Vote on the worst Tulane AD in the last 50 or so years.

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The worst Tulane AD in the last 50 years

Rix Yard 1963-76 ("Angry Wave" logo & left the SEC)
16
21%
Hindman Wall 1976-1985 (Defeated LSU in football 3 times)
4
5%
Mac Brown 1985-87 (hired himself Independence Bowl)
2
3%
Chet Gladchuk 1987-1990 (hired Perry Clark)
0
No votes
Kevin White 1990-1996 (hired Rick Jones and Lisa Stockton)
0
No votes
Sandy Barbour 1996-1999 (12-0 & hired Tommy Bowden)
2
3%
Rick Dickson 1999-Present (Failure with hiring head coaches)
54
69%
 
Total votes: 78
sader24
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randalltoepfer wrote:So I did a little research after reading TPS post.

Rufus Harris was the TU President from 1937-60 and left Tulane to be President of Mercer University for 20 years, a small Baptist college in GA. The TU President during the 70's Sheldon Hackney went on to be President of UPenn for 10 years. These are two individuals at polar opposite ends of the political spectrum.

One decade we are dismantling our athletics program and a decade later we reemphasize. Next decade we are the worst athletics program in D1, then just over a decade span several NCAA tourneys, perfect football season, and college world series. Then nearly another decade of athletics lagging in the ditch. Twice the board voted to dismantle athletics within a 20 year span, and sandwiched between those votes we perhaps had some of the most successful teams in school history. Within a 20 years span we emphasize than de-emphasize high academic standards on athletes.

What a see-saw. The problems lie with the TU Board and keeping a consistent view of the university's vision and direction.

I wish Cohen would go the way of Rice University President Malcolm Gillis who was president from 1993-2004. He's now chair of Science and Technology at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology in North Korea. What a career move.
I agree with this, I also believe this is a sign of a University that doesnt really know what it is. Tulane could have been a big time private University that was well respected nationally, but also well represented locally. In short, it could have had the best of both worlds. A sizeable local alumni base as well as a vast national alumni base with TOp 30 academics and Top 30 Athletics. Instead of trying to be the Harvard of the South we should have tried to be the Stanford of the South.


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tpstulane
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Looking back, Yard leaving the SEC was the dumbest move ever by any Tulane AD, but at that time it didn't seem so.
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tpstulane wrote:Looking back, Yard leaving the SEC was the dumbest move ever by any Tulane AD, but at that time it didn't seem so.
No doubt, but under Dickson we have been dying a slow and painful death up until this nBE hope.
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My uncle was on the BOA at the time when Tulane decided to leave the SEC in 63 when the vote was held. The BOA felt with the big state schools, Alabama, Florida, Georgia etc that Tulane could not compete with endless stream of money they had access to with state legislatures. Tulane saw by going independent and bringing back the Phys. Ed program, we could compete with other independents around the country like, Miami, Ga Tech, Boston College, Va Tech and occasionally schedule the likes of Ole Miss, Ms State, Stanford and other schools to remain attractive. The big vision that they did not see was the money television would bring into the college game. My uncle mentioned that to me many times over the years after the vote. It, the board, visioned Tulane keeping what ever rights they had and the resources of the large stadium to attract the big crowds that LSU brought, they split the gate at both stadiums, and the natural rivalries with Vanderbilt, Ga Tech, LSU and others. Dr Herbert Longenecker was the president back then and the board was excited about the future of Tulane football. It took a few years but things begin to roll with the 70 team reaching the Liberty Bowl and future looked bright. Then Pittman left to take the TCU job a day or two after the big win over Colorado. Ellender was brought in and stumbled some at first but rebounded to post back to back winning seasons in 72 & 73 and were headed for another winning season when Foley broke his leg against Tech. I believe we were ranked in the top 20 in country prior to the game. I still remember the exuberance that Dr Longenecker showed that night we beat LSU. He mentioned how our plan was working to my uncle that night. Next rumors of Tulane dropping football and Ellender gets 10 year contract. Losing 4 close games in 75 and the LSU blow out to a poor tiger team. I remember eating at the Camellia Grill after the game and Harry T saying, "did Bennie wave goodbye as he left the field tonight". Smith comes in and is head coach job in training and builds our best program since Frnka. He moves and Wall AD hires his buddy Vince, with agreement to keep current staff. All goes well but Vince is eating potato chips watching games while Stovall is working his butt off recruiting. Gibson wins with what Smith had built. Wally sees opportunity and brings in more JC's than ever. Then Tyrone Vaughn incident and spying, fight at Baton Rouge. Mac Brown cleans out team, BOA decides if we play football in D 1 and the deterioration begins.... just my 2 cents.....
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tpstulane wrote:
I remember Sheldon Hackney as being "pro athletics". He was president (1975-1980) during most of my time at Tulane. I was disappointed when he left right before my Sr. Year. Dr. Kelly took over from there.
He was, but it's not like we invested anything in athletics while he was here.
I was in school in that period, too, and his big accomplishment was fending off faculty efforts to drop football. Remember Henry Mason? Head of the faculty senate and loud and proud of his disdain for football; the faculty votes consistently were to drop football at the time.
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tpstulane
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DrBox wrote:
tpstulane wrote:
I remember Sheldon Hackney as being "pro athletics". He was president (1975-1980) during most of my time at Tulane. I was disappointed when he left right before my Sr. Year. Dr. Kelly took over from there.
He was, but it's not like we invested anything in athletics while he was here.
I was in school in that period, too, and his big accomplishment was fending off faculty efforts to drop football. Remember Henry Mason? Head of the faculty senate and loud and proud of his disdain for football; the faculty votes consistently were to drop football at the time.
OMG, Henry Mason enough said!
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Prior to Cowen hiring Dickson, Tulane has for the most part solid AD's.
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tpstulane wrote:
DrBox wrote:
tpstulane wrote:
I remember Sheldon Hackney as being "pro athletics". He was president (1975-1980) during most of my time at Tulane. I was disappointed when he left right before my Sr. Year. Dr. Kelly took over from there.
He was, but it's not like we invested anything in athletics while he was here.
I was in school in that period, too, and his big accomplishment was fending off faculty efforts to drop football. Remember Henry Mason? Head of the faculty senate and loud and proud of his disdain for football; the faculty votes consistently were to drop football at the time.
OMG, Henry Mason enough said!
Damn, I forgot about that idiot!
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Show Me wrote:Prior to Cowen hiring Dickson, Tulane has for the most part solid AD's.
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CN Hide & Seek Team
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Without a doubt, Rix Yard did the most damage of any when he led us out of the SEC, to "get some relief on the field"

If we'd gotten Pittman's concessions on academic barriers(starting after 1968) and stayed, we'd not be in this predicament
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tpstulane
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CN Hide & Seek Team wrote:Without a doubt, Rix Yard did the most damage of any when he led us out of the SEC, to "get some relief on the field"
No doubt. I remember as a little kid about 7 years old at the time and my dad coming home very upset saying that Tulane has decided to leave the SEC in order to have a better chance to win by going independent and playing a weaker schedule. He was upset since Tulane was a founding member of the SEC and football was always big in the South. I remember him saying Tulane was going to follow their "peer" Georgia Tech with that move (Tech left in 1963). He felt had Tech not left Tulane would have stayed. Sadly since 1950 Tulane became a follower instead of a leader they once were.
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Hindman Wall's watch included the suspension of Men's Basketball and the Wally/Jon English fiasco in Football.
He may not be the worst but he has to rank high.
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Dickson's hiring and extension practices are as bad as any in Tulane history.
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Show Me wrote:Dickson's hiring and extension practices are as bad as any in D1A athletics history.
FIFY.

The difference is that any other AD with such a track record would not be given the continued chances that Dickson has received by remaining Cowen's "yes man".
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ajcalhoun wrote:Hindman Wall's watch included the suspension of Men's Basketball and the Wally/Jon English fiasco in Football.
He may not be the worst but he has to rank high.
A small point: Eamon Kelly did not abolish men's bball -- and "abolish," not "suspend, " was the term he used and still claims that he meant at the time -- for anything other than, at least as was admitted to publicly, Coach Fowler making payments to Hot Rod that were more of a charitable helping hand than anything else.

Do I strongly suspect that Hindman Wall in fact was doing something or supervising something wrong (but that didn't come out in the news)? Yes, I do, but I also suspect that what he was doing actually had more to do with football than with men's bball.

He left TU in disgrace in the aftermath of the bball scandal, of course, and there's no way that he could have avoided leaving, but if you want to say that his tenure at TU was among the worst, I'd say that the biggest reason was actually his hiring of Vince Gibson and not Lindy Infante.
Tulane sports: small football stadium, very small basketball arena, w̶i̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶g̶r̶a̶m̶s̶, h̶o̶n̶e̶s̶t̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶c̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶a̶b̶i̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ , but, hey, now there's tailgating.
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Dickson keeps scoring points. His latest, paying $300,000 to cancel a four game home and home series with a quality ACC opponent in Georgia Tech.
Show Me this guy isn't a total loser.
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Rick Dickson is the worst by far but I would but Rix Yard for withdrawing us from the SEC and the eventual multi million dollar TV revenues,top competition and exposure a close second.
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Had to respond to this by Pelican Power on the other site



Fan Since '54 wrote:
GreenieBacker wrote:
lg, if I'm the new President I think I would want to preside over the search for a new AD. Not get handed a list by the old regime. But that may be just me.

edit: ml, you do realize that without RD there wouldn't be a Yulman to fret over, right?


Not necessarily true. In fact in my opinion if RD wasn't there, and if there was a different AD on hand, it may be that there would be something bigger and better on the horizon.

FS'54

Pelican Power below :

Be cafeful of what you wish for..... You used the word "may".....note: you MAY have gotten an AD who wanted to build a larger stadium, but you MAY have gotten an AD who thought the consequences of Katrina were too difficult to proceed using a D1 athletic budget. Remember we have UNO as an example where the administration temporarily threw up their hands...... Again, you do not know what another AD would be doing for Tulane today.

I know this....The job as AD at Tulane is one of the most difficult jobs in the country having the most or second most dispersed alumni base in the FBS, competition from pro sports teams (NFL, NBA) and excessive but attractive entertainment venues in the city, a priority towards education first at all costs (note Katrina), being a private school, a student body where most did not grow up as a Green Wave "fan", and being relegated to a non AQ school in FBS football system.

Yes, I am still furious about SC and the Review. Yes I am frustrated with the slow return of athletics since Katrina and some poor coaching hires. Those were SC decisions. Yes I wish the administration was more communicative. Some of that is fairly pinned on RD. But being a Tulane AD is a very challenging job.....

I know this. RD has made some hires which can make all of us go bald. RD did make a scheduling deal with Duke I have yet to understand and he did get hosed by lsu and Alabama regarding return visits to the Dome. But was he ever given the money or green light to hire or schedule the very best? I bet not. So, he is challenged TODAY with finding money not only for coaches, but to annually fund TAF, build new facilities and improve our endowment.

Note: RD did stick around for TU and challenge SC to have D1 athletics during the Review, did stick around during and after Katrina, did orchestrate the construction of a new baseball park, new bball and vball practice facility, renovation of Devlin (old Fogelman) and create a new football stadium, did substantially improve our annual and endowment giving (despite the deaths of some huge benefactors), did facilitate a move to a better AAC conference (we do have some attraction) and did create scheduling series with Ole Miss, Miss State and YES GEORGIA TECH.

Yes I can be petty as I do wish RD would wear a tie more often or offer more specific details to our GW community more often, but this man has had offers to go elsewhere (UVA, SMU are the ones we definitely know about). You use the word "may"....well I feel I "know" after reading and hearing from other schools that our AD has to work twice as hard to get the same results. We can of course argue about the results....but this Tulane AD job is d@rn hard. Again, be careful of what you wish for.

RD is so lazy and incompetent he didn't even know the review was going on. Tulane has a much longer and deeper D-1 history than UNO. It wasn't his decision to continue. In fact for once SC realized athletics was the best way to keep the brand out there.

There are other schools similarly situated and yet they flourish. The job is hard b/c he's not up to it.

The coaching decisions have been all RD's. SC made the Scelfo decision before RD got here.

RD didn't stick around. He has nowhere to go. He pulled his name each time b/c that's what losing candidates do. RJ raised ALL of the funds for the renovation of Turchin. Sc raised the money from board members for the practice facility, the renovations of Devlin and the POSS. He didn't get series w/Ole Miss and Miss. St.. He got a couple of games w/them. As for Tech there are only a few real old timers excited about it. We are so far removed from a rivalry w/them it's not even funny. No one cares about it. In fact those paying attention dread it b/c they know they play a style we can't handle.

I wish for fans like you to get a clue. RD SUCKS AT ALL ASPECTS OF HIS JOB. As Tulanerebel responded that's the same BS people said about getting rid of Scelfo.
Tulane didn't have a stadium issue it had a program and facilities issues. To the new President- we want a new AD , a football facility and an IPF. We want top 25 programs in football and basketball the only two sports that count.
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Rick Dickson is what he is and he's done what he's done, but everyone should realize that he's been kept around and has stayed around post-June 2003 because Cowen wants a yes-man and he hasn't had any qualms about being what Cowen wants and about carrying what's expected by and considered as most important by Gibson Hall and the Board of the department, which is to operate the athletics programs at a minimal cost and without a scandal.

He has done certain things that can be pinned on him, for sure, but all of it within the overall context of a vision that the Board and Cowen have for what they want to do with the athletics programs -- a vision that he is not free to dramatically alter, even if somehow he wanted to.

Go ahead and send him on his way, sure. He's awful and terrible and every other such adjective. But if you keep the overarching dynamic of what TU wants to do with the athletics programs in place, is anything really going to change? I wouldn't expect it to.

What's needed in the end, though, is a new school president who's very determined to take things in a completely new and fresh direction plus several Board members in the Kent McWilliams, Jim Wilson et al. vein and many other involved prominent alumni also in that vein to stand with him.
Tulane sports: small football stadium, very small basketball arena, w̶i̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶g̶r̶a̶m̶s̶, h̶o̶n̶e̶s̶t̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶c̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶a̶b̶i̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ , but, hey, now there's tailgating.
sader24
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I'm excited about the Ga. Tech game and I'm not an old timer.
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sader24 wrote:I'm excited about the Ga. Tech game and I'm not an old timer.
That's nice but it puts you in the minority. it's a yawn.
Tulane didn't have a stadium issue it had a program and facilities issues. To the new President- we want a new AD , a football facility and an IPF. We want top 25 programs in football and basketball the only two sports that count.
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Add the baseball lights to Dickson's resume.
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wavedat wrote:
sader24 wrote:I'm excited about the Ga. Tech game and I'm not an old timer.
That's nice but it puts you in the minority. it's a yawn.

Judging by the response from fans on both forums it's safe to say the vast majority of the fanbase is excited about the Georgia Tech series.
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sader24 wrote:
wavedat wrote:
sader24 wrote:I'm excited about the Ga. Tech game and I'm not an old timer.
That's nice but it puts you in the minority. it's a yawn.

Judging by the response from fans on both forums it's safe to say the vast majority of the fanbase is excited about the Georgia Tech series.
Not really. The talk is much more about RD's screwup than the game itself. Also you can't judge the public's response to this game by the few posters these sites have. Fact is Tulane hasn't played them since 1982. Then they play a style that even their own fans hate. Plus it's a style that ouir fans know we have failed miserably against. So no one is out there sayiong oh man I have to get tickets to that game.
Tulane didn't have a stadium issue it had a program and facilities issues. To the new President- we want a new AD , a football facility and an IPF. We want top 25 programs in football and basketball the only two sports that count.
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Ppl were talking about the screwup bc they were pissed about losing a series that they were excited about. If we cancelled a series against S. Alabama or SLU nobody would've given a shit.
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