You decide

[FirstCoastAlum]

Tim Stowers or Frank Elwood
Kevin Steele or Paul Johnson
Mike Sewak or Brian VanGorder
Gender Equity Facility or Booster Parking space
Nate Hurst or Current Getto Music Broadcast
The Fallacy of I-AA restructuring or Legitimate FBS Study
Academic enhancement infrastructure or Lost scholarships for 3 sports
Erk Russell and family or Sam Baker

[southern edumacation]

you trying to stir something up?

[Bleu]

Tim Stowers or Frank Elwood
Kevin Steele or Paul Johnson
Mike Sewak or Brian VanGorder
Gender Equity Facility or Booster Parking space
Nate Hurst or Current Getto Music Broadcast
The Fallacy of I-AA restructuring or Legitimate FBS Study
Academic enhancement infrastructure or Lost scholarships for 3 sports
Erk Russell and family or Sam Baker

I decide to say that you're full of *%^#*%^#*%^#*%^#.

[EagleBlood]

Tim Stowers or Frank Elwood
Kevin Steele or Paul Johnson
Mike Sewak or Brian VanGorder
Gender Equity Facility or Booster Parking space
Nate Hurst or Current Getto Music Broadcast
The Fallacy of I-AA restructuring or Legitimate FBS Study
Academic enhancement infrastructure or Lost scholarships for 3 sports
Erk Russell and family or Sam Baker

Don't know what point your trying to prove or who tinkled in your fruit loops this morning, but I'll take the current GSU Radio any day. I won't go into specifics why, that has been beaten to death by the many on this board that support the new radio staff.

[GSCEagle89]

Who is Nate Hurst?

[GSC75]

3 posts but already sounds real familiar.....

[gsugt1]

you trying to stir something up?


Really... not sure though of the Ellwood and Stowers thing ? Sam had nothing to do with that.

[EagleTV]

Why not, I will bite...

Tim Stowers or Frank Elwood-Neither at this point
Kevin Steele or Paul Johnson-If you have to ask the question, you know nothing about football
Mike Sewak or Brian VanGorder-Sewak to coach my O-line. BVG to, well, I wouldn't pee on him if he were on fire.
Gender Equity Facility or Booster Parking space-I have no idea what this means. I am going to guess you mean the much needed Soccer and Track facility. I am going to go with the students on this one...they needed their own field.
Nate Hurst or Current Getto Music Broadcast-I don't know who Nate Hurst is. Is Current Getto Music Broadcast a record lable I am unfamiliar with?
The Fallacy of I-AA restructuring or Legitimate FBS Study-Well, FBS study of course! I would like to see what the report says.
Academic enhancement infrastructure or Lost scholarships for 3 sports-Is this aimed at APR? I honestly don't know what you are getting at here.
Erk Russell and family or Sam Baker-Well, considering I wanted to play football for Erk Russell I would have to say Erk and Family on this one. Is this trying to bring up a discussion that we had on this board 4 1/2 years ago with regards to Erk's op-ed in the paper?

I hope this helps you with whatever rise you are trying to get out of these questions. Good Luck!

[EagleTV]

Really... not sure though of the Ellwood and Stowers thing ? Sam had nothing to do with that.


I thought Sam fired Tim Stowers in March and then named Ellwood interiem (sp) head coach for the 1996 season. I could be dead wrong on this. I was still in college and drank a lot more then...

[gsugt1]

I thought Sam fired Tim Stowers in March and then named Ellwood interiem (sp) head coach for the 1996 season. I could be dead wrong on this. I was still in college and drank a lot more then...

I think you are right. I for some reason didn't think Stowers was stilla round in 95.

[89Eagle]

It's time to move on and quit living in the past. There isn't a darn thing anyboby on this board can do a whole lot about. Chris Hatcher is the coach of the Eagles. Lets pull for him to JUST WIN.

[Eagle22]

I thought Sam fired Tim Stowers in March and then named Ellwood interim (sp) head coach for the 1996 season. I could be dead wrong on this. I was still in college and drank a lot more then...


You're correct.

[BLUEEAGLE]

3 posts but already sounds real familiar.....

You may be on to something

[KJ Eagle]

Tim Stowers or Frank Elwood
Kevin Steele or Paul Johnson
Mike Sewak or Brian VanGorder
Gender Equity Facility or Booster Parking space
Nate Hurst or Current Getto Music Broadcast
The Fallacy of I-AA restructuring or Legitimate FBS Study
Academic enhancement infrastructure or Lost scholarships for 3 sports
Erk Russell and family or Sam Baker

Opie...Is that you???????

Oh, and by the way... if you are going to make a crack at the current radio team (which does a fine job by the way) at least get the name of the previous radio broadcaster right?

[GSUEoghan]

Not to be sided with the "hatefest" here but I did not recall that Sam was responsible for firing Stowers. Wow, that adds another blunder to the mix.

Not to say that I know the reason why Stowers was fired, aside from not being Erk, which he definately was not. Alot more things become clear when viewed from that perspective.

I love Nate, went to school with his daughter, but I have to agree that the new guys are doing a bangup job and putting 120% into what they do, I can find no fault for them. If our administration put that much effort into it, we'd have an amazing program all around. For that I give them a "hoo hah two times Tuesday".

Later folks,
Nick

[Bleu]

Frank Ellwood is a fine man who was asked to take one for the team. It chaps my hide when folks that don't understand the situation when Stowers was let go try to paint Frank Ellwood as a bumbling buffoon. He was / is a classy guy, that was well aware when he accepted the interim coach position that it would be a very difficult year with players & coaches not knowing if they were coming or going.

Frank Ellwood is someone that earned my respect for handling a very difficult situation with class. Definetly a BIG TEAM little me kind of guy.

Now I'm done with this bullsheet thread!

[KJ Eagle]

Not to be sided with the "hatefest" here but I did not recall that Sam was responsible for firing Stowers. Wow, that adds another blunder to the mix.

Not to say that I know the reason why Stowers was fired, aside from not being Erk, which he definately was not. Alot more things become clear when viewed from that perspective.

I love Nate, went to school with his daughter, but I have to agree that the new guys are doing a bangup job and putting 120% into what they do, I can find no fault for them. If our administration put that much effort into it, we'd have an amazing program all around. For that I give them a "hoo hah two times Tuesday".

Later folks,
Nick

1990 = 12-3
1991 = 7-4
1992 = 7-4
1993 = 10-3
1994 = 6-5
1995 = 9-4
Total = 51-23 = why Stowers got fired.

[Statesboro Blues]

1990 = 12-3
1991 = 7-4
1992 = 7-4
1993 = 10-3
1994 = 6-5
1995 = 9-4
Total = 51-23 = why Stowers got fired.

1990 -- won I-AA championship
1991 -- missed playoffs
1992 -- ditto
1993 -- No. 1 seed in NCAA tourney, hosed by "bid" process for playoff games, lost in quarters to eventual national champ Youngstown State
1994 -- missed playoffs
1995 -- lost (badly) in I-AA quarters after stunning then-No. 1 Troy State on the road

Reason Stowers got fired: See 1991, 1992, 1994.
Look at correlating attendance figures for additional reference.

Dude, we went to school at GSU in lean years... :-)

[1peatfor7]

I feel your pain I was there in 1991-1997.

[GSUEoghan]

What I can't understand is why the decision was made in March to fire him. That seems to be a move bred from resentment more than a professional decision. Did he crap in someone's fruitloops?

Seems to me that if you are going to fire a coach for not winning national championships every year, you should probably do it fairly immediately, so as to not put an overly negative stimulus on the person in question.

Once again, I'm ignorant of the whole Stowers era...I only met the guy once and he seemed alright to me. Then again, I was a teenager and didn't know crap. Nowadays I at least know crap...but not much more.

Regardless, Hatcher makes me happy...and that's without winning a national championship in his first year. Damn fine coach.

[eagleone]

2007 - Hatcher - missed playoffs.....


Now I can stir the pot.






HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

[GSC75]

Opie...Is that you???????

Oh, and by the way... if you are going to make a crack at the current radio team (which does a fine job by the way) at least get the name of the previous radio broadcaster right?

Opie would know Nate's last name...unless he's trying to.....

[BillyBob]

Not to be sided with the "hatefest" here but I did not recall that Sam was responsible for firing Stowers. Wow, that adds another blunder to the mix.

Not to say that I know the reason why Stowers was fired, aside from not being Erk, which he definately was not. Alot more things become clear when viewed from that perspective.

I love Nate, went to school with his daughter, but I have to agree that the new guys are doing a bangup job and putting 120% into what they do, I can find no fault for them. If our administration put that much effort into it, we'd have an amazing program all around. For that I give them a "hoo hah two times Tuesday".

Later folks,
Nick

The decision was ultimately in Sam's hands. If you want to look at things that way, Sam wasn't really responsible for hiring VanGoblin, either.

You can't blame him for bad decisions he made while someone was pulling his strings and not at the same time credit him for the good decisions he made due to someone pulling his strings.

[GSUwinsagain]

Tim Stowers is a good man also, I met with him several times and he was always very gracious with his time. He is a good family man. The program had become stagnant, booster giving was way down, and his public speaking skills were like Ferris Bueller's teacher. Bueller, Bueller.

[KJ Eagle]

1990 -- won I-AA championship
1991 -- missed playoffs
1992 -- ditto
1993 -- No. 1 seed in NCAA tourney, hosed by "bid" process for playoff games, lost in quarters to eventual national champ Youngstown State
1994 -- missed playoffs
1995 -- lost (badly) in I-AA quarters after stunning then-No. 1 Troy State on the road

Reason Stowers got fired: See 1991, 1992, 1994.
Look at correlating attendance figures for additional reference.

Dude, we went to school at GSU in lean years... :-)

are you saying WE were lean... well compared to now of course we were!!!

[PVE]

The decision was ultimately in Sam's hands. If you want to look at things that way, Sam wasn't really responsible for hiring VanGoblin, either.


No Athletic Director is going to be perfect, or be able predict how any coach he hires will do. But they are responsible nonetheless. I don't fault Sam for hiring BVG. I fault him for allowing BVG to destroy the program. Anyone could see that the changes BVG was making weren't right for GSU.

[Eaglegus2]

Opie...Is that you???????

Oh, and by the way... if you are going to make a crack at the current radio team (which does a fine job by the way) at least get the name of the previous radio broadcaster right?


Wrong KJ!!!

[Indy]

No Athletic Director is going to be perfect, or be able predict how any coach he hires will do. But they are responsible nonetheless. I don't fault Sam for hiring BVG. I fault him for allowing BVG to destroy the program. Anyone could see that the changes BVG was making weren't right for GSU.


If the program could be destroyed in one season, it was already on real shaky ground.

In retrospect, we should have helped Sewak more on the academic side. We'd be ahead of the game and would not have had to deal with BVG or Hatcher.

[FirstCoastAlum]

I decide to say that you're full of *%^#*%^#*%^#*%^#.

Thanks for your kind words.

[FirstCoastAlum]

Opie...Is that you???????

Oh, and by the way... if you are going to make a crack at the current radio team (which does a fine job by the way) at least get the name of the previous radio broadcaster right?

Who the heck is Opie?

[KJ Eagle]

Who the heck is Opie?

Long story man, long story. ;)

[gsu57]

Hold on!!!

I may see the pattern on a few of the items .....

----- SAM BAKER becomes Athletic Director -----

#1 - Stowers is terminated the weekend prior to Spring Training by Baker. Let's look in greater details .....

* Stowers was the OL Coach for the 1985 Nat'l Championship Eagles
* Stowers was the OL Coach for the 1986 Nat'l Championship Eagles
* Stowers was the OC for the 1988 Nat'l Championship Runners-Up Eagles
* Stowers was the OC for the 1999 Nat'l Championship Eagles
* Stowers was the HC for the 2000 Nat'l Championship Eagles.
* Stowers had the highest Student-Athlete GPA of any GSU Head Football Coach

Point #1 ... I will not question the move, but it is unethical to terminate a Coach in the Spring (except in cases of misconduct). All other vacancies have been filled and the individual is unemployed for an extended period of time. Stowers career, when he was able to get back in I-AA football as a HC a few years later has not been a great experience. After all, who will want to hire a HC who has been out of the game a few years. Only a desperate team who has limited resources and lack of talent available to them. Unfortunately, Tim had very little choice except to become HC at Rhode Island (ouch). Baker - Great timing.

Point #2 ... Stowers was removed by Baker and Baker had never seen him Coach. ???

Point #3 ... Baker had no contingency plan. Ellwood accepted the Interim HC role.

#2 - Frank Ellwood is hired as Interim HC. Frank is a great guy!!! He has been a great asset to GSU Athletics in many capacities. Unfortunately, he had been out of football a few years. Losing Season (#1 of 2). Way to go Baker.

#3 - Paul Johnson is hired ..... errrrr ..... oh - Baker wanted to hire Kevin Steele from South Carolina?! What the heck. Baker --- Against your ouwn will, Paul Johnson saved your @$$.

#4 - Mike Sewak is hired and a few years later fired. Where is the error .... the hire or fire. Either way, Baker again goofed.

#5 - It's OK. Baker with make up for the prior error by hiring Van Goner. Oh year, losing season #2 of 2. Too bad that Baker did not become a bag boy and carry Goober's bags to Atlanta, South Carolina, and back to Atlanta.

#6 - Hatcher ..... Good Luck and Best Wishes. Go Eagles.

Is my assessment in the ball park?

[GSUEoghan]

Hold on!!!

I may see the pattern on a few of the items .....

----- SAM BAKER becomes Athletic Director -----

#1 - Stowers is terminated the weekend prior to Spring Training by Baker. Let's look in greater details .....

* Stowers was the OL Coach for the 1985 Nat'l Championship Eagles
* Stowers was the OL Coach for the 1986 Nat'l Championship Eagles
* Stowers was the OC for the 1988 Nat'l Championship Runners-Up Eagles
* Stowers was the OC for the 1999 Nat'l Championship Eagles
* Stowers was the HC for the 2000 Nat'l Championship Eagles.
* Stowers had the highest Student-Athlete GPA of any GSU Head Football Coach

Point #1 ... I will not question the move, but it is unethical to terminate a Coach in the Spring (except in cases of misconduct). All other vacancies have been filled and the individual is unemployed for an extended period of time. Stowers career, when he was able to get back in I-AA football as a HC a few years later has not been a great experience. After all, who will want to hire a HC who has been out of the game a few years. Only a desperate team who has limited resources and lack of talent available to them. Unfortunately, Tim had very little choice except to become HC at Rhode Island (ouch). Baker - Great timing.

Point #2 ... Stowers was removed by Baker and Baker had never seen him Coach. ???

Point #3 ... Baker had no contingency plan. Ellwood accepted the Interim HC role.

#2 - Frank Ellwood is hired as Interim HC. Frank is a great guy!!! He has been a great asset to GSU Athletics in many capacities. Unfortunately, he had been out of football a few years. Losing Season (#1 of 2). Way to go Baker.

#3 - Paul Johnson is hired ..... errrrr ..... oh - Baker wanted to hire Kevin Steele from South Carolina?! What the heck. Baker --- Against your ouwn will, Paul Johnson saved your @$$.

#4 - Mike Sewak is hired and a few years later fired. Where is the error .... the hire or fire. Either way, Baker again goofed.

#5 - It's OK. Baker with make up for the prior error by hiring Van Goner. Oh year, losing season #2 of 2. Too bad that Baker did not become a bag boy and carry Goober's bags to Atlanta, South Carolina, and back to Atlanta.

#6 - Hatcher ..... Good Luck and Best Wishes. Go Eagles.

Is my assessment in the ball park?

That seems to be about the long and short of it. But wait, he knows how to balance a budget! Isn't that the primary responsibility for a successful athletics director...to make piss poor staffing decisions but be a VERY good accountant?

If I were a little more conspiracy-oriented, I would guess it was an SEC conspiracy that sent him from Vandy to GSU to deflate the momentum of a team on the rise...fortunately, I just think that he's all around, plain old, not a good athletics director. Georgia Southern deserves better but unfortunately, Mr Baker seems to have made some cushy friends within the "decision-making" structure.

I've never heard of "5 strikes and your still in" before, but obviously I'm not a big bowler....or whatever.

[Walt3412]

That seems to be about the long and short of it. But wait, he knows how to balance a budget! Isn't that the primary responsibility for a successful athletics director...to make piss poor staffing decisions but be a VERY good accountant?

If I were a little more conspiracy-oriented, I would guess it was an SEC conspiracy that sent him from Vandy to GSU to deflate the momentum of a team on the rise...fortunately, I just think that he's all around, plain old, not a good athletics director. Georgia Southern deserves better but unfortunately, Mr Baker seems to have made some cushy friends within the "decision-making" structure.

I've never heard of "5 strikes and your still in" before, but obviously I'm not a big bowler....or whatever.

We were nowhere close to being a program on the rise in 1995. As I remember it, we were on the way down in football, probation in baskbetball, booster levels at an all time low, and in a financial mess.

[KJ Eagle]

In what part of that year was Baker hired? Since you know that he fired Stowers without seeing him coach a game I would assume that means it was after the season. So if he wasn't on the job yet, how was he supposed to fire him right after the season? He sacrificed the '96 season and we sure saw the benefits of it in 97-01.

Stowers IMO had the same issues that Sewak did. He was a great guy ( I was in school when he coached here and met him on a few occassions), he was a pretty dam good assistant, but was not very good at being the head coach. They did not demand respect with their actions or their demeanor and did not appear to have total control of the team or the program.

Just my 2 cents...

[gudp1]

In what part of that year was Baker hired? Since you know that he fired Stowers without seeing him coach a game I would assume that means it was after the season. So if he wasn't on the job yet, how was he supposed to fire him right after the season? He sacrificed the '96 season and we sure saw the benefits of it in 97-01.

Stowers IMO had the same issues that Sewak did. He was a great guy ( I was in school when he coached here and met him on a few occassions), he was a pretty dam good assistant, but was not very good at being the head coach. They did not demand respect with their actions or their demeanor and did not appear to have total control of the team or the program.

Just my 2 cents...


KJ, let's just say that gsu57 had a personal interest in what was going on at that time and he speaks the truth.

Coach stowers and coach sewak appear similar on the surface but they were not as similar as an outsider looking in would think.

[eaglefan04]

* Stowers was the OC for the 1999 Nat'l Championship Eagles
* Stowers was the HC for the 2000 Nat'l Championship Eagles.


Was this a typo? I'm assuming you're referring to 1989 and 1990. Irregardless, point(s) well taken.

[KJ Eagle]

KJ, let's just say that gsu57 had a personal interest in what was going on at that time and he speaks the truth.

Coach stowers and coach sewak appear similar on the surface but they were not as similar as an outsider looking in would think.

I understand, and I figured from his username that he has more first hand knowledge of the situation than me (that's not very hard) . But because he has a personal stake in the situation he also COULD have a personal resentment. If I gave my blood sweat and tears for a coach, you're darn right I would be pi$$ed at the guy that fired him, too. gsu57: thanks for your service to the program. None of this is meant to be personal, but there are two sides to every story.

Having said that, since the majority of us are "outsiders" as you put it gudp1, why not enlighten us on how dissimilar they are then?

[BillyBob]

That seems to be about the long and short of it. But wait, he knows how to balance a budget! Isn't that the primary responsibility for a successful athletics director...to make piss poor staffing decisions but be a VERY good accountant?

If I were a little more conspiracy-oriented, I would guess it was an SEC conspiracy that sent him from Vandy to GSU to deflate the momentum of a team on the rise...fortunately, I just think that he's all around, plain old, not a good athletics director. Georgia Southern deserves better but unfortunately, Mr Baker seems to have made some cushy friends within the "decision-making" structure.

I've never heard of "5 strikes and your still in" before, but obviously I'm not a big bowler....or whatever.


Again, explain to me how it's logical to blame Sam for the Brian VanGorder debacle and at the same time refuse to give him credit for the Paul Johnson hire? Both were decisions made by someone else pulling the strings in the athletics department. Either you credit him for PJ and blame him for BVG or you don't credit him for PJ and don't blame him for BVG. I myself do the former. The decision ultimately lies with him.

And gsu57, Stowers was not on any of Paul Johnson's staffs. PJ was the coach from 1997-2001.

[kennesaweagle]

We were nowhere close to being a program on the rise in 1995. As I remember it, we were on the way down in football, probation in baskbetball, booster levels at an all time low, and in a financial mess.


Just to stir the pudd'n here...

How is that much different than what we have 13 years later?

We are still finding our way in football.

We're down multiple scholarships in multiple sports.

We have, what, 400 more boosters now than we did then? All the while the man in charge of the booster org. answers directly to the athletic director?!?!

And last year we were still in the red by a few thousand dollars.

How is that improvement?

And, by the way, remember that I have laid off the bashing by a ton here lately. But if you're going to put that one out there, I have to add a couple of cents to it.

[Walt3412]

Just to stir the pudd'n here...

How is that much different than what we have 13 years later?

We are still finding our way in football.

We're down multiple scholarships in multiple sports.

We have, what, 400 more boosters now than we did then? All the while the man in charge of the booster org. answers directly to the athletic director?!?!

And last year we were still in the red by a few thousand dollars.

How is that improvement?

And, by the way, remember that I have laid off the bashing by a ton here lately. But if you're going to put that one out there, I have to add a couple of cents to it.

Well you can look at it that way, or you can say that since then, we've won 2 national championships in football and multiple conference championships in other sports. We're correcting the APR problem, and it's a whole lot better than cheating and being on probation while winning 3 basketball games all year. Also, being in the red by a few thousand dollars is a lot better than being on the verge of losing the program. Bottom line, we are way better off now than in 1995.

[gsugt1]

Just to stir the pudd'n here...



We have, what, 400 more boosters now than we did then?

.


If I recall right we had about 1100 boosters in 95. Today we have close to 2500. Or so I hear.

[gsugt1]

Well you can look at it that way, or you can say that since then, we've won 2 national championships in football and multiple conference championships in other sports. We're correcting the APR problem, and it's a whole lot better than cheating and being on probation while winning 3 basketball games all year. Also, being in the red by a few thousand dollars is a lot better than being on the verge of losing the program. Bottom line, we are way better off now than in 1995.


Not to mention the new facilities we have too. Which i am sure some will say " we should have built bigger " .

[Statesboro Blues]

A few things:

>Baker was AD during the 1995 football season, Stowers' last as head coach. His decision to terminate that relationship was at least somewhat informed by firsthand knowledge.

>The Athletic Department is no where near the shambles it was in 1995 following scandals in basketball and football, the two biggest revenue sports. Current infrastructure alone vaults the current athletic situation far past its mid-90s state.

>That said, the incapacity of the program to generate new grass-roots support in the form of strong new booster memberships is about a half-step short of appalling. The inability to form more and stronger corporate partnerships in the past is disappointing, although with the current economic climate, making strides now is unlikely.

>Also, I would still attribute APR drops most strongly with a failure of administration, not coaching. These student athletes are the greatest resource the athletic department has. Plenty of money is tied into their success. Steps should have been taken 15 years ago to assure their academic success, but the infrastructure for academic support has not been built nearly as quickly or thoroughly as the physical infrastructure.

How's that for Devil's Advocate.

(PS: Johnson was a committee hire, BVG an individual decision. Just saying.)

[eagleone]

Boosters are up ok great...how many students graduate GSU yearly? If we add that many alumni to the world every year boosters are doing a piss poor job keeping them intrested. I bet if you do percentage of boosters vs. student body size GSU is last or near last in the SoCon.

[StatesboroMoose]

Here's what I think...

1. Every Thursday Chris Blair and Coach Chris Hatcher broadcast the Chris Hatcher Radio Show LIVE from Locos at 6:30.

2. Today is Thursday.

3. There is a game on Saturday that Coach will probably be talking about. So if you want to hear about it, come to Locos (or listen on the radio if you're not in Statesboro)

4. If you ARE in Statesboro, you have no valid excuse NOT to be at Locos.

5. The show starts at 6:30.

6. Go Eagles. Crush those bean eating mangy huskies.



the Moose.

[Raptor23]

Now that is a good thought Moose........Go Eagles!

[KJ Eagle]

Boosters are up ok great...how many students graduate GSU yearly? If we add that many alumni to the world every year boosters are doing a piss poor job keeping them intrested. I bet if you do percentage of boosters vs. student body size GSU is last or near last in the SoCon.

what I would rather see is a percentage of the average number of boosters vs the average number of alumni and compare that to like schools. My guess is that number is atrocious for almost all schools. One thing to keep in mind is that we are also in a conference with a bunch of high falootin private schools. I would imagine that alumni from private schools have higher earnings and therefore probably give back more and more often than public institutions.

[1peatfor7]

I'm sure with Furman's of the SoCon give a lot more to the University but not much to the Boosters. If you can afford 25K? a year tuition I'm sure they can afford to give more back to the school than the the normal GSU alumni.

Have you seen their football stadium? Not very impressive, the locker room looks very outdated from the outside. Nothing special about the stadium that I can see.

[JDC325]

If I recall right we had about 1100 boosters in 95. Today we have close to 2500. Or so I hear.


Wow that would mean something if THOUSANDS of folks had not graduated since then. Cmon folks please try and remember GSU as well as Statesboro has grown tremendously since 95. Sam has not kept pace plain and simple. I think blind monkey could add 1400 +/- boosters after PJ gave us two NC's and the explosion of students, alumni base, GSU and Statesboro since 1995. Saying Sam has done nothing is false but to say he is above average is tremendously false if you compare GSU to similar schools since his reign started. He is a glorified accountant who plans two feet in front of him with ZERO tolerance for risk. Also giving the fore mentioned growth adding a building that was "better than what we had" and planned around one donation here or there does not come close to making up for the huge miscalculations concerning the direction of NCAA football and his inability to come close to what the rest of the University has accomplished in the same time frame. Hiring Van Goof bag was not a crime but SAM HIMSELF said nothing changes unless he approves it so the drastic dumb changes Van Ahole made Sam put on himself. Oh and VAN GORDER WOULD STILL BE HERE IF HE HAD NOT LEFT ON HIS OWN!!! Sam had ZERO intentions of firing him and said something to the effect he was sad that Van Gorder would not be here to reap the benefits of what they built before he left.

[gsugt1]

Wow that would mean something if THOUSANDS of folks had not graduated since then. Cmon folks please try and remember GSU as well as Statesboro has grown tremendously since 95. .

I was just pointing out that we had more than 400 new more boosters. Nothing more, nothing less.

[gsugt1]

said something to the effect he was sad that Van Gorder would not be here to reap the benefits of what they built before he left.

When did he say that ? If he did he was just taking the high road.

If Sam would have fired him after 1 year we would have had issues getting any coaches to consider us. Would you take a job where they fired a coach after 1 year ? Sam has had issues but IMO this one he should get a pass on because most liked the hire. Look no farther than BVG's history after he left us. He must interview well. No one thought he would leave like he did .. but thank god he did.

[JDC325]

When did he say that ? If he did he was just taking the high road.

If Sam would have fired him after 1 year we would have had issues getting any coaches to consider us. Would you take a job where they fired a coach after 1 year ? Sam has had issues but IMO this one he should get a pass on because most liked the hire. Look no farther than BVG's history after he left us. He must interview well. No one thought he would leave like he did .. but thank god he did.


This would be year three and he said it in an interview on WTOC, journal or HHN either way it was a video clip. Grube was the only one who said it was a mistake to hire him. He could have been taking the highroad and yes firing him after one year although justified may have caused problems but I have a feeling we would still be under his rule right now if he was not a transient crap bag.

[KJ Eagle]

does not come close to making up for the huge miscalculations concerning the direction of NCAA football

This keeps coming up over and over again about his supposed grossly idiotic reliance on the realignment. What exactly did his thinking that realignment was going to happen actually affect? It's not like we had everything in place to take the steps to I-A and he said, let's wait til the realignment happens and put the brakes on the move up. What did we actually lose out on by him thinking that realignment was going to happen. And apparently he wasn't the only one because he didn't just grab the idea of realignment out of the air by himself.

[gsu57]

In what part of that year was Baker hired? Since you know that he fired Stowers without seeing him coach a game I would assume that means it was after the season. So if he wasn't on the job yet, how was he supposed to fire him right after the season? He sacrificed the '96 season and we sure saw the benefits of it in 97-01.

Stowers IMO had the same issues that Sewak did. He was a great guy ( I was in school when he coached here and met him on a few occassions), he was a pretty dam good assistant, but was not very good at being the head coach. They did not demand respect with their actions or their demeanor and did not appear to have total control of the team or the program.

Just my 2 cents...

OK - Baker was hired in January and termed Stowers the weekend before Spring Practice. Again, read my post ..... I did not question the decision, merely the timing.

If Stowers was allowed to coach the upcoming season and relieved of his duties, I feel 2 items would be different.

#1 - Stowers could have landed on his feet elsewhere in a reasonable situation. Many schools would love to have a coach with a .681 winning percentage (I think this is close) and who had the highest graduation rate of any GSU Head Coach.

#2 - I highly doubt we would have experienced a losing season.

Baker did not need to "sacrifice the 1996 season" as you put it above. In 2007, Baker did not agree with the hiring of Paul Johnson. He wanted to hire Steele from South Carolina. Be careful to give Baker any credit. Just be thankful that Erk was still alive and on the Recommendation Committee.

Let me just clarify one unwritten ethics rule for Athletics. An AD always makes staffing moves at the conclusion of a season. Otherwise, you make the person unemployable as all other vacancies are filled. This excludes acts of misconduct (Wife Beaters, Drunks, etc.).

Curiosity .......... They did not demand respect with the actions or their demeanor and did not appear to have total control of the team or their program ..... How do you come to this assessment with Tim Stowers?

[gsu57]

EagleFan04 .....

You are correct, Stowers was OC for the 1988 Nat'l Cahmpion Runners-Up Eagles ..... OC Coordinator for the 1989 Nat'l Championship Eagles ..... and HC for the 1990 Nat'l Championship Eagles.

BillyBob .....

My dates were incorrect. Tim and PJ were on the Staff together in 1985 and 1986. Correct years are above.

BoroBlues ..... Please double check Bakers DOH. He assumed the AD role following Stower's last season. BTW - You are correct with Johnson being a committee hire (BTW - Erk Russell was on the committe and recommended Johnson). Baker wanted Steele. Thank goodness Baker lost. Baker took care of this with Van Gorder ----- He made the call, with a little influence and financial help from a few Boosters.

You make the call (I would love a poll question) .......

Option A - Fire Stowers one week before Spring Training, generate a losing season, then hire PJ. BTW - Stowers, who contributed to 4 National Championships at GSU is unemployable due to the timing.

Option B - Keep Stowers 1 additional season, explain to him he must win a Nat'l Championship or be gone. He does not win a Nat'l Championship and you now hire Johnson. BTW - Coaching vacancies are open and Stowers, who contributed to 4 National Championships at GSU can get a job before the end of January.

[JDC325]

This keeps coming up over and over again about his supposed grossly idiotic reliance on the realignment. What exactly did his thinking that realignment was going to happen actually affect? It's not like we had everything in place to take the steps to I-A and he said, let's wait til the realignment happens and put the brakes on the move up. What did we actually lose out on by him thinking that realignment was going to happen. And apparently he wasn't the only one because he didn't just grab the idea of realignment out of the air by himself.


I don't know we could be beating or close to beating teams like Maryland and OK State at HOME BY NOW or so far ahead of teams like GA State they would not even be a concern. However, Baker was dead sure teams would be forced down back to 1-AA and a the cesspool teams that make up the majority of this division would be forced out or made to give a full compliment of schollies. Instead realignment did not happen and schools that saw right through the bs are now getting their feet wet and or growing in the FBS and we have to wait until 2011 or 2012 to even start the rough journey to the FBS. So no big deal....my bad

[eaglewraith]

Here's what I think...

1. Every Thursday Chris Blair and Coach Chris Hatcher broadcast the Chris Hatcher Radio Show LIVE from Locos at 6:30.

2. Today is Thursday.

3. There is a game on Saturday that Coach will probably be talking about. So if you want to hear about it, come to Locos (or listen on the radio if you're not in Statesboro)

4. If you ARE in Statesboro, you have no valid excuse NOT to be at Locos.

5. The show starts at 6:30.

6. Go Eagles. Crush those bean eating mangy huskies.



the Moose.

7) Eat more Gobblers?

[StatesboroMoose]

8. duh. eat more gobblers goes without saying. Y'all should've been at the show tonight. Hatcher has a bright future with ESPN if this whole coaching thing doesn't work out!




(eat more gobblers)

[Eagle22]

#1 - Stowers could have landed on his feet elsewhere in a reasonable situation. Many schools would love to have a coach with a .681 winning percentage (I think this is close) and who had the highest graduation rate of any GSU Head Coach.



I think you're right with your statements, for the most part.

However, I wonder if Tim's decision to sue the school made it difficult for prospective employers.

I'm not privy to all that went down, but my recollection of this was that contractual obligations (i.e. Southern Booster supplements) were maintained, just not the coaching position itself. Maybe I'm wrong on that.

Anyways, my point is that if I'm a prospective employer, I'm looking at that situation with a lot of questions ...

[oldfart]

If the program could be destroyed in one season, it was already on real shaky ground.

In retrospect, we should have helped Sewak more on the academic side. We'd be ahead of the game and would not have had to deal with BVG or Hatcher.

If Sewak had handled the Erk situation properly and improved his defense, he'd have gotten the help he needed, still be our coach, and we'd have won a NC or 2 with Foster running the TO. Our short-sighted AD should have gotten more involved in the Erk dispute and found a way to appease all parties involved, but instead he let Sewak dangle in the wind without helping him handle it properly. Erk was then alienated and Sewak became public enemy #1 to the old Eagle faithful, then Baker appeased them by letting him go. I actually liked Sewak, but after alienating Russell, I lost a lot of respect for him. It just seemed really out of character for Sewak to outright lie, especially knowing that he could alienate the father of GSU football. That said, it was what it was and a new era is upon us. Erk was (sort of) brought back into the fold, and Hatcher is running the show. We are young, but if Hatcher sticks around a few years, we might be back in the hunt. GATA EAGLES!

[KJ Eagle]

I don't know we could be beating or close to beating teams like Maryland and OK State at HOME BY NOW or so far ahead of teams like GA State they would not even be a concern. However, Baker was dead sure teams would be forced down back to 1-AA and a the cesspool teams that make up the majority of this division would be forced out or made to give a full compliment of schollies. Instead realignment did not happen and schools that saw right through the bs are now getting their feet wet and or growing in the FBS and we have to wait until 2011 or 2012 to even start the rough journey to the FBS. So no big deal....my bad

There were no plans of moving up or even doing a study until less than a year ago. So again, I ask... what did his thinking that the realignment might happen actually have ANY affect on?

And the other schools that "saw right through" the whole realignment thing, you're sure that they made the move solely because they knew that it wasn't going to happen? Or did that actually have nothing to do with it because they maybe did a study, saw that it would be a good idea for their school to move, and then actually moved?

You act like he planned the entire administration and program around the possibility that it would happen. And then when it didn't we were left holding the bag...

[Walt3412]

I don't understand the thinking that the administration should've helped Sewak with academics. The only thing that could've been done is to not allow him to take risks on players that couldn't cut it in the classroom. But as far as not having proper tutoring or academic help, I call BS on that. Athletes have EVERY advantage and GSU is no different. And it's not like some of these guys are in extremely tough majors anyway. You can give me the best tutor and nicest academic facilities in the world, but if I'm not willing to put forth any effort, I'm still going to fail.

[eaglesrthe1]

There were no plans of moving up or even doing a study until less than a year ago. So again, I ask... what did his thinking that the realignment might happen actually have ANY affect on?

And the other schools that "saw right through" the whole realignment thing, you're sure that they made the move solely because they knew that it wasn't going to happen? Or did that actually have nothing to do with it because they maybe did a study, saw that it would be a good idea for their school to move, and then actually moved?

You act like he planned the entire administration and program around the possibility that it would happen. And then when it didn't we were left holding the bag...

There was a suggestion that there would be a third "in between" division that was going to be created at the time that would include the top schools in IAA with the schools that would have been forced down. That is what Sam was waiting on. His position was " lets wait because the landscape is going to change and there might not be any point in moving up at all." So, to answer your question the effect was to put GSU behind from then till now in starting the process, and specifically getting caught in the 4 year moratorium.

WKU announced in 06' that they were going to go IA. 07' and 08' are their transition years. In 09' they will be bowl eligible. So it could have happened in just 3 years.

My mind is fuzzy about the time that the NCAA was supposed to enforce the attendance rule and force the schools down. Maybe 04'-05' or there about? As it is now, it will be at least 2010... or is it 2011... before GSU can even apply to start the process that couldn't be completed until 2013 at the earliest.

[gsugt1]

If Sewak had handled the Erk situation properly and improved his defense, he'd have gotten the help he needed, still be our coach, and we'd have won a NC or 2 with Foster running the TO. Our short-sighted AD should have gotten more involved in the Erk dispute and found a way to appease all parties involved, but instead he let Sewak dangle in the wind without helping him handle it properly. Erk was then alienated and Sewak became public enemy #1 to the old Eagle faithful, then Baker appeased them by letting him go. I actually liked Sewak, but after alienating Russell, I lost a lot of respect for him. It just seemed really out of character for Sewak to outright lie, especially knowing that he could alienate the father of GSU football. . GATA EAGLES!

I agree that Sam left Mike dangling. If Sam had been paying attention and maybe mentored Mike things would have been different. But who really knows. At the time that Mike was fired I was pissed. After the fact the APR issues needed to be addressed though. In this case Sam was responsible and IMO dropped the ball on this situation.

[KJ Eagle]

There was a suggestion that there would be a third "in between" division that was going to be created at the time that would include the top schools in IAA with the schools that would have been forced down. That is what Sam was waiting on. His position was " lets wait because the landscape is going to change and there might not be any point in moving up at all." So, to answer your question the effect was to put GSU behind from then till now in starting the process, and specifically getting caught in the 4 year moratorium.

WKU announced in 06' that they were going to go IA. 07' and 08' are their transition years. In 09' they will be bowl eligible. So it could have happened in just 3 years.

My mind is fuzzy about the time that the NCAA was supposed to enforce the attendance rule and force the schools down. Maybe 04'-05' or there about? As it is now, it will be at least 2010... or is it 2011... before GSU can even apply to start the process that couldn't be completed until 2013 at the earliest.

There were no plans to do a study or to move up until this year, so it didn't put us behind at all. Had there been plans and he stopped them, then I would agree with you. But there weren't.

[eaglesrthe1]

There were no plans to do a study or to move up until this year, so it didn't put us behind at all. Had there been plans and he stopped them, then I would agree with you. But there weren't.

I know that their were no plans. Sam said why do it. So, you are right in that Sam didn't stop a process. But he did say that GSU wouldn't start the process, because he felt that it would be a waste of effort.

Sort of like building a house. You can stop during the framing, or not even lay the foundation. The end result is the same... you can't move in.

[KJ Eagle]

I know that their were no plans. Sam said why do it. So, you are right in that Sam didn't stop a process. But he did say that GSU wouldn't start the process, because he felt that it would be a waste of effort.

He's been saying that for the last ten years. Realignment or no realignment has absolutely nothing to do with that fact. There have been what...5 or 6 years since the realignment thing got shot out of the water as being BS? Don't you think that would have been plenty of time to make the study and the move if we really were planning to do so then?
As someone else pointed out WKU has done it in that time frame. So too could we have, if the school wanted to that is. This realignment BS is nothing but that...BS. it's another way for people that don't like him to blast him again. Yet it has had absolutely no effect on where we are right now. It did not cause us to miss the window and not be able to move before the moratorium. The fact that the school didn't want to move up caused us to miss the window.

[gsu57]

I think you're right with your statements, for the most part.

However, I wonder if Tim's decision to sue the school made it difficult for prospective employers.

I'm not privy to all that went down, but my recollection of this was that contractual obligations (i.e. Southern Booster supplements) were maintained, just not the coaching position itself. Maybe I'm wrong on that.

Anyways, my point is that if I'm a prospective employer, I'm looking at that situation with a lot of questions ...

Eagle22 .......

You are probably correct that the litigation did not assist Stowers in his future job search. I will contend that the unethical timing of the decision became the greatest hurdle for acquiring comparable employment.

Name as many NCAA Football HC's as you can think of ..... at all levels ..... at any time in history .....

Question ..... How many HC's were hired (to a respectable NCAA job --- I ain't talking about Podunk High School) after being involuntairly removed from coaching for a year or more???

One more question ..... How many HC's have you ever seen terminated in the Spring? (please exclude cases of gross misconduct)

Give me three (3) for either question and I will buy the beer.

[PowerEagle]

8. duh. eat more gobblers goes without saying. Y'all should've been at the show tonight. Hatcher has a bright future with ESPN if this whole coaching thing doesn't work out!




(eat more gobblers)

There should be a TSC discount at Locos...:D

[Eagle22]

Eagle22 .......

You are probably correct that the litigation did not assist Stowers in his future job search. I will contend that the unethical timing of the decision became the greatest hurdle for acquiring comparable employment.

Name as many NCAA Football HC's as you can think of ..... at all levels ..... at any time in history .....

Question ..... How many HC's were hired (to a respectable NCAA job --- I ain't talking about Podunk High School) after being involuntairly removed from coaching for a year or more???

One more question ..... How many HC's have you ever seen terminated in the Spring? (please exclude cases of gross misconduct)

Give me three (3) for either question and I will buy the beer.

Your beer is safe :)

There is no doubt that Stowers was terminated at an awkward time ...

Bad for him, bad for the school, bad for the players.

Like I said in the other post, I don't think you're statements are off base .. I just think the lawsuit made it completely unlikely that another employer would emerge that year.

[GSUEoghan]

Not that it's really my business...but did Erk ever have anything to say about Stowers' firing? I can't imagine that he was pleased about it but I wonder if he ever said anything public about it.

I just really think that there should be more attention paid to the "style" of decision making that has marked the Baker administration. Most folks proclaim that it's simply Grube's wishes but from my perspective, he's made questionable decisions predating Dr Grube's tenure. I perceive what appears to be a lack of backbone, for lack of a better term *low payouts, buckling to Booster pressure, etc*, and the reality is that you really need any office to be head by someone with clear and defined motivations who isn't afraid to push back a little in the right situations.

Once again, I don't hate anyone involved that I disagree with though I DO feel that there needs to be some form of action taken to right this.

[JDC325]

There were no plans of moving up or even doing a study until less than a year ago. So again, I ask... what did his thinking that the realignment might happen actually have ANY affect on?

And the other schools that "saw right through" the whole realignment thing, you're sure that they made the move solely because they knew that it wasn't going to happen? Or did that actually have nothing to do with it because they maybe did a study, saw that it would be a good idea for their school to move, and then actually moved?

You act like he planned the entire administration and program around the possibility that it would happen. And then when it didn't we were left holding the bag...


Umm I guess you missed the whole "double up" campaign that was as far as I know was completely centered around the NCAA realignment....that never happened. Also, when Sam foolishly bit so hard on the realignment bs you do not think planning was altered concerning the I-A issue? Give me a break if the opposite were true and Sam like so many other AD's kept moving forward and actually running their athletic departments instead of waiting around for the wishy washy NCAA to run it for them do you really think things would not be different today in positive way?

Can someone tell me exactly what an Athletic Director can actually be held accountable for?

It is not APR issues, that is the fault of the kids and coaches.
Not bad coaching hires, that is the fault of rich boosters.
Not similar schools that started out years behind us in football passing us, that is the fault of alumni and fans not wanting to give money blindly before a plan is shown
Not below average pay days, that is due to UGA being so cheap

I admit Sam and every other AD in the country gets bashed unfairly on a myriad of issues and I fall in that crowd but holy crap this is ridiculous.

[FirstCoastAlum]

Tim Stowers or Frank Elwood
Kevin Steele or Paul Johnson
Mike Sewak or Brian VanGorder
Gender Equity Facility or Booster Parking space
Nate Hurst or Current Getto Music Broadcast
The Fallacy of I-AA restructuring or Legitimate FBS Study
Academic enhancement infrastructure or Lost scholarships for 3 sports
Erk Russell and family or Sam Baker

YOU decide!

[FirstCoastAlum]

Tim Stowers or Frank Elwood
Kevin Steele or Paul Johnson
Mike Sewak or Brian VanGorder
Gender Equity Facility or Booster Parking space
Nate Hurst or Current Getto Music Broadcast
The Fallacy of I-AA restructuring or Legitimate FBS Study
Academic enhancement infrastructure or Lost scholarships for 3 sports
Erk Russell and family or Sam Baker

You decide?

[FirstCoastAlum]

Tim Stowers or Frank Elwood
Kevin Steele or Paul Johnson
Mike Sewak or Brian VanGorder
Gender Equity Facility or Booster Parking space
Nate Hurst or Current Getto Music Broadcast
The Fallacy of I-AA restructuring or Legitimate FBS Study
Academic enhancement infrastructure or Lost scholarships for 3 sports
Erk Russell and family or Sam Baker

Lets revisit.

[PowerEagle]

Monday morning, Sam Baker is relieved of his duties as Athletic Director of Georgia Southern. Guess what??

























We're still 5-5, and we still lost to Samford.

[Buzz Killington]

who cares if we lost to Samford. One mediocre team losing to another...It's not like we're an awesome team right now so this shouldn't shock anybody.

[FirstCoastAlum]

Monday morning, Sam Baker is relieved of his duties as Athletic Director of Georgia Southern. Guess what??

We're still 5-5, and we still lost to Samford.

Fine, if you're cool with accepting this in the future, then I'm okay with it too. I kinda thought some would expect more from what I thought was a proud program?

[GATA ERK]

[QUOTE=EagleTV;1745] Is this trying to bring up a discussion that we had on this board 4 1/2 years ago with regards to Erk's op-ed in the paper?

QUOTE]

What did Erk say on the op-ed?

[gsu57]

Review Baker's Football HC Record.

Stowers (1990 - 1995) ... 1 NC and made Playoffs 3 of 6 Years (50%). Exited after Quarter Finalist Season. Baker never saw Stowers coach a single game.

Ellwood (1996) ... Interim HC

Johnson (1997 - 2001) ... Steele was Baker's choice.

Sewak (2002 - 2005) ... Playoffs in 3 of 4 Years (75%). Exited after loss in Round #1 of the Playoffs.

Van Gorder (2006) ... Comment not needed.

Hatcher (2007 - Current) ... Playoff 0 of 2 Seasons.

Comments: Baker arrived as our AD and what has he done for GSU football?

I like Hatcher and wish he and our Eagles the very best, but we do not need to fool ourselves about the current state of GSU Football. To remain consistent with the University's past expectations and Sam Baker's previous actions, Hatcher's W's and L's must improve over the next 2 Seasons.

I make predictions based upon previous actions ----- If Hatcher does not make the Playoffs in 2009 and/or if Hatcher does not win a NC in 2010, I expect Baker to push to axe the Hatchman.

Again, Hatcher appears to be a fine gentleman and good coach. Unfortunately, when 2 previous Coachs (Stowers and Sewak) were termed making the playoffs 50%+ of the time, life is short without victories. Yeah --- do not forget ..... Stowers and Sewak have a combined 8 NC Rings, all earned as Coaches @ GSU. If these two former Coaches were not given a 2nd change, I guarantee you that Hatcher will not be given a 2nd chance.

2009 - Best of luck to Hatcher and our Eagles.

After 2 years and no playoffs, Baker has aimed the gun at you (He has no accountability). Do not expect any loyalty or support from Baker (as you are not Van Gorder). After all, Stowers was termed after a 9 - 4 season and Sewak after an 8 - 4 season, each playoff years.

[82eagle]

Fine, if you're cool with accepting this in the future, then I'm okay with it too. I kinda thought some would expect more from what I thought was a proud program?

You ever notice that you're the only person on the board who finds it necessary to bold your comments?

[FirstCoastAlum]

You ever notice that you're the only person on the board who finds it necessary to bold your comments?

I had not noticed. Please accept my appologies.

[JDC325]

who cares if we lost to Samford. One mediocre team losing to another...It's not like we're an awesome team right now so this shouldn't shock anybody.


That is exactly what is sad nobody is shocked anymore.....

[EagleTV]

[QUOTE=EagleTV;1745] Is this trying to bring up a discussion that we had on this board 4 1/2 years ago with regards to Erk's op-ed in the paper?

QUOTE]

What did Erk say on the op-ed?

To sum it up and not open an OLD can of worms, that Sam Baker and Mike Sewak ran off the Russell family from Georgia Southern.

[EagleTV]

That is exactly what is sad nobody is shocked anymore.....

I am shocked.

[SouthernMan]

[QUOTE=GATA ERK;24131]

To sum it up and not open an OLD can of worms, that Sam Baker and Mike Sewak ran off the Russell family from Georgia Southern.

Careful, a comment like that will bring alot of hate from the TSC (The-Sewak-Connection) faithful. You know, those that seem to be almost thankful we lost so that they can spew their half-full, I told you so rhetoric on Saturday night.

[89Eagle]

Review Baker's Football HC Record.

Stowers (1990 - 1995) ... 1 NC and made Playoffs 3 of 6 Years (50%). Exited after Quarter Finalist Season. Baker never saw Stowers coach a single game.

Ellwood (1996) ... Interim HC

Johnson (1997 - 2001) ... Steele was Baker's choice.

Sewak (2002 - 2005) ... Playoffs in 3 of 4 Years (75%). Exited after loss in Round #1 of the Playoffs.

Van Gorder (2006) ... Comment not needed.

Hatcher (2007 - Current) ... Playoff 0 of 2 Seasons.

Comments: Baker arrived as our AD and what has he done for GSU football?

I like Hatcher and wish he and our Eagles the very best, but we do not need to fool ourselves about the current state of GSU Football. To remain consistent with the University's past expectations and Sam Baker's previous actions, Hatcher's W's and L's must improve over the next 2 Seasons.

I make predictions based upon previous actions ----- If Hatcher does not make the Playoffs in 2009 and/or if Hatcher does not win a NC in 2010, I expect Baker to push to axe the Hatchman.

Again, Hatcher appears to be a fine gentleman and good coach. Unfortunately, when 2 previous Coachs (Stowers and Sewak) were termed making the playoffs 50%+ of the time, life is short without victories. Yeah --- do not forget ..... Stowers and Sewak have a combined 8 NC Rings, all earned as Coaches @ GSU. If these two former Coaches were not given a 2nd change, I guarantee you that Hatcher will not be given a 2nd chance.

2009 - Best of luck to Hatcher and our Eagles.

After 2 years and no playoffs, Baker has aimed the gun at you (He has no accountability). Do not expect any loyalty or support from Baker (as you are not Van Gorder). After all, Stowers was termed after a 9 - 4 season and Sewak after an 8 - 4 season, each playoff years.
Unless you are doing the hiring and firing your making comments that you can't back up. I love the power kicks that people get on while posting on a message board.

[Walt3412]

Unless you are doing the hiring and firing your making comments that you can't back up. I love the power kicks that people get on while posting on a message board.

Exactly...message board ultimatums are the in thing these days, I guess. The fact is, both Stowers and Sewak took over championship caliber teams. Hatcher took over a tough situation, to say the least. I really can't figure out why that is so hard to understand.

[GSUsoaringeagle]

Tim Stowers was a good person and a good Christian and always stayed in touch with the real Head Coach, the Man up stairs.

[FirstCoastAlum]

Exactly...message board ultimatums are the in thing these days, I guess. The fact is, both Stowers and Sewak took over championship caliber teams. Hatcher took over a tough situation, to say the least. I really can't figure out why that is so hard to understand.

I think most understand that Hatcher inherited a program in transition, but I think most were not prepared for such a deep fall. They were never prepared for a "transition" and even Hatcher said we would win "soon". They certainly never expected to lose 4 home games in a single season. It's a very tough pill to swallow even if they like the coach and are supportive of the program.

[gsu57]

Unless you are doing the hiring and firing your making comments that you can't back up. I love the power kicks that people get on while posting on a message board.

OK --- The response is reasonable.

Can you or anyone else inform me of who has made the hire and fire decisions in the past?

If I were the AD, I would have the test-tickles to only execute the decisions I supported. So, maybe Baker did not make the decisions. If true, then I owe him an apology ..... but he still does not own and test-tickles.

[cobb44]

I think most understand that Hatcher inherited a program in transition, but I think most were not prepared for such a deep fall. They were never prepared for a "transition" and even Hatcher said we would win "soon". They certainly never expected to lose 4 home games in a single season. It's a very tough pill to swallow even if they like the coach and are supportive of the program.

Who's fault is it that we are where we are? Who made the decisions too judge that being in the top 16 teams or top eight teams in the country was not on course well enough in the decision makers judgement that they were no longer worthy of leading and coaching another GSU Football Team and that a change needed to take place in the HFC position. Getting from number 16 to number 1 is alot easier than getting from 5-6 or 6-5 to number One.

We have fallen a long way and come to not resist mediority but we now accept it. That comes from the TOP and spreads like a cancer. It is infectious and contagious. Is there a cure for this acute on set of mediocrity?

[GATA ERK]

Who's fault is it that we are where we are? Who made the decisions too judge that being in the top 16 teams or top eight teams in the country was not on course well enough in the decision makers judgement that they were no longer worthy of leading and coaching another GSU Football Team and that a change needed to take place in the HFC position. Getting from number 16 to number 1 is alot easier than getting from 5-6 or 6-5 to number One.

We have fallen a long way and come to not resist mediority but we now accept it. That comes from the TOP and spreads like a cancer. It is infectious and contagious. Is there a cure for this acute on set of mediocrity?

We have a bad case of Sambakeritis.

[FirstCoastAlum]

Tim Stowers or Frank Elwood
Kevin Steele or Paul Johnson
Mike Sewak or Brian VanGorder
Gender Equity Facility or Booster Parking space
Nate Hirsch or Current Getto Music Broadcast
The Fallacy of I-AA restructuring or Legitimate FBS Study
Academic enhancement infrastructure or Lost scholarships for 3 sports
Erk Russell and family or Sam Baker

11/9/09 You Decide?