June 2: We’re #50!!!!

The most recent NACDA Directors Cup rankings of College Athletics Programs were released today. (You may recognize the “Directors Cup” from its former identity of “Sears Cup”).

The June 2, 2005 rankings have Lee Fowler’s NC State Athletics Department holding firm at an embarrassing, but not surprising #50. Fowler’s program has averaged finishing #46.5 in his previous four years in Raleigh, and has never finished better than #41.

2004-05 – #50
2003-04 – #41
2002-03 – #43
2001-02 – #46
2000-01 – #56

NC State’s #50 ranking equates to 10th place in the 12 team Atlantic Coast Conference, ahead of only #51 Georgia Tech and #63 Clemson – both of whom field a lesser number of varsity sports than does NC State. The ACC currently shakes out as follows:

(4) Duke
(5) UNC-Chapel Hill
(20) Virginia
(25) Maryland
(36) Wake Forest
(41) Boston College
(43) Florida State
(45) Miami
(49) Virginia Tech
(50) NC State
(51) Georgia Tech
(63) Clemson

Schools currently ahead of State (that will make your stomach turn) with significantly less resources, national prominence, and support include names like Baylor, New Mexico, and Southern Methodist University.

Return on Investment?
It was recently announced on the Summer Caravan that NC State’s Wolfpack Club ranked #6 amongst athletic booster clubs in the entire country. (I *think* that the ranking was based on number of members and not dollars raised, and would welcome any outside clarification on this in the comments section below).

I am currently waiting for someone to tell me some about how we fans need to step up more to support our programs before we can start to expect some kind of tangible success? Or how our newly renovated Football, Basketball, Baseball, Tennis and other facilities just don’t compare to what Baylor, Wake Forest, New Mexico and all the other schools have. (And, before you try to float that idea, perhaps you should leave the state of North Carolina to share your perspective of the facilities and support at schools outside of the Triangle).

Doesn’t NC State have some “Athletics Council” comprised of various members of NC State constituencies supposedly serving as a Board of Directors? I am just curious…what the hell do these people do? And, what can us “stockholders” of the program do to influence the composition of this Council? Or…is being a part of the Council like everything else at NC State — an appointment for life with no accountability attached to it?

Our “Athletics” programs (it may be crazy for me to think that the “Athletics Council” would be focused on “Athletics” at NC State) are consistently amongst the worst in the ACC, while simultaneously the “APR” (new NCAA academic grading standards for programs) of our basketball program was one of the worst in the ACC and below NCAA minimums. Maybe more embarrassingly, the Athletics Department couldn’t even calculate the correct APR for the football program and took a useless and inaccurate public relations beating by initially reporting failure for the Football APR when, in fact, the program bested NCAA minimums!!!! Great work, everyone!

I’m just curious…is there a college athletics program in the country over the last 10 years that has enjoyed more broad and rabid fan support and delivered such comparably unsuccessful results on the field of athletic battle than NC State?

I guess I initially think of the University of South Carolina as a candidate…but (a) I am not versed on the breadth and depth of their overall fan support (just that they attend their football games) and (b) their baseball team has been a prominent national power since Todd Turner allowed Ray Tanner to get away from NC State. (One for the NC State Athletics Management Decisions Hall of Fame).

Any thoughts on a Top 10 Booster Club that has experienced such a Championship & Success drought in the last 10 years? I’d love to hear them…

General NC State Administration Non-Revenue Rankings & Lists

7 Responses to June 2: We’re #50!!!!

  1. BJD95 06/02/2005 at 1:07 PM #

    When you point the numbers out this way, it’s truly embarrassing. I agree with your stockholder reference, and it’s way past time to start seeing some REAL dividends.

  2. Cardiac95 06/03/2005 at 10:17 AM #

    I’m not optimistic about seeing any big “returns” any time soon. Our Athletics Department appears to have only two clearly defined goals: 1) Operate in the black, 2) Run clean programs.

    Early in Fowler’s tenure, he stated that his goal was to be Top 3 in the conference in all sports. Yet 5 years after his arrival, most of our programs aren’t even Top 3 in the state of North Carolina.

    Making difficult decisions are a big part of great leadership. Lee Fowler has shown no ability to make them…..and that’s about alot more than basketball…..but at least we’re clean & financially stable.

  3. Doctor CC 06/03/2005 at 10:20 AM #

    Good article. This needs to handed out at all WPC Caravan sites.

  4. Cardiac95 06/03/2005 at 10:27 AM #

    Previously mentioned Lee Fowler quote (4/23/02):

    Lee Fowler: (2:20 PM ET ) “My charge is to be a top three program in the conference in every sport and improving our facilities is a big part of accomplishing that.”

    http://gopack.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/042302aaa.html

  5. newswolf 06/03/2005 at 10:26 PM #

    “is being a part of the Council like everything else at NC State — an appointment for life with no accountability attached to it?”

    Nice quote. Very well said.

  6. Cardiac95 06/04/2005 at 10:29 AM #

    For those that are curious, here’s how NC State fared in ACC competition during the past athletic season:

    Baseball: 6th place (5th place in the old ACC)
    M. Basketball: 7th place (5th place in the old ACC)
    M. Cross Country: 1st place
    Football: 9th place (7th place in the old ACC)
    M. Golf: 4th place
    M. Soccer: 6th place
    M. Swimming/Diving: 6th place
    M. Tennis: 10th place (8th place in the old ACC)
    M. Track (Outdoor): 7th place (6th place in the old ACC)
    M. Track (Indoor): 8th place (7th place in the old ACC)
    Wrestling: 2nd place

    W. Basketball: 3rd place
    W. Cross Country: 3rd place
    W. Golf: 3rd place tie
    W. Soccer: 9th place (8th place in the old ACC)
    Softball: 4th place
    W. Swimming/Diving: 8th place (7th place in the old ACC)
    W. Tennis: 10th place (9th place in the old ACC)
    W. Track (Outdoor): 5th place (4th place in the old ACC)
    W. Track (Indoor): 8th place (7th place in the old ACC)
    Volleyball: 11th place (9th place in the old ACC)

    That’s a far cry from 3rd place in every sport Mr. Fowler!!!

    Even taking Miami & Va Tech out of the equation gives us an average 5th place finish among the old 9-team ACC.

  7. Jeff 06/04/2005 at 10:44 AM #

    I think that Cardiac makes the key point here that is also a part of the Kool-Aid drinking related to “of course Fowler & Sendek want to win championships”.

    No shit that EVERYONE WANTS to win titles. The point is…what is being done to facilitate

    Fowler has shown a penchant for NOT doing anything to try to reach these goals in his aversion to make any moves within his department and just cash his paycheck.

    He says, “we want to be in the Top 3 of every sport”….and then he seems to do absolutely nothing to try to achieve those goals.

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