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Burman’s decision…

Right now, the die hard Poke fans have seen enough. And even the complacent fans are saying, “does he really come out of this weekend with a job?” It’s glaring how bad we’ve become. Doing something at least gives fans the hope for maybe salvaging a season, and the aspirations for what to look forward to if we hire someone competent. As disappointing as Tom has been with his most recent hires, he can’t possibly sit back and do nothing. The one thing that guy can do is talk to donors. Get some of the deep pockets to drop some coin, and at least give Cowboy fans something to hope for. Plus, it may even salvage how people feel about him at this point. Maybe he saves his own ass and legacy.
 
The buyout issue could be resolved even with the measly financial numbers of being a low population center.

Get rid of Sawful by offering a payment plan where he gets his money as if it were a pension. It’s been done by numerous programs in the FBS. He gets his Burman contract money - just not a lump sum. It’s called the art of the deal.

He is a failure that will never be hired as a head coach unless there is a desperate D2, NAIA or high school. Why stay the course and sink the program?

He will probably be able to get an ok coordinator position somewhere in the FBS but not at any big time program.

He will be able to live comfortably regardless.

The important part is redirecting the sinking Wyoming football ship. If the program is going to face 2 more years of trying to revamp, start the process now instead of extending the fixing of the problem to 3-4 years from now.

UNM hired a good “retread” in Mendenhall who got that program to 5-7 in his only year but they didn’t back off and got Eck who made a career of being successful at lower paying programs and UNM has become the team to beat.

Wyoming simply cannot afford to be afraid of changing the status quo and think any potential “hot up and coming” coach is too risky because he might leave and we have to start over. It seems to me that usually when we hired that “hot” coach we were left better off:

Akers
Dye
Erickson

Do you miss sometimes - yes. I would say Christensen was a miss primarily because he wasn’t a program manager. That is why you have a sliding scale contract. Challenge the coach with more $$ when successful. Contracts can be very creative and enticing to success. If they are another Sawful then the cost after two years is reduced. I don’t see being offered $1,000,000 with enough funds for a decent group of assistants is prohibitive to starting at our level. I’m getting leery of older guys who have not wowed anyone in their careers. If they were that good they would have climbed the food chain before Wyoming came along. Focus on the type who is hungry to be successful and if they leave for something better take it as a positive. Restore the “stepping stone” to success. If Wyoming supplies the P programs with staff because they are successful it means Wyoming was successful. So tired of being afraid of change.
 
Cowboy20 said:
Right now, the die hard Poke fans have seen enough. And even the complacent fans are saying, “does he really come out of this weekend with a job?” It’s glaring how bad we’ve become. Doing something at least gives fans the hope for maybe salvaging a season, and the aspirations for what to look forward to if we hire someone competent. As disappointing as Tom has been with his most recent hires, he can’t possibly sit back and do nothing. The one thing that guy can do is talk to donors. Get some of the deep pockets to drop some coin, and at least give Cowboy fans something to hope for. Plus, it may even salvage how people feel about him at this point. Maybe he saves his own ass and legacy.
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I know of no serious donors that still have faith in Burman. The deep pockets have grown tired (and or passed on). The less deep pockets have been treated as if they are immaterial.
 
LawPoke said:
Don’t disagree. I just don’t know where we get the money.
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Maybe a short term beer tax because we for sure can’t afford to not have a fridge full this fall.

I have a HS senior looking at UW (as well as other regional 4 years) and absolutely loathe seeing colleges wasting money on bullshit like this, but $2.5 million is small potatoes in the grand scheme and they may have to get creative to stop the bleed out. Absolutely can’t make a habit of it, but damn they fucked themselves on this one. The state of the athletic department is fucking atrocious and literally is a (small and admittedly non-rational) consideration for new students. Know I don’t need to remind everyone but MT State is a reigning national champion and they have way more cache at my kid’s high school in Jefferson County, CO.
 
HiCountryCowboy said:
Maybe a short term beer tax because we for sure can’t afford to not have a fridge full this fall.

I have a HS senior looking at UW (as well as other regional 4 years) and absolutely loathe seeing colleges wasting money on bullshit like this, but $2.5 million is small potatoes in the grand scheme and they may have to get creative to stop the bleed out. Absolutely can’t make a habit of it, but damn they fucked themselves on this one. The state of the athletic department is fucking atrocious and literally is a (small and admittedly non-rational) consideration for new students. Know I don’t need to remind everyone but MT State is a reigning national champion and they have way more cache at my kid’s high school in Jefferson County, CO.
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Exactly, $2.5 million is peanuts in this day and age. And I love that idea of a tax on beer!🤣 No need for big donors. They’d have the money by November!
 
OrediggerPoke said:
I know of no serious donors that still have faith in Burman. The deep pockets have grown tired (and or passed on). The less deep pockets have been treated as if they are immaterial.
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This is so true. I initially thought about standing up a fund to get small donors to throw together small donations to chip in. Maybe raise $25k. Then thought - if Tom gets to hire the replacement, it would be a huge waste of time.

Reaves could send a message by ending Tom’s tenure. It is much cheaper and has a more global impact. All sports are put on notice that UW athletics are not in an acceptable place.
 
LawPoke said:
Reaves could send a message by ending Tom’s tenure. It is much cheaper and has a more global impact.
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Exactly. What is left to pay Burman negotiate a graceful exit and take an extra year or two to finish that crap contract. Do it soon and swiftly. It sends a Wyoming is serious message.

The important factor in making future payment deals is to keep the current cash flow intact as much as possible. If you have to let’s say “entice the graceful exit” and acceptance of a buyout payment plan that includes an interest payment it will theoretically be cheaper than to hemorrhage the fan base as was done with basketball.

Keep intact the hunger for football. The fans are the biggest source of direct cash besides the conference TV share and donations. The donors like to see a result other than their gift swirling down the ceramic bowl hole 🚽 on one 💩 deal after another.
 
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