But he's the one directly responsible for a school as large as MT with so many local alumni having so little financial and political clout.
A good AD's job is to find ways to enhance the entertainment product that is college athletics and make money. If you can't do that where ever you are, you're not a good AD.
"But he's the one
directly responsible for a school as large as MT with so many local alumni having so little financial and political clout"
RaiderDoug: Perhaps we are talking past each other. Someone from the outside with big-school background could look and MT and see a "sleeping giant" but IMHO they would be mistaken and your statement is imprecise.
We can blame Massaro for many mistakes (hires, contracts, etc.) and we can, without direct knowledge, feel that he didn't do enough to garner support (we really don't know how he has approached businesses, media, and the few wealthy alumni and how many doors got slammed in his face) but we can't blame Massaro for:
The few alumni and supporters in the state legislature, the HEC, or the BoR
The large number of graduates who are in education or other public service jobs and those who are in lower or mid-mgt positions.
The few graduates compared to schools our size who have been both financially successful and are loyal to MT - in particular the athletic program.
The perception of MT (red-headed stepchild?) by the media and the movers-and-shakers in Nashville - The state capital, the media center of our geographic area, and where the $$$s are.
The complete lack of large businesses in the southern mid-state south of Nashville which are both locally owned, have a MT connection, and have the resources to make a difference if they threw their support behind MT athletics.
I could go on. Perhaps someone with more charisma, more experience in difficult situations, and more enthusasism could do more. Perhaps. There is a lot to blame on Massaro but MT athletics is in a difficult, if not impossible, position regardless of who is the AD.
