John Marinatto- Former Big East Commissioner Passed Away Last June

[Knight Shift]

Posted this in another thread.

He was a target for many schools' angst, including RU. But he was apparently the architect of adding Louisville and others to the Big East, which helped Rutgers gain prominence in football. He seemed like a truly nice guy.


Had wondered what happened to Marinatto. Mabye it was posted , but he passed away last June at 63. He never married. After the collapse of the Big East as a football conference, he became a recluse.

"Marinatto followed Tranghese and became the third Big East commissioner in 2009. Not long after, the conference started to splinter again and Marinatto was unable to hold it together.

“He carried that burden around with him the rest of his life,” said former Big East Associate Commissioner Nick Carparelli, now the executive director of Bowl Season, an organization that promotes and supports postseason college football games."

"Tranghese said Marinatto blamed himself for the Big East coming undone.

“I had many conversations with him because that was absolutely not the case,” Tranghese said. “The deck was stacked. There were circumstances totally out of his control.”

Dan Gavitt said: “It speaks to John’s sense of duty and responsibility that he felt that personally he allowed realignment to happen on his watch.”

Marinatto became somewhat reclusive. Even many of his close friends and colleagues from his time in college sports did not see him often."

John Marinatto, ran Big East in time of tumult, dies at 64

John Marinatto, the Big East commissioner during a tumultuous period of conference realignment across college sports, has died. He was 64.

apnews.com

Another article on Marinatto, by Pete Thamel:

Seems he fit the adage that nice guys finish last:
"In the wake of the Big East’s implosion, he confided that he was too embarrassed to go to the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru for his beloved iced coffee."

Here's why collapse of Big East shouldn't define John Marinatto's legacy

“It’s something that hit him very hard,” said Colonial Athletic Association commissioner Joe D’Antonio, who worked under Marinatto at PC and in the Big East. “And unfortunately, it stayed with him right until his last day.”

sports.yahoo.com

 

[cubuffsdoug]

In other words, he was the captain of the ship that went down and took all the blame. Meanwhile, Transgreasy gets away almost scott-free and calls out those who left. F'd up world.

 

[Knight Shift]

In other words, he was the captain of the ship that went down and took all the blame. Meanwhile, Transgreasy gets away almost scott-free and calls out those who left. F'd up world.

That's pretty much the way it works in a lot of aspects of the world, isn't it?

 

[koleszar]

The big Meatball, took on a sinking ship and no matter how many patches he tried to put on it, it was destined to sink. Because the ACC shot a big olde' torpedo right through the side of it.

 

[Knight Shift]

The big Meatball, took on a sinking ship and no matter how many patches he tried to put on it, it was destined to sink. Because the ACC shot a big olde' torpedo right through the side of it.

Nice tribute in the by his alma mater that sums it up:

"But, at the end of the day, any evaluation of the man would not include inventory of work done in a ticket office, on press row, or even hiring and leading coaches and staff. Nor would it immediately catalogue navigating an entire athletic conference through turbulence and the biliousness of greed he so abhorred. No, his accomplishments could never find their way to spreadsheet nor statements of profit or loss."

He had a lot of admirable traits:

"If there was weakness or failure, it was in suffering poorly those who sought the spotlight or a benefit never earned. He could not arrest the daemonophobia of those who felt athletic success eroded the academic prowess of a college whose reputation was well earned and stood beyond reproach."

Remembering John Marinatto '79

Even as teams he worked with and led cut down nets and garnered silver and gold for curios destined to be dusty and forgotten, he ached to contribute to their well-being off the court, field, ice, or pool. Where so many return to their alma mater with the hope of repaying what the college did...

news.providence.edu

 

[50 yd line RR]

The Big East was doomed by denying Penn State entry. Big East basketball was never going to allow football to thrive.
Shame on Pitt and Villanova for bailing on the Northeast conference ( despite Paterno’s arrogance).
A Northeast conference with twenty years to evolve could of survived all this
expansion.
Ironically, the Big East Basketball Conference is doing just fine without the football schools.
Moot point for us now we are in a place where even the RU 100 can’t complain.
As for Marinatto, he never had a prayer!

 

[DJ Spanky]

In other words, he was the captain of the ship that went down and took all the blame. Meanwhile, Transgreasy gets away almost scott-free and calls out those who left. F'd up world.

MT was in the pockets of the B-Ball only schools and was not proactive when Miami wanted to expand and become a better football conference. He has spun it and spun it and spun it, but it all came down to the B-Ball schools not wanting a majority of the conference being football schools because they would lose control.

 

[Mr_Twister]

More evidence that college football drives the bus.

 

[RUaMoose]

The Big East was doomed by denying Penn State entry. Big East basketball was never going to allow football to thrive.
Shame on Pitt and Villanova for bailing on the Northeast conference ( despite Paterno’s arrogance).
A Northeast conference with twenty years to evolve could of survived all this
expansion.
Ironically, the Big East Basketball Conference is doing just fine without the football schools.
Moot point for us now we are in a place where even the RU 100 can’t complain.
As for Marinatto, he never had a prayer!

Pitt and Syr leaving was the coup de grace. I remember hearing about it on the FAN and thinking to myself, "that's all she wrote"

 

[srru86]

Ironically, the Big East Basketball Conference is doing just fine without the football schools.

Does the NCAA hoops tourney fade away like the NIT did in the past when the super conference duopoly decides to do their own tournament and leave Cinderella in the kitchen?

 

[rutgersguy1]

Does the NCAA hoops tourney fade away like the NIT did in the past when the super conference duopoly decides to do their own tournament and leave Cinderella in the kitchen?

I don’t think so. Football might have its own governing body or something along those lines but I don’t think the other sports will change.

 

[50 yd line RR]

I guess it’s possible, I didn’t realize until I heard the podcast posted by Kev H., in the thread “ best analysis of conference expansion”.
They talk about the NCAA tournament and how the money earned goes to all the schools it pays for the NCAA and all the championships for all sports at all levels. If they were ever to change that policy the basketball schools, Duke and Kansas etc.. would be valuable programs.
I would recommend going to that thread and listening to that whole podcast. It is very informative.

 

[RUPete]

This is a sad story that I didn't know about. Looking back on how everything has played out, one commissioner could not have prevented the implosion.

 

[kupuna133]

Marinatto was not to blame. If the finger should be pointed at anyone it is Tranghese. Tranghese and his arrogance lead to the demise of the Big East. He was asleep at the switch and the death nell was sounded well before Mariniatto was appointed.

 

[RUPete]

In hindsight, I think a split was inevitable and that's what wound up happening anyway.

 

[LotusAggressor]

Posted this in another thread.

He was a target for many schools' angst, including RU. But he was apparently the architect of adding Louisville and others to the Big East, which helped Rutgers gain prominence in football. He seemed like a truly nice guy.


Had wondered what happened to Marinatto. Mabye it was posted , but he passed away last June at 63. He never married. After the collapse of the Big East as a football conference, he became a recluse.

"Marinatto followed Tranghese and became the third Big East commissioner in 2009. Not long after, the conference started to splinter again and Marinatto was unable to hold it together.

“He carried that burden around with him the rest of his life,” said former Big East Associate Commissioner Nick Carparelli, now the executive director of Bowl Season, an organization that promotes and supports postseason college football games."

"Tranghese said Marinatto blamed himself for the Big East coming undone.

“I had many conversations with him because that was absolutely not the case,” Tranghese said. “The deck was stacked. There were circumstances totally out of his control.”

Dan Gavitt said: “It speaks to John’s sense of duty and responsibility that he felt that personally he allowed realignment to happen on his watch.”

Marinatto became somewhat reclusive. Even many of his close friends and colleagues from his time in college sports did not see him often."

John Marinatto, ran Big East in time of tumult, dies at 64

John Marinatto, the Big East commissioner during a tumultuous period of conference realignment across college sports, has died. He was 64.

apnews.com

Another article on Marinatto, by Pete Thamel:

Seems he fit the adage that nice guys finish last:
"In the wake of the Big East’s implosion, he confided that he was too embarrassed to go to the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru for his beloved iced coffee."

Here's why collapse of Big East shouldn't define John Marinatto's legacy

“It’s something that hit him very hard,” said Colonial Athletic Association commissioner Joe D’Antonio, who worked under Marinatto at PC and in the Big East. “And unfortunately, it stayed with him right until his last day.”

sports.yahoo.com

Tranghese should have taken the blame. It was his fault, after all.