haha... same here... why are we arguing about Rice football? Anyways, I know the histories of K-State and Northwestern... but I'm saying that even then, those programs were STILL better historically. Northwestern went to the Rose Bowl in the 40's, and didn't go again till the 90's... that still doesn't mean they didn't go to ANY Bowl games in between (like Rice did from 61 till now). And K-State wasn't asked to leave the Big 8 despite their sucking. They were'nt relegated to the WAC. Rice has been playing in Texas all this time... how did one coach magically find a way to tap into the recruiting pool more than any of the other coaches since the 60's? I guess its more anger... I could have seen them doing what they did last year consistently for years before that... but they never did. Now, they had one average year where they made a bowl game, and everybody is thinking that they're on the cusp of a decade of greatness. (now foiled, since the coach is leaving). Todd Graham isn't some miracle worker... there should be other coaches that can come to Rice and be successful if it was a simple as getting recruits from Texas. Its not... and Rice will suffer again.
As is the case with most smaller schools... they need a fan base OUTSIDE of the student body to comprise the majority of attendance at games. Rice doesn't have that... and probably will never have that.
This isn't true. Lot's of traditionally good programs in D-I basketball and baseball don't even have football teams, or have D-II teams. Wichita State, UMASS, St. Joe's, Drexel, DePaul, etc, etc., etc. However, it is like true that they are required to have a D-I football team in order to be a member of the WAC.
"Fan support" has almost zero, zip, zilch, nada to do with why there is no new basketball facility at Rice. The plans last I've heard, which have been bandied about for several years (and are proceeding veeery slowly), are to build a multi-use facility ("Convocation Center" is the nomenclature I've heard) to be utilized by the indoor sports, and also for high-profile speaking engagements, graduation ceremonies (if weather dictates an indoor venue), conferences & such. Gorbachev spoke at Rice a few years ago, and once they realized that the Baker Institute was too small to accomodate the event (part of Baker was built for that purpose, but it is woefully undersized for most anything other than smaller 200ish people events) they were forced to move it to Autrey Court. It was pretty embarassing to the University to have such a prestigous event in such an antiquated (to be nice) environment. So long story short, it's not just an athletic department decision, there's quite a few other groups at Rice who have say in the planning, fundraising, etc. It's a bit complicated, and as No Worries said, there's been a TON of new development at Rice the past few years (multiple new residential colleges, planned new research facilities), and those things have been, rightly, prioritized.
Then we're agreeing... I already said Rice has other priorities... and that fan support wouldn't be one of the reasons to justify a new building. I didn't take that to mean that a "lack" of fan support would prevent the new gym... I just meant that Rice will never have fan support. Also, Rice has the money... I know its not a monetary issue... its a priority issue. See... I do have a clue on what I'm talking about.
I've been calling this since Rice's turnaround. Major Applewhite will be the next head coach of the Texas Longhorns.
Disagree strongly. There's no reason Rice can't have a very good basketball program (football, due to sheer numbers, is much more difficult). They just don't have the facilities to attract the types of players (Okafor comes directly to mind) who otherwise would consider Rice. And a little success goes a long way in creating the type of fanbase you feel they cannot acquire (the buzz around the football program this season, among the students, alums, and non-Rice residents of the area was incredible). Of course, you have to maintain success in order to maintain that fan interest (see: UH and Drexler, Coach), and thus we're back to the facilities issue. It's a process. If you build it, they will come. But it's going to be a few years.
Does anyone who didn't go to Rice, UH or TSU really care about the athletic teams at those schools anyway? I think there are too many UT and A&M grads in the area, not to mention all the Houstonian transplants from other places outside of Texas. What was it like in the Phi Slama Jamma days? Did UH get lots of support then?
My condolences, Rice fans. I know how horrible it feels to lose a promising young coach. And it's gotta feel worse to lose him to a conf...DIVISION rival!
The scales have tipped way too far towards the coaches. Petrino did the same thing to Louisville less than a year after signing a *10 year* extension. So if the coach wants to leave, they can at any time. If the team wants to fire them, they have to pay the 9 years remaining on the contract. That's just messed up.
Northwestern is there because the Big 10 needs a private school. Same with Vandy and Baylor. If your conference has a private school, the books don't have to be made public, so every conference needs at least one.
tulsa has a smaller undergrad population than rice. I believe on 610 they said it has the smallest enrollment of any school with a d1 program.
The_Conquistador has had time to reflect on this piece of news. My thoughts: CONGRATULATIONS to Todd Graham. As a capitalist not only in principle but in practice, I APPLAUD him for allocating his resources to the highest rate of return. Would you turn down an extra $400,000 per year to stay in your current job? While not as big of a lifestyle change for The_Conquistador as it is for all of you readers, even I would switch. Why should participants in the sports industry be held to a different standard than those in any other industry, such as energy, information technology, health, law, etc? They should not. Our economy ceases to function optimally when the labor market is distorted by artificial constraints (in a similar fashion to unions and the minimum wage). Rice football has improved dramatically since this time last year. Todd Graham is in large part to thank for that. I look forward to the announcement of our new coach, as well as continued success. The pieces are in place for a very nice next two years.
