Football Operations Building outdated?

[PeteTheChop]

So says a poster at Brand X, who claims the building needs LED lighting to make it pop for recruits. Apparently, CJD also wants new locker rooms.

Have a hard time believing the FOB is "outdated" ... what is it – like 6 or 7 years old?

I still doubt that is what Dr. Schultz is referring to when he talks about he and Chin knowing they need to build a first-class IPF

 

[etowncoug]

So says a poster at Brand X, who claims the building needs LED lighting to make it pop for recruits. Apparently, CJD also wants new locker rooms.

Have a hard time believing the FOB is "outdated" ... what is it – like 6 or 7 years old?

I still doubt that is what Dr. Schultz is referring to when he talks about he and Chin knowing they need to build a first-class IPF

Maybe they could benefit from some cosmetic changes like LED lights or new paint/layout in the locker rooms but that's a relatively minor expense.

 

[M-I-Coug]

Wouldn't it be nice if the winner of the mega lotto from Auburn was a COUG? Then he or she can just cover everything for a new Beasley Coliseum, and a Bob Robertson Bronze statue!

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

great, Costco has LED light strips for $20.

Go tell the hotshot at BX to run his narrow ass down there and pick up a pallet of them and charge it to Chun, I'm sure he won't mind.

 

[95coug]

I think FOB opened in 2014 or 15. Don't remember for sure.

But, it was recently enough that I would expect most of the lighting to be LED already...although I also wouldn't be surprised if university "value engineering" removed it. Maybe it's just not the right LED...and recruits can't change it to display their name in multicolored lighting with their cell phone app.

 

[Coug90]

Not surprising…it’s always an arms race with the facilities, bells and whistles. The next school to renovate one-ups everyone else and on it goes.

 

[Loyal Coug1]

So says a poster at Brand X, who claims the building needs LED lighting to make it pop for recruits. Apparently, CJD also wants new locker rooms.

Have a hard time believing the FOB is "outdated" ... what is it – like 6 or 7 years old?

I still doubt that is what Dr. Schultz is referring to when he talks about he and Chin knowing they need to build a first-class IPF

Hey Choppy - who the hell are you referring to as Brand X? I went to Brand X (Cougfan), and Brand Y (Cougcenter) and saw no such nonsense as you are talking about. So where the F are you getting this?

 

[Coug90]

Hey Choppy - who the hell are you referring to as Brand X? I went to Brand X (Cougfan), and Brand Y (Cougcenter) and saw no such nonsense as you are talking about. So where the F are you getting this?

CougsOnly.com

 

[PeteTheChop]

Hey Loyal.

The thread is titled “Maybe why the President and Pat Chun are not panicking” from Feb. 5 on Brand X’s luxury board.

 

[Cougsocal]

It never ceases to amaze me that people just don't get it. You need solid and functional facilities, but you need to have the right coaches to be successful. To get the right coaches costs money, unless you get very lucky. If you put all your eggs in the facilities basket, and hire cheap, it generally doesn't work out. Cases in point -- Oregon -- Helfrich, UW -- Lake. Look at Colorado, they "built it," and continued to suck. Conversely, Utah's recent success has little to do with its decade old FOB, and everything to do with hiring the right coach, and more importantly, retaining his arse long term at 6 million per year.

 

[M-I-Coug]

It never ceases to amaze me that people just don't get it. You need solid and functional facilities, but you need to have the right coaches to be successful. To get the right coaches costs money, unless you get very lucky. If you put all your eggs in the facilities basket, and hire cheap, it generally doesn't work out. Cases in point -- Oregon -- Helfrich, UW -- Lake. Look at Colorado, they "built it," and continued to suck. Conversely, Utah's recent success has little to do with its decade old FOB, and everything to do with hiring the right coach, and more importantly, retaining his arse long term at 6 million per year.

Agreed. There are those few exceptions with modest to zero facilities and/or modest salary:

Look at Jason Eck, at Idaho. How many coaches has the Vandals gone thru in the past 4 decades?

Mark Few. He can go anywhere. If he didn't like to hunt and fish, he'd be earning $10M a year at Chapel Hill, or wherever.

Ed Pepple. The legendary High School basketball coach for Mercer Island for 42 years. Out of his 42 years were 4 State Titles, and 1 losing Season. He could go anywhere, but stayed at M-I on whatever salary. Ed's thing was he liked to groom kids from elementary, middle school and mold them his way. He said....you can't do that at the college level.

Money wasn't his motive, just like Few.

Pretty interesting.

 

[PeteTheChop]

Agreed. There are those few exceptions with modest to zero facilities and/or modest salary:

Look at Jason Eck, at Idaho. How many coaches has the Vandals gone thru in the past 4 decades?

Mark Few. He can go anywhere. If he didn't like to hunt and fish, he'd be earning $10M a year at Chapel Hill, or wherever.

Ed Pepple. The legendary High School basketball coach for Mercer Island for 42 years. Out of his 42 years were 4 State Titles, and 1 losing Season. He could go anywhere, but stayed at M-I on whatever salary. Ed's thing was he liked to groom kids from elementary, middle school and mold them his way. He said....you can't do that at the college level.

Money wasn't his motive, just like Few.

Pretty interesting.

Great post M.I.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

To me, the "outdated" comments depend upon context. If you mean outdated in the same way that skinny jeans are now not the pinnacle of jeans fashion, then maybe our FOB is outdated. Might (probably does) need some minor facelift work, if for no other reason than for the bling factor.

But if you are valuing function over form, then it is not outdated. The necessary things can be done, in comfort. Hell, by the standards of 20-30 years ago, they can be done in luxury. Is it the ultimate in terms of advertising & recruitment? No. But neither is it functionally outdated.

 

[etowncoug]

Agreed. There are those few exceptions with modest to zero facilities and/or modest salary:

Look at Jason Eck, at Idaho. How many coaches has the Vandals gone thru in the past 4 decades?

Mark Few. He can go anywhere. If he didn't like to hunt and fish, he'd be earning $10M a year at Chapel Hill, or wherever.

Ed Pepple. The legendary High School basketball coach for Mercer Island for 42 years. Out of his 42 years were 4 State Titles, and 1 losing Season. He could go anywhere, but stayed at M-I on whatever salary. Ed's thing was he liked to groom kids from elementary, middle school and mold them his way. He said....you can't do that at the college level.

Money wasn't his motive, just like Few.

Pretty interesting.

Facilities aren't going to win anything, but program infrastructure allows you to keep things in place for long term success. We've had some HOF coaches who have spent time in Pullman but they leave. What we haven't been able to pull off is the Mark Hopkins, Lorenzo Romar, or Bob Bender effect where an average/below average coach is able to get a team to the NCAA tournament. Jimmy Lake was an absolute trainwreck and UW was immediately able to get back to the upper echelon of the conference under DeBoer.

Jason Eck did great at Idaho, but someone will snag him soon and Idaho will go back to being Idaho.

I will say NIL has changed what "infrastructure" looks like. When paying players was officially off the table the money flowed into facilities and support systems. Those will taper off as cash flows directly to athletes.

Final point is neither Helfrich or Lake were hired because the school was looking to go cheap. They were hired because the school believed they were the person to continue a successful run when Kelley and Petersen left.

 

[95coug]

Facilities aren't going to win anything, but program infrastructure allows you to keep things in place for long term success. We've had some HOF coaches who have spent time in Pullman but they leave. What we haven't been able to pull off is the Mark Hopkins, Lorenzo Romar, or Bob Bender effect where an average/below average coach is able to get a team to the NCAA tournament. Jimmy Lake was an absolute trainwreck and UW was immediately able to get back to the upper echelon of the conference under DeBoer.

Jason Eck did great at Idaho, but someone will snag him soon and Idaho will go back to being Idaho.

I will say NIL has changed what "infrastructure" looks like. When paying players was officially off the table the money flowed into facilities and support systems. Those will taper off as cash flows directly to athletes.

Final point is neither Helfrich or Lake were hired because the school was looking to go cheap. They were hired because the school believed they were the person to continue a successful run when Kelley and Petersen left.

I think it's a little early to say whether that's correct. Some institutions have had donors coming forward quickly to provide NIL deals, and it's at least theoretically possible that smaller donors can make more impact in NIL than they can in facilities. It's more likely that $50K or $100K will have an impact for an individual recruit than it will for any facilities.

It's a strange landscape now that the exact same thing that got SMU the death penalty and got Reggie Bush stripped of his Heisman is perfectly legal. But at least the NCAA is paying lip service to the idea that NIL has to stay outside the university...if the ruling over Miami's WBB recruiting is to be believed.