That is my biggest worry. Unless we ditch Barchi and bring in a president who understands athletics, a large part of the increased BIG$ will do nothing but get rid of the subsidy.
Sounds realistic.
For me, the big turning point wasn't on the field - it was when Bob Mulcahy got fired over nothing. Its a beautiful thing when a football coach, AD and college president are on the same page. You get firing on all cylinders and all the fragments get pulled to order around the center. As a recruit, fan, parent, coach hire etc its more appealing when you see the entire university making a move to put football on a pedestal. That synergy is what eventually lead to stadium expansion, B1G entry etc
When media bushwhacked Schiano and Mulcahy - and McCormack fired Mulchay - things would never be the same. Schiano took a lot of confidence from having McCormack behind the program. Losing that was bad - losing it while Mulchay was thrown under the bus over trivialities was worse. Greg took all that more personal than he let on. All the bunker mentality FAMILY stuff came out of that. Schiano would have just gone to Michigan
Athletics and Academics: Perfect Together
Richard L. McCormick, President
As submitted; published in the
Star-Ledger on February 3, 2008
"In Charlottesville, crowds of 60,000 watch the University of Virginia Cavaliers play winning football in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In Ann Arbor, more than 100,000 pack the University of Michigan stadium to see the Wolverines compete in the Big Ten. In Berkeley, the University of California Golden Bears draw more than 70,000 fans. These state universities have world-class academic reputations. They also recognize the pride and excitement that outstanding, well-supported football programs bring to their campuses, their alumni, and their states. New Jersey deserves a state university whose educational distinction and gridiron greatness are both statewide passions, and expanding Rutgers Stadium moves us in this direction."
http://richardlmccormick.rutgers.edu/writings/speeches/athletics-and-academics-perfect-together
Mulcahy defends his record as Rutgers AD; insists he did nothing wrong
"We have a habit in this state, our political leadership, of trying to tear apart, for political gain, the institutions that seem to rise up," Mulcahy said. "It's been said that we eat our own. It's a sad commentary...
"The fans of Rutgers are terrific," Mulcahy said. "They have stood by me, they have encouraged me, and they're the people that I am delighted we were able to make happy. That's a big piece of my satisfaction."
He made no apologies for carrying out a mandate to bring big-time football to Rutgers, saying it has given New Jerseyans a sense of identity.
"We've been able to create that sense of identity," Mulcahy said. "The 'Rs' that you see on cars, the billboards, all of these things created a brand of football for this state. Wherever I went, people would come to me and say 'thank you,' whether they were Rutgers people or whether they weren't."..
"When he took over the athletic department and where it is today is like from hell to heaven," said Codey (D-Essex), citing the success of not just the football and women's basketball teams, but the academic achievement of student athletes.
"I'm just shocked that he was summarily let go," Codey said. "When you consider all this gentleman's service to the state of New Jersey and what he gave to the university, for him to be treated like this is just something that never, ever should have happened."
http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2008/12/mulcahy_defends_his_record_as.html
