Hire a Herman or Deion type and let them have full control or…
I always thought, for this job, we need a pivotal 3rd position in the hierarchy, in addition to the AD- Football Coach
create more of a GM of the football program ONLY who establishes 1) recruiting strategy 2) marketing/branding strategy 3) tailgating/game day experience strategy 4) coaching awareness (even if we have one) 5) outreach strategy (alums + students)- 6) culture, etc.
This can not fall on the AD- this job is way too hard for the AD to cover all of these items in addition to all of the other sports. I’m talking about a position where this GM views the football coach as a “plug and place” piece in the hierarchy because all of these other things are already established.
While CKS is NOT a “plug and place” coach he does have a GM of the basketball program helping him with the culture/structure- his family! That’s the role we need for football…only unaffiliated/detached role from the coaching position.
Right now, we bank on a coaching hire with NO internal structure and then gather the BOR to vote to fire a coach and hire a new one.
We need better organizational structure with defined cultural and marketing and performance expectations.
I think there’s a third way – properly staff the AD’s marketing department and make them do their freaking jobs. Stop letting coaches clean house and redefine our entire brand identity. 2, 3, and 5 on your list (and arguably 6) can all fall under the purview of a traditional marketing department. Coaches remain in charge of recruitment, but it should be clear that they are recruiting here.
I miss the Rob tailgating. It was awesome. Then it was buried with the new stadium. People liked tailgating next to the stadium. The don’t want to walk across campus to tailgate.
I STILL hate the placement of the IPF…right in the cutout of the downtown view. THAT is what made the stadium unique. Now you get to see a metal building YAY!!!
We always play early games in September heat and night games in November cold.
The admin has work to do.
Maybe when we actually play in the Bug 12 marketing might help.
But after the debacle in Dallas and with two crap home games left I think we are spinning our wheels.
Go knock on student doors, leave notes, call and beg alums and casual fans and see how many show up Saturday.
Marketing is not our problem.
Funny how how our marketing department is doing so well in hoops lol
See some of you at the game Saturday
I don’t think the amount of part time students is an issue. At some point, full-timers just take a part time load because they have other things to do, took classes in high school, a summer class, they have to work, or they’re delaying their graduation to a six year point.
Here’s some info for Fall 2021.
Undergraduate Enrollment
Age
FullTime
PartTime
18 and under
2396
235
19-20
9606
1540
21-22
9462
2812
23-35
4143
3421
26-30
1407
1780
31+
634
1145
Graduate Enrollment
Age
FullTime
PartTime
18 and under
1
0
19-20
18
3
21-22
469
47
23-35
2066
478
26-30
1818
797
31+
1348
1405
Total undergrad part timers: 10933 (out of 38581)
Total graduate part timers: 2730 (out of 8450)
There are 4587 part timers within the ‘normal’ college age group (18-22). The number shoots up when you reach 23-25 and beyond.
These numbers are always released in November/December, so this also takes into account students that might have started full time but dropped to a part time load. And that happens quite a bit. There are a bunch of these students who are overloading their classes in the summer to make up for it or get ahead. That can explain the 21-22 jump in part time loads (which, for this semester, I could have been a part time graduate student, and I definitely will be one in the Spring unless funding requires that I take a full load).
A lot of students that are part timers do want to show out for attendance. They use UH as an opportunity to get their degree while they are working, taking care of kids, and more. People appreciate the school for that opportunity. If they don’t show up to sports, they can still be a proud Cougar.
that’s the issue - its about the coach first than the school - when popular coach starts losing last thing they care about is marketing but why overstep their boundaries then so finish what you started
You’re thinking only about now. What I’m talking about is a concerted and sustained effort. Since we haven’t been doing it in the past, we have to start now.
This isn’t about who we play next week or whatever - it’s about making the games important and interesting to students for the long term.
The fact that Sampson felt the need to personally schedule a rally to try to get students to show up tells you that it’s not only about winning. As good as our program has been for several years, the students would otherwise be beating down the doors to get in. They’re not, and it’s because “marketing” has failed to do anything to capitalize on that success to build something sustaining. It’s actually pathetic.
Not my job, but that same defeatist approach is exactly why no effort has been made. They’ll roll out some isolated initiatives, then give up after one year or when the person driving it leaves.
We’ve never won a national championship in basketball. Should we just not even try?
One certainty is that the same past lack of effort will yield the same results in the future. It’s not complicated.
Defeatist? This is an age old problem and if you think you are smart enough to solve it then I will be rooting for you.
Even praying for you guys! See you guys at the game. I’m the only one I have any control over getting to our games
Notice the over flowing student body at the basketball game against Northern Colorado.
The answer is winning and creating a sustainable level of success that our students are proud of with staff and players they enjoy embracing.
We’ve been winning for several years, and overflowing sections are still rare. Winning is important, but it’s never going to be enough. Believing it will keeps UH from taking the needed steps.
I’m honestly shocked that people are arguing against making additional efforts to build an actual fan base through the students. This problem is literally what led us to being banished to the athletic wilderness for 30 years.
Is the answer that problem to do nothing and hope we win all the time? Things won’t change on their own.
If they’re seriously trying to buzz out the very people that are attending right now and ya know, WALK AND DEFINE THE CAMPUS CULTURE DAILY, then they deserve to get sent to the 300s section on a 95 degree day and they get tricked into thinking it’s the blackout game.
I am going to assume that you two only find blonde white girls dresses like sluts attractive. I know when I go on campus our young ladies represent UH very well and I appreciate the fact they don’t all look like they were extras in a Porky’s or Revenge of the Nerds movie…
All those ppl clamoring that winning solves attendance. You are wrong. Look at basketball. Fertita is still at probably close to 70% attendance level with damnit the best team in the land. It is like the Clemson or Georgia of football but still not full. Enuf of the BS and whataboutery and excuses. Alumni needs to own this and be responsible.
I was a student that attended during the Keenum/Sumlin years and voted on the new stadium and a good number of us bought season tickets during the Levine years.
Herman kept the hype and excitement going until the end of 2016 but everything went downhill once Applewhite came in.
Once 2017 was over, many of the graduates who graduated during the Keenum/Sumlin years got married and had kids and never returned back for football.
I am hoping the new Big 12 will entice some to come back for football and basketball.