I am becoming concerned

[CousinRicky]

Learned today that another member of the Bulls Club will be leaving.  What the F is going on around here?  I know they are leaving for other/better opportunities.  But people aren't even lasting 3 years in the job. What happened to the days of Vicki, Eric and Joe Tomaino who were here for long runs.  Can't even think who the longest tenured person is now.  Maybe Lelo? That would be about 2 years.  Fund raising is about relationships.  Really hard to develop them when people don't last as long as the student athletes.  The Big East money runs out in a couple of years. Someone needs to be here to raise the money to make up the difference.  Like i said in the title, I am becoming very concerned.  If the Big 12 doesn't come knocking - and I don't think there is anyone at USF that thinks that is imminent - we will be firing any coach making over $500 thousand.  

Maybe someone in power will put a call out to Eric.  He might be willing to come back.  

[USFBulls12]

2 hours ago, Bourbon Bull said:

Learned today that another member of the Bulls Club will be leaving.  What the F is going on around here?  I know they are leaving for other/better opportunities.  But people aren't even lasting 3 years in the job. What happened to the days of Vicki, Eric and Joe Tomaino who were here for long runs.  Can't even think who the longest tenured person is now.  Maybe Lelo? That would be about 2 years.  Fund raising is about relationships.  Really hard to develop them when people don't last as long as the student athletes.  The Big East money runs out in a couple of years. Someone needs to be here to raise the money to make up the difference.  Like i said in the title, I am becoming very concerned.  If the Big 12 doesn't come knocking - and I don't think there is anyone at USF that thinks that is imminent - we will be firing any coach making over $500 thousand.  

Maybe someone in power will put a call out to Eric.  He might be willing to come back.  

We are a couple seasons of ranked football and fast improving men's basketball away from an invite if someone is looking to expand. UCF/ USF have been on the radar for expansion into florida markets for some time but we really haven't presented ourselves with strength during and after coach holtz. Now with a real potential to be a Top 20 team at some point next season, we will be back on the radar. Success this coming season shows that Taggart's system works. With success, we could then say he rebuilt this program and took us to new heights. If we win the games we are "supposed to win" next season and beat FSU, we are golden. Flowers and Mack are young, recruiting is terrific and will only get better if we develop into the Florida powerhouse everyone has been waiting for...the future will be bright and it all begins this season.

[bullsbucsfan426]

18 minutes ago, USFBulls12 said:

We are a couple seasons of ranked football and fast improving men's basketball away from an invite if someone is looking to expand. UCF/ USF have been on the radar for expansion into florida markets for some time but we really haven't presented ourselves with strength during and after coach holtz. Now with a real potential to be a Top 20 team at some point next season, we will be back on the radar. Success this coming season shows that Taggart's system works. With success, we could then say he rebuilt this program and took us to new heights. If we win the games we are "supposed to win" next season and beat FSU, we are golden. Flowers and Mack are young, recruiting is terrific and will only get better if we develop into the Florida powerhouse everyone has been waiting for...the future will be bright and it all begins this season.

It isn't that simple. The football turnaround this year couldn't have come at a better time, but even still, on the field performance is not and will never be the only metric.

Conferences look at the following items, in no particular order:

1. TV ratings-if your ratings aren't good, then why would the Big 12 add you?

2. Attendance-there needs to be clear local support for the team

3. Donor base-they need to see that the team is going to be able to keep up in the athletic arms race and not coast. 

4. academics-a lot of schools like having conference research partners. USF needs them too. Plus you need to show you're equal to the rest of the conference academically.

5. potential to expand-see, tv ratings and markets, chances of being self-sustaining without 30k FSU or Miami fans buying tickets 

6. facilities-is this a team that has the facilities to attract the type of players needed to compete?

7. On-field performance-if you can't win in the American conference, it's a waste of time adding you to the Big 12. 

 

Of course, certain factors balance out others (i.e. having Wake Forest or Vanderbilt being elite academically), but that isn't USF's profile. We need to be a school that excels in the typical athletic factors at the American level before we get a call up. 

Edited March 21, 2016 by bullsbucsfan426

[Skingraft]

Negative, I'm stealing Eric

[CousinRicky]

I wasn't looking to start another thread about the Big 12.  Concerned about where the money is going to come from.  The Bulls Club has turned over employees at an alarming rate.  

[jjlovecub]

I agree completely!! I met with my "new" rep a few weeks ago. I had the really nice football renewal brochure and I opened it and said "here is what I want to show you." I turned to the staff page and I showed him that other than Leo and John Lewis, I knew Nobody on the page! I have been a season ticket holder since Day 1 and a donor since year 3 of football. For years Anwar was my rep followed by Eric. It was constant and it was all about relationships. Those guys would call me or email me just to chat about the football game for the Saturday before. I was always invited to special events and there was a real sense of community. The disconnect now is huge and apparently the staff turnover is continuing which is sad. They need committed and passionate people to connect with the committed and passionate fans. 

[NewEnglandBull]

If there is that much turn over maybe the job itself needs to be redesigned. 

[WoolyBully]

Quote

 I know they are leaving for other/better opportunities.

But that sounds like what we all do. While we may attach some measure of emotion to the nature of the business, for others it is indeed, just a position. We can not rule out that USF may be a stepping-stone to something better. It could well be that back in the Eric/Vicki days, it was the best gig going (or circumstances were such that actively pursuing other career opportunities was not feasible). I'd be hard pressed to condemn anyone who goes on to something better, given that there are few altruistic reasons to continue a job when opportunity knocks.   

 

[NAM37]

Maybe I'm just missing something, but I don't see how it matters.

Now admittedly I'm not donating super-huge sums of money every year, but does it really matter who the ticket reps are?  I understand that the corporate and huge personal donors need to get extra treatment, but for the rest of us... I don't get it.

[GaUSFBull]