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I really hope I'm wrong, but I think Hawkins is staying

sackman

Hates the Counting Crows.
Club Member
The more I think of it, the more I think the administration has it's hands tied. It simply can't go to the legislature asking for additional funding when it's paying a coach $3MM to go away. I'm convinced they have the money, and the desire to pull the trigger, but are handcuffed.

Another good reason for the Regents to seriously consider going private. The State is dictating to the University what it can and can't do without giving it the benefit of adequate funding.
 
Well if he stays, it's gonna cost the AD a lot more money than buying him out.


The CUAD doesn't have a lot of fat to cut out of the program.
- Bare minimum number of sports to be a Big 12 member (no varsity swimming, gymnastics, hocky, wrestling, baseball, softball, lacrosse, rowing, cycling, shooting, ect.)
- Title IX considerations
- Outstanding debt to cover the stadium expansion and GB buy-out from before the great resession.
- Delayed capital programs (no indoor FB practice facility, B-Ball practice facility, jumbotron scoreboard,

The idea of a boycot of the football program to "send a message" is a frightening prospect. It's one of those cut-off-your-nose-to-spite-your-face arrangements.

All you would be doing with a boycott is pull the rug out from under the women's programs (shout out to you, Jenny Barringer), and the successful men's programs - XC, Skiing).

By boycotting, you'd also be running the risk of getting a even a worse coach than Hawkins.

If you are serious about supporting the players, the answer isn't a boycott.
 
The trouble with "One more season" is - WHY BOTHER?!! Can you find a larger albatross to string around a sports program's neck than "It's Do Or Die For This Coach & Staff"?

Honestly, if you don't let him kill your program with his complete extension time, why not amputate what needs to be rather than having a slow, sickening death?

Those are the questions - if he's "only got one more year", why bother?

And the University still has the same decision-makers who made THIS choice guiding the next one. Carlos Marcello's "chop off the head of the dog is better than its tail" makes some sense.
 
I think if he is here next year we're doomed and we will be an Iowa ST OR Baylor for a long time. If we fire him this year, it's our only hope for a long time, JMHO.
 
I don't believe that money is the issue. It's the public perception of spending $3 million on a contract buyout of a coach at a time when the state has cut tens of millions of dollars from education budgets (state universities and elementary/jhs/hs). The private money is there, it just looks really bad from a PR and political standpoint.
 
I'm kinda leaning your way too Sacky. I think we can look forward to another year of indignities being heaped upon us as Buff fans.

At this point my hope is when they finally do pull the trigger they get the right man to finish the job and make the Buffs a winner again.

My expectations have been decimated to the point I don't even have to have a national champion. It's not even on my personal road map of Buff success. I'd settle for a good, rugged team that wins about 2/3rds of their games. One that everybody hated to play because win or lose they were going to be in for an afternoon of hell.
 
I don't believe that money is the issue. It's the public perception of spending $3 million on a contract buyout of a coach at a time when the state has cut tens of millions of dollars from education budgets (state universities and elementary/jhs/hs). The private money is there, it just looks really bad from a PR and political standpoint.

Yep. CU (and all public higher education) is dealing with a legislature and Gov. that have a flat broke budget. They're cutting everything they can to make it work. So if CU gives them an excuse to deny them more funding by spending $3 million to fire a football coach (even though none of it would be taxpayer money), they're going to use it. Right now CU really doesn't need that. :sad1:
 
Yep. CU (and all public higher education) is dealing with a legislature and Gov. that have a flat broke budget. They're cutting everything they can to make it work. So if CU gives them an excuse to deny them more funding by spending $3 million to fire a football coach (even though none of it would be taxpayer money), they're going to use it. Right now CU really doesn't need that. :sad1:

It's ironic that with the economy costing so many people their jobs that it could be the economy that ends up saving Hawkins' job. :huh:
 
The trouble with "One more season" is - WHY BOTHER?!! Can you find a larger albatross to string around a sports program's neck than "It's Do Or Die For This Coach & Staff"?

Honestly, if you don't let him kill your program with his complete extension time, why not amputate what needs to be rather than having a slow, sickening death?

Those are the questions - if he's "only got one more year", why bother?

And the University still has the same decision-makers who made THIS choice guiding the next one. Carlos Marcello's "chop off the head of the dog is better than its tail" makes some sense.

I agree, why bother with one more season of Hawkins.

The buyout just reflects the amount of salary we still would owe Hawkins if he played out his entire contract. Its $3 million the school will be paying regardless if Hawkins stays or doesn't stay. The big difference is that if Hawkins stays, we likely will continue to be one of the worst teams in the Big 12, and football revenues will decline. If he is fired, we still owe him the money, but can pay for a coach who can actually coach a football team. People look at the $3 million as money down the drain, but its just the reflected value of how much we still owe Hawkins. I don't see how that is bad PR for Colorado, the bad PR comes when our football program gives off the perception of being one of the worst in the Big 12, just like the perception our basketball program has.

My guess is that the school will attempt to settle the buyout with Hawkins at a lower cost. For Hawkins at this point, if we end up this season at 2-10 or 3-9, is it really in HIS best interest to hang around if say the school offers him $2 million buyout? He's just going to continue to be disliked, and I realize this is his career, but the amount of criticism/hatred he would receive next season by the CU community would be unbearable even for somebody with the thickest skin. Not only that but from just from a financial perspective, he'd be better off taking $2 million and finding a job back at a mid-major university which is where he belongs. He would likely earn more money in that three year period than holding out for the $3 million owed to him, even if its through playing out his contract.
 
Hawkins should take the $2M (good idea, btw) and go back to coaching a D-II school somewhere. UNC probably needs a new coach. Hawkins would find work - somewhere.
 
He could go back to Boise as TE/ST coach and assistant HC! Seriously though, you make a good point, so long as we don't pay the new guy an absurd amount of money, we could look at it as a $1 million investment for a couple of years.
 
If we lose out, and that is a distinct possibility right now, Hawkins will not be here in 2010. I am about 90% confident of that.
 
He could go back to Boise as TE/ST coach and assistant HC! Seriously though, you make a good point, so long as we don't pay the new guy an absurd amount of money, we could look at it as a $1 million investment for a couple of years.
From what I hear, Boise fans thought he was a jackass when he was there because of the way he acted on his coach"s show. Apparently he juiced up the show to draw attention to himself. Maybe he jumped up on the desk and started shouting? Oh no, that was at CU. Why would they want him back? They have a better record without him.
 
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Hawkins should take the $2M (good idea, btw) and go back to coaching a D-II school somewhere. UNC probably needs a new coach. Hawkins would find work - somewhere.

Hey, UNC won this week...

From what I hear, Boise fans thought he was a jackass when he was there because of the way he acted on his coach"s show. Apparently he juiced up the show to draw attention to himself. Maybe he jumped up on the desk and started shouting? Oh no, that was at CU. Why would they want him back? They have a better record without him.

BS, they were pissed when he left. What they say now is all sour grapes.
 
I honestly don't have a clue how this is going to play out, and I don't think Bohn does yet either. A private $$$ movement would cure all at this point.
 
I'm not buying the "we'd owe him $3M over his contract anyway" argument because that doesn't account for having to pay a new coach.

And I don't see Hawk agreeing to a lesser ($2M) buyout - why the hell would he? I don't get the impression Hawk is only about the money, I think he really wants to stay here and coach. If the AD wants him gone, why would he take less than his contract calls for?
 
I'm not buying the "we'd owe him $3M over his contract anyway" argument because that doesn't account for having to pay a new coach.

And I don't see Hawk agreeing to a lesser ($2M) buyout - why the hell would he? I don't get the impression Hawk is only about the money, I think he really wants to stay here and coach. If the AD wants him gone, why would he take less than his contract calls for?

Because he's a sh*tty coach and I think he knows it. If you were in sales and not hitting your numbers (by a long shot) you would know you were doing a sh*tty job. If you were a doctor and had 5 malpractice lawsuits in 6 months, you would know you were doing a sh*tty job.

Everyone can cut their losses including Hawkins. He's making a living. He can live out his contract, sure, if the school isn't willing to settle a lower buyout, but that will come at a cost (being a hated figure in Boulder, do you think he really wants that?).
 
The more I think of it, the more I think the administration has it's hands tied. It simply can't go to the legislature asking for additional funding when it's paying a coach $3MM to go away. I'm convinced they have the money, and the desire to pull the trigger, but are handcuffed.

Another good reason for the Regents to seriously consider going private. The State is dictating to the University what it can and can't do without giving it the benefit of adequate funding.

I thought about this quite a bit over the weekend and sadly, I have come to the same conclusion. The reason? Politicians are moronic asshats who will twist anything to their advantage. Even though the AD's funding is completely separate from the school's funding, it would be twisted by some asshole politician as a reason that funding should be cut.
 
The thing that's bull**** is that the AD's funding is separate for this very reason... the politics of using state funds to pay for coach salaries, facilities, etc. If our AD's not going to get any advantages of being separate (still politically charged, still having administrators influence coaching decisions, etc.), I say **** it. Let's have CU's general fund kick in an extra $10 million a year we can use for coaches and facilities, maybe even a couple new sports.

btw, this is the exact position I'd be taking with DiStefano and Benson if I was Mike Bohn. I'd even go to the press with it.
 
The thing that's bull**** is that the AD's funding is separate for this very reason... the politics of using state funds to pay for coach salaries, facilities, etc. If our AD's not going to get any advantages of being separate (still politically charged, still having administrators influence coaching decisions, etc.), I say **** it. Let's have CU's general fund kick in an extra $10 million a year we can use for coaches and facilities, maybe even a couple new sports.

btw, this is the exact position I'd be taking with DiStefano and Benson if I was Mike Bohn. I'd even go to the press with it.

:rofl2:

Colorado cut $80mil out of HE funding for FY2009. This in a state that was already in the bottom 10% for funding HE to begin with. A lot of that money was temporarily restored through the Stimulus package. FY2010 starts July 1. You think the state is going to come up with $80mil? The real crock is that CU and other schools can't raise tuition to cover for the loss.
 
I agree, why bother with one more season of Hawkins.

The buyout just reflects the amount of salary we still would owe Hawkins if he played out his entire contract. Its $3 million the school will be paying regardless if Hawkins stays or doesn't stay. The big difference is that if Hawkins stays, we likely will continue to be one of the worst teams in the Big 12, and football revenues will decline. If he is fired, we still owe him the money, but can pay for a coach who can actually coach a football team. People look at the $3 million as money down the drain, but its just the reflected value of how much we still owe Hawkins. I don't see how that is bad PR for Colorado, the bad PR comes when our football program gives off the perception of being one of the worst in the Big 12, just like the perception our basketball program has.

My guess is that the school will attempt to settle the buyout with Hawkins at a lower cost. For Hawkins at this point, if we end up this season at 2-10 or 3-9, is it really in HIS best interest to hang around if say the school offers him $2 million buyout? He's just going to continue to be disliked, and I realize this is his career, but the amount of criticism/hatred he would receive next season by the CU community would be unbearable even for somebody with the thickest skin. Not only that but from just from a financial perspective, he'd be better off taking $2 million and finding a job back at a mid-major university which is where he belongs. He would likely earn more money in that three year period than holding out for the $3 million owed to him, even if its through playing out his contract.

Here is the problem with that.....

You are putting forth a clear and concise BUSINESS argument.....

No where.... Democrat or Republican, does Government actually analyze things from a business perspective.

The football program is the social catalyst to spread academic socialsm to the other sports that make money .... so you can not analyze this from a business perspective :thumbsup:
 
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These latest budget cuts from the state have gotta put the overal state support into the single digits as a percentage. As much as I'd hate to see it, it's time for CU to go private. Our state's continued view of post-secondary education still being a privilege and not a near-necessisty these days is pathetic.
 
If we lose out, and that is a distinct possibility right now, Hawkins will not be here in 2010. I am about 90% confident of that.
How can you possibly be that confident? From what I see, the chances are slim and none and slim is saddling up his horse.
 
These latest budget cuts from the state have gotta put the overal state support into the single digits as a percentage. As much as I'd hate to see it, it's time for CU to go private. Our state's continued view of post-secondary education still being a privilege and not a near-necessisty these days is pathetic.

We were already in single digits. 7% was the last number I heard, and that was two years ago. CU is a state school in name only at this point.
 
Because he's a sh*tty coach and I think he knows it. If you were in sales and not hitting your numbers (by a long shot) you would know you were doing a sh*tty job. If you were a doctor and had 5 malpractice lawsuits in 6 months, you would know you were doing a sh*tty job.

Everyone can cut their losses including Hawkins. He's making a living. He can live out his contract, sure, if the school isn't willing to settle a lower buyout, but that will come at a cost (being a hated figure in Boulder, do you think he really wants that?).

So he's not already the most hated man in Boulder? You sure about that? In any case, taking $2M instead of $3M won't help him in that regard.

We can debate how sh***y a job he's done, but doesn't mean he'll take a lesser buyout - he has all the leverage. How many big bank CEOs gave up any of their golden parachutes because they had enough money already to get by on.

Don't count on a settlement.
 
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