Debbie Yow fired N.C. State football coach Tom O’Brien today:
Still, despite [O’Brien’s] losing record in ACC play and the missed opportunities that kept piling up, O’Brien still got the Wolfpack to bowl games on a regular basis, beat North Carolina on a regular basis and kept the program clean. And N.C. State can look no farther than its rivals Chapel Hill for an object lesson on the perils of striving for football glory.
While some of TOB’s recent losses have proven baffling, I’m not pleased with Yow’s decision, particularly with the revelation of how deeply in debt Maryland’s athletics programs became under her leadership. My fears regarding Yow’s apparent focus on winning alone have me greatly concerned for the future of Wolfpack Athletics.
via DeCock: Yow's culture change continues – NC State – NewsObserver.com.
The football team is what pays for baseball, swimming, soccer, and all those other sports that don’t produce significant revenue. Purdue is on its way to a 2nd consecutive bowl game, albeit with a 6-6 record again. However season ticket sales have dropped to 37K from 54K before the year Danny Hope arrived. By all accounts he is a great guy. the players love him, and he does a very good job of putting academics first. But he had to go today – the school can’t afford to not have a football team that the fans are excited about.