Missouri loses money on bowl
Deficit could be as high as $20K.
A Missouri fan checks his watch during MU’s 35-13 loss to Navy in the Texas Bowl.
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For the second year in a row, a bowl trip will leave Missouri’s athletic department in the red, making Thursday’s Texas Bowl a losing endeavor in more ways than one.
When the last of MU’s travel and hotel expenses are paid, Missouri projects a deficit of $10,000 to $20,000 for its trip to Houston, Senior Associate Athletic Director Mark Alnutt said.
That’s a modest loss for playing in one of the league’s least lucrative bowls, but it comes on top of the damage suffered in the game itself, a stunning 35-13 defeat to Navy.
“When it’s all said and done, that’s not a huge deficit,” Alnutt said. “Our goal was to break even, but given the economic indicators and what we’re dealing with by going to a Tier 3 bowl, I think we did a tremendous job trying to get that number even.”
Missouri lost $30,000 on last year’s Alamo Bowl trip and broke even on the Cotton Bowl two years ago.
The most significant fallout from Missouri’s latest bowl trip won’t manifest itself until next season, should the Tigers be bowl-eligible for a sixth straight year. Already battling a perception that its fans stay home for bowl games, Missouri sold 6,500 of the 11,000 tickets provided by the Texas Bowl, MU and bowl officials confirmed. That’s roughly the same amount Missouri sold from its allotment for last year’s Alamo Bowl, Alnutt said.
Texas Bowl General Manager Chris Keeney estimated that another 2,000 to 3,000 Missouri fans purchased tickets outside of the school’s allotment.
Approximately 1,200 of the tickets Missouri sold through its pool were purchased and donated to Houston-area charities — an idea MU lobbied fans to consider after the bowl matchup was finalized on Dec. 6. MU Coach Gary Pinkel even sent a letter to fans via e-mail encouraging them to donate tickets if they weren’t planning to attend the game in Houston.
“There’s some degree of satisfaction,” Alnutt said. “Obviously, for any bowl game you want to reach your allocated minimum, but a lot of times you can’t obtain that. When you look at the fact that a lot of those” tickets “were donated, I think people rose to the challenge in terms of making our numbers turn out well.”
Although all seven of the Big 12’s other bowl teams exceeded Missouri’s ticket sales — including four that doubled MU’s total — Alnutt said it’s too early to presume how it might impact the Tigers’ bowl appeal next season and beyond. The bowl games affiliated with the Big 12 are free to choose any eligible conference team, regardless of standings or head-to-head records and usually base their selections on drawing power.
“For the situation that we were in, I don’t think that’s going to hurt us in the future,” Alnutt said. “Our fans bought tickets and traveled to Houston to help support us, and I think they did a phenomenal job.”
“We’d love every school to travel more people, but I don’t think anyone was disappointed at all,” Keeney said of Missouri’s traveling contingent to Houston.
Navy, a service academy with just 4,400 students but a national fan base, requested an allotment of 18,000 tickets and sold them all, Keeney said.
“That’s one of the nice things about having Navy, frankly,” Keeney said. “They make those kind of commitments and then deliver.”
The 4-year-old Texas Bowl officially set an attendance record of 69,441 for last week’s game, but a large portion of the seats in Reliant Stadium were empty. Keeney acknowledged that some corporate sponsors bought a chunk of those unfilled seats but said other factors contributed, too.
“It was a mix of all different kinds of people who didn’t use all their tickets,” Keeney said. “The time of day might have been an issue, and that was the first time we’ve ever played on Dec. 31.”
As for the 4,500 MU tickets that went unsold, the Big 12 picks up the unpaid bill — not Missouri.
“The school itself is not on the hook,” Big 12 Assistant Commissioner Bob Burda said yesterday from Pasadena, Calif., site of tomorrow night’s BCS National Championship Game between Alabama and Texas.
However, when the conference pools together the payouts from all its bowl participants — a total that will push $30 million this year — the amount the Big 12 paid for those unsold tickets is taken from the pot before it’s split 12 ways among league members.
Among the other Big 12 bowl teams, Iowa State fell short in selling its entire allotment for the Insight Bowl, selling 8,000 of its 10,500 tickets, the school confirmed. Team spokesman Tom Kroeschell estimated at least 15,000 ISU fans attended the game Thursday in Tempe, Ariz.
Nebraska needed only a few days to sell its entire allotment of 11,000 tickets for the Holiday Bowl, NU’s Keith Mann said. Oklahoma spokesman Kenny Mossman estimated that OU sold 8,000 of its 8,400 tickets to the Sun Bowl. Texas A&M not only sold its entire base of 12,000 tickets for the Independence Bowl, it also received another 2,000 from its opponent, Georgia, and sold those tickets to Aggie fans, too, A&M spokesman Alan Cannon said. Oklahoma State sold 13,500 tickets for the Cotton Bowl — 1,000 more than the school was originally allotted — spokesman Kevin Klintworth said. Texas Tech exceeded its allotment for the Alamo Bowl by 3,000 tickets, selling 14,814, Tech’s Chris Cook confirmed. And Texas quickly sold its pool of 20,900 tickets for tomorrow’s title game, UT’s John Bianco said.
As for Missouri, to adjust for the reduced traveling expenses allocated for the Texas Bowl, MU cut costs by lopping two days off its stay in Houston, delaying its arrival until Dec. 26 and leaving immediately after the game, a decision Alnutt said saved close to $50,000 in hotel and catering costs.
Missouri shortened the stay for Marching Mizzou, bussing band members to Houston on Dec. 30 and bussing them back to Columbia after the game.
Also, MU saved money by slashing its official traveling party of campus administrators, alumni and donors. For past bowl games MU booked a charter flight for 125 to 200 special guests, Alnutt said. This year, only 25 such guests were flown — and on a cheaper commercial flight.
Reach Dave Matter at 573-815-1781 or e-mail dmatter@columbiatribune.com.
47 reader comments
The opinions expressed below are those of the readers who submitted them and not those of the Tribune's reporters or editors. Readers are solely responsible for the content of their comments.
missingadult says...
LOL--i guess they'll have to hock the Jumbotron now!!
January 6, 2010 at 2:42 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
rocks_off says...
So, the athletics department calls it a "Tier 3" bowl, they take a fraction of the VIP's they normally might, and they expect us to travel as well?
This whole charade points directly to the whole point of money-making on the bowl system. If this had been a playoff game, people would've been clamoring to get there. Bowl games are exhibitions, with rusty teams, on holidays were people have more important places to be and things to do. Turn on the TV, yeah, let's watch from home. But why would anyone expect a good number of people to go through the expense to go to Houston?
January 6, 2010 at 2:46 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
cxf6642 says...
The school holds tickets ransom for TSF donations and then complains that people don't buy them through them? If you can't buy the seat that you want through the school, then why buy them from Mizzou?
Why don't they work harder to get the student section to the game?
The 2/3 empty Reliant Stadium that sets an attendance record shows that the schools are buying into the bribary system of the bowl selection process. This thing played out all over the lesser bowls.
January 6, 2010 at 3:23 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
dmatter (Dave Matter) says...
For the record, it's the Big 12 that designates the tiers for its bowls, not MU. And the tiers determine how much the participating schools receive in appearance fees (i.e. travel expenses.) Here's how those fees are broken down:
National Championship Game
Expenses: $1,630,000
Travel: $300/one-way mi
All other BCS Games
Expenses: $1,610,000
Travel:$300 per mile (one-way)
Tier II: Cotton, Holiday, Alamo, Sun, Insight
Expenses: $1,000,000
Travel:$300 per mile (one-way)
Tier III: Independence, Texas (or substitute bowl)
Expenses: $680,000
Travel:$300 per mile (one-way)
January 6, 2010 at 3:25 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
sacfly says...
too bad, rocks, the playoffs would be at home schools, not bowl games. so if we make a bowl game we'd get to sit outside tonight in sub zero wind chill. I doubt we'd put 70k in Faurot on a winter night.
this is sad data on many fronts. the Big 12 payout will help. but I guess the Insight Bowl made the smart move. I'm sure someone will argue we would have sold 1,501 more tix, but I'd be hard pressed to buy it.
I couldn't help but watch the Fiesta Bowl and wonder if we won the Big 12 if we could do what BSU or TCU fans did in showing up.
January 6, 2010 at 3:41 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
sfprman says...
Navy was invited to the bowl BEFORE the season started. They had months to sell tickets -- most of which were likely never used.
ISU promised 20000, sold only just over 8000 to a sunny travel destination -- an outcome that was only a dream months before. Mizzou was shafted to the Big 12s lowest bowl selection in a bland industrial city and still sold 6500. Sorry, I think ISU was the fan base exposed here. OU taking only 8000 to Sun is worth comment, too, given they are much, much closer than MU to El Paso and MU drew near that 3 years ago.
A&M, Tech and OSU played games only hours from their campuses and/or fan bases.
Big12 needs to toss at least one of the minor bowls in Texas for the Liberty in Memphis or Music Cty in Nashville -- that would make it more fair to Missouri (which drew 15000-2000 for the 1978 Liberty Bowl).
January 6, 2010 at 3:57 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
BPA_rep says...
Also the fact that Mizzou has been to Texas for bowls the last 3-4 years is something that also needs to be taken into consideration. We've done El Paso, San Antonio, Dallas and now Houston for bowl games. Yes, there are great recruiting opportunities in Texas but only if you win the bowl games. Also it would be part of a sales pitch to recruits to play in the Rose Bowl (I'm dreaming here okay) or something.
January 6, 2010 at 4:28 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
rocks_off says...
Mizzou could play in a playoff game on the road and people would travel for it. And, a playoff game in the snow would certainly sell out Faurot. What's killing the St. Louis Rams is the fact that they play in some non-descript dome. Elements are a part of football.
January 6, 2010 at 4:48 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
wlane2384 says...
The difference with ISU is that you have a lot of "snowbirds" that were already there, or already in the state that did attend the game. And I know some of you may laugh at the term, I did as well when I first moved down here to Florida! LOL!!!
January 6, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
rgeorge says...
Fire Dave Yost and use the remainder of the funding to pay his salary to pay the difference. Before I get flamed, I'm not serious... about using his salary to take care of the deficit. I am serious about firing a guy that can't take advantage of two man front and run all over the place.
January 6, 2010 at 5:50 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
MUGuy2004 says...
Mizzou does hold their tickets for ransom..I tried to buy for the Alamo Bowl and it was simply unavailable to me because I don't donate enough. I bought from Ticketmaster and sat on the 50 yard line upper level of he alamo dome.
January 6, 2010 at 6:26 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
Michael_Diver says...
The article doesn't say so explicitly, but I gather that schools request their allotment? (You write that Navy asked for 18,000 tickets and sold them all.) I'm struck that OU asked for only 8,000 to the Sun Bowl and Missouri requested 11,000 to the Texas Bowl. Seems ambitious of the Tigers. Even ISU, which has a rep for traveling well and was back in a bowl for the first time in a while, asked for a slightly lower allotment than that.
January 6, 2010 at 6:39 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
dmatter (Dave Matter) says...
Schools are assigned a minimum allotment by the bowl, as MU was, and can then request more tickets, as Oklahoma State did. As for OU and the Sun Bowl, the Sun historically sells well among the local fan base in El Paso. In fact, this year the Sun Bowl sold out before game day, which might have played into OU getting a smaller allotment. OU isn't accustomed to playing in Tier II bowls, so the bowl might have figured that getting a big-name team like OU would boost enough local sales to make up for OU fans who didn't plan on traveling to El Paso.
January 6, 2010 at 7:35 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
joethetiger says...
Dave: Is it mandatory that the team accept the bowl?Can Mizzou say we are not attending the Texas Bowl?We will not lose money? We deserve a better bowl and then not attend. It is really just a party for the team,parents,administrators,and huge boosters;not the fan who works hard to afford season tickets and a contribution to TSF. Please respond to all the above.Thank you!
January 6, 2010 at 7:53 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
Trock says...
Here is a perfect illustration of why the Big 10 Conference will NEVER invite Missouri to join their league.
January 6, 2010 at 8:32 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
paul says...
There were definitely more than 10k Mizzou fans at the game. I don't believe Keeney's 2-3 thousand tickets outside of the MU allotment. Frankly, I felt like the MU side was filled more than the Navy side, though there were still plenty of empty seats in the upper deck and side.
January 6, 2010 at 9:29 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
boonedoggle says...
Under his present contract, did Gary Pinkel receive any bonus for attaining a bowl invitation? If so, how much and was this factored into the $10K/$20K projected loss?
January 6, 2010 at 9:49 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
sacfly says...
sf - i believe the 20k Iowa State # comes from previous Insight attendance, after decades of inaction during bowl season, not a guarantee from the university.
while i agree with your reasoning, the fact is #s are #s. they are concrete. they are black and white on a sheet. eyeballing attendance doesn't always work, especially on an excel sheet.
I'm not trying to be down on the team, and I'm very optimistic for next season. but discussions about expanding Memorial Stadium are premature. and for bowls we aren't on a hot streak by any means, the proof is in the pudding.
January 6, 2010 at 10:29 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
dmatter (Dave Matter) says...
Joe,
Missouri doesn't turn down bowl invitations. Period. Especially the last bowl available in the conference and one that moves up in the pecking order next year.
The other schools in the Big 12 that are selling twice as many tickets as Missouri are supported by hard-working Americans also. Missouri fans aren't the only ones who who make sacrifices to pay for tickets/airfare/hotels. Besides, turning a profit from a bowl game is far from the university's mission. In fact, it's nearly impossible. It was considered an achievement two years ago when MU broke even on its Cotton Bowl trip. The incentive to play in bowl games goes far beyond $: For one, you get the 15 extra practices that coaches treat similarly to the spring session. Plus, bowls essentially give you a three-hour infomercial for your university and program during the holidays, which, obviously, can work for you (Cotton Bowl) or against you (Texas). And as screwed up as the bowl system might be, if you turn down an invitation from the league's last bowl, good luck getting picked by a better bowl next year.
boonedoggle, any contract incentives Pinkel received aren't factored into the bowl budget process. The loss of $10,000-$20,000 is a reflection of the travel expenses up against the travel fees allocated by the conference.
But since you asked, Pinkel does receive a $75,000 bonus for making a Tier III bowl, plus each assistant coach receives an extra one month's pay. (Had Missouri played in the Insight, Alamo or Sun Bowl, Pinkel's bonus would have been the same but his staff would have gotten two month's salary.) Also, he would have made another $15,000 if MU had won a ninth game. Under his previous contract he would have received a $10,000 bonus for winning eight games, but his current deal only rewards a bonus for winning nine or more games.
January 6, 2010 at 11:41 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
MITiger says...
Lots of good info here, thank you. I tried googling info on the Cyclones attendance a few days ago.
I like the idea of a bowl in Memphis or Nashville a lot. Those are some fun cities not that far away. Doubt the Big 12 would even give it a thought given the proximity to the south schools.
Again, the Unsight slight sucked. We would have gotten a larger travel allotment which would have allowed the players, band, & cheer squads a better stay. In my eye the bowl is designed to reward them for all the hard work over the season. I have no problem with that....after all they do have to put up with my bitching from time to time!
January 7, 2010 at 7:56 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
rcruter says...
Tx bowl was a disaster in so many ways, first you knew from the season that yost and steckel were not very good but having a month to prepare for a team that ran one style of offense and you pick the exactly wrong d exposed Steck as being not smart enough to be a coordinator, pains me to say as he is such a great guy but it is obvious and he didn't take advantage of having much bigger and more athletic players. Iowa with a month to prepare made simple adjustments to their d, having their corners press the wr's and then slide to run coverage, gave them the numbers to shut down GT, with much better athletes than navy, stone cold! Iowa lauded for doing it's homework and great coaching, MU suffered a massive beatdown and NEVER adjusted during game. Navy players still laughing about that one.
Yost? His terrible second half playcalling during conference play was then compounded by not being smart enough to notice that navy double dog dared him to run the ball by not having ANY players in middle of D, none nada and dorking Dave didn't even see it! Instead of just having his QB or RB tell guards and centers to fire straight ahead and run behind them, he kept throwing those LONG sideways passes for no yards, which he has been fixated on, insanely, all year. Sorry dave we love you man and your soul patch but you are just not smart enough to be a OC.
Do we want both fired for their obvious incompetence? NO, Gary made a huge blunder and it is his rep that has taken the hit for being stupid in hiring the handicapped, put them both back as position coaches where they were decent. Gary unfortunately is the one who is being laughed at for pulling a Pinkel and not hiring proven coordinators, it isn't the dave's fault he chose them as neither had any experience at being coordinators. The Pinkel Factor rose it's ugly head and he is the one who screwed the pooch. Now let's see if he makes the needed corrections. If he doesn't it is his hd that fans will be hollering for soon and his legacy that will take the hit as he will turn into another Larry Smith, who had the opportunity to be great but then became pathetic at the end.
January 7, 2010 at 8:48 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
rcruter says...
Mike alden good luck on getting fans to travel to any bowl next year. After Gary's hand picked coordinators were so inept at gameplanning the team wasn't put in a position to even compete, let alone win the game, it was an embarrassing beatdown that soured the fans that did go.
So when the big 12 overlooks the tigers, again you will have nada to sell them. Why bother to support the team and spend a ton of money to go to nowhere again? When the coaches don't bother to properly prepare their team? You can have the best athletes in the land but when you pull a Zook and are just incompetent, not worth the effort.
January 7, 2010 at 8:53 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
mhbtiger says...
There were ALOT of empty seats on the Navy side. I don't know how they say there was a sellout. It reminded me of when the Royals announce attendance of 11,000 and you can literally count the fans in the stands.
I thought the "donated' seats went to charity. Where were those people?
January 7, 2010 at 9:15 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
bluesox7 says...
Guys, aren't we forgetting something important here? revenue sharing? It isn't about individual bowls, it is drawing from the Big 12 pot of gold earned by Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa State - yeah, the real football powers of the league.
Mizzou is a team that could not win a Third Tier Bowl, that is the real news.
January 7, 2010 at 9:18 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
Redtiger says...
Maybe someday in the future, Mizzou will have to play a SEC or a Pac 10 in a bowl game, a tier 1 or tier 2, and as a result of past performance, fans fail to pay up and travel, only to see MU actually light someone up, and the fans that traveled and paid up get to witness and boast to the no shows. Wild to think about what a victory would do for off season conversations, no more talk about the band, the money lost, no more research on the fan base of Iowa st., and no more questions about GP's bonus. Play a real team and win, that's what we will have to wait a year for, again.
January 7, 2010 at 10:37 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
Pieceofcake says...
Until the coaching changes (and I mean getting good coordinators not the subpar talent we seem to have), don't look for a mad rush to a low tier bowl next year. If I had paid the significant cost to travel and see that game I would be very upset. I don't mind losing but to see the worst coached game ever that I can remember is hard to swallow. Get some good assistants and then will see.
January 7, 2010 at 10:57 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
midmocat says...
As long as Pinkel is the coach, I will never go to any of his coached bowl games. Heck I can barely stand to go to Faurot field anymore to watch the crap he puts on the field. Please, please fire this incompetent boob!
January 7, 2010 at 11:29 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
Slater says...
"...stupid in hiring the handicapped,"
Rcruter, as a handicapped person I COULD be offended by your language, but I just consider the source, based on the rest of your comentary.
DMatter, I may be wrong about this, but memory tells me that a Devine-coached team voted to turn down a bowl invitation one year because they felt they didn't play well enough to earn it. Of course Pinkel wouldn't turn down free money. Speaking of money, how many tickets did Pinkel buy and donate?
I can only say that all MU fans (me included) get precisely what we deserve from this "Tier III" coaching staff and athletic director.
You might as well stop whining and send in your blank checks, because nothing will change until there's a change in personnel.
January 7, 2010 at 11:38 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
Pieceofcake says...
And have you received the email that came out monday from Gary about the new Performance Club to give more money. Bad timing. Let's hear something positive about new coordinators, then more money.
January 7, 2010 at 11:51 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
swami2097 says...
Maybe Coach Pinkel can chip in and pay a little bit. With all the hype the last couple of years about the Tigers, and then the failings of the program on and off of the field, it is only fair that the coach should chip in a little to make up the losses the program faces. The buck has to stop somewhere, and the costs incurred because a team isn't what it's cracked up to be shouldn't be passed on to students in tuition hikes and fees, it should come out of the coaching staffs salaries and/or cut funding to a broken football program. (did I just say that out loud?)
Maybe the marching band could go on Idol and see if they could win some cashola there. Just a thought...
January 7, 2010 at 12:19 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
KP says...
You might think Pinkel's inept, but he's not losing 77-0. He's not running draws on 3rd and 30 like Woody. In fact, Pinkel would crush the last 3 coaches that preceded him.
You're talking about replacing the 3rd most successful coach in school history. Why on earth do you think you'd get someone better here after that? Or would you all be happier back to the days of 3-9, 4-8, etc...
Maybe I'm the only crazy one, but if every Mizzou season ended up somewhere between 10-4 and 8-5, I'd be pretty damn happy about it. Would winning a NC be great? You bet it would. Right now, I'm happy we have a winning team that can recruit.
Every young team has games where they don't get the job done. Our team is the youngest in the country. The big knock on the staff is that it seems the team is not mentally prepared for the Oklahoma and Texas games and does not believe they could pull the upset.
January 7, 2010 at 2:48 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
MITiger says...
KP, we can agree that Pinkel's staff is consistently recruiting at a higher level. Much more so than in a very long time. Of course a lot of things have been put into place to help make this happen, new facilities and increased revenues. But the staff certainly has to be the top reason.
We can list several reasons why good coaches would come to Mizzou. Athletic programs are in better shape than ever. If you think Pinkel is an excellent coach, and he came here when things were crappy, why wouldn't many more excellent coachs be interested now?
This years 8-5 record is overhyped. Half of those were non-con and the North is below average, as it has been for years now. Remember back in the day the Nubs, Buffs, and KState were all national contenders. If that were the case today we'd be more like 5-4, (and I don't know why we even count Furman, there should just be exhibition games).
Someone compared Pinkel & staff to Ill's Zook, couldn't agree more. I can think of several coaches that could've coached the 09 team to more wins. But you're correct it can be tough getting the right blend of coaching and recruiting on the staff. There are position groups, heck even the entire D, at MU that haven't improved over the course of 9 years. No wonder he's only the 3rd best coach we've ever had. That's like being the 3rd best boyfriend/husband that your girl/wife's ever had! Hope you're happy with that.
January 7, 2010 at 4:03 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
N86MZ says...
Hey, Mizzou! Mike Leach is available ... as the OC/QB Coach! Just think what someone with a rifle-arm like Blaine Gabbert could do in an Air Raid offensive system!
Ok, couldn't keep a straight face ... but seriously, the temptation think of such a prospect is enticing! :-)
January 7, 2010 at 4:04 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
father_of_2 says...
Mike Leach would make a great OC here. I don't think he would get along well with Pinkel. But seriously, Leach doesn't need to coach right away, he needs to sue TTU and take a few years off with his pay day. TTU is the new doormat of the Big 12. I am curious why we are not hearing about all the fall out in Lubbock. The fans are up in arms, security has been increased for the AD, President and Chancellor and the end is nowhere in sight. TTU thinks hiring a new coach will settle things down but it is just starting up. It is not about getting Leach back as coach, they want the heads of the Administration. There have even been people in the crowd of the Today show with Team Leach signs. It is going to get ugly.
January 7, 2010 at 4:42 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
J_Felt says...
Completely agree with the previous guy's comment on firing Yost and use his contract to cover the difference. Steckel's contact could also be thrown in there. That game was a complete embarrassment. Hire Leach as OC and Mangino and D-coordinator.
January 7, 2010 at 6:16 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
MITiger says...
Wonder if Eberflub will keep his job with the Browns?
January 7, 2010 at 8:41 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
Slater says...
This is my final comment on the subject of Pinkel & Company "coaching" over the past seasons:
Several have expressed opinions that Yost and Steckel should go, along with Ford (don't forget about him), but the bulk of the sentiment seems to favor keeping Pinkel.
Pinkel has done well keeping the rowdies policed, but who's really in charge? Are the staffers allowed to do their own thing without the guidance and oversight of the head coach? If that's the case, and it certainly looks that way most of the time, why have a head coach at all?
This is the only D-1 program I've seen where the head coach is immune from censure or firing when the subordinates clearly don't have the skills necessary to carry out their tasks and nothing is done to correct the shortcomings, and I'm not just speaking of season '09.
Pinkel might have the third best record on the Missouri coaches roster, but what does that mean? Not much. I'll go along with MITiger about a 5-4 mark, or more likely 5-6. If MU's non-conference schedule was made up of REAL football teams, that 5-6 would most likely be the norm.
It's sad that so many of us have fallen prey to an illusion, created in the span of two short years and on the shoulders of one player, by and large.
January 7, 2010 at 8:57 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
KP says...
You could say those same comments about a number of teams in college football. Fattening up on out-of-conference opponents is done by just about EVERY team - except Notre Dame. Just part of the business today.
January 7, 2010 at 9:26 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
Slater says...
KP, your remark about Notre Dame brought to mind a game MU had with the Irish in South Bend sometime during the '70s. The week before, Nebraska beat the stuffing out of MU, and the Tigers went to Notre Dame the following week and won 30-26 - they beat Joe Montana.
MITiger, maybe "Eberflub" can hire on with Detroit. :)
January 7, 2010 at 10 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
Pete_ToolTX says...
WOW!!! What a butt-load of negativity!!! And none of it from the usual interlopers form ku, nu, isu etc.
Let me remind a few of you. When you put down the coordinators you are putting down the head coach. They wouldn’t be there but for his decision. So, let’s reflect on the whole of the program. (And by the way, I remember most of you complaining about this year’s OC/DC coordinators were also complaining about last year’s OC/DC. Learn patience, but if that’s not possible, remember where the buck stops and if you really feel the need to name names, its PINKEL, not Yost nor Steckel, but make no mistake, at this juncture I’m just NOT with you.)
Eight years, six bowl games. Remember the last time that happened??? (Answer. NEVER!)
And this is the year AFTER we lost our best (ever? In a long, long, time!) quarterback, tight end, and wide receiver; not to mention a first round NFL defensive draft pick AND much more!!! And y’all want to mope??? I’m not with you either!
Sheeeesh! Get a life! We ended up 8-5 in a “rebuilding year”!!!
Did I mention that after losing Daniel, Macklin, Coffman, Hood & about 20 others, we replaced an offensive coordinator AND a defensive coordinator! (Oh, yeah, that’s what so much of the bitch*n is about!)
And I hate to stoop to calling anyone out here (cheap shots from anonymity are chicken-sh*t) but I do want to be clear on responding to a specific comment (Redtiger) It wasn’t that long ago, Mizzou played an SEC team (Arkansas) in a Tier 2 bowl (Cotton bowl, soon to be Tier 1 again) and they “actually light[ed] someone up”. !!! So lighten up and enjoy what we’ve got!!!
Now, to the others.
My fat fanny was in the seats, and while we were better represented than I’d have guessed (I think we were at least 40-60 Mizzou-Navy as far as the truly partisan fans) we weren’t nearly what we should / could have been. I seriously doubt that (m)Any of the naysayers in this blog were actually in the stands that day, and in the end (no pun intended) that’s the real problem. Not enough Mizzou fannies in the seats. We’re all too good at second guessing coaching decisions, but just don’t put the fannies in the seats like the great (even the isu’s, ku’s etc’s…) programs do, so until we do…quit the bitch*n!!!
January 7, 2010 at 11:20 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
Pete_ToolTX says...
While we’re so busy talking about the sh*tty coaching, let me make a few other reminders (and I am NOT an apologist. I was miserable sitting at Reliance, but I remember that we’ve spent all too many years hoping to be good enough to be in that position.)…
The whole bowl system sucks, but rather than going down that well routed road, let me be clear… NAVY was a very well coached, disciplined, prepared TEAM. That’s not a put down to Mizzou’s staff, it’s a well deserved compliment to Navy. (I’m an Mizzou alum & AF Vet, so don’t doubt my loyalty, I just appreciate great execution, and Navy’s execution was superb!) Without taking anything away from Navy, it’s just hard to predict what will happen with a bunch of college kids after a 30+ day lay-off. Don’t want to take my word on this??? Ask this year’s coach of the year; I don’t think anyone expected TCU to be as dominated as they were, does that make Gary Pinkel (oops, I meant Patterson) a bad coach??? Ask the voters if they want that vote back, I doubt it. If TCU isn’t a good example, I’ll give you… oh, nevermind, if you don’t get it now, you never will.
January 7, 2010 at 11:26 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
midmomadness says...
mizzou is pathetic, as usual.
January 8, 2010 at 8:20 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
MizzouMarv says...
Both sides are probably over-reacting. If we had won the Texas Bowl I think nearly everyone would be excited going into next year. Perhaps it was just a bad game. We see glaring mistakes like the inability to stop an offense that we had a month for which to prepare, but we did the same thing that IA did (stop the dive & stretch out the sweep). We just didn't tackle. If our receivers had caught the ball & Gabbert had made better decisions it might not have made a difference that Navy only rushed 2/3. If Washington hadn't fumbled we might have have been tied or ahead at half and the second half may have gone much differently. But these things didn't happen so the faulty coaching decisions are accentuated. We all know that Yost & Steck will be here next year so let's see if they "learn on the job" & become credible. With more maturity next year (players & coordinators) we should be a better team, if not then we can B-otch.
As for ND's non-con schedule; aren't all their games non-con? Which usually include the service adademies, Wash, Wash St; not just USC etc.
As for bowl tickets, I guess the AD is trapped between trying to sell as many tickets as possible & trying to reward donors. It's not the AD's fault that the participating teams usually get the crappiest tickets at higher prices. I went to Cotton & Alamo and bought my tickets through the AD for big $'s for upper level corner seats and saw the same or better tickets go for $20 in the parking lots.
January 8, 2010 at 9:53 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
MizzouMarv says...
Another thought on the fact that we lost money: Why is there a difference in the travel allocation depending on which bowl picks a team? It costs pretty much the same to go to any bowl and since it doesn't matter where you finished (record wise) why is one team given more $ than another? It seems that it would be more fair to give teams $'s depending on how they finished in the league.
January 8, 2010 at 10 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
mhbtiger says...
Is the Bowl $$ for the Big XII factored into this $20,000 shortage? That will help the Athletic Dept. for expenses, right?
January 10, 2010 at 4:01 p.m. ( link | suggest removal )
tdat1979 says...
And people wonder why the Insight Bowl didn't want MU. MU just doesn't have the fan support that other teams have. MU fans would rather stay at home and cry about not being in the Insight Bowl against a 6-6 team. They knew they would lose to Navy so they stayed home instead of going to the game.
January 26, 2010 at 10:32 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
buddha says...
tdat - seriously? Did you read the article and posts? They had 8000 from ISU after they'd been MIA in bowls for how long? Dude, that was weak!
February 2, 2010 at 2:36 a.m. ( link | suggest removal )
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