Briggs is right again

[BillyLP]

Clearly, Moose had no idea what he was doing regarding the Haas money. Moosbrugger, Conlin, and Rogers did something you rarely, if ever will see again. They named the stadium after someone, then cut the program prior to a single game being played in the newly named stadium. If the defense is incompetence, then that’s probably fair.

I think the risk in bringing in a career fundraiser as an Athletic Director is that the job of a fundraiser is to establish and build a relationship, figure out what the person wants to support, collect the check and leave the administrative stuff to someone else. When you're an AD, you have to know how the administrative stuff works, too, and that takes a lot of time and hard work. I've been on both sides of that and they require two different skillsets. Moose hasn't proven that he has both.

[Schadenfreude]

Schad...are you actually trying to absolve the AD from blame for not knowing how the single largest endowment made to a sport in HIS department was intended to be spent?

Assuming you are alluding to the Frack fund: No.

It appears that Bill Frack's gift is being spent within the parameters Bill Frack established for the gift.

I infer from this that Moose understands how the gift may be spent, perhaps better than anyone on this message board.

[Flipper]

There's complying with the letter of an agreement...and there's complying with the spirit or intention behind the agreement. I would argue that there's probably people here on this board who know the letter of that agreement as well as Moose. I would argue that there's definitely people on this board who knew Mr Frack personally...certainly well enough to have an understanding of the spirit behind his gift that exceeds Da Moose's understanding of it.

Scheduling conference games and a game against Findlay under the banner of the "Bill Frack Challenge" is NOT following the spirit of the gift

[Diemilkweed]

This thread reads like it's been infiltrated by Russian trolls. Not the ham fisted ones of years ago, but the current iteration that says something juuuuust out of bounds and moves the argument just a hair.

It's bloody well obvious the Frack money is not being used in any way that anybody could legitimately call appropriate. You can call that anything you like, but splitting hairs like it was legal-ese does nothing to change the situation. The money was intended to improve the program and has not been used to do so.

[hammb]

This thread reads like it's been infiltrated by Russian trolls. Not the ham fisted ones of years ago, but the current iteration that says something juuuuust out of bounds and moves the argument just a hair.

It's bloody well obvious the Frack money is not being used in any way that anybody could legitimately call appropriate. You can call that anything you like, but splitting hairs like it was legal-ese does nothing to change the situation. The money was intended to improve the program and has not been used to do so.

This.

Yeah, they've provided the legit documentation, blah blah blah. Our basketball coaching staff makes over $2 million bucks a year. One of the items that it was supposed to go towards was paying coaches, so there ya go. Send the documents that say the entire $800-900k went towards the coaching salaries and call it a day. I did it for you, a nice and tidy perfect documentation of how the money is being spent in the way Bill Frack's foundation stipulated it to be.

OR anybody that gives a damn and has an ounce of sense could look at all of Mr. Frack's statements regarding the donation and realize that scheduling quality opponents was a big part of it. They could also see countless examples of him saying he wanted this donation to improve the program. Nevermind the fact that we're paying $2m a year for shitty coaches that nobody else wants, in large part because Moos extended and provided raises to that coaching. Nevermind the fact that one of the top assistants (and BG legend) bolted to coach HS basketball because he couldn't stand the don't give a damned attitude of the program.

There's a big difference between spending the money just to spend it and spending it wisely. Both can be technically within the parameters of the agreement, but only one matches Mr. Frack's vision. And thank you for the lawyer-speak but I'm quite comfortable in my use of the word misappropriation; maybe not the legal get his ass in jail version, but easily within the ethical/intelligent version of the word.

Near as I can tell Bob Moosbrugger is absolutely terrible at his job, at least as it pertains to the major revenue sports. I find it especially hilarious (albeit sad) that all of these large donations to the dept pre-dated the guy that is supposedly such a great fundraiser. According to the state audits our total private funding of the programs has gone up less than $100k/yr since he took over and nearly all of that can be attributed to his excellent tactic of just cutting a sport to get donors to come save it.

"I can’t emphasize enough what Bill’s passion and generosity means for our program," said Chris Kingston, BGSU director of athletics, at the endowment press conference. "This endowment literally is a game changer. It is the last piece of the puzzle for us to begin a new era of men's basketball in the Stroh Center."

Frack said that is exactly what he had in mind. "If Butler and Gonzaga can do it, Bowling Green can do it," he said. "I want to provide the resources to take Falcon basketball to the next level," according to a press release about the conference.

[Schadenfreude]

It's bloody well obvious the Frack money is not being used in any way that anybody could legitimately call appropriate.

There is really no question in my mind that use of the fund has been appropriate.

You can call that anything you like, but splitting hairs like it was legal-ese does nothing to change the situation.

People who claim the money has been misappropriated are strongly implying criminal conduct. That is deeply unfair to the Moose and the entire athletic department, no matter how you may feel about other aspects of their performance. Words matter.

The money was intended to improve the program and has not been used to do so.

There is really no question in my mind that the fund has been used both with the intent of improving the program and within the parameters of the gift. Beefing up coaching salaries is an effort to improve the the program. Paying for team charter flights and travel to to holiday tournaments every few years is an effort to improve the program.

I do understand the chagrin many here feel that the money has not been used more frequently to bring marquee programs like Michigan or Cincinnati to play at the Stroh. That idea got a lot of attention when the gift was made, and understandably so, because those kind of games would be a lot of fun.

I was in Anderson Arena that day in 1990 when we beat No. 5 Michigan State. That was an incredible moment for the basketball program. I also know how much joy I get as a Falcon football fan when we are able to bring football teams from the Big Ten to play in Perry Stadium.

But bringing in marquee programs is just one of a number of legitimate uses of the fund. We pay Moose good money to decide how best to choose from among those legitimate uses to advance men's basketball at BGSU. It may well be that investing in coaching salaries and charter flights and the like are better uses of the money to advance the program.

[guest44]

"We pay Moose good money to decide how best to choose from among those legitimate uses to advance men's basketball at BGSU"

In summary, we have identified the problem.

[footballguy51]

It's bloody well obvious the Frack money is not being used in any way that anybody could legitimately call appropriate.

There is really no question in my mind that use of the fund has been appropriate.

You can call that anything you like, but splitting hairs like it was legal-ese does nothing to change the situation.

People who claim the money has been misappropriated are strongly implying criminal conduct. That is deeply unfair to the Moose and the entire athletic department, no matter how you may feel about other aspects of their performance. Words matter.

The money was intended to improve the program and has not been used to do so.

There is really no question in my mind that the fund has been used both with the intent of improving the program and within the parameters of the gift. Beefing up coaching salaries is an effort to improve the the program. Paying for team charter flights and travel to to holiday tournaments every few years is an effort to improve the program.

I do understand the chagrin many here feel that the money has not been used more frequently to bring marquee programs like Michigan or Cincinnati to play at the Stroh. That idea got a lot of attention when the gift was made, and understandably so, because those kind of games would be a lot of fun.

I was in Anderson Arena that day in 1990 when we beat No. 5 Michigan State. That was an incredible moment for the basketball program. I also know how much joy I get as a Falcon football fan when we are able to bring football teams from the Big Ten to play in Perry Stadium.

But bringing in marquee programs is just one of a number of legitimate uses of the fund. We pay Moose good money to decide how best to choose from among those legitimate uses to advance men's basketball at BGSU. It may well be that investing in coaching salaries and charter flights and the like are better uses of the money to advance the program.

From a technical standpoint, Shad is correct. Nothing illegal is happening, and the word misappropriation is akin to saying that illegal things are being done. Now, I also agree that our program has been regressing over the past few years and that this influx of cash isn't being used in a way to help build the program. As was pointed out earlier, there's the letter of the agreement and then the spirit of the agreement.

With all of that said, to bring in high quality opponents, you have to do more than just pay them. You also have to be a decent opponent. If Michigan comes to the Stroh for this past year, a win got them nothing and a loss could have possibly taken them out of the tournament. However, Michigan could have played Toledo, Ohio, or Buffalo this year and a win could have meant something and a loss wouldn't have stung so bad. So, rather than focusing on bringing in marquee opponents, maybe we should focus on putting a winning product on the court.

A winning team starts with the coach. We can now say we offer a competitive salary. I think we're paying it to the wrong person, as evidenced by the downward spiral the team has been taking, but at least we can pay for a quality person. The notion that we should lowball that person until they prove that they're worth the salary isn't a real-life scenario; if you are going to pay them $400K a year, you don't tell them they start at $200K and we'll bump them up if they're worth it. The coaching world doesn't work that way.

A winning team then needs quality players. That means recruitment. That also means retention of that talent. So, we need to go out and attract those players that we need, and then we need to make sure they stay here. In the world we're in now, where the transfer portal has become free agency, we need the players to feel like they are part of something special. Charter flights, holiday tournaments in exotic locations, equipment, etc. all play into that.

When you've got the coaching staff and players in, the fans will come. You will also be able to pay a good team to come play us at our place. But, until we can get a coach and players that actually make us good, talking about buy games isn't realistic.

Oh, and don't get me started on the gameday atmosphere. The concessions suck. My wife and I went to the final game at Toledo; their concessions were actually a little better (hard to say that one) and they had free parking. We charge you to park and then sell you burnt popcorn from the one concession stand that actually decides to open that day. Heck, UT was selling T-shirts from a table on your way into the game, and they (get this) did a 50/50. How does the AD, a fundraiser, give up on the 50/50?

[Flipper]

I don't think the AD wants fundraising going on that he doesn't control.

There's also a mountain of evidence that says he's an idiot...so.....

[guest44]

Of course he doesn't want fundraising going on that he can't control. The problem is he isn't good at the single thing he is supposed to be good at. Fundraising.

[hammb]

Well clearly some are hung up on the legal definition of the word misappropriate, but it can simply mean being dishonest or disingenuous, not necessarily illegal. If I (or anybody) thought the dept was doing things that were actually illegal we'd not be moaning it on a message board, we'd be reporting them to authorities. I don't think it's a stretch in the least to argue that the applications of said funds is done so dishonestly when compared to the stated goals of that money from Mr. Frack. Yes, the money is undoubtedly allocated in the exact buckets it is required to be, with the appropriate documentation to the fund administration. But it calls the honesty of the whole thing into question when buckets like parking and concessions show $0 income for basketball and only basketball.

And I understand completely that you can NOT simply throw money at Michigan and expect a game in the Stroh. You have to earn that by building the program. And that's where Moos's incompetence comes in. Yes, we can now afford to pay for good mid-major coaching. We pay over $2m/year for our coaching staff and that has us near the top of the MAC. Yet we just keep re-upping a mediocre coach who never should have been paid what he was to start off with. I'm not suggesting we "low-ball" a coach until he earns a higher MAC salary. I'm saying you use that higher MAC salary as an ability to attract coaches who actually have a Market. Huger was hired with the Jans dollar figures (by Kingston) when there was zero demand for his services. Moos then gave him a raise while he had a losing record in MAC play.

Again, we have clearly used some of that money on having one of the larger recruiting budgets in the conference. But what has that gotten us? We're no more talented than any other team in the conference (less than some). The only difference is we pull kids from all over the country and ignore local talent. Sure, it's technically in the letter of spending on recruiting, but it's basically throwing money away at this point.

[guest44]

Bowling Green State University, as a public institution for the public good, could always be more transparent. A good place to start would be willing to announce multiyear contract extensions for employees even during Covid. They couldn't wait to tell us the sacrifice that leadership was making. Let us know the rewards for those huge sacrifices. As a public university for the public good, why not?

[jpfalcon09]

I don't think anyone is implying there's criminal conduct going on with misappropriation of the Frack money, but there's a legit argument to be made that the money is not being spent in the spirit of what Bill intended it to be for, and that's the main issue. It's great that the university is using the money to improve coaching salaries, but if the coaches are mediocre and can't elevate the program, it's a waste. I think we can all agree flies in the face of what Bill meant when he wanted Bowling Green men's basketball to look like a Gonzaga or a Butler. Maybe it's pie in the sky stuff but it's fair to say that the spirit of the endowment is not meeting the wishes of what Mr. Frack intended for it to used.

[footballguy51]

I feel like most of us are in agreement. The money is being used in a way that doesn't violate a contract, but we seem to be giving it to the wrong person. I really liked Huger initially, and up until a couple years ago I believed that he was still the coach that would work for us. Now that JT is gone, it's very evident that our team was just one person and now the coach doesn't know what to do. Then again, I tend to allow a long leash on any coach because I despise rash employment decisions.

In my mind, we should divert the Frank recruiting budget to coaching and use it for a buyout. Then, hire a coach that's going to take us somewhere and have him use the standard recruiting budget until we are no longer paying Huger.

[hammb]

I feel like most of us are in agreement. The money is being used in a way that doesn't violate a contract, but we seem to be giving it to the wrong person. I really liked Huger initially, and up until a couple years ago I believed that he was still the coach that would work for us. Now that JT is gone, it's very evident that our team was just one person and now the coach doesn't know what to do. Then again, I tend to allow a long leash on any coach because I despise rash employment decisions.

In my mind, we should divert the Frank recruiting budget to coaching and use it for a buyout. Then, hire a coach that's going to take us somewhere and have him use the standard recruiting budget until we are no longer paying Huger.

Agreed.

It's not like we need to recruit Utah, NJ, and Florida to succeed in the MAC. The teams that are whipping us have Ohio kids up and down their rosters.