Alabama

http://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball ... candidates" target="_blank

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 7:21 am

gumby · Post by **gumby** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:00 am

It's Byrnes' unprecedented ability to keep a secret that sealed the deal. Institutions love that.

gumby · Post by **gumby** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:02 am

BTW, it is amusing that sending out a weekly rah-rahgram is considered ground-breaking. I've had any number of bosses who would've been considered pioneers by that standard.

PHXCATS · Post by **PHXCATS** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:04 am

gumby wrote:BTW, it is amusing that sending out a weekly rah-rahgram is considered ground-breaking. I've had any number of bosses who would've been considered pioneers in the college athletics realm.

Not ground breaking but better than what was done by the prior ad. Gave people a feeling that they were a part of the program. I hope that something similar happens with the next ad. Nearly meaningless but still made me feel good to read it in my inbox every week.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:06 am

gumby wrote:BTW, it is amusing that sending out a weekly rah-rahgram is considered ground-breaking. I've had any number of bosses who would've been considered pioneers by that standard.

The ground-breaking part was how actively UA athletics pursued communication across a number of social media platforms, as well as through alumni groups, surveying, on-campus activities, and so forth. The year after Byrne took the job was a complete 180 from the year before as far as fan engagement and efforts to engage alumni, especially in Phoenix, LA, and even Chicago, Washington DC, and NYC.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:18 am

Considering Saban is almost 66...Byrne will most likely be tasked with finding his replacement.

CalStateTempe · Post by **CalStateTempe** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:38 am

Easy... Dabo

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:48 am

ASUHATER! wrote:Considering Saban is almost 66...Byrne will most likely be tasked with finding his replacement.

I assume an Alabama coaching search would involve a line of supplicants. I'm not 100% Dabo would leave Clemson, but he would be the easy answer. The easier list would be guys who wouldn't fall all over themselves to walk to Tuscaloosa.

MrMeow · Post by **MrMeow** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:53 am

Chicat wrote:
gumby wrote:BTW, it is amusing that sending out a weekly rah-rahgram is considered ground-breaking. I've had any number of bosses who would've been considered pioneers by that standard.
The ground-breaking part was how actively UA athletics pursued communication across a number of social media platforms, as well as through alumni groups, surveying, on-campus activities, and so forth. The year after Byrne took the job was a complete 180 from the year before as far as fan engagement and efforts to engage alumni, especially in Phoenix, LA, and even Chicago, Washington DC, and NYC.

Such a glaring difference between GB and Livengood ... on many levels. Had Livengood remained AD Sean Miller would likely be at Maryland, or somewhere else. That dumbass feuded with Lute, who was his bread and butter.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:57 am

CalStateTempe wrote:Easy... Dabo

i'm not convinced. Clemson is at the top of the sport right now and he'll be given anything he wants there. it was already a top 15 job. he wouldn't do a lot more or get a lot more at alabama than he isn't getting at clemson. only reason was if he just wanted to do the same thing at his alma mater. i still think alabama wants to shoot higher. get whoever the top NFL coach is that's still working in 2-4 years.

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:58 am

Chicat wrote:
gumby wrote:BTW, it is amusing that sending out a weekly rah-rahgram is considered ground-breaking. I've had any number of bosses who would've been considered pioneers by that standard.
The ground-breaking part was how actively UA athletics pursued communication across a number of social media platforms, as well as through alumni groups, surveying, on-campus activities, and so forth. The year after Byrne took the job was a complete 180 from the year before as far as fan engagement and efforts to engage alumni, especially in Phoenix, LA, and even Chicago, Washington DC, and NYC.

Don't forget Rita's football videos, Chi!

EVCat · Post by **EVCat** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 10:24 am

CalStateTempe wrote:Easy... Dabo

Dabo has to be #s 1 through 10 on their list, right?

I mean, it is the only job he would leave Clemson for, and would complete the circle of his life. Alumnus, former coach, obsessive Bama fan growing up. It is more than the school he fought and scrimped and lived with his mom, for chrissake, to go to...it was his favorite team, period.

And he would walk in with the respect of the fanbase, that he was able to go outside the SEC and win a national title, all while maintaining a public respect for what they see as the greatest institution in history during an intense period of battle. It is very easy when playing a team 2 times in a row for a national title to take it very personal and to snap when asked the 1000th time about how hard it is to coach against his alma mater. But he maintained a very genuine love and respect for Alabama while being very much Clemson's guy. The Bama fanbase has to appreciate that.

And then there is money. Clemson is on an all time high right now, but Bama, as we know, gets what they want.

If Saban leaves any time in the next 3 or 4 years, and Clemson isn't a total dumpster fire, Dabo has to be their target.

EVCat · Post by **EVCat** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 10:37 am

MrMeow wrote:That dumbass feuded with Lute, who was his bread and butter.

To be fair, he "feuded" with Lute only when Lute had actual mental illness and was demanding some insane shit, or when he lost control of his signature.

Lute made it clear for years that he was very much in Jim Livengood's corner and would continue to be, and that relationship was part of why Lute never broke the bank...he respected Livengood's need to run a program in the black with ridiculously unbalanced treatment by the Regents when it came to UA contracts vs ASU contracts. With Dennis DeConcini, among others, breathing down our necks despite us not only running a program with football struggles and low end facilities in the black, but doing so with reserves and tossing money to the school for pet projects.

I know this board is an offshoot of the goazcats board, and boards have cultures...and part of this culture was to dislike Jim Livengood and overblow his mistakes and ignore his successes. He was not Greg Byrne, but he was a very good, not great, AD, who had a completely different environment from which to operate. He made a big mistake with Mackovic, but that was not so crazy a hire at the time of the hire as people remember in retrospect...there was a lot of pressure to bring in an offense first guy. He was very much out and about with the alumni, but was more of an analog guy than digital...Byrne reflected a new generation. My personal dealings with Livengood were limited, but occurred mostly when I was a student with student media. He had an open door policy for student groups in my dealings, as I had no strings to pull, and no real benefit to deliver him, but he had come from WSU and a strong student media, and was supportive. Hell, I met with the guy a year apart in meetings and he remembered a leg injury I was nursing the first time I saw him. He also took a meeting from me when I was in a panic due to a misunderstanding that was going to cost us access...he didn't pawn it off on a subordinate, and at the end of the day, he pulled his personal tickets out of his pocket to fix the situation in the temporary so I didn't have to miss the games right before my graduation (winter grad) while re-establishing access.

He also managed to get John Calipari to agree to be our coach in waiting until Kentucky happened, and then Calipari had so much respect for Livengood, he mentioned Livengood at his presser at UK AND got Sean on the phone in the middle of the night when he turned us down, conference calling Miller then looping in Livengood, getting a deal done. That relationship that Livengood developed saved our program in the end...

Again, Livengood was not a dynamic, great, groundbreaking AD. But he was what we needed at the time we had him. And Byrne was fantastic...a Dempsey-level AD, and we have been blessed to have two of those in such quick succession. But Dempsey and Byrne's greatness should not diminish the job Livengood did.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 10:47 am

Livengood was no means a bad AD, but there were some things that limited his effectiveness. One was that he looked at the budget being in the black as the end all-be all measure of his success as an administrator. This caused most of our facilities to lag behind schools even at small conferences. There was very little capital investment in the major sports at UA.

The second was that he was a truly poor communicator. You can see that in his interview process with Sean Miller, and in his invisibility around the school and community. He was my AD while I was a student and I honestly don't know that I could have picked him out of a lineup. Probably because I didn't own a car dealership or real estate company.

Byrne did a lot of things well, especially in regards to the things I listed above. That was the culture change we needed, and that he thankfully brought.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 10:51 am

Harvey Specter wrote:there does not seem to be room for any opinion that deviates from "The guy was essentially perfection and flawless". Because a B+ is considered a "mediocre grade"... I actually thought C was mediocre, and B+ is just shy of an A.

Hey Harv, I was just reading back through the other thread and I said the word "mediocre" after your description of Byrne having not moved the needle on the three major sports and prior to you ever handing out grades. Just wanted to point that out in case you really do think I believe B+ is a "mediocre grade". And from your original description of Byrne's tenure, I don't know how anyone would have guessed you'd give him such high marks. Maybe you grade on a curve?

Spaceman Spiff · Post by **Spaceman Spiff** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 10:53 am

ASUHATER! wrote:
CalStateTempe wrote:Easy... Dabo
i'm not convinced. Clemson is at the top of the sport right now and he'll be given anything he wants there. it was already a top 15 job. he wouldn't do a lot more or get a lot more at alabama than he isn't getting at clemson. only reason was if he just wanted to do the same thing at his alma mater. i still think alabama wants to shoot higher. get whoever the top NFL coach is that's still working in 2-4 years.

Dabo will be Bama's first call. I agree with your reasoning, but Dabo has such strong personal ties to Alabama. That's the wild card. Generally, I think it is smart to stay in the situation you know is good, and Saban's successor is going to have a very, very high bar set for him, but you can't discount personal ties.

Dabo is young and has a NC and has demonstrated he can lead a top program. It's comparable to Roy Williams when he left for UNC, except Roy had a few more years on Dabo.

CalStateTempe · Post by **CalStateTempe** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 11:38 am

What EVcat said.

Dabo's very personal ties to Bama make all the difference.

MrMeow · Post by **MrMeow** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 11:43 am

EVCat wrote:
MrMeow wrote:That dumbass feuded with Lute, who was his bread and butter.
To be fair, he "feuded" with Lute only when Lute had actual mental illness and was demanding some insane shit, or when he lost control of his signature.

Lute made it clear for years that he was very much in Jim Livengood's corner and would continue to be, and that relationship was part of why Lute never broke the bank...he respected Livengood's need to run a program in the black with ridiculously unbalanced treatment by the Regents when it came to UA contracts vs ASU contracts. With Dennis DeConcini, among others, breathing down our necks despite us not only running a program with football struggles and low end facilities in the black, but doing so with reserves and tossing money to the school for pet projects.

I know this board is an offshoot of the goazcats board, and boards have cultures...and part of this culture was to dislike Jim Livengood and overblow his mistakes and ignore his successes. He was not Greg Byrne, but he was a very good, not great, AD, who had a completely different environment from which to operate. He made a big mistake with Mackovic, but that was not so crazy a hire at the time of the hire as people remember in retrospect...there was a lot of pressure to bring in an offense first guy. He was very much out and about with the alumni, but was more of an analog guy than digital...Byrne reflected a new generation. My personal dealings with Livengood were limited, but occurred mostly when I was a student with student media. He had an open door policy for student groups in my dealings, as I had no strings to pull, and no real benefit to deliver him, but he had come from WSU and a strong student media, and was supportive. Hell, I met with the guy a year apart in meetings and he remembered a leg injury I was nursing the first time I saw him. He also took a meeting from me when I was in a panic due to a misunderstanding that was going to cost us access...he didn't pawn it off on a subordinate, and at the end of the day, he pulled his personal tickets out of his pocket to fix the situation in the temporary so I didn't have to miss the games right before my graduation (winter grad) while re-establishing access.

He also managed to get John Calipari to agree to be our coach in waiting until Kentucky happened, and then Calipari had so much respect for Livengood, he mentioned Livengood at his presser at UK AND got Sean on the phone in the middle of the night when he turned us down, conference calling Miller then looping in Livengood, getting a deal done. That relationship that Livengood developed saved our program in the end...

Again, Livengood was not a dynamic, great, groundbreaking AD. But he was what we needed at the time we had him. And Byrne was fantastic...a Dempsey-level AD, and we have been blessed to have two of those in such quick succession. But Dempsey and Byrne's greatness should not diminish the job Livengood did.

To be fair, what was the "insane shit" Lute was demanding? I honestly don't know.

Was Lute diagnosed of having "actual" mental illness, apart from the minor physical effects of his mild stroke? I mean professionally, or was it just shit SOME people were saying?

I'm glad to hear he was nice to you, but Livengood was just a place holder until someone really competent, like GB, came along. There is a reason his contract wasn't renewed. Livengood was a doofus on nearly every level except balancing the books. Any competent accountant can do that, and the books were never out of balance before he got there or after he left, yet that was his be all, end all. He sacrificed everything for it. Dr. Shelton got it right. Yes, thank God for John Calipari. Otherwise we would have had Tim Floyd - icing on the Wackovic cake.

gumby · Post by **gumby** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 11:45 am

MrMeow wrote:
Chicat wrote:
gumby wrote:BTW, it is amusing that sending out a weekly rah-rahgram is considered ground-breaking. I've had any number of bosses who would've been considered pioneers by that standard.
The ground-breaking part was how actively UA athletics pursued communication across a number of social media platforms, as well as through alumni groups, surveying, on-campus activities, and so forth. The year after Byrne took the job was a complete 180 from the year before as far as fan engagement and efforts to engage alumni, especially in Phoenix, LA, and even Chicago, Washington DC, and NYC.
Such a glaring difference between GB and Livengood ... on many levels. Had Livengood remained AD Sean Miller would likely be at Maryland, or somewhere else. That dumbass feuded with Lute, who was his bread and butter.

And from what I've read, a glaring difference among other ADs, too. Troglodytes. Nice that he did it, but how clueless are the rest? It's not like a genius idea.

The new Wazzu prez tweets and such, and it's like ... great idea! Duh.

dirtbags · Post by **dirtbags** » Tue Jan 17, 2017 1:15 pm

what's the status of the new UA president search? thought i saw a blurb in the fall that the ABOR or exec search committee or whatever had plans to initiate proceedings well before the holidays and accelerate the process to find a worthy successor and get that idiot AWH replaced. will a new AD really be comfortable taking a job with so much uncertainty around the senior-most leadership position?

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