altman dumping the hogs

[kickinwang 0]

espn

Altman spurns Arkansas for return to CreightonBy Mark Schlabach

ESPN.com

Dana Altman, introduced as Arkansas' new basketball coach on Monday, changed his mind less than 24 hours later and announced on Tuesday night that he is returning to Creighton, where he has coached the Bluejays the past 13 seasons.

The coach apologized to Razorbacks fans "with deep regret" and said returning to Creighton was in his family's best interest.

University Chancellor John A. White announced Altman's departure at a hastily scheduled news conference outside Bud Walton Arena.

"I knew it was a very difficult decision for them and their family," White said.

Altman has coached the Bluejays for 13 years and said he made the decision to return to the Omaha, Neb., school after talking to Creighton's athletic director Bruce Rasmussen, then his family.

"After I was sure he would allow me to return, I talked to my wife," Altman said. "This is something I'm doing for my family. I wish I would have come to that decision earlier."

Altman, who had a 260-141 record at Creighton, spent much of the day in his new office in Fayetteville, but talked with Arkansas athletics director Frank Broyles and met with White earlier in the day and expressed reservations about taking the job.

A plane owned by Creighton boosters was en route Tuesday to pick up Altman from Drake Field in Fayetteville on Tuesday night, ESPN.com has learned. Meantime, Broyles was expected to return from Augusta, Ga., where he was scheduled to attend the Masters (he is a member of Augusta National Golf Club). The Razorback Foundation's jet was scheduled to pick up Broyles later Tuesday night.

Altman was hired Sunday night by Broyles, who will have to renew an arduous search for a replacement for Stan Heath, who was fired last month after six seasons. Broyles, who has spent more than 50 years as the school's athletic director and football coach, will retire at the end of the year.

Altman was believed to be at least the Razorbacks' sixth target. Arkansas officials reportedly offered the job to Texas A&M's Billy Gillespie, Kansas' Bill Self, Southern California's Tim Floyd, Memphis' John Calipari and Marquette's Tom Crean, who each turned the job down.

White did not provide a timetable for a renewed search.

"We'll be engaging the services of a search firm to help us" hire a new coach, White said. "We'll be able to attract a very strong coach to come to the Razorbacks. This program is strong and we're going to be strong in the future."

Altman isn't the first college coach to pull an about-face after accepting a new job. In 1993, then-Georgia Tech basketball coach Bobby Cremins signed a five-year contract to return to South Carolina, his alma mater, but then went back to the Yellow Jackets three days later. Cremins coached at Georgia Tech for seven more seasons.

In 1995, then-Minnesota football coach Glen Mason agreed to replace fired Ray Goff at Georgia, but changed his mind less than week later. Mason announced his intentions to stay with the Jayhawks on national TV before they played in the Aloha Bowl on Christmas Day. The Bulldogs hired then-Marshall coach Jim Donnan (now an ESPN college football analyst) later that day, and Mason coached at Kansas for two more seasons before leaving for Minnesota, which fired him after the 2006 season.

Altman, who grew up in Nebraska and coached a junior college in the state, had been reluctant to leave Creighton in the past. He turned down several opportunities to leave the Jesuit university with an enrollment of about 6,000 students. In the past several years, Altman interviewed with larger schools such as Georgia, Iowa, Iowa State and Tennessee, but he kept coming back to Creighton, which reportedly is paying him an annual salary close to $1 million.

Creighton also upgraded its basketball facilities during Altman's tenure. Four years ago, the Bluejays moved into Qwest Center, a $291 million downtown facility financed by the city and private funds. Creighton averaged about 16,000 fans for home games this season.

Altman said family matters were the only reason for his quick departure.

"It's just something that, when I got here, my heart and my 13 years at Creighton wouldn't allow me to do it," Altman said. "My ego was involved and I'm not sure of all of the reasons, but again, it was something today that, in my heart, wouldn't allow me to do it."

White said he wished Altman well but was hopeful that the Razorbacks and the coach would one day cross paths.

"The No. 1 priority is doing what's best for you and your family," White said. "I'm looking forward to meeting you in the Final Four and beating the socks off you."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[saniflush 0]

Just don't know what to make of this? There are a LOT of worse places to have your family then Fayetteville, AR!

[wesfau 0]

Just don't know what to make of this? There are a LOT of worse places to have your family then Fayetteville, AR!

I'm hearing that the real reason was that half the team has positive drug tests and there are serious eligibility issues.

[saniflush 0]

Yea that is the scuttlebutt but nothing confirmed yet. I have put all my buddies that still live there on suicide watch.

[wesfau 0]

Yea that is the scuttlebutt but nothing confirmed yet. I have put all my buddies that still live there on suicide watch.

For all the bitching our fans do about Jay Jacobs, we could have Broyles and the Disfunctional Disorderlies running Arky.

[saniflush 0]

Yea that is the scuttlebutt but nothing confirmed yet. I have put all my buddies that still live there on suicide watch.

For all the bitching our fans do about Jay Jacobs, we could have Broyles and the Disfunctional Disorderlies running Arky.

As one guy said/asked....Who has been running that insane asylum? "They are gonna start having cock fights in Razorback stadium and oil wrasslin in Bud Walton Arena."

[BAMMERPERRY 0]

Like it is : Arkansas has never been more embarrassed

Wally Hall

Posted on Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Email this story | Printer-friendly version

Dana Altman took the high road.

In less than 24 hours, he saw a number of things that he could not, would not, live with and made a decision that very well could be career suicide.

He met three times with Arkansas Chancellor John White and then met with the media and said all the right things for the University of Arkansas.

Not for Dana Altman, but for a school that has some serious issues, apparently ranging from academic problems to more critical areas.

Understand, by not telling all, he probably made a lifetime commitment to Creighton.

When he refused to bring out the laundry list of problems, he made it look like he had buyer’s remorse. And he was willing to do that for a school he has no allegiances to because he’s a man of character.

Never think for one second that he did the school wrong.

Altman came in with the intent to return the Razorbacks basketball program to national respect.

He worked late Monday night making contact with high school coaches and people he needed to believe in him and the UA.

By Tuesday morning, things were not adding up, and he began to dig deeper. When he was told personnel changes would not be made, he called his wife and then his former athletic director.

Before 7 p. m. Tuesday, 26 hours after accepting the job, he resigned to return home.

By then, the Razorback Foundation jet was en route to Augusta, Ga., to pick up Frank Broyles.

A headhunter agency in Atlanta is going to be hired to find one of its clients who has been fired, or is about to be, to take the job.

That’s a shame.

A shame for the UA, but more importantly for its fans who believed that after an initial jilting by Texas A&M’s Billy Gillispie, the right guy had been hired.

And he was, but he was not apprised of the entire situation because specific information had been withheld from bosses.

The University of Arkansas athletic department has never had more egg on its face than today, and it would have been worse if Altman hadn’t taken the high road.

It has nothing to do with the rumors that several players were ineligible, some had tested positive for drugs and that others may have had their hands out.

It has to do with the fact that the fans trusted the state’s flagship university not to get in this position.

The fans counted on them to be above board. To look out for them.

Thursday, recruiting begins for college basketball, and the UA doesn’t have a head coach.

Instead, the search begins with some outfit in Atlanta  where Broyles and Jimmy Dykes conducted their own search while almost every coach in America was there  that probably has no idea how to do a hog call.

They don’t understand the passion and pride the Razorbacks represent for the majority of the people in this state, and more than likely, they don’t care.

They will care about their fee.

The sad thing is this could have been avoided.

The search for a new coach started with Gillispie and then went into a free-fall until they happened upon an excellent coach with great character  Altman.

At one time, it was being said that Memphis Coach John Calipari was a candidate, and all this reporter could do was wonder why Mississippi’s Andy Kennedy had not been contacted.

All he did was win with some of the least-talented players in the SEC.

Or Mike Montgomery, who had great success at Stanford before an ill-advised moved to the NBA.

It initially looked like the Razorbacks had lucked out.

Altman is a coach’s coach, but he came to town and his five senses quickly told him it would be better to be a lifetime coach at Creighton than deal with the problems that won’t be solved because the people who allowed them will remain on the payroll.

http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/186456/

[GalensGhost 0]

Like it is : Arkansas has never been more embarrassed

Wally Hall

Arkansas has never been more embarrassed?

Hmmm....

Wally Hall writes for their biggest newspaper. That's pretty embarrassing.

I guess they're proud of Bill Clinton -- and Paula and Monica.

That's a weird state.

[DKW 86 7,430]

Wally Hall is the Phillip Marshall. Writing that had to hurt. Admitting the problems with the kids was very hard to read. They need another Jeff Lebo it appears. He walked into much of the same at after Ellis was fired.

[TitanTiger 20,499]

Man, Arkansas has become a complete embarrassing mess. What say we jettison the Hogs and see if we can get a more worthy replacement in the conference?

[DKW 86 7,430]

I hate to tell you but, I actually agree with that. They are a total embarassment to the conference. Remember, they were part of the reson the old SWC failed. All the infighting amongst the schools.

[TitanTiger 20,499]

I just think the time has come. Sure, other schools like MSU or bammer have at various times resembled an insane asylum, but they are charter members. You put up with more from them. Arkansas doesn't have that kind of history with us.

Think we could lure Georgia Tech or Clemson away from the ACC?

[DKW 86 7,430]

La Tech, USF, or Central Florida would be my choices.

[TitanTiger 20,499]

None of those are going to scare anyone in basketball or baseball and they'd struggle perpetually in football as well.

[ssgaufan 0]

I'd vote for Southern Miss, or Memphis.

[TitanTiger 20,499]

I'd vote for Southern Miss, or Memphis.

Not a snowball's chance in hell of either happening. Vandy and UT wouldn't stand for Memphis and MSU and Ole Miss wouldn't stand for Southern Miss. Either one would make their respective state the only one in the SEC with three league teams within its borders.

[ssgaufan 0]

I'd vote for Southern Miss, or Memphis.

Not a snowball's chance in hell of either happening. Vandy and UT wouldn't stand for Memphis and MSU and Ole Miss wouldn't stand for Southern Miss. Either one would make their respective state the only one in the SEC with three league teams within its borders.

OK, I see your point. How about Texas A&M, just to hear the bammers cry when fran spanks them!

[AUesquire 1]

Actually, A&M comes up all the time in discussions about expansion. You've already got some established rivalries with teams in the SEC and TA&M. LSU and the Aggies used to get it on and they hate each other big time. Bama and A&M would be an instant rivalry too.

I wouldn't mind bringing Louisville in or trading Vandy for someone like Clemson or GT. Vandy belongs in the ACC anyway.

[TitanTiger 20,499]

Nah, we need Vandy to keep the league's overall GPA up. Plus, they are generally decent in basketball and are excellent in baseball.

I'd trade Louisville for Arkansas though. But damn that would be murder in football and basketball every year.

[saniflush 0]

Still say we need to drop UAT and pick up A&M. Sure would help the SOS!

[DKW 86 7,430]

None of those are going to scare anyone in basketball or baseball and they'd struggle perpetually in football as well.

Louisville would beg to differ with USF. Bama would beg to differ with UCF.

[SouthLink02 8]

I just think the time has come. Sure, other schools like MSU or bammer have at various times resembled an insane asylum, but they are charter members. You put up with more from them. Arkansas doesn't have that kind of history with us.

Think we could lure Georgia Tech or Clemson away from the ACC?

Why would we want Tech? They ran away from the SEC before....screw them. Let them suffer in the ACC. It's funny how every year during football season they have posts after posts wondering why they didnt stay in the SEC. Love seeing those threads