Cornell football 2018

[dbilmes]

The official attendance for Friday night's game was 1,066. It's hard to make an argument for continuing to fund the football program with such dismal fan support. Yes, there was a hockey game going on at the same time, but that's unlikely to have made a huge dent into the attendance at the football game.

[Ken711]

The official attendance for Friday night's game was 1,066. It's hard to make an argument for continuing to fund the football program with such dismal fan support. Yes, there was a hockey game going on at the same time, but that's unlikely to have made a huge dent into the attendance at the football game.

Why show up when the you know there will be questionable play calling and another loss.  First, why on earth wouldn't you try a QB sneak on a 1st and goal at the one, with a 6'3" 245 QB who had already made some nice runs in that drive,  Then when faced 4th down, they leave points on the board instead of going for the field goal.  Poor defensive coaching, leading to poor tackling techniques, leading to two targeting calls. It's unfathomable if David Archer isn't fired at the end of this season.

[CAS]

Let's fix football, not abandon it.  We need to invest in it (coaches, facilities, etc.).  Playing Ivy football helps the Cornell brand.  If Columbia can turn around their football program, we can too.

[dbilmes]

Let's fix football, not abandon it.  We need to invest in it (coaches, facilities, etc.).  Playing Ivy football helps the Cornell brand.  If Columbia can turn around their football program, we can too.

Just to play devil's advocate, do we really need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on football to help the Cornell brand? We had a record number of applicants for this year's freshman class, and with the exception of the recruited football players, it's unlikely that most of them applied to Cornell because of our football program. I meet with approximately 15 Cornell applicants every year as part of my volunteer work for the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network, and most of the kids I meet with have no idea of anything regarding Cornell athletics, with the exception of the rare few who are being recruited for a particular sport.

[CAS]

It was a record year for admissions at Cornell (51,000 applications, 61% yield). Many of Cornell's applicants are probably attracted to attending an Ivy League school.  The Ivies are an athletic conference. Not playing football weakens that connection.  And is saving a few hundred thousand dollars in a budget of over $2 billion for the Ithaca campus material?

[Ken711]

Let's fix football, not abandon it.  We need to invest in it (coaches, facilities, etc.).  Playing Ivy football helps the Cornell brand.  If Columbia can turn around their football program, we can too.

Couldn't agree more.

[Ken711]

People forget how bad Brown and Penn were before hiring the right football coaches, and committing the appropriate resources to the sport.

[billhoward]

I feel bad for the players. They're not working any less than the other Ivy teams, they're just winning less. Maybe a coaching change is in order. You can't say "fire the coach" in his second or third year if you're committed to rebuilding. If this is the year for change, then let's hope the new coach and much of the staff is in place in December.

[Al DeFlorio]

Didn't Archer get another contract extension after last season?

[Ken711]

Didn't Archer get another contract extension after last season?

If he did, it could and should be bought out.  It makes no sense to keep a coach who can't win just to fulfill a contract. Six years is more than enough time for his own recruits to establish a winning program, if Archer and his staff recruited, developed and coached those players properly.

[Ken711]

I feel bad for the players. They're not working any less than the other Ivy teams, they're just winning less. Maybe a coaching change is in order. You can't say "fire the coach" in his second or third year if you're committed to rebuilding. If this is the year for change, then let's hope the new coach and much of the staff is in place in December.

That's on AN, he should have a list of potential coaching replacements when he makes the change.  This is year six under David Archer. It's just not working out and with a senior dominated team, the fall-off next season could potentially be worse.

[David Harding]

Didn't Archer get another contract extension after last season?

If he did, it could and should be bought out.  It makes no sense to keep a coach who can't win just to fulfill a contract. Six years is more than enough time for his own recruits to establish a winning program, if Archer and his staff recruited, developed and coached those players properly.

Neither  Athletics nor the Sun  reported on the length or end date of the extension.  

a contract extension with additional performance-based incentives to remain at his alma mater.

[Ken711]

Didn't Archer get another contract extension after last season?

If he did, it could and should be bought out.  It makes no sense to keep a coach who can't win just to fulfill a contract. Six years is more than enough time for his own recruits to establish a winning program, if Archer and his staff recruited, developed and coached those players properly.

Neither  Athletics nor the Sun  reported on the length or end date of the extension.  

a contract extension with additional performance-based incentives to remain at his alma mater.

Well Archer surely never achieved any "performance-based" incentives based on his current record.  If this is his second extension, with the first signed before the 2016 season, I'd assume it was a two-year extension. So, he probably has another year left.  Buying out that final year shouldn't be an impediment to bringing in a new coach and improving this football program.

[billhoward]

Didn't Archer get another contract extension after last season?

David Archer '05 has been Cornell coach since fall 2013. So this is his sixth year. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Archer has signed two contract extensions. If I read the Sun story right, it reported in February 2018 that the second extension was signed "some time ago" as in after the 2017 season ended, perhaps. One was signed before the 2016 season (after three years). They could have a two-year (2016, 2017) and then a two- or one-year extension (2018 or 2018 & 2019).

If Cornell beats Columbia in the season finale, he is 4-6 and it's a tie for his best season ever, if you're a "glass is half full" person.

Code Select Expand


2-8  2013
1-9
1-9
4-6
3-7
3-5 2018 YTD

Archer may be a singular talent, a Cornell alum, coming in as the then-youngest D1 head coach, but 15-45 (.250) after six years is probably enough time to judge him.

[Ken711]

Didn't Archer get another contract extension after last season?

David Archer '05 has been Cornell coach since fall 2013. So this is his sixth year. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Archer has signed two contract extensions. If I read the Sun story right, it reported in February 2018 that the second extension was signed "some time ago" as in after the 2017 season ended, perhaps. One was signed before the 2016 season (after three years). They could have a two-year (2016, 2017) and then a two- or one-year extension (2018 or 2018 & 2019).

If Cornell beats Columbia in the season finale, he is 4-6 and it's a tie for his best season ever, if you're a "glass is half full" person.

Code Select Expand


2-8  2013
1-9
1-9
4-6
3-7
3-5 2018 YTD

Archer may be a singular talent, a Cornell alum, coming in as the then-youngest D1 head coach, but 15-45 (.250) after six years is probably enough time to judge him.

A potential "tie" for the best record he's achieved at 4-6 in 6 years, says all you need to know.  Time for Cornell to fire Archer.