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2 years down, 3 to go under AD Mike Bobinski

GTJT622

Well-Known Member
Mar 23, 2014
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Bobinski signed a 5-year contract worth around an average of 700 grand a little over 2 years ago. His start date at Tech was April 1, 2013. The overall athletic program is as down as it has been in a very long time.

In my interactions with Tech fans over the years - both personally and over the internet - my unscientific wild guesstimate is that we have 4 sets of fans that break down something like this...

1. Only care about football - 40%
Because football is coming off a super season, should have another one in 2015, and Paul Johnson just received a contract extension, this group is OK with Bobinski for the most part. More on this below.

2. Only care about football and men's hoops - 30%
This group is 50-50 in their view of Bobinski. They like him because football is going OK, but are very concerned about how he is handling (or not handling) the men's hoops program.

3. Care about all sports at Tech - men's and women's, revenue or non-revenue generating - 20%
This is my group for what it is worth. I believe most are like me in that they are very concerned and frustrated with how mediocre and in some cases just downright pitiful our overall athletic program is with 2 or 3 exceptions (FB, Golf, Women's Tennis). Tech Athletics is the anti-UVA. UVa stinks in football but is NCAA championship caliber in most of their athletic programs. We look more and more like Virginia Tech nowadays. More on this below.

4. Only care about men's hoops - 10%
This guesstimate actually may be a bit low though I think we've lost a decade's worth of fans and especially students who no longer pay any attention to this program. Same of course applies to sets #2 and #3 above which include men's hoops.

Tech will likely continue to flourish in football as long as Paul Johnson is driving the bus. Same for golf with Coach Heppler. I expect all other programs to tread water with the occasional nice run here and there. The ACC is just too good with the additional programs. Men's hoops, volleyball, softball, etc., are drowning.

This leads to the question...if Tech is going to be pretty much all about football, then do we even need an AD other than the head football coach? I know it sounds crazy. Ponder outside the box thinking for a moment...give Paul Johnson an extra 700-800 grand a year, name him the AD in addition to his head FB coach role. The man knows a thing or two about winning. He has impeccable integrity. He knows Tech and inventive ways to sell the Institute. I think he would hold head coaches accountable while knowing when to get the heck out of their way (see Heppler for example). He might not want the headache. Then again, maybe he would. It would be one great way to assure he stays at Tech too. If we are going to be all about football, then be all about football. I probably won't ever move from set #3 above to set #1 or even #2, but it sure smells more and more that the majority of our athletic programs are just sucking money from what apparently is most important.

Note, I've said many times before I think Tech should field both men's and women's soccer programs. We won't though. Probably ever.

If Bobby Dodd could play dual role of AD and Head Football Coach, then perhaps Paul Johnson can too. I'd like to think we'd be more competitive. Maybe even dismantle some programs that apparently very few Tech people care about and we aren't taking serious (like they do at much of the rest of the ACC...Virginia, UNC, Duke, etc.). I told you this thinking was crazy...or is it?
 
I think the demands of the two jobs would be much more today than when Dodd was around. There is a very important financial importance to the job. Plus being available to manage the other coaching staffs would be time consuming during critical parts of the football calendar. The recruiting calendar overlaps with so many sports. I just don't see how it would be productive.
 
Agreed. If any school ever entertained that idea anymore, it would require some excellent financial and legal leadership to report to the AD. If Tech were to ever think of doing such a thing, I doubt CPJ would even consider it. As I referenced it in the original post as a "headache". Then again, not sure he could do much worse. :(
 
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