Sit back and get dedicated for a moment. You can’t skim this entry. You can’t loaf through this one. This is one of those to which your mind must be committed to absorbing and investing the time to read the links and the text.
In the early part of this decade our blog followed some up-and-coming college basketball coaches that weren’t as well known as they are today. Obviously, the hope was to turn some attention in Raleigh toward movers and shakers that would be great fits for NC State when Herb Sendek finally found a way to bolt town as we knew he would despite Lee Fowler’s wet dreams.
In the end, we all know the NC State situation developed as follows:
* Lee Fowler ardently supported and retained Herb Sendek in an unprecedented manner after five consecutive seasons of failing to make the NCAA Tournament while simultaneously criticizing and alienating NC State fans and consistently degrading the basketball program and fanbase to the media.
* Unlike leaders such as Ron Wellman at Wake Forest (with Dave Odom) and Dave Braine at Georgia Tech (with Bobby Cremmins), Fowler never found a way to control the coaching situation at NC State. He failed to create a graceful move that was in the best interest of NC State’s program AND Herb Sendek. Instead of proactively CREATING a strategically timed transition that could be controlled with a hand-selected new coach ready, Fowler blindly supported Sendek at all costs and therefore failed to position the Wolfpack’s program for the future by placing the selfish needs of Lee Fowler Herb Sendek over what was best for NC State.
* Despite five years of contract extensions amid supposed fan pressure after earning 4 of 5 NCAA Tournament berths while placed squarely on the NCAA’s bubble, Sendek ‘coincidently’ chose to leave NC State in the one season where he was losing seven of his eight top players and the program was going to be stocked with inexperience.
* Inexperienced at coaching searches because of his status-quo management style and unfamiliar with the college basketball landscape because of his lazy work ethic, Fowler was caught unprepared for the ensuing coaching search. After failing to land two top candidates who had previously expressed extreme interest in the position (Rick Barnes and John Calipari), Fowler was oblivious as to where to turn and was hellbent on landing a ‘name’ for media attention. Instead of turning to a tier of candidates like Gillispie, Sean Miller, Mark Turgeon, John Pelphrey and others after missing on Calipari, Fowler continued to taint the remaining candidate pool with public misses of horrible fits like Steve Lavin and John Belein.
From the 1999-2000 season through 2006 when Coach Sendek bailed on NC State, the folks at StateFansNation and the readers that we represented endorsed a Wellman-Braine-like strategic transition where Coach Sendek could/would go get another job (like Dave Odom at South Carolina) while NC State could be positioned to control our next coach. If the obvious top candidate (like Barnes & Calipari) would somehow not fit the time frame then there were plenty ‘next generation coaches’ that would fit the profile well.
Unfortunately, this kind of strategic management that comes from corporate America and not the old boys clubs of Tennessee and Eastern North Carolina was far too complicated for a simpleton like Lee Fowler. It represented way too much work that couldn’t be done from a golf course of Fowler’s Lake Gaston retreat.
Two specific names that we followed with vigor for years were then little-known coach of UTEP, Billy Gillispie (you know him as Kentucky’s Head Coach today) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Bruce Pearl.
(Since we won’t be talking about Gillispie much in this entry then I submit this link for you die-hards. Let’s see…we tagged KENTUCKY’s future head coach five or six years ago; and Lee Fowler was oblivious to the guy just two years ago when he was making national waves at Texas A&M. But…of course….he KNOWS Basketball)
Ahhh…but what did we know? Obviously, we don’t know basketball like Lee Fowler. Why control your program and be prepared for transition when you can argue with your fan base and ultimately get left at the alter by ‘your guy’ in a year when the coaching candidate pool wasn’t what it was a few years earlier?
Well…today, ESPN has logged a fantastic biography on (now) Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl. It is fantastic. And, you have to read it. You HAVE to. It gives you a lot of baseline information that you need to know about the guy.
Next, you have to go read this article written by Jeff on March 30, 2005. I’m not kidding. You HAVE to read this thing that was written THREE YEARS AGO. You also need to make sure that read the second section that has quotes from a national radio interview with Pearl.
As RIGHT as Jeff obviously was back then, he really underestimated Coach Pearl who is now finishing his third year at Tennessee:
I’ve been watching Pearl and his program from the periphery over the last couple of years and have been more than just a little impressed with what I have seen. Therefore, I wanted to go on record as recognizing this as a great hire for UT. It will be interesting to watch their program develop.
For kicks…I will predict that within four years from today, the Tennessee basketball program will have very strong momentum after appearing in at least two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and will be obviously established at the top of the 2nd tier of SEC Basketball schools just under Kentucky and Florida- a tier currently inhabited by Alabama, Mississippi State, and LSU.
Ok…maybe he hedged a little. As convinced as SFN was in Pearl’s ability to succeed, we admit that we cushioned more than was needed in our prediction.
Fowler’s UT Irony
There is more irony in this 700th chapter of our favorite book - “What could have been at NC State if only most leaders in Raleigh weren’t lazy morons” - than anyone really can handle.
* Pearl has a huge connection to NC State as he was once married to a woman related to Norm Sloan (niece? cousin?) He brought is UW-M team to the RBC a few years ago and openly praised the tradition and history of the NC State program. Many close to him and familiar with the situation felt as though he was launching trial balloons and signalling his obvious interest for NC State to be the place where he would take his next step.
* Lee Fowler is from Tennessee and played basketball at Vanderbilt. He also was an assistant coach on the Memphis State teams (TN) in the early 1980s that ultimately were put on massive NCAA probation and had their wins forfeited and 1985 Final Four vacated. (Not to mention the time in federal prison that Fowler’s mentor and head coach, Dana Kirk spent)
* Today, Memphis and Tennessee have a fantastic basketball rivalry as evidenced by this year’s big #1 vs #2 showdown that included John Calipari. After being spurned by Todd Turner for the NC State job when Les Robinson left, Calipari heavily pursued the NC State job two years ago. Calipari was such a ‘done deal’ that Lee Fowler had literally ordered nameplates for the doors and offices of Calipari and his staff. Ultimately, Fowler and NC State found a away to screw up the hire and Calipari now has a monster of a program at Memphis.
* Fower interviewed for the Tennessee Athletics Director position (along with at least a half of a dozen others who have turned him down) while serving as the NC State Athletics Director.
* The only reason that Bruce Pearl was available to coach at UT was because UT had the proactive vision to push out their previous coach, Buzz Peterson.
* Peterson failed to secure an NCAA Tournament berth in four years of opportunity when the leadership at UT decided it was time to make a change. Peterson was 14-17 in his 4th season.
* At NC State, Herb Sendek failed to make an NCAA Tournament for FIVE consecutive season. NC State was 13-16 in fifth season where his squad was obviously all ‘his’.
* Tennessee fired Buzz Peterson and hired Bruce Pearl. Lee Fowler’s chose to retain Herb Sendek and NOT hire a litany of coaches like Barnes, Calipari, Pearl, Gillispie and many others that were easily available at various points in time from 2000-2006.
Summary
I find it hilarious (and scary) that Lee Fowler thinks that the folks at Tennessee (or any school) would WANT to hire an Athletics Director who chooses NOT to take measures to control and improve his athletics programs. If anything, the Peterson-Pearl move is a perfect example of the exact opposite philosophy of ‘leadership’ that Lee Fowler practices.
After almost eight years of Fowler’s leadership, NC State’s athletics administration has chosen to fire less than three coaches amongst all program that we can recall.
In that same time horizon, the University has executed and planned in excess of $150 million of facility upgrades that does NOT include the $166 million RBC Center. Additionally, NC State’s athletic booster club has grown to be one of the five largest clubs in all of America with some of the most rabid support found anywhere.
In spite of all of this - after eight years of Lee Fowler’s leadership - NC State is easily the WORST overall athletics program in the entire Atlantic Coast Conference while winning fewer ACC Championships in all sports than any other member institution during Fowler’s tenure.
Comparing the results and the management practices of Fowler’s dream job in the Tennessee Athletics Department to the results and the management practices in Raleigh — I wonder if the guy really ever keeps himself up at night wondering why he doesn’t get any of the other jobs for which he interviews?
Probably not. We’ve seen the impact of what staying up at night and actually having to work does to the guy. Remember the 25 pounds he lost during the NC State coaching search due to stress caused by his incompetence? How many times have you seen that from other ADs?
Well, I guess we can add that to the long list of the differences of our AD and those of other schools.
On second thought…
…check out the following quote from Bruce Pearl on ESPN’s national morning radio show from the entry I made you read.
Pearl commented on Buzz Peterson’s firing. Said that (paraphrase), “Buzz is a SUPER guy, but that he was just over .500 in four years. Face it…if I am just over .500 in four years here then I will be gone, too. You know this going into the profession and when you are hired by a big school. Tennessee has national championships across the board. They are successful in almost ever sport here and there is no reason that we shouldn’t be in basketball.”
I take back everything I have said.
OBVIOUSLY, Bruce Pearl would not fit in at NC State.
Oh, why can’t we get rid of Lee Fowler. GRRRRR!!!!
Excellent post! Sad, but true. How long can the administration allow Fowler to continue? He single-handedly dumped State athletics and, most visibly, State basketball in the toilet, and he needs to go.
Wow. Pearl’s comments are great. You see, he gets it.
I really never would have had a problem w/ Sendek staying on if there was an admission that we weren’t meeting the expectations of the fans. The funny thing is, from what I know about Sendek, he’s a hyper-intense man, he’s a competitor. You don’t get a job on a staff w/Pitino w/out being a hard-driving sun of a gun. Somehow, he got the idea, that his results should have been acceptable to the fans. He didn’t get this idea from the fans - he got it from Fowler - who was more angry about the fans than our collapses in games which could have drastically changed the perception and atmosphere surrounding the program.
To me, what’s much more scary is that our chancellor is totally fine w/ this man running our athletic program into the ground and turning our athletic program into a national joke. How can anyone in good conscience give this man an extension?
It may just be the athletic department, but it’s the most visible part of any university. Is it too much to ask to graduate kids, keep them out off the police blotter AND win games?
I fully support today, just like I did 2 years ago, the immediate dismissal of Lee Fowler.
Then what? Do we know where we’re going with this?
You are preaching to the choir. Lamentably, and I have said this many times before, the athletic department rusn in the black. In fact it makes money hand over fist. So, for that reason alone, Fowler will stay as long as he wants.
It truly is frustrating on so many levels. NCSU is becoming more and more irrelevant in the world of sports. I agree with the sentiment in your post.
I would like to know if there is anything we can do to facilitate the removal of this “it’s ok to lose” attitude that now permeates every level of the university’s athletic department. I can’t understand why someone is allowed to remain in a position for so long with not showing any improvement and apparently becoming so complacent that we are sliding from obscurity to laughing stock.
I wish I was a rich man so that someone cared about what I thought. When I was a kid, NCSU was known for being excellent in basketball and football. Now, I am not sure we should be allowed to field a basketball team in the ACC and TOB is going to have to kill himself to make this football team work for him, although I currently have faith in TOB.
I wish that I could get a job that handed me 245,000 a year to do nothing and then not even fire me when I completely ruin the company. Lee Fowler is a lucky man.
I think it is pretty obvious that Fowler is a poor AD; the results speak for themselves. But I will quibble just a bit with the comparison of dumping Buzz at TN to not dumping Sendek at State.
Buzz inherited a program in reasonably solid shape, though TN wanted MORE than reasonably solid — they (rightly) thought that with a slightly better influx of talent and a little vim and vigor from the right coach, their men’s program could be a solid top 20 program, not just the usual bubble or an occasional Sweet 16 squad. He took a sometime NCAA Tournament team, continued to bring in the same or maybe even better talent level as his predecessor but couldn’t coach his way out of a paper bag. TN went from sometimes NCAA team to .500 or worse team, the sort of thorn-in-your-side talented enough team that FSU has been lately, maybe a little worse.
Sendek took over an absolute disaster and I think expectations were that it was a long term rebuilding job. I think if State had been in the shape TN was when Sendek took over there would have been a very different set of expectations and a much shorter leash.
That said, I thought at the time that State needed to look in another direction after Sendek’s disastrous fifth season (that is somewhat reminiscent of Sid’s second season, btw, in the way it totally imploded). I just don’t think the Buzz/Pearl transition is an apt comparison to Robinson/Sendek.
^Correction, I think it was the 2000 season that was similar to ‘08, which I think was Herb’s 4th, not 5th, season. In 2000, State started the ACC 4-2 (including a very tough overtime loss at Dook) and got to 5-3 before the bottom fell out and State lost 6 or 7 in a row to finish with a losing ACC record. At least that team made some noise in the NIT, though. [UNC was 2-3 in the ACC about the time State was 4-2, which led to much crowing and why that Sendek season stuck out to me, but UNC finished any OK 9-7, squeaked into the NCAAs over a UVa team that was 9-7 and had swept them (shades of UA/ASU this year) and made a miracle run to the Final Four.]
I think I’ll go vomit now. That’s classic NC State for you.
While Fowler is such a sad case to be occupying (not working) the position he is in, it is much more disheartening to realize that the overall NCSU administration continues to keep him on. If this in itself can be extrapolated to the overall administration/management of NCSU, and I feel that it can, then I fully expect the academic ratings of the school to fall sharply in the near future. It’s been shown time and again that the “good-ol’-boy” approach to managing anything is a disaster in waiting. Yet Oblinger has clearly indicated through his actions (or lack thereof) that he will do all possible to save the “good-ol’-boys” in the NCSU faculty and staff at all costs - even if they are incompetent and ineffective! Couple that with a BOT that is seemingly afraid to support any kind of top line athletics at NCSU, EVEN IF IT CAN BE DONE WITHOUT JEOPARDIZING ACADEMICS (which has been demonstrated at other univeristies many times over), and I see no light at the end of the NCSU tunnel except for the approaching train!
Great entry, the entire post encompasses why I loathe Fowler. It’s obvious in Fowler’s heart that he does NOT love NC State. His job as AD stems from his desire to either increase his salary or attain his dream job at Tenn. That dream job explains why he went out guns a blazing by himself for the bball coaching search. He wanted to show off his “superior” AD skills and that backfired severely after Calipari spurned us and he was left scrambling to find a coach. I honestly wonder why he is able to get away with tainting NC State athletics so much (playing ECU in bball?) and the sad part is, the only way he is gone is if Lowe’s career goes southward or he’s offered a position (yeah right) somewhere else. It’s really a sad state of affairs, but I’m willing to look past ol Jed if Lowe’s doing well.
nycfan - I agree w/ you on the take of Buzz. It’s not an apples to apples comparison.
Here’s some similarities I see to our current situation:
*UT fires Jerry Green after 4 consecutive NCAA appearances. UT hires Buzz, miss the tourney 4 consecutive years.
*Carl Tacy at WF is “encouraged” to retire after having some success and some mediocrity. They hire Xavier coach Bob Staak, who absolutely stinks up the joint for several years. They then bring in Dave Odom - who wins 2 ACC championships and takes them to several NCAAs. Dave Odom is encouraged to take another job, they bring in Skip Prosser - who does very well his first 4 years, then misses the NCAA the next 2.
*UVA shows Jeff Jones the door, they experience the misery of Pete Gillen (another Xavier coach.)
I would consider the firings/forced resignations of Jones, Green, and Tacy similar situations to ours of Sendek - not for cause, but for overall results. I do think it’s interesting that the replacements really sucked.
There may be a bit of irony from the ESPN article on Pearl:
“The Screamin’ Eagles were the Division II national runners-up his second season in Evansville, and the next year they won the championship. Everyone knew Pearl could coach before he went to USI, and then he proved it — but the only Division I offer that came after that championship season was from Middle Tennessee State.”
It is possible that Fowler tried and failed to hire Pearl at Middle Tennessee State? The timing is close, around 1994. If so, he has almost hired three of the best coaches in college basketball - Barnes, Calipari & Pearl.
I vividly remember Pearl’s radio interview with Frances Combs after his loss to the Pack in the 2004 season. The guy was practically crying when he was talking about NC State basketball. At the time I remember thinking this guy would crawl to Raleigh for the State job. He was married to Norm Sloan’s niece. I got the impression during the interview that Sloan had helped Pearl along the way and he was very appreciative.
http://vcafo.org/support_bulletin/2007/2007-19.pdf
NC State 2006 donations - $27,254,723
ACC rank - 4th(UNC, UVA, FSU ahead of us)
National rank - 14th
Amount raised in capital funds last 5 years - $125,625,000
ACC rank - 5th
National rank - 10th
As long as we idiot State fans keep buying tickets and keep paying our dues to the Wolfpack Club, then nothing will change. The pocketbook is the only thing that will bring about change.
A grassroots movement to stop going to games, and stop the “charitable giving” to the WC with it publicly tied to our disappointment in Fowler, then things might change.
However, our good friends at the N&O, who rage against the University at every opportunity (real or imagined), would then take up the cause of our embattled AD and paint the fanbase as ungrateful, delusional shitheads. We’ve seen it all before.
We’re stuck.
Thanks for focusing the attention back where it belongs - on our AD. Maybe the offspring of the big money donors (who can actually use that dang internet thing) will read, be educated and start asking some questions of the old man or lady who have the influence. After all, who wants to be associated with a loser program. Your summary of LF’s failure paints a very damning picture in a very understandable way. Good post.
While I don’t know if I quite drink the Bruce Pearl kool-aid, I do know his track record is solid (and one that I would not have minded seeing here at NC State).
On a similar not, my Sister in law’s father is quite close with Norm Sloan’s brother. They have traveled a couple of times to Knoxville and visited Pearl and the UT hoops squad. From what I gathered, we should have been able to put this guy into play.
Finally, does Fowler’s mode of operation in recruiting coaches seem anything similar to what Sendek’s point guard recruiting looked like. Shoot for the Moon, narrowly miss, and then end up with something less than what we should have had. Hmmm, explains why these 2 got along so swimmingly. My only hope is that he uses a Recruiting firm for any and all future searches.
That is a great background story on Pearl. 75 wins in three years at UT…wow.
When is Fowler’s contract up? And how can we show our displeasure at a measurable level if and when an extension is once again granted?
Man, that is a great read!!!
Not much to add except to say that the folks in Raleigh are trapped in their own mediocrity. It’s a mediocrity travels well and it’s with them anywhere and everywhere they chose to go. It’s always right there, it comes out immediately in media interviews, it comes out in coaching interviews, and it simply states to anyone who is willing to listen…”We’re second rate, won’t you come and join us and be a part of it all?”
Top to bottom, will somebody just PLEASE clean house in Raleigh.
Mr. O,
That’s interesting data. Could you shoot me an email at ncsualum@yahoo.com?
Thanks!
Another posssible irony? Marcques Johnson leaves the TN program to come to NC State. Why did MJ leave? Because he knew he would not get PT under Pearl? Mean no disrespect to MJ since I don’t know why he left. Just wondering if anyone knows for sure. Would be sad if we get the folks that others want off their teams.
A great read, but hidden in between the lines is the premise that Sid was a mistake.
The jury is (or should be) still out on Sid.
But moreover, Jim Oblinger is *not* a man who rocks the boat. I can tell you that Jim likes to plot an even course and hope there are no fires to put out. He won’t change anything *unless* there’s a fire. So if you want to get rid of Foulup, you have to create a HUGE fire.
Wow that is unreal but than again we could have used a dartboard and come up with a better coaching staff here.
I am afraid if he ever did can sid he Isaha Thomas.
And the 30 lbs that fowler said he lost during the search does that include the 250 lbs we gained by hiring sid?
as everyone here knows, on this blog the mention of Lee Fowler’s name is always met with a chorus of boos (for good reason)
but i would love it if someone actually did a poll of NCSU students and alums to give us the stats on what percentage of us already think he should be fired. it’ll never happen, but I do think it would be relevant information.
The story of Pearl’s “training ground” is really incredible. He is a guy who has paid his dues, continues to work hard, and he deserves his success. It led me to wonder about our current coach’s training ground. I do not doubt that Coach Lowe has worked hard, but he had never had to recruit players prior to his current position, and he had never coached college players…Ever.
When Coach Lowe was hired, I hoped he could overcome his weaknesses, but now I see the foolishness in hiring someone with such negatives when we had alternatives available that were demonstratively better. Still, I hold out hope that Lee Fowler’s incompetence may be compensated for by pure, dumb luck. Please Sid, show us that we lucked into a good coach.
This is a very frustrating topic. Lee Fowler is to our AD what Les Robinson was to our b’ball - he evidently has totally free reign to drag us to the bottom.
This is an excellent entry, but makes me very sad
… I’m about to cry
An interesting quirk to me: Ever since our “issues” in the late ’80’s - early ’90’s that resulted in the Todd Turners of the world holding down the fort at NC State, we have been an institution that has bent over backwords at trying to be/appear as one of the “clean” programs … This came from the “new” leaders at State from the UNC system and the orders went from the top down … State has sacrificed quite a bit athletically for the sake of appearing clean and to not hear any media generated buzz about having any “dirty” programs … Correct?
With that said, why then is a guy who was on the staff of one of the worst documented violaters in NCAA history (Memphis St. as said in the post) our AD? How and why is this possible? This doesn’t even begin to address our AD’s said incompetence, but I find it amazing that this man was ever our AD in the first place given the “clean atmosphere” that NC State wants to maintain at any cost … It befuddled me when he got here and it befuddles me now … And that is even w/out all of the major mistakes documented in this post
I WANT a clean athletics department; I’m not decrying the University’s commitment to having clean athletics programs in any way shape or form … but did they even know what his role on that Memphis St. staff was when he was hired here? How does this man go from being on that staff in the 80’s to being an AD somewhere not even 10 years later (Middle Tennessee)?
It really is all about the money, isn’t it? … the man has built “facilities” everywhere his been and I suppose the instutions make money when he’s there (we know they make money hand-over-fist at NC State) … “Athletics performance be damned; just make us some money and appear to have clean programs! … That’s all we ask.”
Thanks NC State for holding your “fans” and “customers” in such high esteem
I just don’t get it …
What’s sad is Fowler didn’t see Sendek’s resignation coming. I think he got pressured into going after Barnes and Calipari, because the fans and WPC memembers, who matter, didn’t want to repeat the Sendek hire, by giving a mid-major coach a shot at the helm and endure several years of “on the job training”. What’s frustrating is the guy “who knows basketball” should’ve convinced the WPC about a vision he had for Wolfpack basketball, but instead he just got bullied by the WPC to go after any coach with major conference experience.
The sad thin is Fowler’s smarter than people let on. He has job security, without having to be accountable for anything other than producing healthy financial statements. He doesn’t have to have a vision for NCSU athletics. Just make sure there are no scandals and the money keeps coming in. It takes a certain level of cleverness to pull off turning the Athletics Director position into little more than a figure head or symbolic position, because other schools have whacked AD’s for not having a vision or not being able to execute it.
“A great read, but hidden in between the lines is the premise that Sid was a mistake.”
I respectfully disagree. The article is an analysis of the opportunity cost of holding onto Herb Sendek for as long as we did. Opportunity cost meaning the cost of Fowler’s decisions in not aggressively pursuing other candidates earlier. The really sad thing is that StateFans neglected mentioning another outstanding candidate who we could have made a play at after Sendek’s fifth year - Bill Self, then at Illinois, now head coach of #1 seed Kansas.
I work in corporate America. Lee Fowler wouldn’t last a day on Wall Street or anywhere in the Forture 500. With his lousy strategic analysis skills, it’s no shock our outstanding AD hasn’t held a professional position outside the old boy’s network.
choppack1, Lee is worse than Les. Les inherited a bad situation, which was compouned by having work under an awful AD, in Todd Turner and being saddled with restrictions he did nothing to deserve. Fowler inherited an athletics department in a good financial position, thanks to Les Robinson, with good academic support for the athletes, again, thanks to Les Robinson, and a shiney new basketball stadium, thanks to Les Robinson, and hasn’t done much other than to make sure the finances are in good order and buildings are built on schedule.
He really is getting the most out of his job, for putting in the least effort possible. It takes a certain amount of genius to get away with that.
The post is categorically not about Sidney Lowe. Lowe is not mentioned once. It’s about Lee Fowler’s inability to implement an effective strategic plan. Other than, of course, whining about the Wolfpack fan base and seeking the media spotlight.
Whether or not Sid can lead the Pack to the Promised Land, he was still a lousy hire by a lousy AD. With all due respects to Sid, his record did not warrent a look from NCSU. There were proven candidates, even after all the turn-downs, who would have been more logical pursuits based on performance. Now Sid may well become a very good, or even great college BB coach. That remains to be seen. But there was nothing logical in hiring him at the time, and a competent AD would have never looked his way. As for TOB, LF had absolutely NOTHING to do with bringing him to State aside from signing his contract. And we are very blessed that TOB came IN SPITE of Jed!
The powers at be are at much blame as Fowler. They are Fowler and Fowler is Sendek. We are holding onto him far too long. He is a proven failure. He needs to go and we need to pursue Bobby Knight as AD now. We odviously have the money to pay for Knight and a top name, winning, established coach. I guess Lowe should be given another year, but I am not sure that is the best thing. If we can’t get a big big name, then I say get Miller from Xavier. He has set himself up to have a terrific coaching career.
Ouch.
Somebody needs to print off this post and Fed Ex it to everyone that matters at NCSU. Spot on.
Listening to Mike&Mike this morning, someone stated that Pearl would be an idiot to leave Tennessee for any program. He’s are revered there as Barnes is at Texas. Those two are in sweet, sweet positions right now.
*sigh*
Wulfpack, We do need to print off this post and the responses and send it to the administration, and we all need to be willing to provide our names, addresses and phone numbers.
This is the ‘95 Theses’ for any true NC State fan. It should be posted everywhere, and sent to every media outlet to express OUR frustration with a self-serving and inept athletics adminstration. Go back to Tennessee, Lee. With your success, who needs failure?
These comments are as good or better than the entry!!! Compare this to the moronic direction that some of the jackasses on the similar Pack Pride thread take the conversation and it is scary that we all wear the same colors.
Thank you all for making this entry one of the classics!
It is such a good article and yet it makes me want to vomit.
LF is complete useless hunk of flesh.
I feat the reality is Fowler has run NCSU athletics into the ground and it is to the point of no return. We are irrelevant, totally and completely irrelevant.
I used to complain when I could not find NCSU apparel. Well who, outside of alumni, friggin wants it?
No one will willingly become a fan of this pathetic program.
SIGH
Devastating. Fowler is indeed, like Sir Gawaine said, a sair fule.
i heard somewhere not too long ago, that we are the only school in the ACC who has not won a Natnl championship since 2000. (any sport, not necessarily revenue sports) is this true?
if so, how can anyone in Raleigh justify keeping Lee around for 1 more day? in any business, Lee would have been fired long ago. and i hear over and over that college sports is big business… Well, whats the hold up?
I love NC State but not the boneheads who’ve been running the show for the past couple of decades. I agree with the poster who said there needs to be a top-to-bottom house cleaning. Unfortunately, it’s all about money. As long as the money keeps coming in, there will not be any changes made.
My advice to the fanbase is turn off the money spigot if you want change.
I am a pretty young Wolfpack fan, and I haven’t had to deal with Lee Fowler’s incompetance for very long, but I don’t see what one blog constantly crying about him is going to do. No offense. I mean, from what I can see, it’s clear that he should have been gone years ago… but if complaining about it for years and years hasn’t done anything, what does one prolific Statefans article going to do, but make everyone just shake their heads in agreement, and then…
I should add that even this pull-no-punches column can’t stress enough where the blame lies here. Fowler is a fool. But who hired that fool? Who - or what - is the institutional embodiment of the second-rate status that Fowler so perfectly symbolizes? It is, of course, our Board of Trustees, or that majority of them that chose, with these results, to EXTEND FOWLER’S CONTRACT FOR A FULL FIVE YEARS.
As a student I have to admit that looking at the financial documents and seeing the results on the field is very disturbing. Everyone talks about the 12th Man for Texas A&M and the Rams Club at UNC but we get left out of the conversation even though we are just as strong as them in terms of financial support. If I could fire 3 people from NCSU I would have to pick Stafford, Fowler, and Oblinger. That is of course after I slap every member of the BOT’s for letting this nonsense continue to long and for making NCSU irrelevant in sports and soon to be academics.
The lineage of incompetance in our administration is uncypherably long.
We are in a Catch 22 situation. The administration is happy as long as the athletic department oversees clean programs and makes money. The athletic department makes the administation happy as long as the athletic teams run clean programs and make money. What needs to be implemented as a requisite is having teams with great students, great citizens and great athletes. These components are not mutually exclusive! Someone raised an excellent point: if the administation is allowing the university’s athletic reputation to slip, are they allowing its academic standing to slide as well? I’m in business, and when you demand excellence, it starts at the top. If the stockholders aren’t happy, you elect a new Board of Directors, who in turn puts in a new management team to make the necessary changes which will yield improved results. I think it’s beyond time for our Board of Trustees to step up and make some necessary changes, with the most significant being a change in the mind-set of expectations!
There is no need to worry about anything. Erskine Bowles cares about NC State athletics and wants to see us succeed. He’ll do everything he can do to bring us to the level of UNC-Ch.
Great post. Putting this kind of info together and making it a good read is what makes SFN one of the best blogs.
If you read this article it is obvious something has to be done. At the same time I have to say it is our own damn fault (our meaning the Wolfpack nation in general). Either;
A. Everyone else knows Fowler is incompetent and just doesn’t give a crap and are willing to stomach being the worst athletic program overall in the ACC or
B. Only we few lunatic fringe fans with computers think he is incompetent and everyone else (especially the big givers) thinks he is doing the job.
Because at the end of the day State is a public school (our school) with a BOT who works for us and a chancellor who works for them (and us), etc etc. Sports matters to most alumni and giving for athletics and ACADEMICS usually comes down to how proud you are of your school.
So we (the Wolfpack nation) put up with this shit by continually giving money, complaining only to each other and not enough to the people who really freaking work for us who are ultimately the ones who have to make this change.
I for one am sick of these results and I am not giving one damn penny to anybody who calls me from State until and unless some changes are made. And I tell them that when they call. That is the only way I have to “vote” on this.
I have always taken the position that there are people much more “connected” than me that make decisions. I think Herb was here too long but he must have had some heavyweight support on up the donor food-chain. We all loved the Chuck Amato hire and then it soured over the next 4-5 years. We got the improvements to Carter-Finley and the Murphy Center. And other things like the Doak Field upgrades. We got rid of Amato and now I think we have a great coach in Tom O’Brien. I think back on the search for Herb’s replacement and yes we should have been more prepared but every blog I saw talked about wanting Barnes and Calipari. When that didn’t materialize I became frustrated that so many Wolfpack fans wanted Lowe or Wittenberg or someone “from the Wolfpack family” and “knows the Valvano magic.” Well, be careful what you ask for. And I, like many of you, was changing my mind when we reached the ACC Tourney finals last year. So goes the life of a Wolfpack fan. The frustration has to come out some way or another.
When Herb left I think we had many positives but also many negatives that came into play. The passion of the Wolfpack faithful, I think, is well-known. But I truly believe that the further you get from Raleigh, the less it is understood. I think the country as a whole saw Herb as a good coach and when he was pretty much forced out by our discontent, many people thought that we have unrealistic expectations and that he was treated unfairly. And I think a lot of coaches are intimidated by walking into a situation where they know that NC State’s success is measured against 2 of the best programs in the history of college basketball 20 miles down the road. (I just threw up in my mouth a little having to type that last part.) I think that kept some people away. Also, if you have a revolving door policy of coaches, who would ever want to come here? Force out Herb (who lots of people thought was a good coach) and then fire one of the most famous ex-players from your own school? Again, who would want to walk into that situation?
I think the pertinent question right now is who is the next Bruce Pearl or Bill Self? We need to have these guys identified because, quite frankly, we may need to pull out the short list in a year or so. I hope and pray that this time next year, we are praising Sid for winning ACC coach of the year and we are following the Pack’s course through the tourney, but if that is not to be the case, and if next season is as bad as this one, we cannot have a search like we had the last time. Jed wouldn’t do it again, would he?
And how ironic is it that over at GoPack.com we see the headline:
“Fowler Tabbed for Chancellor Unit Awards for Excellence”
http://www.gopack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9200&ATCLID=1415476
we’ve got some serious issues here
Tdawg makes a good point, what is the point here? Yes, it all feels good to let it all out, we all know that under the leadership at NCSU now, athletic programs have become the laughing stock of the ACC, and now the nation. While our facilites have become second to almost none. Do we think Fowler will read this and suddenly leave? Until you get the support of someone other than a fanbase, nothing will ever change without change.
Lowe was a “feel good hire” but obviously a bad hire until proven other wise which seems unlikely. Can we afford to continue to hope we get “lucky” with Lowe? His record and lack of experience shouted loud and clear to continue the search for a new basketball coach. The top brass at NCSU did not listen to that shout and they won’t listen to our shouting.
this is a great and much needed post, but by posting it you have ensured that no school will ever hire him away from us. Since we know Lee will never get fired we are essentially stuck.
Perhaps SFN you could retract this entry, and we the state fans community could go on a massive letter writing campaign to other schools describing how great Lee Fowler is.
SFN: If he hasn’t gotten hired away yet despite all of his many attempts to land other jobs, then it isn’t going to happen with or without this entry. Evidently he tried to get a smaller school’s job last year and they passed him over. LOL!
Class of 95, I tend to agree somewhat, but somewhere “out there” there’s got to be a good coach who could back up and look at what took place realistically(without buying into the media types who portrayed us to be bad guys for wanting more than mediocrity). Without Fowler in the way, I honestly think it wouldn’t take long for a really good experienced college coach to put our program back together again.
I don’t think Herb got “forced out”, I think he forced himself out because he saw the writing on the wall with what he was looking at the next year and decided to bail.
This morning I had to make a trip to Florence, SC to meet with a client. I was wearing a NC State sweater/vest. When I walked in the front door, one of the salesmen says “NC State”! My response was “yep, #12 in the ACC and we’ve replaced Clemson as the laughing stock of basketball in the ACC”(with reference to one of the Clemson player’s comments after the game with UNCX.
Put up the FireLeeNoW website and let’s start the poll!
Fowler is a builder as an AD. Now that stuff is built he needs to get the hell outta here.
Highstick — you mean HireLeeFowler.com. That is our angle.
Though I agree with most all points, I’m afraid that this entire topic is moot given…
1) the obvious disinterest of LF’s supervisors
2) the short tenure of our 2 revenue sport coaches
It’s just hard to fire an AD when rational arguments can be made that his big hires are still in their grace periods. More pointedly, it can be argued that at least one of these hires looks to have been particularly good (better lucky, right?). So where’s the beef? Again, this isn’t about doubting the arguments that have been presented wrt the basketball program and the recent deplorable hiring process. It’s just that this feels more like a vent than an actionable path to improvement.
lee_fowler@ncsu.edu
Mr Statefan,
You hit a homerun here or the nail in the head!!!
Why would anyone think that just because you have unc or duke or teams in your conference that are bcs football powers would think you could not be successfull in basketball?
The job of the ad is to lead us there in not football and basketball but in all sports.The ad is the ceo of the entire sports program here at nc state,track field,baseball the works. His main goal is to have a throughly successful program.
Wake forest ad is a good and honest man whom is respected for making the right hires:prosser and grobe and locking them up with ten yrs deals and plans for major upgrades in the facilities. His coaches do not need to campaign(amato)for upgrades that is the ads job.
Also i don’t think wake hired a consulting firm and wasted funds to hire a coach?
If a ceo of a company cannot operate without assistance then he is a bad leader.
The hire of sidney lowe was a knee jerk reaction where our ad gave in to the pressure of the media and fans etc.His main focus should have been to find the right fit up to the start of fall basketball practice if needed.He failed !
The consulting firm gave us tom o brien not the ad.He just used thier information and advice and hired him.It cost us dearly but in the long run he is worth it.
I feel the wolfpack club needs to ask for the ad’s resignation and hire a veternan/experience ad whom can do the job.
I just hope the univeristy does not sell us short again!!
Have a great evening all and GO PACK!!!
To say that nobody wants this job is bogus. I would guess that, if NC State opened the head basketball job up, there would be about 150 current head coaches that would express interest on the very first day. This is not only a good job, it is a great job. We have a rich tradition with a passionate fan base, fantastic facilities, and if you get the job done in the best conference in the land you will be on national television every 3 days. You will be afforded numerous opportunities to prove yourself against the best teams in the country. If you do an average job, you will be in the NCAA Tournament every year. If you do a great job, the sky truly is the limit.
The issue is that we have learned there a few proven winners at big name programs that would consider leaving their cushy posts for this job. And that’s where LF comes into play. It is his job to identify and evaluate top mid major coaching talent and then to sell the position. He did not do this, and whether or not Sidney pans out, LF hired a guy with no college head coaching experience that was begging for the job. Easy way out.
“So where’s the beef?”
Please read the post again. This isn’t about hiring O’Brien or Lowe. I don’t think anyone can argue that the jury is still out on those hires. The problem with Fowler is his complete and utter inability to see the big picture and to position us for success.
You figure this out…
RALEIGH, N.C. — Athletics director Lee Fowler, one of three athletic department employees nominated for the Chancellor’s Unit Award for Excellence, was selected as one of 17 EPA employees that will vie for the University Awards for Excellence.
Folks, it appears Fowler isn’t really the biggest problem.
http://www.gopack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9200&ATCLID=1415476
He was nominated for some Chancellor’s Award of Excellence or something. Unreal.
Everyone talks about how we cannot compete with Duke and UNC next to us.
Well at one point Duke was in that position with NCSU and UNC “right next to them” (yeah at one point we were pretty good). How did they do? That is a perfect example of the defeatist way of thinking that is embraced by our mongoloid leader.
NCSU is now a Div.1 commuter/online college.
the New Generation Big Bucks alumni are
into the virtual world. “step in”.
SFN,
You have to stop making logical, valid points and supporting your perspective with facts. You’re giving blogging a respectable name.
Since Lee Fowler arrived in Raleigh, we’ve had nearly a decade of nothing but damage control amidst a proliferating populist movement — one that has largely been patronized, or worse, ignored.
The reason populist movements have always failed is that they lack teeth. As long as the money flows into the program, Lee doesn’t have to be proactive because college athletics is now big business, and money is all that matters — wins and losses and pride are just peripheral.
And that’s the real tragedy of it because all we really want is to be proud again.
This last year in Wolfpack basketball has been very difficult for ALL of us! But to get Fowler out as AD, and Oblinger, if he is, indeed, a “maintain the status quo” kinda guy, you have to get to the decision makers and let them know that just “being in the black, revenue wise, is ONLY part of the picture.” As a self-employed real estate and finance person, today’s economic climate is certainly one of concern for return “of” principal as well as return “on” principal! Just ask Bear Stearns, JP Morgan Chase, et al, who are “hung out to dry” in their derivatives positions!
Nonetheless, Ronald Reagan’s most enduring statement on dealing w/ ANY area where he needed to convince anyone to consider a NEW position/idea was to say to his advisers, “It is NOT necessary that they see the light; ALL they have to do is FEEL THE HEAT!”
Only until the “revenue position” of the Athletics Department is seen as “Feeling the Heat”, NOTHING will change! The well-heeled Alumni in conjunction with the students CAN DO JUST THAT, BIG TIME!
When Oblinger and Fowler start to sweat from “THE HEAT”, we can get a Bruce Pearl type, and a AD like the one @ Louisville! A Chancellor who is slightly ” A Little out of the Box” would not hurt! TOB will be awesome, and Fowler proved the axiom about the “blind squirrel and an acorn”.
I have Clemson, UNC-CH, Wake Forest, and ECU family and friends! I can’t take another year like this one!
State Fans ,
Most appreciate the forum you have worked so hard for.
This is a place where ardent Pack fans can express both the intelligent, emotional and the “emotiontelligant.’ ( look it up )
STATE HAS DEVOLVED IN THIS TRANSITORY 20 YR. OR SO SPAN VIA THE ADMIN AND SAME PEOPLE THAT LET OUR
MAIN ST. GO TO HELL, MOVED US OUT OF REYNOLDS, WITH PIE IN THE SKY DREAMS…Does any body get this?
i kinds look a like this. Jim Valvano was like Moses. he led us to the promised land and pointed the way but alas he could not go all the way.
And what did the NCSU adminstration do? They turned around so that we could all wander in the desert for 40 years.
Moral — you can lead a bureaucrat to water — but you can’t make him think.
Great piece, SFN.
But, it is nevertheless, depressing.
Please work up an actionable plan. A strategy. This blog is great, but but do we need to do to affect change.
We need a plan to invade the BOT. What else do we need?
BTW, I occasionally get invited to the Chancellor’s recepetions. Last fall, I gave him a book “Good to Great”, a good read on leadership and things you need to do over the long haul to be a great organization. He accepted it politely, but said he had already read it. That’s fine, I told him to feel free to give it to someone on his leadership team that hasn’t.
I later wrote him a note that Stafford and Fowler were in the wrong seats on the bus (need to read the book to appreciate this). No reponse from Oblinger on that one.
We need a long term strategy, we need organization, we need folks committed to making a change. We need to meet periodically and figure this out. Getting a few good leaders on the BOT would be a start. We need to convince other leaders to take up the cause.
Talk is cheap, let’s work on this. SFN, can you help us get organized. I realize this is transcending your mission and maybe your interests, but there has to be a next step. I can think of a few possibilities. What say ye????????????????????
THAT’s the kind of slice-em-up article we’ve come to know and love from JB at such times as this.
Now that you have your momentum… KEEP going.
Now the team…
This is a sad and depressing thread that accurately describes our situation.
For folks that don’t ltr’s or wpc membership, I draw a blank as to what impact we could have on resolving this. I mean, who does most of the calling to alumni for donations etc? Usually its a student volunteer that calls me with the annual plea. Perhaps thats just the alumni association. What good does telling a student volunteer that you won’t join until the university makes some leadership changes? I don’t know any BOT members.
I hope SFN can come up with a workable plan that gives the less affluent alumni a chance to get our opinion out there. Other than those ridiculous email “add your name” petitions?
How can I not agree, Herb should have been remove in year 5. What can I do? I’m retired, have supported the W’pack Club finacially and as a rep since graduation…39 years ago. Maybe it’s time to use my money for golf…? I must say that other than football I do not feel good about the remainder of the athletics department or the direction it is heading. Just my opinion for what it’s worth.
This, I think is a very true statement-1.Lee Fowler is the worst thing that has ever happen to NCSU Athletics-2.Todd Turner is the second worst thing to happen to NCSU Athletics.
Oblinger might be in the running for #1 if he keeps Fowler around much longer. Nah, someone above still is in the #1 position and it’s the group that has the power to change things and for some unholy reason, they won’t! I’m going to bed so I don’t get pissed again and keep getting deleted!
It appears that the only way to dislodge Fowler from his position is to attempt to apply pressure on Oblinger. Shake the tree from the top in order to get the rotten apples at the bottom to fall off the branches.
Of course, the obvious question is how does the fan base as a whole attempt to apply pressure to Oblinger? The man is seemingly oblivious to the continued lack of success of the athletics program.
This is a damn nightmare.
Did you guys notice this award?
“Other nominees included Adina Stock, a former NC State gymnast who is now the Event Facility Coordinator and Assistant Game Operations Manager for athletics;”
Did she manage the same events that had students peeing in the stands? Manage the same events that had our packed football stadium running out of water?
I have a somewhat unrelated questions? Do these awards cost 1 penny of taxpayer $$?
Can anyone link the data which shows that we are dead last in Fowler’s tenure when it comes to ACC titles? I just have to wonder - what exactly can you do not to get an award.
Great, great read. I’ve come to several conclusions:
-Lee Fowler should be fired. That one goes without saying.
-As long as the programs are clean and making money, Lee Fowler’s job is pretty secure.
We have a couple of options if we really want to see Lee Fowler hanging out in his lake house permanently:
-Convince the big donors that Lee Fowler needs to go. Print off this article and give it to them. Much like in Braveheart where the nobles were the key to freedom in Scotland, our Wendell Murphy’s and company are obviously key to new leadership.
-Stop giving to the WPC. I don’t know how else it’s going to happen. This is the tough thing about it.
I think we may have to sacrifice in the short term in order to see long term success. Are we willing to stop giving to the institution we so dearly love, and possibly even give up our rank in the WPC or even stop going to games in order to see long term success? It’s not an easy solution, and maybe SFN could work on a plan that we could all agree to commit to (as many as are willing). Money (or lack of it) is what is going to have to get LF out of here.
It is almost baffling to me how much money pours into the WPC with such poor on field results. I honestly hope to see the WPC and Athletic Department operate in the red very soon - how else will they listen?
I have met Lee and Oblinger in the past couple years. Lee-Good ole Boy Ain’t Yea,Let me Help pue wit Dat.Cause I know a hell of alot more bout Dat than you do.Come bac-to see us all rite.
Oblinger-I will form a committe to find out AHAH-what was that again?We’ll have some one look in to it.If we could get more(MONEY)support then I think we can make it happen.
I’m not say that they are stupid,but I wouldn’t have them running my company for anything-Guys I really mean it!But it is just my opinion.
Down the street in Charlotte, they are trying to decide if they want a football team. I think Oblinger would love to give ‘em ours. He’d love to turn NC State into UNCC or UNCG - like commuter school.
Obviously, the chancellor and AD care mostly about money and handshake shots at awards banquets. Quit funding them. Encourage everyone you know to do likewise.
Sidney moved heaven and earth and parts of Georgia as a player. His jersey hangs in the RBC center. If he doesn’t want to mess that up by dragging the program down then he should acknowledge that he is in way over his head and step down if he is unable to get results.
There is bound to be an excellent, charismatic coach at a 2nd tier school who would thrive in the ACC.
How do you know when you are dead? YOU START TO STINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What part of the decay in the Athletic programs do you think we are?
If Fowler is an example of NCSU excellence, then it won’t be long before a degree from there will not qualify for admitting its holder to second grade!
It’s not that it’s a new feeling, and it’s not even about BB, not FB, nor any coach, or any player, the fact of the matter is that I do not even like NC State the University right now.
Wish I hadn’t ever grown loving it because it has been stripped of it’s soul and does not even remotely resemble anything that I remember.
wE aRE tHE cONSUMER. wE hAVE tHE pOWER iF wE cHOOSE tO uSE iT. sO lET iT bE wRITTEN. sO lET iT bE dONE.
Big difference between a nomination and being awarded the honor. when the folks that review the nominees look at accomplishments, they will most likely look at graduation rates and hopefully competitive successs. Maybe he gets plus marks on the former but throw in the latter and one would have to go “huh?”
Oblinger must be feeling the heat and in fear of actually having to fire or lose Lee (to retirement or ASU) and have to make a hiring decision on his own. So he sucks up and gives the embattled AD some nice props and a shot at an award he probably won’t qualify for.
Sort of like the special olympics for administrators.
Not much to add to the discussion, but I ran across this and thought of Fowler:
http://www.sealiesoftware.com/fringe/
Is it naive, wishful thinking to speculate that Oblinger is nominating him for this award so that it is easier for Fowler to get a job elsewhere after he’s encouraged to leave NC State? I think we’re stuck, but it’s nice to retain some glimmer of hope.
Or get NCSU on probation. Maybe that would get Fowler booted. Anyone want to give $100,000 to Marques Johnson? (least damage if he’s made ineligible)
I’m still not on the roast Lowe bandw