UH Might Be Looking to Upgrade Conferences, But What About Rice?

Harry · June 24, 2016

There’s been a focus in Houston lately around the Houston Cougars, their chances of jumping to the Big 12, one of college football’s power conferences. The Cougars are looking to secure their future in college athletics, and school officials doubt they have a bright future as a member of the American Athletic Conference. But while UH fans, athletes and administrators might feel otherwise, the school is in a good position, no matter what happens.

While the American Athletic Conference is relatively new, it’s rather stable when compared to some of the other non-power conferences. The conference provides lots of primetime television exposure on ESPN and its family of networks. The television money, while not as lucrative as in conferences like the Big 10 or the SEC, is decent.

This is not the case in the other non-power football conferences. Take for instance Conference USA which once was situated much as the American is now. Many of its major members, UH, Cincinnati, Memphis and Louisville, have been poached by other conferences. That has meant the loss of major television markets, meaning less conference interest and a much lower profile.

And while the American has a somewhat high profile deal with ESPN, Conference USA just entered into new media rights deals with four different parties that result in less revenue for member schools than before. This results from C-USA being the first of the minor conferences to renegotiate its media deals during a time of industry belt-tightening. The Big 10 might be entering into new major deals and the NFL and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament might be selling broadcast rights for tons of dollars, but other sports and leagues have been taking major financial hits.

read more: http://www.houstonpress.com/news/uh-might-be-looking-to-upgrade-conferences-but-what-about-rice-8509673

Hunter Green · June 24, 2016

U of H might be a good place to look for our new AD. They are in a similar situation to us. Large metro area, pro franchieses everywhere and they have to compete in a non P5 conference and for space in the sports pages. They are obviously doing something right to at least be considered for Big 12 expansion. Why aren't we in a similar position?

Edited June 24, 2016 by Hunter Green

HoustonEagle · June 24, 2016

31 minutes ago, Hunter Green said:

U of H might be a good place to look for our new AD. They are in a similar situation to us. Large metro area, pro franchieses everywhere and they have to compete in a non P5 conference and for space in the sports pages. They are obviously doing something right to at least be considered for Big 12 expansion. Why aren't we in a similar position?

agree with this comment

NTXCoog · June 24, 2016

27 minutes ago, Hunter Green said:

U of H might be a good place to look for our new AD. They are in a similar situation to us. Large metro area, pro franchieses everywhere and they have to compete in a non P5 conference and for space in the sports pages. They are obviously doing something right to at least be considered for Big 12 expansion. Why aren't we in a similar position?

The UH AD has only been AD for 1 year and only at Houston since 2014. Before that he was AD at Coastal Carolina.

Prior to that Mack Rhoades was brought in to get a new stadium done. He did that. Now he's at Mizzou. Bet he has regrets with that choice with all he had to deal with from their football team last year.

So I'm not sure who in the UH athletic department other than the AD would have the experience needed at UNT.

But you're not going to want to hear one of the main reasons the current AD has been so successful: It starts with the Chairman of the Board of Regents Tilman Fertitta and UH President Renu Khator. Both heavily support UH athletics in general and UH football specifically. Fertitta was personally involved in the salary negotiations with Coach Tom Herman, and I'm sure he's kicked in plenty of his own money to the athletic department

I'm not sure that type of support (and money) from the UNT administration is currently available to follow the same path.

Hunter Green · June 24, 2016

31 minutes ago, NTXCoog said:

The UH AD has only been AD for 1 year and only at Houston since 2014. Before that he was AD at Coastal Carolina.

Prior to that Mack Rhoades was brought in to get a new stadium done. He did that. Now he's at Mizzou. Bet he has regrets with that choice with all he had to deal with from their football team last year.

So I'm not sure who in the UH athletic department other than the AD would have the experience needed at UNT.

But you're not going to want to hear one of the main reasons the current AD has been so successful: It starts with the Chairman of the Board of Regents Tilman Fertitta and UH President Renu Khator. Both heavily support UH athletics in general and UH football specifically. Fertitta was personally involved in the salary negotiations with Coach Tom Herman, and I'm sure he's kicked in plenty of his own money to the athletic department

I'm not sure that type of support (and money) from the UNT administration is currently available to follow the same path.

This.

Ryan Munthe · June 24, 2016

45 minutes ago, NTXCoog said:

The UH AD has only been AD for 1 year and only at Houston since 2014. Before that he was AD at Coastal Carolina.

Prior to that Mack Rhoades was brought in to get a new stadium done. He did that. Now he's at Mizzou. Bet he has regrets with that choice with all he had to deal with from their football team last year.

So I'm not sure who in the UH athletic department other than the AD would have the experience needed at UNT.

But you're not going to want to hear one of the main reasons the current AD has been so successful: It starts with the Chairman of the Board of Regents Tilman Fertitta and UH President Renu Khator. Both heavily support UH athletics in general and UH football specifically. Fertitta was personally involved in the salary negotiations with Coach Tom Herman, and I'm sure he's kicked in plenty of his own money to the athletic department

I'm not sure that type of support (and money) from the UNT administration is currently available to follow the same path.

If success means having a guy like Fertita attached to my university, well then...

wardly · June 25, 2016

Houston has been able to get alumni and boosters to donate many $millions. We have not.

UNTexas · June 25, 2016

16 minutes ago, wardly said:

Houston has been able to get alumni and boosters to donate many $millions. We have not.

We've had an AD who peaked a long time ago and a fairly new President... So, moving forward we'll see.

Edited June 25, 2016 by UNTexas

DeepGreen · June 25, 2016

I've long predicted that U of H will move upward on the back of Tillman Fertitta. Rice will take Houston's place in the AAC, joining their private buddies Tulsa, Smut, And Tulane.

untjim1995 · June 25, 2016

2 hours ago, wardly said:

Houston has been able to get alumni and boosters to donate many $millions. We have not.

UH decided that sports mattered a long time ago. In their revenue sports, especially as a SWC member, they made fans of students and alumni, many of whom come back around when they are winning.

Since we beat them in 1975, we have pretty much gone in complete opposite directions.

Our alumni don't give because we never gave them a reason to care--we literally told them that the university didn't care about athletics for decades by dropping and staying down at the I-aa level, then coming back up to I-A only because it paid better to get whored out at Power Schools. Even now, with the improved attention that athletics are getting here at UNT, it's far below what UH gets. We aren't on equal footing with them , just as UH isn't on equal footing with A&M or UT...

North Texas Shep · June 25, 2016

I say we beat the hell out of UTSA, UTEP, Rice, and the rest of the CUSA jabronis, and stop worrying about what U of H does.

Edited June 25, 2016 by North Texas Shep

UNT90 · June 25, 2016

11 hours ago, UNTexas said:

We've had an AD who peaked a long time ago and a fairly new President... So, moving forward we'll see.

IF UNT makes the right AD hire (read: not Hank Dickenson), people on this board will be stunned at the amount of money that starts to flow into this program.

But that is one big assed if, as UNT has never shown the ability to make the right hire in anything athletics.

Im hoping UNT is due...

SilverEagle · June 25, 2016

17 minutes ago, UNT90 said:

IF UNT makes the right AD hire (read: not Hank Dickenson), people on this board will be stunned at the amount of money that starts to flow into this program.

But that is one big assed if, as UNT has never shown the ability to make the right hire in anything athletics.

Im hoping UNT is due...

.....with someone like this.......http://www.acusports.com/news/2014/8/22/GEN_0822145148.aspx

Quote

Mosley, the lead athletics fundraiser for the $75 million Vision in Action initiative to build three new science facilities and two new stadiums on campus,

All at little ol' ACU.

His current job.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-mosley-6527a37

summary of his accomplishments while at ACU

Quote

Director of Athletics

Abilene Christian University

July 2004 – October 2014 (10 years 4 months)

Serve as the lead administrator for one of the most successful athletic departments in all NCAA -- currently transitioning to Division I.
Primary responsibilities lie in generating revenue for the department through fundraising, corporate sponsorships and other effective avenues; Supervision and development of long term athletic facility needs; Successful personnel management and development; Strategic Planning.

Revenue Generation and Development
o Active lettermen’s association participation increase of 200% since 2006 from 125 members in 2002 to 375 active members currently.

o Helped increase annual athletic fundraising in the last 10 years: from $228,671 in 2002-03 to $1.72 million in 2012-13 fiscal year (does not include revenue from ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, endowment gifts, or capital gifts.)

o $2,900,000 in new athletic endowments established in last 10 years for a total of $10.1 million in total athletic endowments .

Facility Renovations/Construction - $33,399,000 in new facility construction/renovation
o $160,000 Football Locker Room Renovation (Summer 2005)
o $97,000 Moody coliseum Floor Replacement (Summer 2006)
o $235,000 Bonneau Family Indoor Hitting Facility (Fall 2006)
o $424,000 Scoreboard Installation for baseball, softball, track and field and women’s soccer (Spring 2007)
o $400,000 Powell Fitness Center Expansion (Spring 2007)
o $323,000 Football Practice Facility Turf Installation (Summer 2007)
o $1.4 million Softball/Soccer locker room facility (Spring 2009)
o $105,000 Teague Special Events Center Lobby Renovation (Spring 2011)
o $255,00 Wells Field Bleacher Installation/Press Box Construction (Fall 2012)
o $30,000,000 Wildcat Stadium construction & Elmer Gray Stadium relocation project

(Open)3 honors and awards

Edited June 25, 2016 by SilverEagle

UNT90 · June 25, 2016

28 minutes ago, SilverEagle said:

.....with someone like this.......http://www.acusports.com/news/2014/8/22/GEN_0822145148.aspx

All at little ol' ACU.

His current job.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-mosley-6527a37

summary of his accomplishments while at ACU

He should be on the list, if he is interested.

wardly · June 25, 2016

I may be off a little, but I think UNT has had about 6 donations of $1million or more made to the athletic department.Regardless,the fact that I can count them indicates that this is a very small number of big fish. I wish I was in the position to give this much, but I must defer to my x-wife,who also is a UNT alumni [teacher].I appreciate C. Dan,Ernie and others who have made such a large gift, but to get to where we need to be we need a great deal more of them and less of guys like me.

GrandGreen · June 26, 2016

6 hours ago, wardly said:

I may be off a little, but I think UNT has had about 6 donations of $1million or more made to the athletic department.Regardless,the fact that I can count them indicates that this is a very small number of big fish. I wish I was in the position to give this much, but I must defer to my x-wife,who also is a UNT alumni [teacher].I appreciate C. Dan,Ernie and others who have made such a large gift, but to get to where we need to be we need a great deal more of them and less of guys like me.

Actually, NT needs a lot more of both. Big donors are great and NT definitely needs them, but perhaps more important is to develop a much larger general fan base. SMU has the big dollars, but yet their program is dismal because they draw so poorly.