OT- Did Trev really have a choice about wrestling & football at UNO?
- Thread starter bomber89
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Football probably not. The move to FCS would have cost too much for the football team to stay afloat. Additional scholarships, bigger stadium etc
With the move to D1, the number of scholarships that are available increases in all sports. In my opinion wrestling was the sacrificial lamb in that regard.
With the move to D1, the number of scholarships that are available increases in all sports. In my opinion wrestling was the sacrificial lamb in that regard.
Yes, there's always a choice. Football is a big money drain for most programs. You get to the point where you have to decide what the purpose of the program is. If you're losing money, then it's hard to justify. I transferred from UNL to UT-Arlington just when UTA cut their football program. I wasn't going to stop rooting for NU, but it was still weird. The joke was that they had the world's largest intramural stadium
ok that makes sense. Another question Tuco. Does Title IX have any impact on him cutting wrestling? My understanding, could be wrong, is that for every mens scholarship there has to be a women scholarship. Is that wrong? Did that have a part in it?
Maybe, The Summit League didn't have football or wrestling, so they would be participating in 3 men's sports sponsored by the Summit League. So by dropping wrestling they added men's soccer and golf to get that number to 5. So the scholarship allocation for Title IX was probably close to a wash.
Wrestling ran on its own cash.
Football...the fake outrage and all the people that all of a sudden pretended like they went to games was amazing. My friend was on the team at the time...he wasn't happy! First place he looked was Hawaii, hoping they needed him.
Football...the fake outrage and all the people that all of a sudden pretended like they went to games was amazing. My friend was on the team at the time...he wasn't happy! First place he looked was Hawaii, hoping they needed him.
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I don't recall anyone saying wrestling was about money. As I stated, the Summit didn't sponsor wrestling. UNO wasn't participating in enough sponsored sports to be a member. They needed to add men's sports that were sponsored by the Summit. Golf and Soccer were added.
UNO alum here, was a student when this happened. Football was the only day you could drink on campus. That's all I remember about it. I'd watch Hawkeyes games at bars or with family in CB or go with Fraternity brothers to the UNL game. Nothing much there, didn't feel like it was a big point of pride. Wrestling was incredible to watch though. As an Iowa fan it reminded me of when I was growing up.
As a UNO ticket holder, I have mixed feelings on Trev Alberts. I honestly don't blame him for the programs being cut, but the management of the budget and facilities on the back end have been poor. I honestly do not think he's ready for prime time. I wouldn't trust him to be the AD at Nebraska. Just a few thoughts about things brought up in this thread...
1. He didn't make the decision to drop football and basketball on his own. It's come out since then that there was a core group that got together. A few boosters, city fathers, the chancellor, and Alberts. According to reports, everything was on the table from UNO becoming a non sports school, continuing the status quo in D-II, moving all sports to D-I, and dropping sports. It was a group decision.
2. I heard that before any action was taken, a poll was taken of all of the UNO coaches as to whether they'd support a move to D-I or not. All of the coaches agreed a move to D-I was the best option...except Mike Denney. He was the lone holdout who did not want to try to rebuild at the D-I level. He preferred to be a big fish in small pond.
3. UNO was never Title IX compliant in D-II. The thought process was that they were able to fly under the radar at that level; however, they would invite more scrutiny moving to D-I and they needed to get their house in order. They had to add 2 mens sports to get to the minimum number required for Summit League membership. So, golf and soccer would have to happen no matter what. I heard that keeping wrestling in a separate conference (like hockey) was on the table, but it would have required the addition of 1-2 more women's sports. That was problematic, but not impossible. Mike Denney's feet dragging made the decision easier. While it was true the wrestling program was largely self sufficient, it's continued existence would have necessitated further expenditures. And, the program likely would have been more costly to operate on the D-I level as well. Football was never going to survive this. It never stood a chance.
4. The OWH caught wind of the looming decisions. There was never a plan to break the news the night of the D-II wrestling finals, but the OWH told Trev, as a courtesy, that they were running with the story the next day. They were giving him a heads up to allow him to break the news to the athletes and coaches, or they could read about it in the newspaper the next day.
5. Trev's true failings have been in the way the arena came to fruition and how it has been run on the back end. Baxter Arena has come in well under revenue projections each of the first two seasons. Trev Alberts was a key figure in signing off on the financial pro forma. He's even on record saying, "I own the financials." The problems with the arena have created a ripple effect. UNO has had to scale back in all facets of the athletic department. They've let tenured coaches leave, replaced by less experienced replacements. The baseball facility is on indefinite hold. They've had to take out loans from the University of Nebraska Foundation each of the last two years to cover the deficits as well as increasing student costs.
1. He didn't make the decision to drop football and basketball on his own. It's come out since then that there was a core group that got together. A few boosters, city fathers, the chancellor, and Alberts. According to reports, everything was on the table from UNO becoming a non sports school, continuing the status quo in D-II, moving all sports to D-I, and dropping sports. It was a group decision.
2. I heard that before any action was taken, a poll was taken of all of the UNO coaches as to whether they'd support a move to D-I or not. All of the coaches agreed a move to D-I was the best option...except Mike Denney. He was the lone holdout who did not want to try to rebuild at the D-I level. He preferred to be a big fish in small pond.
3. UNO was never Title IX compliant in D-II. The thought process was that they were able to fly under the radar at that level; however, they would invite more scrutiny moving to D-I and they needed to get their house in order. They had to add 2 mens sports to get to the minimum number required for Summit League membership. So, golf and soccer would have to happen no matter what. I heard that keeping wrestling in a separate conference (like hockey) was on the table, but it would have required the addition of 1-2 more women's sports. That was problematic, but not impossible. Mike Denney's feet dragging made the decision easier. While it was true the wrestling program was largely self sufficient, it's continued existence would have necessitated further expenditures. And, the program likely would have been more costly to operate on the D-I level as well. Football was never going to survive this. It never stood a chance.
4. The OWH caught wind of the looming decisions. There was never a plan to break the news the night of the D-II wrestling finals, but the OWH told Trev, as a courtesy, that they were running with the story the next day. They were giving him a heads up to allow him to break the news to the athletes and coaches, or they could read about it in the newspaper the next day.
5. Trev's true failings have been in the way the arena came to fruition and how it has been run on the back end. Baxter Arena has come in well under revenue projections each of the first two seasons. Trev Alberts was a key figure in signing off on the financial pro forma. He's even on record saying, "I own the financials." The problems with the arena have created a ripple effect. UNO has had to scale back in all facets of the athletic department. They've let tenured coaches leave, replaced by less experienced replacements. The baseball facility is on indefinite hold. They've had to take out loans from the University of Nebraska Foundation each of the last two years to cover the deficits as well as increasing student costs.
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I seriously doubt Trev will be the guy. The administration will be looking for someone with a proven track record of managing a top-tier athletic department, not just football and basketball, but Olympic sports, marketing, alumni relations, facilities, etc. Other than having a connection to NU football, Trev shouldn't even be a candidate.
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