2006 Season: The half-life chase for 8 wins is over

[CajunGuru]

There was no program when Baldwin took over.

He received very little help in resurrecting one from certain sources.


He made mistakes, and might not have succeeded otherwise, but it was definitely not all his fault.

Also, remember that virtually no coach worth a darn wanted to come within 100 miles of this program when Baldwin took over, including Rickey Bustle.

Baldwin made two tactical errors in rebuilding this program to respectability. His first was his decision to recruit high risk athletes and cost him 10 to 12 athletes per year. This lead to a high attrition rate by his third year and the main reason the program showed very little progress on the field. His second was his unwillingness to help raise funds for his football program. His public statement that” it was not his job to raise money for the football program” alienated people inside the athletic program and in the money circles.His plan was to recruit good athletes regardless of academic background and put money into a student athlete academic center to help these athletes maintain eligibility. The problem was his unwillingness to help raise funds contradicted his own plan of investing into a student athlete academic center.

[CDeb]

The "putting fans in the stands isn't my job" comment was the final nail in the coffin.

It was quite humorous at the press conference introducing Bustle as the new coach when RB said, "And putting fans in the stands is certainly one of my jobs." It got a rousing ovation from the fans present.