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Rick George's Athletic Dept. Update 6/3

absinthe

Ambitious but rubbish.
Club Member
Junta Member
I am sure most of you got this today but for those who didnt:

Dear Buffs Fans,

RAPID. In our strategic plan, it is the acronym for our five core values: respect, accountability, passion, integrity and dedication. As a word, it is simply defined as “moving, acting or occurring with great speed.”

Construction Update
We had a great turnout on May 12 for our official groundbreaking ceremony signifying the start of our Athletics Complex Expansion project; a week later, you would not have recognized the northeast corner of Folsom Field. This is the sense of urgency we need to position ourselves for success.

Mortensen Construction has dug in deep (pun intended) and has removed all the bleacher seating from sections 121 and 122, as well as in the north end zone, and the cement structural bases and all of the railings; they are now in the beginning of the major excavation to begin phase one of the project. That involves the northeast addition to Folsom, including a new Stadium Club and a Rooftop Terrace, which will connect to the current East Stadium Club level; a High Performance Sports Center that will grow our Sports Medicine program and facilities; and additional restrooms and concession areas.

On our website, we have a “Live Construction Cam” you can check anytime to see the daily progress being made in this first of the three sequences of the project. The camera is aimed right at the northeast corner of Folsom; just go to CUBuffs.com or this direct link http://buffs.me/CULiveCam to access.

Sequence two will be the renovation of approximately 80 percent of the Dal Ward Athletic Center, the major highlights of which include: the tripling of academic support unit area to 15,000 square feet, creating locker room space for all student-athletes and an area for our Leadership Development Program, and finally constructing a new Touchdown Club to accommodate loge boxes and club seats. Season ticket holders with seats in the affected seating areas are being contacted personally and will have the first opportunity to purchase seats in those sections, followed by donors and season ticket holders in other areas.

The final sequence of this project will be an indoor practice facility east of the northeast athletic complex to be built on a portion of Franklin Field.

It is important that you know that our fundraising efforts are ongoing toward and beyond the goal of one-third of the funds for the overall project, with the target completion date remaining an aggressive but still realistic fall of 2015.

Graduation
On May 9, we saw 34 of our student-athletes graduate, always one of our best days of the year. We host the graduates and their families; it is truly a pleasure to see the excitement in their eyes as they are ready to go on to the next journey of their lives. A few days later, the NCAA released the annual Academic Progress Report (APR), and we had our highest scores on record in the 10-year existence of the program. Every one of our programs is in strong shape, and the dedication from both the staff of the Herbst Academic Center and our student-athletes are largely responsible for the positives that came out of that report. In addition, we are graduating 83 percent of our student-athletes in our latest four-year cohort Graduation Success Rate (GSR) report filed for 2013-14.

Congratulations
I am very pleased to inform you that our student-athletes were selected as the recipients of the Pac-12 Sportsmanship Award for 2013-14. They were honored for both their resiliency and humanitarian efforts in helping the Boulder community recover from the record rainfall and subsequent massive flooding last September. The way our student-athletes, coaches and staff responded during that difficult time was most rewarding to witness personally. Having been here as your athletic director barely a month, it afforded me the opportunity to see all the wonderful people we have in our program. They put aside their own concerns at the time to help out others in the community.

Congratulations are also in order for our sports information department, cited as a member of the “Super 11” by the Football Writers Association of America. It’s the second time in the last four years Dave Plati and his staff has been honored for outstanding game day operations as well as how his office conducts business on a daily basis with the nation’s top football media.

Competition Update
On the sports front, both of our golf teams advanced to their respective NCAA regionals. Anne Kelly’s women’s team finished 11th in the Pac-12 Championships yet still were invited, so that should be an indication of just how strong the league is. They finished 16th in the regional and did not make it into the finals, but concluded a good season with primarily a young team.

Roy Edwards’ men’s team finished fourth in spectacular fashion in the Pac-12 tournament, posting the best third round score and second best final round effort and did so playing three true freshmen. The same trio was among the five playing in the regional in Auburn, where we got off to a good start (fourth), but eventually finished 12th and did not make it into the finals. Still, the team set numerous records and all five golfers who played in the postseason return next year.

The outdoor track and field teams have had some solid individual performances, highlighted by Shalaya Kipp running the world’s second fastest time in the steeplechase; she followed that by winning the title in the same event at the Pac-12 Championships. Blake Theroux was second in the same event for the men, and we had several others record top five efforts; this conference is also one of the nation’s best in track and those finishes are quality performances. We qualified 18 performers for the NCAA Preliminaries in Fayetteville, the precursor to the NCAA Championships in Eugene the second week in June, and seven earned the right to advance, including Kipp and Theroux, along with Emily Hunsucker, who dominated in winning the women’s hammer throw.

The women’s lacrosse team enjoyed a fine inaugural season, finishing 11-8, which included a 6-3 record in conference play, tying for third. That is the best record in the first year of competition for any sport in our athletic history (men’s basketball was 3-1 back in 1901-02, so technically it had a better winning percentage). Ann Elliot’s team qualified for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation postseason tournament and won its first-ever playoff game before the season ended with a loss to No. 18 Stanford.

The women’s tennis team unfortunately ran into a buzz saw in conference play, struggling in its 10 league matches and finishing the season with an 8-14 record. The Pac-12, once again, boasts several of the nation’s top teams, with six in the top 25.

Learfield Sports Directors' Cup
Halfway through the spring sports season, we were 34th in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings. While still the highest we have been in 13 years, we do tend to fall off a bit in the standings this time of year because of the number of sports we sponsor (though now at 17 with the addition of women’s lacrosse). We picked up a few points with the women’s golf team qualifying for the regionals and will do so for the men as well, and could also with the seven outdoor track and field student-athletes participating in the NCAA Championships.

We finished the year with a 566-278-10 record against Division I competition in all sports, a 66.9 winning percentage.

Football Game Times
We now know the kickoff times and television networks for the Colorado State and Arizona State games, as we were informed last week: CSU will kickoff at 7 p.m. in Denver and will be broadcast nationally on Fox Sports 1, and Arizona State, our home and conference opener, will have an 8 p.m. start with ESPNU to televise it to the nation. We really are pleased with these selections, the CSU game time is great heading into Labor Day weekend. Many people will leave work early that Friday and can head down early to the stadium and tailgate or first go over to the Taste of Colorado and then make their way to the game. As for Arizona State, we do understand that 8 p.m. is a little later than we’d normally like for a home game, but that time of the year the temperature in the evening averages in the low-to-mid 60s, so it should be perfect football weather.

Even though the athletic year is winding down, we want to see the momentum and excitement we have created continue to build in the summer months and leading into the 2014-15 athletic year. Donors, season ticket holders, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the university have all played vital roles in helping us get to where are right now in our Sustainable Excellence Initiative, yet we still need continued support to reach our fundraising goals.

There is always more information on how you can help at www.cubuffclub.com, or you can call the Buff Club office (303-492-2200). Enjoy your summer and I hope you are looking forward to 2014-15 as much as we are!

C ollaboration and U nity,



Rick George
Athletic Director
 
1. It seems as though the AD has been getting complaints about game start times. To me it is a very serious drawback of being in the PAC.

2. I really hope the AD completely revamps the PR and marketing department within the AD. Both in terms of outside the university and inside university relations.

Those are two complaints, but overall things are definitely moving in the right direction. :)




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1. It seems as though the AD has been getting complaints about game start times. To me it is a very serious drawback of being in the PAC.

2. I really hope the AD completely revamps the PR and marketing department within the AD. Both in terms of outside the university and inside university relations.

Those are two complaints, but overall things are definitely moving in the right direction. :)

I'm pretty sure that CU still doesn't see the value of PR. They don't do it. They don't have a PR firm. I think what passes for PR is that Plati issues some press releases.
 
An 8:00 PM start time in September is a whole lot easier to accept than an 8:00 PM start time in November. My biggest issue with any game at that time is that my Dad is starting to get to a point where late games simply don't agree with him. He has a hard time staying up that late.

The AD did a survey of basketball season ticket holders, and I responded to that survey that I thought the start times were bad. I know they can't do anything about it, but they should know that it's an issue for me, and probably a lot of other folks as well. I can't take my 11-year old daughter to a 9:00 PM basketball game. 7:00 is a stretch as it is.
 
I'm pretty sure that CU still doesn't see the value of PR. They don't do it. They don't have a PR firm. I think what passes for PR is that Plati issues some press releases.

It really is frustrating that CU cannot understand something so basic especially after all the PR disasters we've had the last decade plus. We desperately need a new image. It just seems so obvious I just don't get it. I don't even think it would be expensive.

I am also still baffled as to why Plati is so damn great. It seems like typical public employee praise: "Well he's been here a long time so he must be fantastic". Maybe I'm blaming the wrong guy, and if so, I apologize (Sacky's PR campaign against Plati probably worked!).


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Plati is good at what he does, which is provide statistics and historical information to members of the press who want it. As a PR guy, he's a walking disaster. He shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a microphone and should never, under any circumstances, be quoted. With the new facilities, a PR guy (or group of people) could be very important. We need to get out in front of the morons who are clogging up the DC with gripes about global warming and bees.
 
I should add that I don't think I've heard Dave Plati being quoted in well over a year. Probably longer. So maybe they've figured that out.
 

for the most part ....

I did hear that CU used to have a tent for past players on gamedays and that RG took it away to save money and that some of
these past players are upset and didn't renew their season tickets. This doesn't sit well with me.
 
for the most part ....

I did hear that CU used to have a tent for past players on gamedays and that RG took it away to save money and that some of
these past players are upset and didn't renew their season tickets. This doesn't sit well with me.

Umm what? Where was this tent?


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The alumni C tent is set up just West of the Math building. Big, round thing. I'm surprised to hear that's being discontinued.
 
for the most part ....

I did hear that CU used to have a tent for past players on gamedays and that RG took it away to save money and that some of
these past players are upset and didn't renew their season tickets. This doesn't sit well with me.

Tent? How poor. Isn't the Touchdown Club for the former players?
 
thanks for posting. The only emails I get from CU are those telling me about another opportunity to directly part with my money.

I like the comms from RG -- it addresses many of the top bitches about the CU AD that I hear on Allbuffs: providing some general PR, soft-selling of athletics to the academic-first stakeholders, reinforcing continuing need for donations and demonstrating responsiveness to fan feedback.

Regarding the perceived need for a PR dept, how about an alternative with a structure of Senior projects by marketing and communication majors under supervision of a professor (or professors) to ensure continuity? This would take advantage of the free [STRIKE]slave[/STRIKE] student labor, give the students some valuable experience, save money and ensure that the PR group is in touch with college students. Sounds like win/win to me, but I have no idea how capable those departments are here at CU.

Does Plati's office do the prose on the flyers they give out at the basketball games? I still think they were outstanding, but part of me is hoping they were student authored.

I know I'm in a different world here w/r/t kickoff times, but I'm still shocked that a population so interested in outdoor activities wouldn't prefer 8PM game times so as to spend the day hiking, skiing, bicycling, fly-fishing, building decks, beekeeping, etc... There's actually a very sick part of me that's waiting for a day with a nooner at AFA or CSU and an 8PM at CU so I can overdose on a D1CFB two'fer. {The day of the ASU game, CSU hosts UC-Davis, which has a good shot of being at 12PM, but isn't the most exciting warm-up game I could imagine; the Saturday of the OSU game has more options and the UU game is my last hope . PM me if game times work out and you share my illness.}

I understand Sacky's complaint about 9PM basketball tip times being too late to take kids out. However, my observation was that the most poorly attended were the Saturday nooners (where attended = butts in seats, vs. tix sold).

I know that we always hear how college sports revenue is dwarfed by TV money, and not by ticket, parking and concession sales. But at some level, aren't they related? I know that when I watch a game on TV with mostly empty seats that a part of me wonders "if the people living next to the venue don't care enough to see it, why am I watching from hundreds/thousands of miles away?" If colleges completely sell out to TV to the point where even people like us don't attend, won't that hurt TV ratings both short and long term? A big part of the reason I watch sports on TV is because I enjoy following the teams and want to see all of their games --> a big part of why I enjoy following the teams is because of [STRIKE]Allbuffs[/STRIKE] how much fun the live game experience is. If the next generation of kids never attends games with their parents, will they watch them on TV when grown up?

85 days until the start of college football.
 
for the most part ....

I did hear that CU used to have a tent for past players on gamedays and that RG took it away to save money and that some of
these past players are upset and didn't renew their season tickets. This doesn't sit well with me.

I wonder how true that is i know engaging former players is a huge initiative of RG's and i have seen him glad handing the Buffs4life tailgate organizers before a number of games.
 
The alumni C tent is set up just West of the Math building. Big, round thing. I'm surprised to hear that's being discontinued.

my dad talked with a past QB that he knows from the 1950's who had mentioned it-
this past QB has kept his tickets but sounds like others have not-
 
Some late start times for games is fun every so often. Even old fogeys can get out of their routine and enjoy a late night once in a while.
 
Some late start times for games is fun every so often. Even old fogeys can get out of their routine and enjoy a late night once in a while.
Says the guy for whom the 8pm start means 2pm and a 2pm start means setting an alarm so you don't miss the game.
 
I can pretty well guarantee my Dad won't go to that ASU game. I'm sure I can find somebody for that ticket, but that's not really the point. At this stage, my Dad is just buying the tickets for my benefit. And while I appreciate that, it saddens me when he says he'll skip a game here or there because of the start time. By my uneducated estimate, I figure I have four or five years left with my Dad. Anything beyond that will be gravy. I want to make the most of that time.
 
If it is many games I think there is a problem, but if it is one game a season that starts in west coasts prime time I say we can deal with
 
I can pretty well guarantee my Dad won't go to that ASU game. I'm sure I can find somebody for that ticket, but that's not really the point. At this stage, my Dad is just buying the tickets for my benefit. And while I appreciate that, it saddens me when he says he'll skip a game here or there because of the start time. By my uneducated estimate, I figure I have four or five years left with my Dad. Anything beyond that will be gravy. I want to make the most of that time.
<sarcasm> Sacky, you could help your dad out and let him retire so he doesn't have to get up early and go to work early on Sunday mornings after the game.</sarcasm>

On a serious note, my brother and I have had a number of discussions around how much/little sports attending we'll be doing in our old age. I see affordable parking options becoming one of the larger restraints when body becomes too decrepit to be worth walking a mile from the street-side free parking spot.
 
<sarcasm> Sacky, you could help your dad out and let him retire so he doesn't have to get up early and go to work early on Sunday mornings after the game.</sarcasm>

On a serious note, my brother and I have had a number of discussions around how much/little sports attending we'll be doing in our old age. I see affordable parking options becoming one of the larger restraints when body becomes too decrepit to be worth walking a mile from the street-side free parking spot.

Dude, you are way too worried about old age if you're breaking it down to the cost of parking.
 
I actually really like the early season late start times. Allows us to go to our kids sporting events and still make the games with time to tailgate!
 
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