USF fans need to STEP UP!!!!

[Cubanbull]

Those articles on Jose's salary and low attendance at games say it all.

Many fans here are constantly on the coaches cases about WINNING or get out. Making it seem like coaching at USF is such a plum job. Well lets look at the facts, yes we are heading for the BIG EAST a BCS conference but our athletic programs are FAR from having even CUSA level support in fact as that article showed we might not even be that far off from Sun Belt level.

Except for our new athletic facility and RJS which we do not own, the rest of our teams play and practice in outdated facilities that would be considered crappy by BE standards and even most other nonBCS schools. Our fan support at games is horrible and is below BE and many nonBCS schools. Our coaches as a whole are NOT paid comparable rates to their CUSA counterparts imagine now the BE.

Is time for fans, alumni and students at USF to stand up and support their teams by SHOWING up at games, buying season tickets and donating to the athletic dept. If we do not do this then we will be a BCS school in name only, we will lose our good coaches and it will be more difficult to recruit good players and coaches.

So stop the whinning and start giving our coaches and players the support they need to contend in the BE.

[mutt]

AMEN BROTHER !!! Supporting   U S F doesn't end w/ football season... spread the word.

Enthusiasm is Contagious !!!      ;D

[Bull Matrix]

USF could easily be kicked out of the BIG EAST if the fans dont support the programs. The main things you need to support are the football and men's basketball teams. If USF has no support for those two sports then the BIG EAST will kick us out like they did Temple. They would be glad to replace USF with ECU or Memphis. This bandwagon town needs to get it together before it is too late. Losing a good coach might not be the only thing USF will lose in the long run.

[WoolyBully]

Maybe not. A  Big East sans Miami, VT & BC is not in a position to push anyone out.  They had plenty of opportunity to pick either ECU or Memphis - and it didn't happen. Back to the point....

I cough up my donation to USF Athletics, the Alumni Association, and have season tix to football.  A real key to success is expanding the seaon ticket base, not just for football, but basketball as well.  So, instead of getting gameday tickets...spring for season tickets.

However, there are only so many years (yeah, years) that one can sit there and watch the old alma mater take another beating.  Sad but true, unconditional love actually does have an expiration date.

[Guest AstroBull]

I go to everything, when I graduate I'll get my season tickets for football and basketball.

[Cubanbull]

Wooly

I agree i have season football tix, donate to both athletics and alumni association. i dont have season basketball tickets because living in Miami i would miss most of them. I think is important that we encourage everyone to support as much as they can and SHOW up for games

[Brad]

cubanbull hits it on the head...

How do you energize the Bulls fan base?  To me, this board is a micrcosm of Bulls society.  There are diehards that are here daily talking about their Bulls.  And there are those that flee once an "L" is hung on us.  Or, better yet, they ***** and then they flee...

When I lived in Tampa, and had hoops tickets in Row 3 of the lower level I attended nearly every game - also going to the Green and Gold room afterwards.

Things have changed since then, but the feeling I had back then was that people pay dollars to join the Athletic Association (name at the time, now Bulls Club) they expect to be part of something.  The feeling I had back then was the USF donor base was not unified, that a certain small group of pals kept passing the leadership back and forth among them.  And, while I was giving the same or more money then them, they received special treatment from the AA as well as the coaches at varying events.

Now, having been gone so long, I can't tell you what it is like.  People like me can be 2300 miles away and still be a fan.  Others can live on Fletcher and need proper motivation.

How does the Bulls Club inspire a broad and active membership?  They once published a donor list...Thousands of donors.  Why don't they attend games?  We have virtually all the season tickets on the lower level of the Sun Dome sold out - why don't they attend?

More than five years ago, I got the sense from many university personnel that we were too small to think this way or that way - especially in a "big-time" way.  We were a small fish with a small core of fans.  In their opinion, we should size our goals to the size of our perceived small fan base.  I didn't come across any big time thinkers back then.  I often had the feeling that many were content with the status quo - additional work, in their minds, was hardly worth undertaking because the results were already known - no benefit.  I was very critical of the AA back then.

"Win and they will come" - I've said that a thousand times.  Unfortunately, we can't always wait for that to come to fruition.  Who's in charge of building a "community" of donors that want to see each other, that look forward to the games as an event?  That is what we need.  People that are attached by more than just their annual donation.  People that have been conditioned to support the Bulls by attending games - good season or bad.  People that look forward to seeing other donors and interacting with the Bulls Club officers and admins.

There are two groups out there.  Those donating and those that don't.  Those that are donating need to be taken better care of, made to feel part of the family.  Attending games should be like going to your nephew's graduation.  You owe it to him.  And you want to go.  Besides you'll see your brother and an old pal there.

If we did a good job with this first group, they would help bring in those not donating.  I always felt like, back in the mid to late 90s, their goal was to run a small social club - not a large donor base.  I sure hope that has changed.  With Vicki involved, I know it is at least changing.

This is all easy for me to speculate on, since I have not been in the fold for a few years.  But as I referenced above - this board has it's diehards that would be here, interested in the Bulls and supporting them even through winless seasons.  Over the years, we have built a small online community that brings people back for the Bulls, the other interesting people here as well as the topics on the other boards.  

I like the idea of the student lounge at the Sun Dome, we need to keep building on these things that get people to the venues.  Who cares right now, if they watch the whole game (i.e. Pirate  Ship at RJS)?  Get them there, treat them well.  Make them want to come back voluntarily, not by guilt or coercion.

To me the key is treating people right and giving them reason to be there - other than a "W".  You're not going to get "Ws" all the time - better have a plan to keep your fans.

It's like my wife once told me - "If you can get someone to do something 21 consecutive times - it becomes a habit".  Unfortunately for her, I count everything now and recently stopped taking out the garbage without being asked.  It was the 15th time - I did not want that to be a habit.  I stop doing everything I dislike by the mid-teens...  I'm on to her theory.  But before I caught on, she had me "trained" on a number of things...

Give people a reason to care (other than they went to school there - we already know that doesn't have a lot of staying power) and get them hooked.  

There are a number of ways to get people involved - I have mentioned some of my ideas as have others to members of the AA/Bulls Club.  Perhaps it will all come together in the form of increased  participation in the near future.

I guess I should have issued a "Ramble Alert".

;D  

[CyberBull]

Great ramble Brad..... ;D

IMO, what the athletic department needs more than anything is an all encompassing vision set forth from those on top. That is, much like President Genshaft has carefully outlined USF's goals for the next 5 years we need the same thing for the Athletic department.

I have posted this on the other board and has not seemed to get much traction, however am I the only one who is concerned that in nearly a year of being in office, AD Woolard has yet to articulate his goals and visions to his fan base?

Leadership starts from the top, thus while I am not defending the athletic association they too need to inspired and most importantly have a direction.

We need to hear about Woolard's plans for improving our facilities. We all used to make fun of the old football facilities cardboard models and moaned about those models becoming reality. However....you know what....I would love to see a couple of those things be presented by the University. It makes those projects jump out and more real.

I want to see our plans for a new baseball & softball facility.

I want to see Coach Gigi Fernandez's plans for a world class tennis facility.

I want to see specific plans or at the very least talk about renovating the SunDome.

I want to ……gasp…..even see a long-term projection about an on campus football stadium.

I realize that these kinds of projects take a lot of time, planning and money....but why not include the fan base in the process. To date most of everything that is done at USF is leaked through the media. Sharing information like this should not be such a highly guarded secret. People are more willing to get involved if they think they are working toward a greater goal.

BTW, with all of this being said ...it's not all doom and gloom. I am perfectly unqualified to be athletic director, but if I suddenly became our AD the program will still continue grow. There are a lot of good things going on.

However, eventually the novelties of football, new facilities and a new conference are going to wear off. We should be maximizing our fan base by getting them excited about future projects,  instead of essentially telling them he "we have arrived b/c we are in the Big East now.....open up your wallet"

[CyberBull]

Now this is what I am talking about....

---

SU's New AD's enthusiasm is infectious

---

Scott Pitoniak

Democrat and Chronicle columnist

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(December 18, 2004)  I like what new Syracuse University athletic director Daryl Gross had to say, and I like the way he said it.

There was enthusiasm in his voice. It was palpable, contagious and in stark contrast to his brilliant but stoic predecessor.

Jake Crouthamel preferred to do his work behind the scenes, and that was fine for his time. He was old school, and he worked tirelessly to get the Carrier Dome built and launch the Big East Conference. But while overseeing the greatest run in SU sports history, Jake struggled mightily with public relations, and, in recent years, that's become an even more crucial part of the job.

Fortunately, in their search for a new AD, Chancellor Nancy Cantor and the university's board of trustees realized the importance of finding a replacement with more than just a sterling resume. The position called for someone with an infectious personality, someone who could reconnect the school to its increasingly apathetic fan base and disenchanted alumni.

In Gross, they appear to have landed a man ready to meet those challenges. Although just 43, Gross brings an impressive track record, boundless energy and extremely high expectations to SU.

As a senior associate athletic director at the University of Southern California, he was the point man for the hiring of Pete Carroll, who is on the verge of leading the Trojans to their second consecutive national football championship. He also recently lured the highly respected Rick Majerus out of retirement to coach the USC basketball program.

During Gross' tenure as athletic director Mike Garrett's right-hand man, the Trojans won 15 national titles, 30 Pac-10 championships and produced 145 Olympians.

The holder of a B.S. in psychology from Cal-Davis and graduate degrees in business administration and marketing from USC, Davis has excelled as a fund-raiser. He spearheaded drives to build several new athletic facilities on the SC campus, including the $70 million Galen Center, which will house Trojans' basketball and volleyball in the spring of 2006.

Gross is quite familiar with SU's storied athletic tradition. As a child, the Beverly Hills, Calif., native listened to his father's stories about Syracuse's 1959 national championship football team.

"Whenever I hear the name 'Syracuse University,' I think greatness," he said Friday. "It has a phenomenal history. When I arrived at Southern California 14 years ago, it was a program that once was one of the greatest of all time, but it had lost a bit of its luster. We have brought it back to where we have won 15 national championships.

"This is what I want to build at Syracuse."

He's fully aware that the SU basketball and lacrosse programs already are among the nation's elite. But the one-time New York Jets scout also knows that the Orange football program isn't what it used to be. Gross sees no reason why Syracuse can't compete for a national championship in football the way it once did under Ben Schwartzwalder and **** MacPherson.

Although he wouldn't address current football coach Paul Pasqualoni's future, Gross has made his vision of excellence quite clear. And that has fueled speculation that Coach P may not be out of the woods yet despite recent votes of confidence from Crouthamel and Cantor.

If the Orange were to lose to Georgia Tech in Tuesday's Champs Sports Bowl, there is a chance Gross might recommend a change. He is high on Norm Chow, the USC offensive coordinator who devised the passing attack that helped quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart win two of the past three Heisman trophies.

"I look for coaches who are the best in the business," Gross said. "The four principles I use as a foundation for assessing talent are: win championships, graduate student-athletes, be compliance perfect, and be fiscally sound. We want coaches and staff to have the fire to get this done."

I like the fact he has set the bar very high. There is no reason why the football program can't recapture its greatness without compromising its academic integrity.

While Jake did much of his work in the shadows, Gross will be front-and-center, and that's just what SU athletics needs right now  a dynamic ambassador capable of getting people enthused again about a program with the potential to become much greater.

[USFreak]

cubanbull hits it on the head...

How do you energize the Bulls fan base?  To me, this board is a micrcosm of Bulls society.  There are diehards that are here daily talking about their Bulls.  And there are those that flee once an "L" is hung on us.  Or, better yet, they ***** and then they flee...

When I lived in Tampa, and had hoops tickets in Row 3 of the lower level I attended nearly every game - also going to the Green and Gold room afterwards.

Things have changed since then, but the feeling I had back then was that people pay dollars to join the Athletic Association (name at the time, now Bulls Club) they expect to be part of something.  The feeling I had back then was the USF donor base was not unified, that a certain small group of pals kept passing the leadership back and forth among them.  And, while I was giving the same or more money then them, they received special treatment from the AA as well as the coaches at varying events.

Now, having been gone so long, I can't tell you what it is like.  People like me can be 2300 miles away and still be a fan.  Others can live on Fletcher and need proper motivation.

How does the Bulls Club inspire a broad and active membership?  They once published a donor list...Thousands of donors.  Why don't they attend games?  We have virtually all the season tickets on the lower level of the Sun Dome sold out - why don't they attend?

More than five years ago, I got the sense from many university personnel that we were too small to think this way or that way - especially in a "big-time" way.  We were a small fish with a small core of fans.  In their opinion, we should size our goals to the size of our perceived small fan base.  I didn't come across any big time thinkers back then.  I often had the feeling that many were content with the status quo - additional work, in their minds, was hardly worth undertaking because the results were already known - no benefit.  I was very critical of the AA back then.

"Win and they will come" - I've said that a thousand times.  Unfortunately, we can't always wait for that to come to fruition.  Who's in charge of building a "community" of donors that want to see each other, that look forward to the games as an event?  That is what we need.  People that are attached by more than just their annual donation.  People that have been conditioned to support the Bulls by attending games - good season or bad.  People that look forward to seeing other donors and interacting with the Bulls Club officers and admins.

There are two groups out there.  Those donating and those that don't.  Those that are donating need to be taken better care of, made to feel part of the family.  Attending games should be like going to your nephew's graduation.  You owe it to him.  And you want to go.  Besides you'll see your brother and an old pal there.

If we did a good job with this first group, they would help bring in those not donating.  I always felt like, back in the mid to late 90s, their goal was to run a small social club - not a large donor base.  I sure hope that has changed.  With Vicki involved, I know it is at least changing.

This is all easy for me to speculate on, since I have not been in the fold for a few years.  But as I referenced above - this board has it's diehards that would be here, interested in the Bulls and supporting them even through winless seasons.  Over the years, we have built a small online community that brings people back for the Bulls, the other interesting people here as well as the topics on the other boards.  

I like the idea of the student lounge at the Sun Dome, we need to keep building on these things that get people to the venues.  Who cares right now, if they watch the whole game (i.e. Pirate  Ship at RJS)?  Get them there, treat them well.  Make them want to come back voluntarily, not by guilt or coercion.

To me the key is treating people right and giving them reason to be there - other than a "W".  You're not going to get "Ws" all the time - better have a plan to keep your fans.

It's like my wife once told me - "If you can get someone to do something 21 consecutive times - it becomes a habit".  Unfortunately for her, I count everything now and recently stopped taking out the garbage without being asked.  It was the 15th time - I did not want that to be a habit.  I stop doing everything I dislike by the mid-teens...  I'm on to her theory.  But before I caught on, she had me "trained" on a number of things...

Give people a reason to care (other than they went to school there - we already know that doesn't have a lot of staying power) and get them hooked.  

There are a number of ways to get people involved - I have mentioned some of my ideas as have others to members of the AA/Bulls Club.  Perhaps it will all come together in the form of increased  participation in the near future.

I guess I should have issued a "Ramble Alert".

;D  

Wow Brad, great post.  It is funny that I posted one that hit on a lot of the same points on the Bullpen at Rivals site.  I agree 100% with the sentiment.  The big one being:

"Those that are donating need to be taken better care of, made to feel part of the family.  Attending games should be like going to your nephew's graduation.  You owe it to him.  And you want to go.  Besides you'll see your brother and an old pal there."

I'll post it here just for kicks too.

You are correct.  Those RV cultures at Alabama games, Georgia games, the World's Largest Cocktail party in Jax.....that's what you have to develop and you have to really give fans (not just superfans and donors, but regular fans) some ownership in these teams.  Make them feel like part of the success and failure AND, as you say, make it a true event and a rewarding experience.

I pointed out in my post that some of the nuissance stuff -- 11am starts, tailgating gestapo, etc. -- may all seem like little stuff, but little stuff adds up to big stuff and turns people off to the program because it makes it less fun overall and you want everybody from the casual fan --> diehard love every minute of it.

As you also said:

"To me the key is treating people right and giving them reason to be there - other than a "W".  You're not going to get "Ws" all the time - better have a plan to keep your fans. "

Exactly.  Exactly.

The big thing here is the next generation of Bulls (1998 graduates and on) are the big growth market for this program.  Make the people you got on board (season ticket holders) extra happy and make the new ones (students) have great experiences so they will feel compelled to follow and support the program in later years.

It isn't gimmicks.  It is a grassroots effort and providing a great experience each and every week.

Lastly, I always wish there was something we could do to get "us" -- meaning this site and the other site together -- I know you and Dave have talked about it in the past and I guess there were some snags.  Obviously it would be a benefit for fans, the university and our public perception to do so, but obviously there were logistics in the past.  Maybe some of that could be discussed to our mutual benefit at some point down the line.  I think we'd both find there were a lot more positives than negatives from such an arrangement.