Ricky's Gotta GEAUX

[CajunZ1]

It might not be a popular opinion but I think the university is doing it right with marketing RCAF. The idea is we have a lost generation or three of fans. Those fans know we've sucked for a long time (bear with me here). Those lost fans won't open their wallets to a shiny new funding mechanism.

I think agressive marketing should follow an aggressive hire in football.
I know people will say "chicken or the egg" but most think it's time the chicken put up or shut up.

Bob Marlin was 3 big steps in the right direction. Now let's take 7 more big steps, and (hopefully) watch a renewal of Cajun "spirit" (aka $$).

igeaux.mobi

[ULtimateCajun]

I think the hiring of Bob Marlin shows the admin. wants to be competitive and I think they will show that again when it comes time to hire a football coach. It can not be stressed enough how small our athletic budget is. Yes the RCAF will help balance that but we can't go out and throw a million dollars at a coach.


igeaux.mobi

[Mitch]

My point exactly. Without a up and comer in the coaching profession to take Bustle's place whats the point? Starting over with some no name coach will not help recruiting. If your going to do that, why not get a top notch high school coach to try his luck? Not saying I'm right. I'm just sayin.

[TuffGuy84]

_ My point exactly. Without a up and comer in the coaching profession to take Bustle's place whats the point? Starting over with some no name coach will not help recruiting. If your going to do that, why not get a top notch high school coach to try his luck? Not saying I'm right. I'm just sayin. _

There are some big name coaches out there that just might look at this job. Jeff Bower (former coach of USM), Jim Leavitt (former coach of USF) and Terry Bowden (Former Auburn coach and son of a legend) are all out there and all may be purchased at the right price, and all would bring instant fan support and instant credibility.

[Mitch]

_ So you are satisfied with watching this same crap every year? The past four seasons have been like the movie "Groundhog Day" with a blowout to a BCS team, a good performance to a BCS team, a loss to a Sunbelt team in a "statement" game and an embarrassing loss to a team we should beat. Its getting to the point that even the apologies for those losses are sounding the same. Rickey Bustle is a nice, likable guy but he has taken this team as far as his abilities allow. Its time for a change. _

Not satisfied. But it may be the best we can get right now. Unless you take a chance on a proven high school coach. I don't see how we can pay a up and commer or and an established coach with a decent background, the money they will want.

[Mitch]

_ There are some big name coaches out there that just might look at this job. Jeff Bower (former coach of USM), Jim Leavitt (former coach of USF) and Terry Bowden (Former Auburn coach and son of a legend) are all out there and all may be purchased at the right price, and all would bring instant fan support and instant credibility. _

Can we even come close to paying those guys what they want? I don't know. It would be nice to have any one of those guys on our sideline.

[Hammer58]

_ Not satisfied. But it may be the best we can get right now. Unless you take a chance on a proven high school coach. I don't see how we can pay a up and commer or and an established coach with a decent background, the money they will want. _

We heard similar arguments about trying to find a replacement for our former basketball coach. The naysayers predicted that no one would want the job and we couldn't find better so why not stick with what we had regardless of how poor the results were.

There are "up and comers" with head coaching success at the D1AA level who would see this as a step up in both pay and in opportunity just as Coach Marlin did in basketball. There are also a few D1A coordinators and assistants who have had HC success on other levels who might be interested in a D1A HC position. The administration just needs to search them out and find the best fit.

[Cajunsmike]

_ There have been billboards around town as well as mailings and newspaper ads. I believe there is also information about RCAF in every gameday program.

igeaux.mobi _

Members also have decals to put on their vehicles. I have one on my truck. Of course people in town are the only ones likely to see that. Getting info to out of towners is more difficult. The tour held earlier this year was meant to address that concern.

[HoustonCajun]

_ There have been billboards around town as well as mailings and newspaper ads. I believe there is also information about RCAF in every gameday program.

igeaux.mobi _

The problem is, no one goes to our games, so no one buys and reads the gameday programs. Marketing is a MAJOR problem for UL, always has been. Either hire a professional firm to handle it or consider utilizing internal talents at UL like a Senior Marketing class each year making UL athletic marketing its senior project. Put to practical use what is being taught. Anything has got to be better than what we are doing now.

[HoustonCajun]

_ I feel that firing Bustle would hurt the program. He has a relationship with the local coaches in the area and nation wide. Unless UL can get a highly regarded coach to come in, I don't think firing Bustle would have a positive effect. Look, players need to be up for games. It doesn't matter what team your playing against. The cajuns had a rough couple weeks before WKU came to town and it showed on the field. Coaches cannot get players emotionally ready for a game. That doesn't mean they can't give a stirring speech before the game and affect the players in a positve way. As a player you are responsible to get yourself ready to play emotionally! I don't care how many "Lets win this for the Gipper" speeches coaches give before the game and at halftime. Players get themselves ready or they don't. Everyone can see that all of our players weren't emotionally ready for WKU. They got their asses kicked. We move on and cheer another day. _

And, the fans need to be up for games as well. As long as this continues, fans will not show up, support will be down, and the vicious cycle UL has been in for all these years will continue. UL is under new management; a new President, a soon to be named new AD, a new basketball coach, and now a new football coach. We need to break that cycle and it must happen in football which drives all of athletics.