N&O: Amato was right about Akron

Chuck Amato General NCS Football12

I love this kind of stuff. I love looking back and reviewing issues with some hindsight and holding people accountable to their words.

Tip of the hat to the N&O for their insightful use of yesterday’s APR announcement.

Given the scholarship penalties handed out by the NCAA on Tuesday, Chuck Amato was a man ahead of his time in his criticism of Akron and the MAC school’s commitment to academic excellence.

The NCAA released the Academic Progress Rates on Tuesday and the Zips got zapped five scholarships for historical negligence and an APR score of 920 for the years between 2003 and 2007.

That would include the infamous Nonqualifier-Gate win over N.C. State on Sept. 9, 2006.

Two days after the conniving Zips swindled N.C. State out of victory, Amato rationalized:

“They’re in a conference that allows nonqualifiers in school. Nonqualifiers. Y’all need to look that one up to write stories.”

I always felt the problem with this situation had a lot more to do with the timing and manner in which Amato chose to deliver his comments than was the actual accuracy of his comments.

I think that you will really enjoy looking back at our entries on the topic when it was originally unfolding. You can click here for our first report on the topic….and then click here for the evolution of his comments into the national media mainstream.

We had linked an article of Terry Pluto’s of the Akron Beacon Journal who ripped Amato saying that the “NC State Coach lacked facts”. I wonder if there will be a retraction in light of this new information.

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Chuck Amato General NCS Football

12 Responses to N&O: Amato was right about Akron

  1. MatSci94 05/07/2008 at 11:36 AM #

    the best line from the article is “… maybe Amato wouldn’t be the Executive Associate Vice Principal at Florida State…”

  2. RickJ 05/07/2008 at 11:47 AM #

    Statefans Nation may have actually scooped the N&O on this topic. See my below comment under the NC State Only ACC Penalized by APR entry.

    RickJ

    May 7th, 2008 at 7:49 am

    There is one interesting penalty imposed in this APR report that I am sure brought a smile to Chuck Amato’s face – The most penalized team in the NCAA was Akron football with a loss of 9 scholarships.

    Maybe J. P. Giglio reads this site.

  3. beowolf 05/07/2008 at 12:02 PM #

    I always felt the problem with this situation had a lot more to do with the timing and manner in which Amato chose to deliver his comments than was the actual accuracy of his comments

    Not to mention how embarrassing it was to have a coach work up ANY reason to excuse losing to freaking Akron.

  4. Wulfpack 05/07/2008 at 12:52 PM #

    ^Amen. That was the final straw for me as it pertains to Chuck. NC State University should never, ever, ever, lose to The University of Akron in football. Ever. Period.

  5. pack81 05/07/2008 at 1:20 PM #

    so, how many of the nonqualifiers accounted for the lack of academic progress?

  6. primacyone 05/07/2008 at 2:55 PM #

    I miss Chuck!

  7. Daily Update 05/07/2008 at 3:11 PM #

    The crazy thing about that whole comment from Chuck Amato was that he was actually giving Akron and the MAC conference in general props for having good football players. His point was that they could recruit a lot of kids that were talented enough to play at BCS schools, but didn’t have the grades to be admitted at most BCS schools so the MAC conference was more talented than people gave them credit for.

    It was actually a compliment, maybe backhanded in a way, but Amato was correct in pointing out that some of the schools that take non-qualifiers get some very good football players.

    Can anyone say East Carolina?

  8. john of sparta 05/07/2008 at 6:48 PM #

    East Carolina.

  9. CStanley 05/07/2008 at 8:33 PM #

    “I always felt the problem with this situation had a lot more to do with the timing and manner in which Amato chose to deliver his comments than was the actual accuracy of his comments.”

    100% correct. Amato was absolutely right, he just should have kept his mouth shut, particularly after a losing to those losers.

  10. Wolf Dog 05/08/2008 at 10:17 AM #

    Take away those that left school for whatever reason and I am glad to see Amato did a decent job graduating players. Give Amato his due he really cared for his players. I hope/think we will have less turnover under TOB which will equate to higher numbers. NCSU has an overall high turnover/dropout/flunk out rate as a school in general and that has always been a challenge to our coaches. Would like to see the school do more to address this issue. It has been a problem for too long. We are unlike the Duke’s of the world where bascially if you get in Duke you get a degree.

  11. redfred2 05/08/2008 at 6:10 PM #

    By that point in his sinking head coaching career, a personality like Chuck Amato would have been berrated for saying the sun was shining. Even when things were crashing down all around him it seems Chuck just didn’t know how to be humble, or how to behave like he’s anything but The King of all things.

    I guess that’s a fault? But then again, maybe not, depending on whose perspective you’re viewing the universe.

  12. turfpack 05/08/2008 at 9:45 PM #

    As a H.S. coach- one of Chuck’s biggest problem later in his head coaching career 90% of the H.S. coaches in N.C. couldn’t stand him.(I’m talking coaches at Charlotte Independence,Greensboro Grimsley,Greenville Rose,New Bern,Thomasville and on…………).

    After attending coaches camp under TOB -All the H.S.coaches I talked to across the State-Like and respect TOB. (TOB spent alot of time with all the H.S.coach from around the State at his coaches camp-This will and already has paid diviends in recuiting.)

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