The University dropped Football/Hockey, not Athletics -- Fairfield Stags Hoops Forum

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Date Posted: 07:12:32am 01/10/06 Tue,
Author: JoeStag
Subject: The University dropped Football/Hockey, not Athletics
In reply to: Antman 's message, "Gene Doris should be evaluated... He is dropping the ball" on 07:35:09pm 01/09/06 Mon,

I have to disagree with a lot of the statements above.

- Athletics or Gene Doris did not drop Football or Hockey, it was a University decision, and IMO done hastily, and not communcated well. Doris did not want to drop football. First, he did not have the power to that, and secondly he had no motivations to do that.... He is the one who brought Football to Fairfield. Doris was the Messenger on this.... don't kill the messenger.

- Doris is a full supporter of the 6th Man Club. He did not drop it, it is not dropped. It executes still with a lot of events like any Alumni hoop club in the MAAC. Doris is the one who supported the start of the 6th Man after about 15 years of no fan club. The Members of the Stag 6th Man were removed after their 2 year committment, because of a demand by one strong Alumni that decided that the Stag 6th Man leadership committee needed to be changed. This person was not a member of the 6th Man, and he also recommended other Alumni to not join or monitarily support the Club. Since that time this individual or the university, neither recommended any replacements, nor has any Alumni stepped up to run a Booster club. Thats why I continue to keep th the 6th man functioning. Again, Gene Doris was the Messenger on this.... don't kill the messenger.

- This is not my "opinion" on the 6th man. These are facts as I sat in on these meetings and happenings..... I know what happened. Doris has been a full supporter of the Stag 6th man and still is, and assoc AD Pat Murphy has put in a lot of his time over and above his normal duties to help the 6th Man function and run a lot of events. The University has never fully suppoted the Stag 6th man. Anybody who wants to know more or take a leadership role in the Stag 6th man should contact me at bob_kulikowski@vwr.com

An Athletic department can only be as good as University support. Surely Athletics can do a lot better, and need to do better. But, the University is what drives a lot of decisions.

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Replies:

[> [> [> [> [> Re: The University dropped Football/Hockey, not Athletics -- FU73, 07:32:47am 01/10/06 Tue, [1]

I think it is frustration on the part of alumni and fans that Fairfield Athletics seems to be stuck and not moving forward while other schools are. It was hard to see football and hockey dropped, Homecoming almost non-existent, the lack of student spirit and AHY not living up to it's potential (712 at last night's women's game). If you say that Gene Doris is not the problem and only the messenger then I agree with you ..."don't kill the messenger". Sorry Gene.

Hopefully, Fr. von Arx will see the importance of Athletics and how it relates to the University, i's alumni and it's reputation.

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[> [> [> [> [> [> Re: The University dropped Football/Hockey, not Athletics -- JoeStag, 07:49:38am 01/10/06 Tue, [1]

Agree we are not move forward as fast as we would like, or in some areas we are not moving forward at all.... sometimes even backwards. Direction is needed and plan. But an athletic plan cannot be created without a solid and approved University plan.

But I do know that the consultants report is supposed to be incorporated into the University Strategic plan. I know we want some change now, but I get the feeling that Fr. von Arx is working on that...... I hope.

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[> [> [> [> [> The 2 Major Mistakes -- DitchMitch, 08:36:49am 01/10/06 Tue, [1]

Here are, in my mind, the 2 major mistakes made in the Athletic Department in the last 10 years:

1) Starting a Football program: Whoever decided to axe football just 6 years after the program was started is saying the football program should not have been started in the first place. Sure, any student or alum is going to want a football team. But considering how much almost every school with a football team loses, why start one after so many years without a program? I would love to know what Fairfield thought it would gain with football, considering how much it knew the investment would be.
Unfortunately, the money that went to the football program likely could have been used to improve other facets of the athletic department. Perhaps ice hockey could have survived, for example.

2) AHY: The decision to have Fairfield's basketball teams playing at Harbor Yards is proving a major mistake. It's a beautiful arena, but it is not a fit for Fairfield basketball, outside of perhaps a game or two a year. It certainly has not helped recruiting-wise (for either the men or women), the average attendance of I'm guessing about 2500 - 3000 makes the arena cavernous and a poor home court advantage, and most important, the students are not there. The fact that the women would play a stand-alone game there makes me cringe.

I understand why the University has to try and put a positive spin on it, but if you are a Fairfield basketball fan, I'm not sure how you could make a case for AHY coming out as anything more than a net loss for Fairfield basketball.

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[> [> [> [> [> Re: The University dropped Football/Hockey, not Athletics -- Running Man, 09:52:59am 01/10/06 Tue, [1]

I know that there is a tendency among some posters to blame Doris for the condition of the athletic program at F.U., but the blame is misplaced. Every significant decision flows from the head honcho who uses those around him in an advisory capacity. Several years ago I talked with Doris about the state of Cross Country in particular and Fairfield sports in general and he described the situation as I have above. I believe that he would do more if he weren't hamstrung by the university.

Unfortunately Catholic universities live by the principle that the president calls the shots and if you don't like it, then that is your problem. I remember back in the 70s that F.U. conducted a survey among its alumni asking whether the respondents would prefer that the institution remain with a student body all male or become coed. The published results indicated that the alumni decided overwhelmingly that it should remain all male. The next year the school was coed. Obviously the university did not care one iota what the alumni thought. The president and the Board of Trustees ignored the survey results and did what they had intended doing. So it is the president whom we should praise or blame. Expect decisions on important aspects of university life, like athletics,to come from the president's office.

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