one reason why RU doesn't have more non-alum fans

[MORRISCOUNTY]

# 1 reason--- we do not have a media center. We do not have Network Affiliates.
# 1 reason--- we do not have a media center. We do not have Network Affiliates.
# 1 reason--- we do not have a media center. We do not have Network Affiliates.

Why do people not understand this?

The kids in Southern NJ from Cape May to Haddonfield to Moorestown watch Philadelphia news and Pennsylvania sports. There is never a mention of New Jersey.

The Kids from Northern NJ from Ho-Ho-Kus to harding watch New York news and New York sports. We do not have Network Affiliates--we are forced to watch New York news. We are very lucky in the north that we have News12 NJ so we at least get some NJ news.

People are followers--They do what the media center tells them to do.

New Jersey's identity has been taken from us from these 2 large media centers who are in competition with us.


People from Ohio watch Ohio news and read Ohio newspapers. Ohio has 7 ABC affiliates, 7 CBS affiliates, 9 NBC affiliates and 7 Fox affiliates. Kids in Ohio are brought up watching news about themselves not about another state. This is the glue that keeps them on the same page.


# 2 reason--- All Rutgers does is lose. Losing creates apathy and disgust.

I have never seen a school lose as much as Rutgers does. Losing creates apathy and disgust and people do not want to associate with it.


#1 will never change unless I become Governor.

#2 can change if leaders understand the importance of winning at Rutgers and the economic impact and pride it will have. This takes money and vision.

If you changed one of these things you could double the Fan Base, if you changed both of these things you could triple the Fan Base.

 

[brgossRU90]

Lack of winning. Next question.

 

[JeremiahFP]

Lemme get this straight..you would stop rooting for rutgers if they fired a 5-7 Flood...please give your reasoning before I just lmfao

My reasoning is that I root for the team and the coaches. I like what Schiano built and what Flood is continuing.

I was pissed when Rutgers trumped up a bunch of nonissues (snowstorm) to fire Gary Waters & basketball has gone downhill ever since. Firing Flood would be firing Waters part two.

This year we lost 8 players right before the season and our best defensive player has been hurt all year while our best offensive player has been hurt most of the year. As it is, we are a dropped interception against WSU away from 5-6 & a third and 18 conversion by MSU away from 6-5. We have most of our players coming back next year. I want to watch the team grow...

 

[JeremiahFP]

That's right. I'm not a front runner and I don't lose my mind when RU has a down season. That will happen in the B1G, especially this year - which was a perfect storm.

 

[greenknight]

I bet there are more non alums than alums and yes I am a non alum fans of the program

 

[ru-baby]

Firing Flood would set RU back?

You realize we are 4-7 and have beaten no one of merit this year...or arguably throughout the Flood era.

That recruiting has been down in this Flood era.

That despite joining perhaps the preeminent sports conference interest in RU fball has lessened overall.

That Flood was suspended for his conduct, which included a meeting designed to be secret and to achieve a goal that is prohibited.

That Flood's team has had criminal conduct the likes of which has never been seen at RU.

That Flood's handling of his players has been curious at best, intentionally self interested at worst.

You think this record would set us back to be freed from. Unless you are a NY friend, family or have some vested interest in Flood (which we know will rear its head on these boards no matter the results, I don't se your judgment to be at all rational.

 

[NickyNewark51]

Many people of a state that does not have a professional team to root for adopt a college team in its place.

One quick examples Nebraska.

A number of years ago when Pitt played Nebraska (fantastic fan base), I began talking to an older gentleman and his wife all decked out in Red. I asked him what his major was at Nebraska. He told me he didn't go to college and was a farmer. He is a Nebraska season ticket holder and try's to make at least one away game a year.
He has never been to Pittsburgh and he picked the Pitt - Nebraska game for his away game.

In Pittsburgh many non college grads have adopted the Steelers (football) as their team of choice. I think only about 1 in 3 people have a University degree.

HAIL TO PITT!!!!

WITHOUT fan's who are non alums it very hard to be big time.... my guess is most teams successful in attendance and following have over 50 percent Tshirt fan's and higher watching on TV or listen through other media....

 

[NickyNewark51]

I bet there are more non alums than alums and yes I am a non alum fans of the program

If not were in trouble.

 

[knightfan7]

I dare say I may be one of if not the longest running non alum fans here lol. I've told my story why so many times.

For most of the almost 40 years I've been following RU, they've been nothing more than an afterthought in the minds of NJ sports fans. There was no coverage to speak of. They were seldom if ever on TV unlike PSU, ND, Pitt, OSU, Michigan, Miami. It's no secret why those schools have a hold on so many residents. There were no attempts from the small time thinking old guard at RU to reach out to the people of the state.

In short, there is no history of people who didn't attend RU having a strong connection to their state U like I saw in my years in Missouri but that's all, repeat All on Rutgers. I hate to knock anyone but even the attempts like the shore tour they've made recently have been half assed at best. Christ, even Temple had the same idea years ago.

 

[JeremiahFP]

Firing Flood would set RU back?

You realize we are 4-7 and have beaten no one of merit this year...or arguably throughout the Flood era.

That recruiting has been down in this Flood era.

That despite joining perhaps the preeminent sports conference interest in RU fball has lessened overall.

That Flood was suspended for his conduct, which included a meeting designed to be secret and to achieve a goal that is prohibited.

That Flood's team has had criminal conduct the likes of which has never been seen at RU.

That Flood's handling of his players has been curious at best, intentionally self interested at worst.

You think this record would set us back to be freed from. Unless you are a NY friend, family or have some vested interest in Flood (which we know will rear its head on these boards no matter the results, I don't se your judgment to be at all rational.

RU baby - not a family or friend. Being a fan is about being irrational... But I think last year was the second best year Rutgers has had this millennium (2006 is #1 and 2014 is #2). A down year was always possible given everyone who graduated. This year has not been a dumpster fire (we haven't been good, but we aren't 2-10 either). And I think next year will be very good.

I'm going to enjoy the ride....

 

[RU#1fan]

Many on this board agree with you that he's "abysmal" obviously, but after an 8-5 record, winning a bowl, respect and love from his players and coaches, I just don't get the hate for him. It can't just be that RU had some bad losses. That would be idiotic. So what makes him "abysmal"?

Uhhhhh ?..
2 wins and 20 losses vs. Winning teams since late 2012.
Being absolutely blown out and humiliated for 2 years in a row against 4 of the top teams in the B1G ( 8 B1G games).
The inability to attract any of the Top 10 NJ recruits in his own Home state for 4 consecutive years.
This is why Fudd is an abysmal coach .

 

[NickyNewark51]

I dare say I may be one of if not the longest running non alum fans here lol. I've told my story why so many times.

For most of the almost 40 years I've been following RU, they've been nothing more than an afterthought in the minds of NJ sports fans. There was no coverage to speak of. They were seldom if ever on TV unlike PSU, ND, Pitt, OSU, Michigan, Miami. It's no secret why those schools have a hold on so many residents. There were no attempts from the small time thinking old guard at RU to reach out to the people of the state.

In short, there is no history of people who didn't attend RU having a strong connection to their state U like I saw in my years in Missouri but that's all, repeat All on Rutgers. I hate to knock anyone but even the attempts like the shore tour they've made recently have been half assed at best. Christ, even Temple had the same idea years ago.

We'll knightfan7 you've just met him....as a 13 yr old delivering the NSL and old Newark News in 1963 the 1st thing i looked for putting together my Sunday papers at 5 am is the sports....I latched onto the local State school ''RU'' and never stopped in all sports ....I'm 64 wednesday and been a fan for 52 yrs....RU is even more important to me than the Giants whom i've followed since YA Tittle's bloodied face... its ''RU'' personal to me unlike the pro sports.

 

[NickyNewark51]

Outside of that knightfan7 I can't disagree with much you say.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

He also got blown out in that one year in the AAC by a lot of schools. He can't coach and he can't recurit. He also can't follow the academic rules. The football program is going backwards. Flood has set the football programs years. He has to get replaced now before he causes so much damage that it will take a decade to recover.

P.S. I am not a Rutgers alumnus

 

[NickyNewark51]

I never understood the point of rooting for a college sports team of college that one didn't attend.

Man you gotta be young or naive.

 

[RUBOB72]

Yes there are many Non Rutgers grads who support the teams and programs by buying tickets and giving $$$ ... sadly we have a plethora of Rutgers alums who : A ) aren't fans of sports B ) don't donate to athletic teams nor the school in general C ) Too many are filled with the New Jersey hate everything New Jersey syndrome....if we had more alums involved we wouldn't be where we are today...

 

[Kbee3]

Many on this board agree with you that he's "abysmal" obviously, but after an 8-5 record, winning a bowl, respect and love from his players and coaches, I just don't get the hate for him. It can't just be that RU had some bad losses. That would be idiotic. So what makes him "abysmal"?

It's all of the awesome success that Rutgers had pre-Flood. The bar was set so high when he got here.
It's his bad luck that he had to follow Schiano and Shea and Graber and Anderson.

 

[knightfan7]

We'll knightfan7 you've just met him....as a 13 yr old delivering the NSL and old Newark News in 1963 the 1st thing i looked for putting together my Sunday papers at 5 am is the sports....I latched onto the local State school ''RU'' and never stopped in all sports ....I'm 64 wednesday and been a fan for 52 yrs....RU is even more important to me than the Giants whom i've followed since YA Tittle's bloodied face... its ''RU'' personal to me unlike the pro sports.

:clap::clap::clap::clap:

You just became one of my favorite posters.

I've still have age on you lol.

 

[mdk01]

1. As a non-alum I became an RU fan for 3 reasons:
a) Growing up as a college football fan in NJ I, along with many in the state used to say: "Can you imagine how good Rutgers would be if they kept the talent home? In high school it was, can you imagine Jack Tatum and Bruce Jankowski playing for Rutgers" In college it was: "What if Rutgers had a backfield of Joe Theisman, Franco Harris and Lydell Mitchell?" One always wondered.
b) One of Schiano's assistant coaches grew up across the street from me.
c) Most important. I played lax in college and played club lax after graduation. For 2 years I ran on the same midfield line as Bruce Van Ness, RU football HOF and honorable mention lacrosse AA while at Rutgers. Bruce was one of the true class people I have had the chance to meet. Combined with a) and b) it made RU very easy to root for.

2. Why aren't there more non-alum fans
a) Some schools like Notre Dame have a 70 year head start in developing a fan base along with the religious affiliation.
b) Being caught between an NYC and Philly markets with little attention paid to New Jersey in general.
c) More pro teams with a longer history than anywhere else in the country. Think about SEC country when there were no NFL teams south of Washington DC and no MLB teams south of DC, Cincinnati and St. Louis. Of course there are legions of LSU and Alabama fans.
d) Lack of state identity with Rutgers. I have many relatives who live in Ohio. They truly look at OSU as an important part of the state, even though they all went to Miami (which academically is stronger for undergrads than OSU).
e) More recently, a muckraking press that is more interested in tearing the program down that reporting on it.

 

[NickyNewark51]

1. As a non-alum I became an RU fan for 3 reasons:
a) Growing up as a college football fan in NJ I, along with many in the state used to say: "Can you imagine how good Rutgers would be if they kept the talent home? In high school it was, can you imagine Jack Tatum and Bruce Jankowski playing for Rutgers" In college it was: "What if Rutgers had a backfield of Joe Theisman, Franco Harris and Lydell Mitchell?" One always wondered.
b) One of Schiano's assistant coaches grew up across the street from me.
c) Most important. I played lax in college and played club lax after graduation. For 2 years I ran on the same midfield line as Bruce Van Ness, RU football HOF and honorable mention lacrosse AA while at Rutgers. Bruce was one of the true class people I have had the chance to meet. Combined with a) and b) it made RU very easy to root for.

2. Why aren't there more non-alum fans
a) Some schools like Notre Dame have a 70 year head start in developing a fan base along with the religious affiliation.
b) Being caught between an NYC and Philly markets with little attention paid to New Jersey in general.
c) More pro teams with a longer history than anywhere else in the country. Think about SEC country when there were no NFL teams south of Washington DC and no MLB teams south of DC, Cincinnati and St. Louis. Of course there are legions of LSU and Alabama fans.
d) Lack of state identity with Rutgers. I have many relatives who live in Ohio. They truly look at OSU as an important part of the state, even though they all went to Miami (which academically is stronger for undergrads than OSU).
e) More recently, a muckraking press that is more interested in tearing the program down that reporting on it.

Jack Tatum...yes i can....I remember Dick Anderson saying in turning Craig ''Ironhead'' Heyward down when he wanted to commit to us....I'm not gonna argue with a 17 yr old kid when asked why...well we got and took Tyronne Stowe out of Passaic anyway...

 

[Unionst]

IMO, Rutgers has such enormous potential as a college football program. Being in the media capital of the world and a heavily populated state that doesn't have another major college football program, it's a unique situation that few (if any) schools have. So, why do people in the Garden State grow up rooting for schools like Notre Dame, Penn State, and Miami?

One reason is that those schools wouldn't have someone hired as head coach with the idea that he could learn and grow into the position of head coach. And they wouldn't keep a guy on the job simply because he was a nice guy.

This may not sound like much, but do you realize how many kids growing up rooting for a school may ultimately attend that school? If non-alums followed the program as fans, their kids would likely grow up as fans. When it came time to choose a college, RU would be on their radar. Ever wonder why so many people from Jersey go to Penn State? Partly it's because they see the college experience on TV with games shown from Beaver Stadium. It looks like a fun place to go.

Between merchandise sales, ticket sales, and future RU students, there is quite a lot to gain from being popular with those who aren't alums.

I wonder how many people became fans of the NY Jets when Rich Kotite was coach. That's what RU has now. A coach that is bringing the program down. Does it really make a difference if he winds up beating 3 teams that have less than 3 wins on the year (Kansas, Army, Maryland) ? If beating Indiana is your best win of the year? Is that all you aspire to be?

Some people here say RU can't be expected to beat teams like Ohio State or Michigan State or even Michigan, Wisconsin, or Nebraska -- in other words, there are people who basically think RU should not be expected to beat any decent or good Big Ten team. I think those people are living in the past. Games against Ohio State are not the highlight of our season schedule anymore -- they are annual games. These teams are conference and division foes. RU NEEDS to expect to be competitive in those games.

Other than being a nice guy, what does Flood have going for him? "Oh, but the players like playing for him." -- I NEVER heard any of my teammates ever say one bad thing about the coach (while he was coaching) even when we hated playing for him. It's rarely done.


I still believe the people in charge will do the right thing. Look at Flood's body of work, look at the recruiting and team depth, and look at the arrests. The right thing is a change at coach.

I don't necessarily buy the premise. Using my office as an example, I know a good number of non-RU alum fans and they can be very passionate. Generally they have gone to a school without a D1 program. I think this base will build over time.

 

[wheezer]

Counterpoint,
I am non alumni 17 year season ticket holder who donates significantly each year.
If Flood is not fired after all the off season issues and the ongoing ( year after year) embarrassing performances against both mediocre and better competition, I am moving on from Rutgers football. I have already written JH.
Sure there are many more non-alumni who will be making the same decision if the RUAdministration continues have no inclination to improve the RU football program.

-----
And I will do the opposite, support my team, renew

 

[BoogieKnight]

There is no pride in ownership. Many people in NJ think that everywhere else is better than this place.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

I think Rutgers has a passionate fan base who want to win as exhibited by this Board.
I actually root for you guys in the B1G because of it.
Why. Maybe, because of my spending many summers at the Ocean City NJ shore for summer vacations in my youth (many fond memories).

Don't get me wrong my #1 team is the Pitt Panthers.

HAIL TO PITT!!!!

You also hate Pen St, so we have a common enemy.

 

[rutexan84]

I'm impressed with the number of non-alumni members and fans we have on this board. But it reminds me of the joke about the guy who comes home and finds his wife in bed with his best friend. He walks into the bedroom and says "George, I have to, but you?"

 

[Scarlet5]

As a NJ resident who didn't attend Rutgers, I think that comment is complete bullshit.

I'm not stupid. I know that Rutgers is the state university, even if the name isn't University of New Jersey. I also know that College of NJ is just one of many state colleges, and it is not the flagship research university.

You don't have to pay close attention to know that Rutgers is the flagship state research university. If you live in NJ and don't know this, you are probably too stupid or paying so little attention that you wouldn't be a fan of the football program, regardless of the university's name.

This

 

[NickyNewark51]

I don't necessarily buy the premise. Using my office as an example, I know a good number of non-RU alum fans and they can be very passionate. Generally they have gone to a school without a D1 program. I think this base will build over time.

Just give'em half a reason.

 

[thad23]

Non-alum here. Grew up a few miles from RU. Went to a D3 NJ college. Father, a non-alum, has been a fan since the 80s. My fandom grew beginning in 2000, though I sometimes watched and always checked the score. I'm a diehard now, tomorrow and likely forever....unless RU hires Golden. I'm here with or without Flood.

 

[NickyNewark51]

There is no pride in ownership. Many people in NJ think that everywhere else is better than this place.

When i was in the Marines and first saw Cali it looked like heaven but something was missing...I lived in beautiful SD and Hollywood and North Hollywood but i needed to get back to where i was born...under northeastern skies. Its in my DNA.

 

[RUfinal4]

Rutgers has an uphill battle.

- we have a poor reputation of alumni giving. Without overall alumni giving it forces the state and the student fees to finance the athletic dept along with many academic programs. If every Rutgers alumnus between 35 and 65 (around 400k) gave $100 a year (outside of required athletics donations) the school would receive $40,000,000 a year in donations. Of course many alumni give more.
- football was a late bloomer. We started big time football at least 20-30 years too late that hurt us with success and building a fan base.
- We don't have a winning sport. UConn has both hoops teams that make a lot of money. Indiana has men's hoops, and Maryland has hoops. We need a sport where we dominate and are an annual top 10 program. Most of our athletic programs are bottom of the pack in the B10 while our best programs are top 3rd at best. Let's hope ladies soccer can help change this in 2015.
- NJ demographics. Since NJ has a large immigrant population that sends kids to Rutgers there are a lot of residents that don't value American sports and won't support college sports. NJ also tends to send more kid from affluent families to private schools or out of state schools. These are the families that tend to give more to non-profits.

 

[socaldave]

BS thread. I'm not an ru alum. Huge Rutgers football fan. And Coach Flood is one of the reasons (the other coach being GS). If RU fired a 5-7 Flood I will probably start rooting for my school's football team and move on from Rutgers.

Enjoy

 

[buffalochicken21]

I'm a non-alum. My dad is a non-alum and he's been a fan of 50 years. I've been going to every game with him for the last 10 years or so. We were both born in NJ, my Dad drives about 7 hours or so up from Virginia to go to each one of these games. We are real fans. However he's getting old and will drop the season tickets if Flood is retained. He'll never stop watching, but for the first time ever I can tell he no longer cares about the outcome of the game. Complacency has set in. Flood has insulted the fan base with his stubbornness and unwillingness to adjust and coach to win. We are the type of fans the school risks losing by retaining Flood, not the alums.

Winning is what will draw in more non-alum fans and in turn more revenue and donations. I went to high school in Virginia Tech country, and I can honestly say I don't think Rutgers has enough good will, loyalty, and numbers amongst it's fan base to survive much more of Flood. A school like VA Tech could. So many threads here blame the fans (alums and non-alums) for not donating, if it was clear the school cared and was willing to invest in the program I think they'd get more. An investment from them, would earn more investment from the fan. It's simple, it's how this works and every program ever was built.

 

[Knight Shift]

Non-alum here. Grew up a few miles from RU. Went to a D3 NJ college. Father, a non-alum, has been a fan since the 80s. My fandom grew beginning in 2000, though I sometimes watched and always checked the score. I'm a diehard now, tomorrow and likely forever....unless RU hires Golden. I'm here with or without Flood.

Curious--why? I am somewhat with you, but I'll give whoever Rutgers hires as head coach a chance.

 

[vandalen1]

We had very few fans before 2006. So there was a growth in fans over the years. But like where I live now, fans want winners. For years, tickets would sell online for $100 over printed price. Now, you can walk in.
Rutgers isn't a winner right now. The mystic of being in the B1G is going to rub off pretty fast if the team can't compete with the east division.

 

[Sir ScarletKnight]

It's all of the awesome success that Rutgers had pre-Flood. The bar was set so high when he got here.
It's his bad luck that he had to follow Schiano and Shea and Graber and Anderson.

I think a lot of people forget just how bad of a gameday coach Schiano was. He could recruit, and he could develop, but he made some really stupid calls.

Reminder the wildcat for an entire year? I mean, really? Flood has the misfortune of following a coach that lifted the program from nothingness, and got it nearly to the peak before a sharp and distinct drop off.

Nobody seems to remember that drop off. But they sure as hell remember what we were before, and the peak. The fanbase has gotten a taste of heaven and is terrified of falling permanently back to Earth.

 

[YoucancallmeRay]

Uhhhhh ?..
2 wins and 20 losses vs. Winning teams since late 2012.
Being absolutely blown out and humiliated for 2 years in a row against 4 of the top teams in the B1G ( 8 B1G games).
The inability to attract any of the Top 10 NJ recruits in his own Home state for 4 consecutive years.
This is why Fudd is an abysmal coach .

You can cherry pick stats to support your position and so can I:
Defeated Michigan (when did u think RU would ever do that?) and Arkansas twice. Both of these teams had much higher recruit rankings than RU.
Has recruited an Elite 11 QB for next year (who will probably go to PState if Flood leaves).
Never had a losing record until this year.
Was competitive against Mich St. this year and PU last year.
Players love him.
Had his best defensive player lost for the season and best offensive player for the majority of it. Playing an inexperienced secondary and a new QB.
And you want to get rid of him? Nuts.

 

[Kbee3]

You can cherry pick stats to support your position and so can I:
Defeated Michigan (when did u think RU would ever do that?) and Arkansas twice. Both of these teams had much higher recruit rankings than RU.
Has recruited an Elite 11 QB for next year (who will probably go to PState if Flood leaves).
Never had a losing record until this year.
Was competitive against Mich St. this year and PU last year.
Players love him.
Had his best defensive player lost for the season and best offensive player for the majority of it. Playing an inexperienced secondary and a new QB.
And you want to get rid of him? Nuts.

Those are nice stats.But I kinda agree that we should be able to do better than Flood.I just don't think we will.
Frankly, the lists of realistic candidates that I've seen here are depressingly weak.
And Schiano is NOT coming back here.

 

[Scarlet dollar]

Another non-alum. I think I have most of you beat. I go back to Dr John Bateman. Grew up in Highland Park, and my Dad was RU class of 42. I have been going to football and basketball games since 1961. I am sure I have donated more money to RU athletics than 99% of alums. When it came time for college, Rutgers was too close to home, so I went to Ohio U. When OU came to play here a few years ago, I was decked out in red. Nothing, including a few rough years, will change my loyalty.

 

[SkilletHead2]

Everything other than "win" is nonsense.

The "it's a pro football" area, "it ought to be U of NJ," "immigrants go to school here", "we don't have a media center," and on and on is not what matters. Winning matters. We get a coach who takes us to 10-2 and a high quality bowl and you'd be amazed at how many people would all of a sudden become "long time RU fans."

And I'm not saying that winning is everything. I don't want Petrino, Tressel, Kiffin, Pellino, etc. I am saying that being mediocre will not engender fan support, no matter what else you do.

For us, it is a chicken and egg deal. We need money to get good and need to get good to get money. My approach is to hire somebody transitional to right the ship, get us to above average, and then go for the brass ring in about five years. That, or take a shot on a kid coming up.

 

[YoucancallmeRay]

Those are nice stats.But I kinda agree that we should be able to do better than Flood.I just don't think we will.
Frankly, the lists of realistic candidates that I've seen here are depressingly weak.
And Schiano is NOT coming back here.

That's fine. I'm not saying that Flood is Vince Lombardi. Just that he doesn't deserve to be fired at this point. Give him another year or two and then take stock. Some fans are just too impatient and think firing the coach or putting the backup QB in will solve everything.