I will get crucified for this post.

[cmhawks99]

We kept Norm too long. And I like Norm. It effected recruiting.

We also kept Hayden too long. that is who I was referring to. I know we had no choice.

I also know now I'll really get crucified for saying this.

I won’t crucify you....you are what you are and you reap what you sow Your types are the same everywhere and not fun to be around or to employee or work for as the case may be....you’re the same at home and in the work place as you are here....

The truth is based on the amount of talent we still have and the amount we keep producing with “these” recruiting classes you’d be better served on someone else’s board asking them why they don’t get more talented kids out of higher rankings, eh?!?!?!

People like you rarely look outside your rant and how foolish the alternative message is……Good or bad; Iowa will send 4 plus kids to the NFL again this year and more via free agency. It is frustrating we haven’t won more but the recruiting angle is a lousy way for you to try to make a case with…so not only are you negative and bitter, you are also not very far thinking.

Oh and thank goodness for those farmers…its them that kept Iowa alive in 20 down years and its them that keep it alive now…..THATS who we need to please.

 

[cmhawks99]

Is the point of this just to rant? It's fine if it is, it just doesn't need a response.

If it is more than that, and you're looking for a response - you've shot argument dead by not using reality. For example.

"Iowa is nowhere to be seen (in recruiting rankings) - at best 5th in the B1G" Out of Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State which schools should we consistently out recruit because of the advantages that you mentioned? Would you make that argument with regard to Michigan State, Minnesota and Illinois as well?

"And we get no recruits", again an absolute that is obviously false. As you note it is one of our best recruiting classes in the last several years, and there are 30 some odd hawkeyes in the NFL including another handful likely for this upcoming draft.

"We can only get 7 wins" except last year when we had 8. Or, when we had 11 two years ago. Or 9 the year before that, or the 3 years with 10 plus wins earlier in the decade.

"Is this what's wrong with the mentality of Iowans in general? It's good enough?" If Iowans are lacking in mentality because we don't let two seasons that didn't meet expectations significantly impact us, confirms reason 8,001 I moved back to Iowa.

I can't specifically comment on the inter-workings of the program regarding Coker, but your other comments highlighted above lead me to believe that you are the type that attaches oneself to the extreme negative position regarding this program. These statements could all be true, but the remainder of your post leaves one wanting.

I think there are legitimate reasons for concern, and I don't think many reasonable fans would say that your prediction of similar results the next two years (assuming you mean that 6-8 wins per year) would be far fetched. If it bothers you that you donate money and believe that doing so entitles you to demanding results from your university on how it conducts itself and the football team on the number of qualified recruits and wins, I'd suggest you stop donating immediately. You are bound to be disenfranchised by the return on your investment.

Absolutely FANTASTIC POST........there is no rebuttal for this.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Someone had mentioned a melt down was coming. I sure son't want to make that poster wait.

National signing day is closely approaching. Iowa is nowhere to be seen. Again. At best, 5th in the B10 (B12?). Nowhere nationally. And this is one of their better recruiting classes in many years.

One of the largest public institutions in America, with great facilities, a solid budget, 7 home game (8 next year in all actuality) and usually the likes of Indiana, Minnesota and Purdue on the schedule. With at least regional national television for a majority of games, and EVERY game televised for exposure. And ABSOLUTELY no competition from any other program, college or professional, in the entire state for a fan base (and in the real world, for recruiting either).

And we get no recruits. We throw running backs under the bus due to pressure from the U. (Yes, I am basing this on something. No, I'm not getting into details right now). We can only get 7 wins. We have a coach who threw a player under the bus, by his inaction, to protect the 6th highest head coaching salary in American college football.

And the only donors that complain (large donors, by the way), get drowned out by the lifelong farmers in the I Club, which is 100% ineffectual. And we do nothing.

Our AD, and Head Football Coach lets the U get rid of our best running back. His family has said he had no choice. He had wanted to stay at Iowa, but his staying was not possible.

Is this what’s wrong with the mentality of Iowans in general? It’s good enough? And God help you if you have goals for more than this, because those same I Club farmers mentioned above will say “quit complainingâ€, and “your expectations are unrealistic’’.

So am I concerned about the future of Iowa football? I’ll answer this way. I can’t see any improvement for at least 2 years. That should speak loudly about our inability to recruit, keeping assistant coaches, and coaches for that matter, well beyond their time to go (including one who if I mention his name, I'll really get crucified), and almost 100% complacency amongst the fans, who if they ever read this e-mail would reply “You’re not a true fan†and “I sat through 30 losing seasons in a rowâ€. (as if that’s something to be proud of, especially since they made no effort to apply any pressure to get things changed).

And yes I am a donor. And yes, I'm considering becoming a non-donor. And yes, I realize my tickets will be swooped up, and the demand will remain high.

Anyone else as disappointed and concerned by this as I am?

<<One of the largest public institutions in America>>

Not even close

<<And yes, I'm considering becoming a non-donor>>

Give it to the US Treasury. That account could use a bump.

 

[Foval21]

the saddest impression is that you think the coaches and players and fans are ok with average or subpar years. this is not true. just because a coach isnt cursing like a sailor or throwing things doesnt mean he doesnt care. he is just realistic to what football is in the grand scheme. everyone wants to win. but the truth is you cant win them all. kf averages about 8 wins a year to get a mean of 8 you must have some above 8 and some below. he recruits well enough for our disadvantages and because of the disadvantages they focus more on player development which is why we send so many to the pros our guys know how to work for it and most have a chip on their shoulder. relax and realize we have a really good football team. the players and coaches are trying to do better but it is sports the best team doesnt always win. pick your self up, dust yourself off and fight again tomorrow. if you didnt lose sometimes or have down years sometimes the great years wouldnt be as sweet. i believe next year we will surprise people.

 

[cmhawks99]

On another note Iowa's recruiting in recent years has been better and better every year. We have plenty of younger talent in the wings that had multiple offers from all the biggies so really, this recruiting rant is absolutely baseless.

We really don’t even know what we’ll field next year, but I love our Db and Lber talent thru and thru…and I think there are some bodies to work with at DL, so really, dude….your are waaaayyyy out there.

 

[eveningnewsteam]

I'm pretty sure I didn't mention winning 9 or 10 games anywhere.

You should have because it 100% should be expected to win at least 9 games per season at Iowa. Wisconsin does and there is not one damn reason Iowa shouldnt. You dont see Wisconsin dropping games to f'n Minnesota or teams like Iowa State. Save the talk about players in the NFL too, that makes Iowa's winning percentage look even more pathetic with the talent that comes through the football program.

 

[cmhawks99]

the saddest impression is that you think the coaches and players and fans are ok with average or subpar years. this is not true. just because a coach isnt cursing like a sailor or throwing things doesnt mean he doesnt care. he is just realistic to what football is in the grand scheme. everyone wants to win. but the truth is you cant win them all. kf averages about 8 wins a year to get a mean of 8 you must have some above 8 and some below. he recruits well enough for our disadvantages and because of the disadvantages they focus more on player development which is why we send so many to the pros our guys know how to work for it and most have a chip on their shoulder. relax and realize we have a really good football team. the players and coaches are trying to do better but it is sports the best team doesnt always win. pick your self up, dust yourself off and fight again tomorrow. if you didnt lose sometimes or have down years sometimes the great years wouldnt be as sweet. i believe next year we will surprise people.

Here is another great post and the highlighted nails it complete. The arrogance of some that they honestly think THEY are more upset than the coaches and players just galls me. And the fact that they think they are somehow qualified to “call outâ€￾ these coaches because they watch 12 games a year is baffling. It would be one thing if they watched a guy lose 8 games a year for 5 years, but they can make this assertion with a staff that is always competitive and has had the best run in U of Iowa history. It really is mind boggling….it would be nice if they would share with us some of their personal bio so we could see what their credentials are, eh?!!?

 

[CountryHawk5]

these are the same posters that are the BEST Iowa fans when we are winning...people that have never played a sport cannot relate rationally to sports...ur right...players, coaches, and fans don't care and like mediocrity...go put your donation in the slot machine and ill take ur tickets

 

[tm3308]

.

They did take his recruiting duties away from him. The result on defense is self-evident. In about 2 years.

I shouldn't need to mention this, but I will. I said we kept him too long. I didn't say he wasn't an outstanding d coordinator.

When was he stripped of recruiting duties? IIRC it's been a while now, and the defense had been fine until attrition along the front line hit us hard (that's got little to do with recruiting. We've been getting guys to come here. Keeping them here has been the problem.).

A public school. What I meant was a state school. Do a quick Google search. You'll find you are incorrect.

No, he's still right. He said if you think Iowa is one of the largest public schools in the country, you're misinformed. How is he supposed to know that by 'public', you meant 'state' schools?

 

[Golfer]

what is your solution. golfer?

OK, I actually took the time to read the other posts, and since they didn't take the time to read mine, or couldn't understand it, I'll ignore them. Which is what most of us do at the I Club do anyway with people like that.

Solutions. A University president who embraced the athletic department. This one is out of our control for now.

Honestly in the way the athletic department and university account for athletic department monies. This might help having a University president embrace the athletic department, and could be done, starting tomorrow. I won't go into details, but that Iowa's athletic department loses money is disingenuous, and most of us see through this.

End the dysfunctional, hero worshiping, loyalty. Norm was a great coach. We kept him too long. Same thing for Hayden. Both could have been given a position in the athletic department, and at a minimum, should have been preparing a succession, or perpetuation plan. (careful, the U will try to explain how the athletic department loses money if we try this).

Remember when they started busing the players to Cedar Rapids on Friday nights to keep them out of the bars and jail? Grades? They have tutors. There are also work study jobs for tutoring. There is no shortage of this. They need to do it more, and if that includes a mentor program (broader than what they are already using, like "Coach, he didn't go to class today"), then do it, like almost every other program in America.

Recruiting. Well, where would one start here. Norm had duties taken away from him, due to medical problems. That's a fact. KoK? Seriously? When we lost a kid to Oklahoma several years ago, he was the reason (I know, I'm not basing this statement on anything concrete that I can write here, so you'll either have to believe me or not.). He has been the reason in several instances, and continues to be the reason from what I'm hearing (once again, you need to decide if those I listen to would know these things, or not).

Salaries? You know Tim Tebow made $250K for every playoff game he made. KF, who is admittedly a great guy, has no incentive. He has an incentive plan for a winning season, making a bowl game etc, but when you look at how other programs structure their coach's base salaries, and incentify, you can see where I'm going with this.

There's more, but these are the braod administrative things that need to be addressed. The sooner, the better.

 

[imported_ankle23]

these posts are just mind boggling.

OP - answer this question - what is Iowa's competitive advantage over the rest of the big 10?

did you read faith ekaktie's blog about his impressions of the campus compared to other places he looked at?

 

[cmhawks99]

You should have because it 100% should be expected to win at least 9 games per season at Iowa. Wisconsin does and there is not one damn reason Iowa shouldnt. You dont see Wisconsin dropping games to f'n Minnesota or teams like Iowa State. Save the talk about players in the NFL too, that makes Iowa's winning percentage look even more pathetic with the talent that comes through the football program.

Well I'll admit I was one of the ones who beat this drum for about 6 years to all the “smart guys†who told me time and time and time again how bad KF was at recruiting. I said it everywhere and all the time…I get a chuckle out of how many are clued into this and now guys like you cut it off at the pass….why?!?! Because it disproves a lot of the silliness you say. Now I will concur its frustrating not to win more than we have lately, but we aren’t the first to experience that…Texas, FSU, Miami, etc, etc, etc…anyone?!

Oh and Wiscy doesn’t average 9 wins per……they are right there with Iowa.

 

[latrans]

I quit taking the OP seriously when I read "One of the largest public institutions in America"...If you think Iowa is one of the largest public schools in the country you're uninformed

Yeah that caught my attention too but I stopped taking him seriously when he said there was no real (serious) recruiting competition in the state. Is that supposed to be significant because he thinks all states have the same number of residents or what?

As a slight aside Iowa has a pop. of 3 million and two BCS schools while Illinois has a pop. of 13 million and two BCS schools. For the ratio of residents to BCS schools to be the same Illinois would need at least 8.

 

[Winterhawk]

You should have because it 100% should be expected to win at least 9 games per season at Iowa. Wisconsin does and there is not one damn reason Iowa shouldnt. You dont see Wisconsin dropping games to f'n Minnesota or teams like Iowa State. Save the talk about players in the NFL too, that makes Iowa's winning percentage look even more pathetic with the talent that comes through the football program.

2008 Wisconsin Badgers ScheduleDATEOPPONENTRESULT/TIMERECORD/TICKETSSat, Aug 30

• vs
• Akron

• W
• 38-17

1-0 (0-0)Sat, Sept 6

• vs
• Marshall

• W
• 51-14

2-0 (0-0)Sat, Sept 13

• @
• #21 Fresno State

• W
• 13-10

3-0 (0-0)Sat, Sept 27

• @
• Michigan

• L
• 27-25

3-1 (0-1)Sat, Oct 4

• vs
• #14 Ohio State

• L
• 20-17

3-2 (0-2)Sat, Oct 11

• vs
• #6 Penn State

• L
• 48-7

3-3 (0-3)Sat, Oct 18

• @
• Iowa

• L
• 38-16

3-4 (0-4)Sat, Oct 25

• vs
• Illinois

• W
• 27-17

4-4 (1-4)Sat, Nov 1

• @
• #21 Michigan State

• L
• 25-24

4-5 (1-5)Sat, Nov 8

• @
• Indiana

• W
• 55-20

5-5 (2-5)Sat, Nov 15

• vs
• Minnesota

• W
• 35-32

6-5 (3-5)Sat, Nov 22

• vs
• Cal Poly

• W
• 36-35 OT

7-5 (3-5)CHAMPS SPORTS BOWLSat, Dec 27

• vs
• Florida State*

• L
• 42-13

7-6 (3-5)Oh no, Wisconsin went 7-5 in the regular season in 2008 - Fire Bielema demand better. Cal Poly can't take Wisconsin to overtime. And worse yet, Wisconsin has a mediocre record to Iowa. BURN CAMP RANDAL!

 

[cmhawks99]

You should have because it 100% should be expected to win at least 9 games per season at Iowa. Wisconsin does and there is not one damn reason Iowa shouldnt. You dont see Wisconsin dropping games to f'n Minnesota or teams like Iowa State. Save the talk about players in the NFL too, that makes Iowa's winning percentage look even more pathetic with the talent that comes through the football program.

Oh and you might want to go back over WISCY'S historical record. Lot of head scratchers in there.....they have been solid recently, but a lot of head scratchers over time. But again, Those of you that get like this rarely have any insight, otherwise you wouldn’t be the way you are.

 

[Golfer]

Those of us that get like us are called employers. Those that don't get like us are usually called employees.

It bothers me to post things like this, and it is probably inappropriate, but an eye for an eye .

I didn't start the personal insults, you did.

 

[tm3308]

Those of us that get like us are called employers. Those that don't get like us are usually called employees.

It bothers me to post things like this, and it is probably inappropriate, but an eye for an eye .

I didn't start the personal insults, you did.

I think I missed where the personal insults started getting slung around. There certainly wasn't anything like this posted. This is more like a head for an eye.

 

[RaleighHawkeye]

Golfer, I completely agree with everything u said, awesome post. Now we get to look forward to all our insanity fans who expect a different result as we do the same ole crap over again.

 

[cmhawks99]

OK, I actually took the time to read the other posts, and since they didn't take the time to read mine, or couldn't understand it, I'll ignore them. Which is what most of us do at the I Club do anyway with people like that.

Solutions. A University president who embraced the athletic department. This one is out of our control for now.

Honestly in the way the athletic department and university account for athletic department monies. This might help having a University president embrace the athletic department, and could be done, starting tomorrow. I won't go into details, but that Iowa's athletic department loses money is disingenuous, and most of us see through this.

End the dysfunctional, hero worshiping, loyalty. Norm was a great coach. We kept him too long. Same thing for Hayden. Both could have been given a position in the athletic department, and at a minimum, should have been preparing a succession, or perpetuation plan. (careful, the U will try to explain how the athletic department loses money if we try this).

Remember when they started busing the players to Cedar Rapids on Friday nights to keep them out of the bars and jail? Grades? They have tutors. There are also work study jobs for tutoring. There is no shortage of this. They need to do it more, and if that includes a mentor program (broader than what they are already using, like "Coach, he didn't go to class today"), then do it, like almost every other program in America.

Recruiting. Well, where would one start here. Norm had duties taken away from him, due to medical problems. That's a fact. KoK? Seriously? When we lost a kid to Oklahoma several years ago, he was the reason (I know, I'm not basing this statement on anything concrete that I can write here, so you'll either have to believe me or not.). He has been the reason in several instances, and continues to be the reason from what I'm hearing (once again, you need to decide if those I listen to would know these things, or not).

Salaries? You know Tim Tebow made $250K for every playoff game he made. KF, who is admittedly a great guy, has no incentive. He has an incentive plan for a winning season, making a bowl game etc, but when you look at how other programs structure their coach's base salaries, and incentify, you can see where I'm going with this.

There's more, but these are the braod administrative things that need to be addressed. The sooner, the better.

Here is a life story….people like you attract people like you. It’s a fact….so I have no doubt you know some big talking donors (read: Auburn, most of the SEC, every major school) that are talking crap because they think they “know†something. Every big time school or program has some big talkers behind the scenes who always know better…Jerry Jones is like this but he can be I suppose……so really my life has taught me to deal with the guys who are doing the work, who have sound reasoning, not THOSE other guys…….

You’re surely not serious here......you just admitted he had incentive for bowl games and we’ve all seen copies of his contract, he has lots of incentives. Really how can you even go on from here? Oh and by the way, avoiding responding to people you don’t want to refute (because you can’t) isn’t encompassed by the …â€they didn’t read my post†argument…we read it; it was short sighted per the usual.

That’s just your way of avoiding anything hard…..

 

[Foval21]

Those of us that get like us are called employers. Those that don't get like us are usually called employees. It bothers me to post things like this, and it is probably inappropriate, but an eye for an eye .I didn't start the personal insults, you did.

when we go an eye for an eye, we will just end up with a bunch of blind people. i dont disagree with all you are saying i just think you are assuming way too many things and are assuming incorrectly. again to go with your sayings, do you know what happens when you assume?