Two questions
- Thread starter jaretac
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The Gmac extension is the thing that has shaken some of my confidence on Pollard. His hiring hasn't been problematic, imo. It's easy to rip it in hindsight.
Usually when a coach gets a contract extension, the school issues a press release announcing it. Normally you want it publicized because it shows stability and assures recruits that the staff will be in place. In this case, the only reason we even heard about Chizik's extension was when the Auburn AD mentioned it. I can't say I am surprised, but I am disappointed that we did not know. Again, it's Pollard's style: good news and it's "look what I did" -- for example the lifetime contract for Bill Fennelly. That one wasn't kept secret. Bad news -- like a contract extension for the coach with the lowest winning % in ISU history -- and it's done in secret. Why? A contract extension for the football coach is more money and bigger news than a contract extension for the women's basketball coach.
Same thing again. When there was a lot of criticism of GMac toward the end of the season, Pollard was quoted as saying it was too early and he would not get a contract extension. I guess he was trying to say something popular, even though it was misleading. What he failed to say was that GMac's contract called for automatic extensions and he was already locked up for 7 more years. We only found out about that deal when the Des Moines Register revealed it.
How many more surprises are out there waiting for us?
I wouldn't worry about people hating on Pollard. Rhoads is going to put together an 8 win season, GMac will make the tourny, Fennelly will stay, and wrestling will finish top 3 consistantly. All will be well... within the next 2-3 years. Not a long wait for some of us who sat through the 80's and 90's.
So an other words it is pure speculation that made you say that season ticket numbers were down last year from 2005 despite the fact that attendance was up and that and there are more seats reserved now for season ticket holders then there was in 2005.
The fact that Pollard has been able to hold high season ticket numbers despite a bad economy and a bad team tells me that he is doing his job, even if the football coach wasn't.
So an other words it is pure speculation that made you say that season ticket numbers were down last year from 2005 despite the fact that attendance was up and that and there are more seats reserved now for season ticket holders then there was in 2005.
The fact that Pollard has been able to hold high season ticket numbers despite a bad economy and a bad team tells me that he is doing his job, even if the football coach wasn't.
We set a record for season ticket sales in 2007. If you think we broke that record in 2008, you're a bigger fool than I think you are.
And why are you giving Pollard credit for holding season ticket sales where they are? He's not buying any tickets. You should give credit to our fan base for buying the tickets they're buying despite ticket prices that are the highest in our history and on-field performance that is near the worst in our history. Our fans deserve better from you.
Why do you blame Pollard for Gene Chizik crapping on everyone? He fooled Pollard just like he fooled us. Same w/Sanderson. What did you want Pollard to do? Pay him money we don't have??
First, I didn't say that we broke any record, I was simply pointing out that our attendance (and most likely our season ticket sales) were higher last year when expectations were low, then they were in 05 when expectations were high. Considering that Pollard, as you put it yourself, did not have time to influence the 05 season, I would say he has done a good job selling tickets.
That also addresses your next paragraph. Pollard's job is to sell tickets. I know that it is PR to thank the fans for high ticket sales, but Pollard has done an amazing job advertising and keeping people interested in ISU through some tough seasons.
Also about your sig MontyBurns, tack&field has been doing better under Pollard than they did before Pollard, and I would consider 3 Big12 titles in three years in wrestling a success, especially since we hadn't won a conference title in the 20 previous years. Also, we have won a total of 4 conference titles since Pollard and in the 4 years before Pollard we won 0.
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I would say that most probably do.
Also, if someone wanted to push it, I bet the information is technically public information. If pressed, ISU would probably have to release the information.
I could be mistaken, but that would be my guess.
Keith Murphy and Andy Fales are part of the press. They asked Jamie directly last fall and he refused to answer.
Exactly my point, if it was required to be available to the public then we would have it already.
Why won't we release the information? We released it in previous years, in fact we put up a thermometer so everyone could see it. Why is it secret now?
On a similar note, why did we find out that Chizik got a two year contract extension way after it happened from the AD at Auburn? We have always announced coaching contract extensions in the past. We out of our way to publicize Fennelly's long term contract extension. Why was a contract extension for our highest paid coach who coaches the #1 attendance sport done in secret?
What other secrets are out there that we will only find out about later?
If I remember, our season ticket sales WERE publicly released near the start of the season. If I remember, it was well over 30,000, but short of the 2007 record. I think it was actually 2nd highest ever.
Maybe it is just me, but I never remember the ticket count being a big deal until JP arrived and put up that thermometer. In fact, there was very little excitement about ISU athletics between 2002 and the time when we beat Iowa in 2005.
LOL. I guess the 2004 victory over Nebraska and our second-ever bowl win in the Independence Bowl, the NIT final four season with wins over Kansas & Iowa, and a women's NCAA tournament appearance never happened?
They happened, but there wasn't a ton of excitement over it. I remember seeing a empty stadium for the last game of 2004 when we were playing for a chance to represent the North. I remember seeing headlines about Hilton magic dying and problems with slumping attendance. I remember the athletic department selling tickets to the Colorado game in '05 for $10 each. Attendance was down in all sports despite having moderate success. Attendance is the best sign of fans support for a athletic department and our fans were not supporting ISU, before Pollard, in the way they are supporting ISU now.
