How?

[ToomersStreet 795]

I like many on this board am an Auburn Graduate.  I am going on my  18th year of public service.  I chose my line of work because I didn't and still do not want a real job.  I   have noticed we have high school  coaches on this board.  We have many other professionals on this forum that I imagine have done well  professionally.  However, some Auburn alum are the 1%.  They have done exceptionally well.  I am proud to have gone to a University that produced Bobby Lowder, Jimmy Rane,Tim Cook, Raymond Harbert.  I do not know them personally, but they have done very well  for themselves through hard work, discipline, sharp business acumen and making good decisions.  So HOW is it, that the most  successful Alum of our beloved University can build such successful businesses and climb the corporate latter right to the top, but they make such reckless and irresponsible decisions when it comes to the athletic department and our football program.  Harbert would run his company into  the dirt  if he ran his business this way. 

[doverstutts 1,643]

12 minutes ago, ToomersStreet said:

So HOW is it, that the most  successful Alum of our beloved University can build such successful businesses and climb the corporate latter right to the top, but they make such reckless and irresponsible decisions when it comes to the athletic department and our football program.  Harbert would run his company into  the dirt  if he ran his business this way. 

i suspect that it first an effort backed with good intentions, and doing what they thought was best....now, they had it blow up in their face and are in self-preservation mode by doubling down on stupid to save face....IF harbert guaranteed the buyout, that factors in,also...IF its true that they are trying to make Gus leave by hampering him, and it looks like it may be the case, that makes me angry because they would be ruining the AU football program for years just to cover their butts....bad coach or not, that is wrong

[AuCivilEng1 10,994]

15 minutes ago, ToomersStreet said:

I like many on this board am an Auburn Graduate.  I am going on my  18th year of public service.  I chose my line of work because I didn't and still do not want a real job.  I   have noticed we have high school  coaches on this board.  We have many other professionals on this forum that I imagine have done well  professionally.  However, some Auburn alum are the 1%.  They have done exceptionally well.  I am proud to have gone to a University that produced Bobby Lowder, Jimmy Rane,Tim Cook, Raymond Harbert.  I do not know them personally, but they have done very well  for themselves through hard work, discipline, sharp business acumen and making good decisions.  So HOW is it, that the most  successful Alum of our beloved University can build such successful businesses and climb the corporate latter right to the top, but they make such reckless and irresponsible decisions when it comes to the athletic department and our football program.  Harbert would run his company into  the dirt  if he ran his business this way. 

Imo, Harbert and the other big money doners are doing exactly what got them wealthy in the first place. Being extremely conservative with their money. They aren't buying Gus out and approving multi year contracts, because they don't want to risk buying him out for so much money and then bringing in a dud that is going to be worse. 

And just so you know, Im not happy about this either. I can just look at it from the perspective of someone who would be throwing all that money into a buyout and see why they're reluctant to do it. Problem is, the University is going to lose revenue if the team sucks. So damned if you do, damned if you don't is probably the way they see it.

[passthebiscuits 6,819]

Spencer is the biggest dog in this. Harbert is next.

[autigeremt 6,560]

Harbert is the front man but there’s a group of high class donors who levy the majority of the weight when it comes to control. LEATH should be the one shouldering the majority of the blame but I digress.......

[ellitor 33,062]

9 minutes ago, passthebiscuits said:

Spencer

Who?

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

Without rewriting history, who amongst us on Nov 26th 2017 didn't think that maybe Gus had turned the corner and needed to be retained? Arkansas wanted Gus and was willing to throw Walmart money at him to get him. This is a fact. Jeff Brohm just got a huge raise and did worse this year than the last simply because Louisville wanted him. The market, as much as it pains me, is trending toward these high contracts so Auburn is just the victim of poor circumstance. We can argue til we're blue in the face about the price tag, but retaining Malzahn was the right business move at the time.

Any other conclusion is revisionist history.

[provibe 261]

1. The big money guys need to suck it up and do what is right for Auburn and the Auburn football program. If even 1/2 of all that is being reported is true, then these men need to step back and really evaluate what they are doing. First of all, they are making Auburn look like it is being run by a bunch of wealthy morons. Please, either buy Gus out or give him what he needs to make Auburn football successful. We have the makings of a great recruiting class that most likely will fall apart if something is not done soon, thus hurting the football program for years to come.

[passthebiscuits 6,819]

15 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Who?

Sorry, Gaines Lanier. Not sure how my brain is working this morning 

[AUApostle 7,648]

22 minutes ago, JBiGGiE said:

Without rewriting history, who amongst us on Nov 26th 2017 didn't think that maybe Gus had turned the corner and needed to be retained? Arkansas wanted Gus and was willing to throw Walmart money at him to get him. This is a fact. Jeff Brohm just got a huge raise and did worse this year than the last simply because Louisville wanted him. The market, as much as it pains me, is trending toward these high contracts so Auburn is just the victim of poor circumstance. We can argue til we're blue in the face about the price tag, but retaining Malzahn was the right business move at the time.

Any other conclusion is revisionist history.

The buy-out is/was the problem.  $7 mil seemed to be fine based on the job that AU is.  Other HUGE red flag was the timing...Gus’ job wasn’t finished.  

The tough part for AU is the pickings seemed slim for a replacement.

[alexava 6,972]

4 hours ago, JBiGGiE said:

Without rewriting history, who amongst us on Nov 26th 2017 didn't think that maybe Gus had turned the corner and needed to be retained? Arkansas wanted Gus and was willing to throw Walmart money at him to get him. This is a fact. Jeff Brohm just got a huge raise and did worse this year than the last simply because Louisville wanted him. The market, as much as it pains me, is trending toward these high contracts so Auburn is just the victim of poor circumstance. We can argue til we're blue in the face about the price tag, but retaining Malzahn was the right business move at the time.

Any other conclusion is revisionist history.

I’m probably the only Gus supporter on this board. I didn’t agree with the contract or buyout last year. The buyout more so than the contract. But it makes no sense to give him the world then not support him. Let him go and pay him or support his staff needs. 

[alexava 6,972]

To the op, it seems like I remember seeing a story than Jimmy Rane didn’t attend Auburn or college at all. Just a fan. 

[keesler 5,922]

13 minutes ago, AUDevil said:

The buy-out is/was the problem.  $7 mil seemed to be fine based on the job that AU is.  Other HUGE red flag was the timing...Gus’ job wasn’t finished.  

The tough part for AU is the pickings seemed slim for a replacement.

They were slim indeed at the time. 

UF/UT/Ark/MSU/aTm (5) SEC programs were all in the market for a new HC last season. 

[I_M4_AU 7,752]

It’s difficult to run a business by committee especially if there is not a true leader.

[doverstutts 1,643]

25 minutes ago, alexava said:

To the op, it seems like I remember seeing a story than Jimmy Rane didn’t attend Auburn or college at all. Just a fan. 

i think you got him and someone else mixed up...pretty sure that jimmy rane was actually on a football team under shug

[Guest lurtz]

1 hour ago, JBiGGiE said:

Without rewriting history, who amongst us on Nov 26th 2017 didn't think that maybe Gus had turned the corner and needed to be retained?

Pretty sure bigbird said at the time he would help Gus pack for the move to arky. I seriously doubt WDEWDE was a fan of the extension. And there were others, I'm just not going to do a search.  LSU was just a few weeks back and the smarter football people on the board knew that game was more representative of Malzahn's coaching and his tenure at Auburn than the Georgia or bammer games. 

Arkansas wanted Gus and was willing to throw Walmart money at him to get him. This is a fact. Jeff Brohm just got a huge raise and did worse this year than the last simply because Louisville wanted him. The market, as much as it pains me, is trending toward these high contracts so Auburn is just the victim of poor circumstance.

Auburn is the victim of lousy administration and poor leadership. 

We can argue til we're blue in the face about the price tag, but retaining Malzahn was the right business move at the time.

Obviously it wasn't the right move or we wouldn't be having this discussion. 

Any other conclusion is revisionist history. That's the kind of thing somebody writes when they are hoping to forestall a response. FAIL.

A competent administrator would have called Gus & Sexton's bluff.  Your post is revisionist history. 

 

 

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

21 minutes ago, lurtz said:

A competent administrator would have called Gus & Sexton's bluff.  Your post is revisionist history. 

[oracle79 3,569]

3 hours ago, ToomersStreet said:

So HOW is it, that the most  successful Alum of our beloved University can build such successful businesses and climb the corporate latter right to the top, but they make such reckless and irresponsible decisions when it comes to the athletic department and our football program.  Harbert would run his company into  the dirt  if he ran his business this way. 

Short answer?  Look at Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys.  Brilliant business man and innovative with his brand.  TOTAL football idiot.  The less influence he has on player personnel and coaching decisions, the better the Cowboys perform on the field and vice versa.

[alexava 6,972]

1 hour ago, doverstutts said:

i think you got him and someone else mixed up...pretty sure that jimmy rane was actually on a football team under shug

Actually you are correct. It was another rich donor. Possibly Mcgregor?

[Barnacle 9,064]

3 hours ago, ToomersStreet said:

I like many on this board am an Auburn Graduate.  I am going on my  18th year of public service.  I chose my line of work because I didn't and still do not want a real job.  I   have noticed we have high school  coaches on this board.  We have many other professionals on this forum that I imagine have done well  professionally.  However, some Auburn alum are the 1%.  They have done exceptionally well.  I am proud to have gone to a University that produced Bobby Lowder, Jimmy Rane,Tim Cook, Raymond Harbert.  I do not know them personally, but they have done very well  for themselves through hard work, discipline, sharp business acumen and making good decisions.  So HOW is it, that the most  successful Alum of our beloved University can build such successful businesses and climb the corporate latter right to the top, but they make such reckless and irresponsible decisions when it comes to the athletic department and our football program.  Harbert would run his company into  the dirt  if he ran his business this way. 

The simple explanation is emotion. Successful people are able to remove emotion from their decision making processes in business. Those same people are often incapable of doing it in other areas of their lives, especially btue areas where they are emotionally invested. Happens all the time. A person's business operates like a well oiled machine, but they can't keep their own house in order to save their life, etc. 

 

[Swamp Eagle 5,128]

3 hours ago, ToomersStreet said:

I like many on this board am an Auburn Graduate.  I am going on my  18th year of public service.  I chose my line of work because I didn't and still do not want a real job.  I   have noticed we have high school  coaches on this board.  We have many other professionals on this forum that I imagine have done well  professionally.  However, some Auburn alum are the 1%.  They have done exceptionally well.  I am proud to have gone to a University that produced Bobby Lowder, Jimmy Rane,Tim Cook, Raymond Harbert.  I do not know them personally, but they have done very well  for themselves through hard work, discipline, sharp business acumen and making good decisions.  So HOW is it, that the most  successful Alum of our beloved University can build such successful businesses and climb the corporate latter right to the top, but they make such reckless and irresponsible decisions when it comes to the athletic department and our football program.  Harbert would run his company into  the dirt  if he ran his business this way. 

This is where I stopped reading and just shook my head...

[aucom96 1,611]

Gus always seemed like a kind of business gamble. When he came in, the prevailing thought was spread schemes were the future and could negate some degree of talent advantages. When he came in, we had good linemen, decent skill players and a foundation to build on. He took that and overachieved. I think the thought on him with his supporters is "if he just gets this kind of player or that kind of coordinator" he'll magically turn back into that 2010, 2013 anomaly. The thing is there's no shortcut to a good football program. You have to recruit stars, yes, but you have to recruit with need in mind. You need a plan, yes, but you need to be able to adjust and react when it is no longer working. You need to build excitement around your program. You need to sell your program. You need to build a cohesive coaching staff all moving toward a clear goal. After 6 years, it's pretty obvious Gus is wanting in all of these areas and we're a fundamentally bad team because of it. Businessmen looked at what Saban was doing and panicked. They wanted a shortcut scheme to counter his size and depth. They wanted street agents to counter his recruiting dominance. It worked too well at first for them to accept that other programs adjust and we don't have a coach that adjusts. 

[Swamp Eagle 5,128]

19 minutes ago, aucom96 said:

... Businessmen looked at what Saban was doing and panicked...

Isn't this really a microcosm of the "Auburn method?"  Always driven more from without than from within. Reactive and not proactive.

 

That's the sad part.

[augolf1716 21,091]

3 hours ago, passthebiscuits said:

Spencer is the biggest dog in this. Harbert is next.

Yeah I knew Gaines when he was on the team so so as a def. tackle but done extremely well since graduating

[Guest lurtz]

1 hour ago, JBiGGiE said:

well durn that just negated my entire post