Stale

[TrueBlue147]

I think our entire athletic department has become stale and we need a change from the top to bottom. I think we desperately needs some new blood introduced to our anemic programs. Support and morale is low.

Reasons the top 4 need be fired

Sidney Mcphee

- Does not support the obvious need for a name change
- Has not bee able to secure any professional schools Medical, Law, Engineering, etc..
- Seems to have very little pull with governmental officials or the TBR
- Is not well liked by the community
- Has stood by and allowed our university to receive the least funding in the state per student
- Has not set high athletic standards for our programs and coaches.

Chris Masarro I was initially happy with the hire of Chris Masarro but as you look back on his tenure there is a little to be excited about.

- Has not been able to sell the naming rights to our stadium or secure any major corporate sponsors
- Creates a very low win/loss standard for coaches
- Is not good at thinking outside the box when it comes to marketing
- Handles coaching contracts poorly. Example Stockstill
- Very low energy and does not excite fan base
- Has allowed football attendance and support to dwindle both directly and indirectly
- Has not been able lure many wealthy boosters for support
- Embraces mediocrity

Rick Stockstill

- Proven .500 coach
- Wins very little of the "big" games and pads his records on bottom feeders
- Continuously does not have his teams prepared for huge games. WKU and La Tech this year, Ark St last year in the Sun Belt, etc.
- Bores the fan base with his unbearable coach speak and disrespects them with his refusal to face reality.
- Refuses to sell the program to the community and has a disdained attitude toward the fan base.
- Has allowed attendance and support to dwindle for football

Kermit Davis

- Has not been able to bring in quality recruits.
- Ran off much of the fan base with his under achieving teams over the years
- Offensive philosophy is not exciting and is painful to watch.
- Does not recruit shooters
- Has made the NCAA tournament 1 time in his tenure

* I understand that these people have done some good things during there time here, but I believe it is time for a change now. We need some new faces to bring energy and new ideas to our athletic department. We have to get the fan base excited again and get out of this rut we are in even if we have to take a few steps back.

 

[ToddMalone]

pertaining to football, that freshman QB for MT is the reason we will probably return to Floyd next season for at least a few games. Years ago - before so many people were so hellbent on a gender-neutral society and on the verge of destroying the leadership role of males - I purchased season ticket to watch another football phenome - Dwone Hicks.

 

[ToddMalone]

at this point it's possible that schools like MT will be what they are from here on out because of how all the attention is focused on the "power" conferences. It's almost like there's a mindset among college sports fans of "if-you-ain't-P5-you-don't-matter".

I'm not sure any type of top-to-bottom change will fix that, but I think if MT becomes the very best at where they are, fan enthusiasm will return.

MT has some really good years ahead in the next few I think

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

While I emphasize with you about where we are, I think the only change I would support right now is McPhee. He is a status quo guy. MTSU (yep, that is our name) is led by a man who works for the BOR. He is not interested in rattling any cages - he is pretty comfortable here - he plays the role they gave him to a "T". He personifies all that I can't stand about higher education. He has had his run, it would be nice to get a new leader with a new vision.

As far as the others, I prefer to talk about them out of season. Right now, we are trying to get 7 wins in FB and get a bowl. Men's BB is only 2 games in. The woman's team has a big game today.

Our biggest problem right now is support for the FB team. Its the one thing that really stands out. Yes the performance on the field has been up and down but we simply must find a way to get more support and solving this has to do with things inside the program and a lot outside the program, its complicated and it needs to have tempered expectations.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

Yes. It is stale and the only way I've voiced my opinion is my butt in seat percentage for my family which has decreased about 90%.

 

[blueraiderJT]

These type of threads after a win and getting a bowl spot. SMH

I was there and had a great time as I always do. We hung more on UNT and FAU than UT and Florida. Things are always as bad as you want them to be. Some people just complain. I can't control any of it and I'm a fan. It's a hell of a deal and I'll buy my season tix again. That's all I can do. Beyond that, I don't care.

BTW, no one is getting fired.

 

[AustinLewis]

As disappointing and frustrating as the blowout losses to WKU and LaTech were, Stockstill isn't going anywhere. He has the unique opportunity to coach his son, who by all accounts, had a tremendous freshman season. The future is bright but can MT capitalize?
Massaro worked hard to get MT into CUSA (he was on it since at least 2008) and stabilized the athletic department but attedance hasn't been great for football in several years. The marketing struggles are affecting ticket sales, sponsorship revenues, and the bottom line of the athletic department.
I'm not McPhee's biggest fan but MTSU won't have a name change until there is a president willing to spar with Memphis State and the BOR. MT NEEDS a professional school in a bad way. Arkansas State, I was told, has plans in place to add one and WKU already has one.
Most here know my thoughts on CKD, but in case you don't, CKD needs to go. His teams are painful to watch. Honestly, it's rough. I appreciate his efforts at MT but his decision making and recruiting raise a lot of questions

 

[Raiderclyde]

at this point it's possible that schools like MT will be what they are from here on out because of how all the attention is focused on the "power" conferences. It's almost like there's a mindset among college sports fans of "if-you-ain't-P5-you-don't-matter".

I'm not sure any type of top-to-bottom change will fix that, but I think if MT becomes the very best at where they are, fan enthusiasm will return.

MT has some really good years ahead in the next few I think

Good point, Todd. Our university is a treasure! We are the university of opportunity. And the community needs to respect that fact that it's a vibrant economic generator for Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. Know this sounds extreme, but what if MTSU decided to relocate to say Nashville, Columbia or Tullahoma for some vague political or budgetary reason? Or better yet, if MTSU and TSU institutionally merged as it was been briefly suggested in the 1980's? I know the chances of that is effectively zero on the surface, but where would that leave Murfreesboro if it came to pass?

While each of the four individuals have their negatives. Certainly events cannot continue in the direction that they are heading without a change, but who and what extent is very debatable. Firing everyone in the same year will not work and it is not clear cut that we need to fire anyone just yet. Of the four, the AD has primary responsibility for athletics and has the warmest seat at the moment. These aren't easy calls and anything that we are lacking requires multiple millions of dollars.

For football, we have to win on Saturday and win the bowl game (wherever that is) to be a successful season in my mind. A 6-6 season is a blown season, a 6-7 season is not successful even with a bowl appearance. We have fine players on our team--make no mistake about the skills. Execution against quality competition is certainly debatable and at times disappointing over the last ten years.

But, we have to take strong steps if we are to gain relevance and the money that we need to be recognized with our peers in the SEC or ACC. "If-you-ain't-P5-you-don't-matter" or the old BC$ world has marginalized about half of the FBS teams that participate. We have to compete fervently to survive. Or decide to move back to the OVC or some other FCS league where we are a better fit from a budget and attendance perspective, which is much less desirable. The P5 arrangement actually seems to be a step backward, but its the cards we are dealt. It's clear we have to be at our best and the accountability has to be in place.

Academically, we need a professional school like law, medical, pharmacy, veterinary, etc. Our leadership needs to do a better job in recruiting industry and partnering. The alumni base is not very engaged. Most do not have the ability to make the very large gifts (minimum $500M/but really think millions here) needed for trusts and the foundation has to do a better job in identifying and convincing donors to bequeath for generations to come.

 

[RaiderDoug]

I have to agree with the OP. I've spent a decade pumping sunshine, but I really can't muster any enthusiasm at this point.

I refuse to blame Murfreesboro, or the fans, or the alumni, or the students or whomever. I've seen this place pretty dang packed. I know they'll come out if you give them a reason to. The problem is, we've spent 10 years driving fans away.

I know that every game is either 1 win, or 1 loss.

But certain games carry so much more weight. And those are the games we're either losing, or non-competitive. Sure, we can beat the worst team in FBS at 11am and the end of the season. But put us in prime time, against a rival game, in a hyped matchup - and we're dead on arrival.

People are tired of it. All the wins in the world against North Texas in November won't fix it.

 

[dukewayne]

I really don't have any arguments with points made in the OP.

Starting at the top, McPhee. I appreciate that he generally has been supportive of athletics. Seems to be a sports fan. I'm glad about that considering some of the univ presidents who undermine athletics i.e. UAB. Be that as it may, the vision and leadership for the university is underwhelming. As I've mentioned before, I have a graduate degree from UT. As such, I get all of the alumni communications. It makes me sick to see how it could and should be done, UT, and how MTSU is doing it. Beyond some alumni activities, UT actively involves alums in political advocacy in Nashville for the university. That is where the real power is for the state's resources to higher education. MTSU is an abject failure in advocating and lobbying the elected officials for support and improving the university.

Recently I've for the first time began to question Massaro's overall job and progress or lack thereof.

I'm really concerned that the few years of basketball success were really the result of coach Towe as the key asst here. Since he left, it seems like it is heading right back to standard Kermit ball. Not recruiting players that match his system. Running off players. Too many key injuries. Same overall season performance trend i.e. slow start, improve in Feb, decent conf tourney run but ultimately lose, then no post season with a little above avg overall record on the season.

Lastly, Rick Stockstill has a glaring problem in not having success to bring fans to the stadium. To the contrary. His contract being what it is, he's not going anywhere for a few years. The big upside, Brent Stockstill. He's bound to make things interesting and quite possibly exciting the next 3 seasons especially if coach stock can recruit some similar performing players to surround Brent on the field.