https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-yebTRyF_0/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Nofado said:

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https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-yebTRyF_0/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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I think Lyons will be supportive - but Tien had the appearance of support and being visible - while, reportedly, away from the public eye, he was not supportive in providing resources and support.

But he played high school football

Nofado said:

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But he played high school football

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It's easy to be supportive when addressing the team. It's much harder to be supportive when you have a budget to balance and 20 different departments asking for help.

Nofado said:

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But he played high school football

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it's a very good fact that Lyons played football in HS (I wonder if he played BB?)

that means there is a much higher probability he truly likes and watches Cal football

It's very tough to get someone new to a sport to have the passion that only Cal football (and basketball) can inspire

golden sloth said:

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Nofado said:

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But he played high school football

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It's easy to be supportive when addressing the team. It's much harder to be supportive when you have a budget to balance and 20 different departments asking for help.

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Far more than 20. UC Berkeley has about 130 departments.

I tried to make an appointment with Lyons to discuss a specific donation I wanted to make, with a few conditions, but was met with a requirement that all meetings would require a lot of online red tape to do so.

Can you just write a short summary of what you want to talk to him about and an aide of his to write me back to indicate if he thinks my topic is worth fifteen miinutes of his time to discuss?

Who was the last chancellor to show up at a football *practice* and address the team?

bluehenbear said:

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Who was the last chancellor to show up at a football *practice* and address the team?

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Feel like I recall Christ doing this once or twice, but I can't find any video to back that up. It has been a while though even if she did.

I'll believe he is truly supportive when he fires Knowlton.

Golden One said:

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I'll believe he is truly supportive when he fires Knowlton.

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Amen. It is the elephant in the room. Lyons has a lot of responsibilities. If Lyons has a passion and vision for Cal athletics he needs someone who shares that passion and vision to implement it. Otherwise he might as well be Carol Christ letting Knowlton throw away Cal's money while running our athletics department into the ground and eventual relegation or collapse.

I'm not supportive of Knowlton - but, it is just possible that Knowlton took his cues from Christ and perhaps even was constrained by her. Perhaps Lyons will give Knowlton a chance to correct course and to be aligned with Lyons' goals (assuming Lyons' goals are in line with this message board).

ncbears said:

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I'm not supportive of Knowlton - but, it is just possible that Knowlton took his cues from Christ and perhaps even was constrained by her. Perhaps Lyons will give Knowlton a chance to correct course and to be aligned with Lyons' goals (assuming Lyons' goals are in line with this message board).

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No. The evidence is too overwhelming. Carol Christ had zero background in big time college sports, especially football (her previous job was at all women's Smith) and didn't even know enough to hire someone who did, then let him con her into giving him an 8 year guaranteed contract extension at $1.3 million a year while allowing him to live in Colorado Springs because he hates California, especially Berkeley. He is a retired Army officer whose sport is Ice Hockey. His D1 experience was 3 years at Air Force, a federal funded military academy as different from Cal as you can get. Knowlton's mistakes include hiring Fox, extending Fox, defending Fox and supporting his excuses and lack of media engagement, totally screwing up COVID protocols and strategy (instead pointing fingers elsewhere) defending and failing to investigate McKeever, then giving her a $5 million contract we probably have to eat, offending swimmers and their parents and getting sued by them, spending $millions in legal fees as a result, extending Wilcox multiple times despite a losing record at the most critical time in the history of college football resulting in us nearly getting relegated or shutting down the program altogether. Giving Wilcox a 5 year guaranteed extension after losing records because of rumors Wilcox had turned down an unattractive offer from Oregon. Failing to keep Christ informed about the very public reports that Oregon and Washington were doing their all to get into the B1G. Then once everything collapsed setting up meetings with his friends in Colorado Springs to get us into the MWC…. The department he is in charge of is so incompetent we didn't even have cheerleaders one season… Their answer to marketing and the need to fill CMS is to tarp off the empty seats and pretend they don't exist…

Golden One said:

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I'll believe he is truly supportive when he fires Knowlton.

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If Phil Knight wants an Oregon AD out, he's out. Buyout paid, press release issued thanking him for his service, etc.

So, what do the largest 2 or 3 donors to Cal athletics think of Knowlton?

doug goldman stopped using his floor seats at haas pavillion when knowlton ignored him re: the mark fox vs joe paternack hire

knowlton is not well regarded by the mega donors, the fact that lyons included him on the not well received "time share sales pitch" zoom call is not a good sign for the future

About time.

Shocky1 said:

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doug goldman stopped using his floor seats at haas pavillion when knowlton ignored him re: the mark fox vs joe paternack hire

knowlton is not well regarded by the mega donors, the fact that lyons included him on the not well received "time share sales pitch" zoom call is not a good sign for the future

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Very disheartening. Do you or anyone have any grain of insight into why the Lyons is not listening to the mega donors? What on earth does it take to fire this guy? The McKeever scandal couldn't do it, the horrible job performance couldn't do it, a new Chancellor couldn't do it. This guy is invincible!

Econ141 said:

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Shocky1 said:

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doug goldman stopped using his floor seats at haas pavillion when knowlton ignored him re: the mark fox vs joe paternack hire

knowlton is not well regarded by the mega donors, the fact that lyons included him on the not well received "time share sales pitch" zoom call is not a good sign for the future

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Very disheartening. Do you or anyone have any grain of insight into why the Lyons is not listening to the mega donors? What on earth does it take to fire this guy? The McKeever scandal couldn't do it, the horrible job performance couldn't do it, a new Chancellor couldn't do it. This guy is invincible!

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Carol Christ gave him an 8 year contract extension with a guaranteed $1.3 million per year payout. He has a full Army pension. He has a house flipping business with his sons in Colorado. He can afford lawyers so firing for cause is expensive, even if we have a great case. We could pay off his contract, but it is tough to ask donors to give you $6 million to give to a guy they don't like and had no input in his hiring, just to make him go away, especially when the department is in a huge hole and needs donor money for everything else, including the potential need to pay Wilcox $15 million if this season is sub .500 (thanks to Knowlton's fiscal irresponsibility).

calumnus said:

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Econ141 said:

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Shocky1 said:

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doug goldman stopped using his floor seats at haas pavillion when knowlton ignored him re: the mark fox vs joe paternack hire

knowlton is not well regarded by the mega donors, the fact that lyons included him on the not well received "time share sales pitch" zoom call is not a good sign for the future

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Very disheartening. Do you or anyone have any grain of insight into why the Lyons is not listening to the mega donors? What on earth does it take to fire this guy? The McKeever scandal couldn't do it, the horrible job performance couldn't do it, a new Chancellor couldn't do it. This guy is invincible!

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Carol Christ gave him an 8 year contract extension with a guaranteed $1.3 million per year payout. He has a full Army pension. He has a house flipping business with his sons in Colorado. He can afford lawyers so firing for cause is expensive, even if we have a great case. We could pay off his contract, but it is tough to ask donors to give you $6 million to give to a guy they don't like and had no input in his hiring, just to make him go away, especially when the department is in a huge hole and needs donor money for everything else, including the potential need to pay Wilcox $15 million if this season is sub .500 (thanks to Knowlton's fiscal irresponsibility).

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Carol Christ - Nice lady, good heart, brilliant Victorian scholar. Unfortunately, she lacked any understanding of how sports or business work. She probably still thinks Knowlton is an elite level athletic director

I have absolutely no idea if new Chancellor Rich Lyons will be supportive of Cal and the revenue sports, but I'd rather take my chances with a guy who once played some high school football, went to Cal undergraduate, understands the business angle (by his academic training and Haas experiences), and was supposedly the guy who helped Haas brand its core principles.

My gut tells me that UCLA enjoyed a pretty stellar run under its outgoing Chancellor Gene Block, and I'd like to think that our new Chancellor knows and loves this place enough to actually accomplish some things on his watch.

When did he do that?

BTW, I have read he attend the 1982 (The Play) Big Game.

BearBoarBlarney said:

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I have absolutely no idea if new Chancellor Rich Lyons will be supportive of Cal and the revenue sports, but I'd rather take my chances with a guy who once played some high school football, went to Cal undergraduate, understands the business angle (by his academic training and Haas experiences), and was supposedly the guy who helped Haas brand its core principles.

My gut tells me that UCLA enjoyed a pretty stellar run under its outgoing Chancellor Gene Block, and I'd like to think that our new Chancellor knows and loves this place enough to actually accomplish some things on his watch.

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We could not wish for a better chancellor, footballwise.

The only question is whether the damage already inflicted by his predecessor and her hire: the deficits, debts, lawsuits, bad long-term contracts, low income in the ACC, years of losing and loss of fan interest etc are all too much to overcome at this point given the dramatic changes we are witnessing in college sports.

BearBoarBlarney said:

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My gut tells me that UCLA enjoyed a pretty stellar run under its outgoing Chancellor Gene Block, and I'd like to think that our new Chancellor knows and loves this place enough to actually accomplish some things on his watch.

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UCLA football was 73-78 in conference games during Blocks's 2007-2023 tenure. The biggest athletic accomplishment under block was keeping the lid on the Big Ten move so they could ride USC's coattails.

Terry Donahue (1976-95) was 98-51-5 in the pac.
Bob Toledo (1996-02) was 32-24.
Karl Dorrell (2003-07) was 24-19.

ColoradoBear said:

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BearBoarBlarney said:

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My gut tells me that UCLA enjoyed a pretty stellar run under its outgoing Chancellor Gene Block, and I'd like to think that our new Chancellor knows and loves this place enough to actually accomplish some things on his watch.

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UCLA football was 73-78 in conference games during Blocks's 2007-2023 tenure. The biggest athletic accomplishment under block was keeping the lid on the Big Ten move so they could ride USC's coattails.

Terry Donahue (1976-95) was 98-51-5 in the pac.
Bob Toledo (1996-02) was 32-24.
Karl Dorrell (2003-07) was 24-19.

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Ooof, I think I was giving Block too much credit. Obviously, UCLA has gotten extremely popular and it's gotten uber-competitive to get in there, but I had no idea that their football doldrums were so pronounced and prolonged.

BearBoarBlarney said:

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ColoradoBear said:

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BearBoarBlarney said:

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My gut tells me that UCLA enjoyed a pretty stellar run under its outgoing Chancellor Gene Block, and I'd like to think that our new Chancellor knows and loves this place enough to actually accomplish some things on his watch.

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UCLA football was 73-78 in conference games during Blocks's 2007-2023 tenure. The biggest athletic accomplishment under block was keeping the lid on the Big Ten move so they could ride USC's coattails.

Terry Donahue (1976-95) was 98-51-5 in the pac.
Bob Toledo (1996-02) was 32-24.
Karl Dorrell (2003-07) was 24-19.

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Ooof, I think I was giving Block too much credit. Obviously, UCLA has gotten extremely popular and it's gotten uber-competitive to get in there, but I had no idea that their football doldrums were so pronounced and prolonged.

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That bolded part has nothing to do with football. If you're looking for major factors behind the under 10 percent acceptance rate at UCLA, start with the guarantee of four years of university housing.

Wow, their undergrad acceptance rate is down to 9%, vs 11% at Cal. USC is at 12%, Furd 4%...

Cal88 said:

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Wow, their undergrad acceptance rate is down to 9%, vs 11% at Cal. USC is at 12%, Furd 4%...

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Los Angeles is very cool especially if you are out of state. I think the conference move will only enhance this

BearSD said:

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Golden One said:

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I'll believe he is truly supportive when he fires Knowlton.

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If Phil Knight wants an Oregon AD out, he's out. Buyout paid, press release issued thanking him for his service, etc.

So, what do the largest 2 or 3 donors to Cal athletics think of Knowlton?

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We don't have a Big football donor! Most donors' passions are with the Olympic Sports! Crew, Rugby and Polo have their attention. That's why we are who we are!

Anarchistbear said:

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Cal88 said:

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Wow, their undergrad acceptance rate is down to 9%, vs 11% at Cal. USC is at 12%, Furd 4%...

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Los Angeles is very cool especially if you are out of state. I think the conference move will only enhance this

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UCLA gets more applicants than Cal. It's probably viewed as an "easier" school, so there is some self-selection going on by students who apply to UCLA rather than Cal.

ncbears said:

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Anarchistbear said:

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Cal88 said:

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Wow, their undergrad acceptance rate is down to 9%, vs 11% at Cal. USC is at 12%, Furd 4%...

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Los Angeles is very cool especially if you are out of state. I think the conference move will only enhance this

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UCLA gets more applicants than Cal. It's probably viewed as an "easier" school, so there is some self-selection going on by students who apply to UCLA rather than Cal.

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I think it's more like this wouid be a very cool place to go to school even though I won't get in.

Anarchistbear said:

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ncbears said:

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Anarchistbear said:

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Cal88 said:

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Wow, their undergrad acceptance rate is down to 9%, vs 11% at Cal. USC is at 12%, Furd 4%...

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Los Angeles is very cool especially if you are out of state. I think the conference move will only enhance this

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UCLA gets more applicants than Cal. It's probably viewed as an "easier" school, so there is some self-selection going on by students who apply to UCLA rather than Cal.

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I think it's more like this wouid be a very cool place to go to school even though I won't get in.

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There are a ton of kids in SoCal that don't apply to Cal (or Davis or Santa Cruz….). All the kids that end up at UCSB, UCR, UCSD, UCI, Northridge, CSLB, SDSU…. probably had UCLA as their "stretch" school. Everyone who applies to USC too. Plus everyone who went to Cal or Davis probably also applied to UCLA because the admissions are seperate and you never know.

Also it seems that demand for college is completely inelastic, tuition skyrocketing has not reduced the number of applicants, at USC for example the number of applicants was up 60% the last 10 years as tuition kept rising.

Cal88 said:

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Also it seems that demand for college is completely inelastic, tuition skyrocketing has not reduced the number of applicants, at USC for example the number of applicants was up 60% the last 10 years as tuition kept rising.

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Prospects for getting scholarships there have also risen.

calumnus said:

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There are a ton of kids in SoCal that don't apply to Cal (or Davis or Santa Cruz….). All the kids that end up at UCSB, UCR, UCSD, UCI, Northridge, CSLB, SDSU…. probably had UCLA as their "stretch" school. Everyone who applies to USC too. Plus everyone who went to Cal or Davis probably also applied to UCLA because the admissions are seperate and you never know.

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Let's face it, there are 2 UC schools that are considered to be the "top tier" -- that's UC Berkeley and UCLA. Yes, all 9 of the undergraduate UC schools range from excellent to very good, but for the average California high schooler, the public schools that carry the most prestige / cachet are Berkeley and UCLA.

UCLA received 146,250 freshman applications this year. UC Berkeley received 124,204. Some folks see those numbers and say, "Woah, UCLA must be way more popular, as it gets almost 18% higher applications than Cal." But if you look at California's population distribution, of the state's 39.5M residents, 22.1M live in the 8 southernmost counties that comprise the traditional area of "Southern California" (ie., LA county, San Diego county, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial). The 8 southernmost counties have 22.1M residents, which is 27% more residents than the 17.4M people that live in the other 50 Calfornia counties combined. Population alone dictates that UCLA would naturally get more applications than Cal, as some kids just want to stay a bit closer to home for financial or personal reasons. If anything, Cal is punching above its weight on application counts.

And then you have this weird perception that Berkeley is hyper competitive and that students don't collaborate all that well. In my experience -- and in that of my current Cal student -- kids at Berkeley are friendly, helpful, and mostly chill. Meanwhile, UCLA is perceived as being more "fun" and "vibrant" and its students more "laid back." I chuckle at these perceptions, because in reality the undergraduate student bodies at both Cal and UCLA are virtually identical in terms of academic bona fides.

But missing in all this are 3 final key ingredients that should not be overlooked:
(1) UC Berkeley's graduate reputation is far superior to that of UCLA, so Berkeley will always come out ahead on the overall academic reputation ranking in most contexts.
(2) UC Berkeley has a traditional on-campus football stadium whereas UCLA students have to travel 25 miles to Circus Desolatus.
(3) UC Berkeley is on the semester system, which is a way more "football friendly" academic calendar than the quarter system.

All of which is to say that U-C-L-A has indeed come a long way, but there's only one flagship University of California, and it's in Berkeley.

According to this, top 10 schools for number of applicants. https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/most-applied-to-colleges/
10. Michigan 87k
9. Davis 94.5k
8. Northeastern 96k
7. Santa Barbara 111k
6. NYU 120k
5. Long Beach 120k
4. Irvine 121k
3. Cal 126k
2. UC San Diego 131k (but a 25% acceptance rate)
1. UCLA 146k

Only 3 schools have football. (Does Long Beach State still have football?)

Note: the list seems very deficient with regard to some large public schools, e.g. Illinois, Ohio State, Washington, San Diego State
So I do not vouch for its accuracy.