Cornell football 2018

Vis a vis the potential trauma to the player's psyches (not to mention bodies) of an Alabama game, I was lucky enough to attend the big game in 1991 between Cornell and Stanford at Stanford Stadium. The Presidents had the idea of a game to celebrate the schools' concurrent 125th and 100th anniversaries, if memory serves. No concern of the mental health damage that future NFL'ers Bob Whitfield, Touchdown Tommy Vardell, and Glyn Milburn would do on the Red. Final score: 56-6 bad guys. Most memorable moments: Cornell setting up in touch football formations at the end of the game in a successful attempt at scoring and Cornell fans carrying around a bed sheet which read: "OK, now let's try hockey" or some such.

arugula
Vis a vis the potential trauma to the player's psyches (not to mention bodies) of an Alabama game, I was lucky enough to attend the big game in 1991 between Cornell and Stanford at Stanford Stadium. The Presidents had the idea of a game to celebrate the schools' concurrent 125th and 100th anniversaries, if memory serves. No concern of the mental health damage that future NFL'ers Bob Whitfield, Touchdown Tommy Vardell, and Glyn Milburn would do on the Red. Final score: 56-6 bad guys. Most memorable moments: Cornell setting up in touch football formations at the end of the game in a successful attempt at scoring and Cornell fans carrying around a bed sheet which read: "OK, now let's try hockey" or some such.

Stanford put the starters back in for a goal-line stand but failed. SUCK IT STANFORD

SI covered the game but doesn't have this anecdote and my minimal searching is done.

Al DeFlorio
Cornell is #1 in strength of schedule among FCS schools.

Would fall considerably if, like the other Ivies, it played against Cornell.

Indeed, Archer's never seemed to be able to get the team to come together. And after this many years at it, I'm just exhausted.

Scersk '97
Indeed, Archer's never seemed to be able to get the team to come together. And after this many years at it, I'm just exhausted.

Exactly, he's got a team with a lot of seniors playing which should have developed and produced by now, It's time to move on for sure. How can you recruit for players by them selling a head coach with a .254 winning percentage after 6 years. Andy needs to let Archer go after Saturday's game.

Hire the best assistant coach on the most successful Ivy team.

I went to that Stanford game - we all went nuts when we got a first down. But my best memory is when the Stanford Tree (mascot) came out on the field, the Cornell crowd (not a small group) stood up and, in the best Lynah tradition, started pointing and chanting "What the F#$% is that? What the F#$% is that?...". Made me proud to be a Cornell grad.

Cornell at Columbia is on SNY today.

Painful to watch so far

And, we miss a 23 yd fg after having another blocked.

Cornell squeaks out a win 21-17.

So we end up 3-4 in the Ivy League, same record as last year.

You sure about that Ken?

Ken711
Cornell squeaks out a win 21-17.

jeff '84

Ken711
Cornell squeaks out a win 21-17.

Holy cow, I can't believe they give up a TD on a kick-off.

Ken711

jeff '84

Ken711
Cornell squeaks out a win 21-17.

Holy cow, I can't believe they give up a TD on a kick-off.

And an earlier one on a punt. Appropriate finish for the season, sorry to say.

Al DeFlorio

Ken711

jeff '84

Ken711
Cornell squeaks out a win 21-17.

Holy cow, I can't believe they give up a TD on a kick-off.

And an earlier one on a punt. Appropriate finish for the season, sorry to say.

Hopefully Dave Archers last season.

I can’t believe what I just saw. Cornell is now 15-45 (25%) in the Archer era. In Archer’s 6 years as head coach, Cornell’s top Ivy finish is a tie for 5th.

CAS
I can’t believe what I just saw. Cornell is now 15-45 (25%) in the Archer era. In Archer’s 6 years as head coach, Cornell’s top Ivy finish is a tie for 5th.

He has to go, it's just not working out here.

Not in favor of changing coaches-The team lost their running quarterback, Catanese, 4 games in. Chris Walker their best running back was our early on. Cornell has been a constant churn of coaches over the years.

I rarely join the "BURN THE WITCH!" brigade but 5 years is a fair sample of what a coach has to offer. It's hardly "churn."

rss77
Not in favor of changing coaches-The team lost their running quarterback, Catanese, 4 games in. Chris Walker their best running back was our early on. Cornell has been a constant churn of coaches over the years.

Six years with one coach is more than long enough to see any any sign of progress. We have the same Ivy record in year six as in year one! Look at this season as an example for poor coaching. In losing 66-0 to Princeton, Cornell suffered the most one sided loss in a century. The team quit on the HC in that game. Not one, but two player injections in the Penn game for tackling with the helmet. Losing the last game of the season for the 5th straight year. The first time in Cornell history to give up a punt return and kick-off return for TDs in the same game. Sorry, Archer needs to be "churned" out the door.

You'd think Archer would have remembered this "squib kick" from the 2015 game at Yale...a game Cornell led 26-7 before the squib kick and went on to lose 33-26.

"The Bulldogs trailed at halftime, 26-13, but sophomore Jamal Locke got Yale much needed momentum with an 84-yard kickoff return just before intermission. Cornell squibbed a kick and Locke zipped through a pile of defenders and then went down the left sideline to set up Drwal's six-yard touchdown."

I have no idea why you'd squib it when you are kicking with the wind and can put it through the end zone. The only way is squib is better than a touchback is if they fumble it. Just an insanely stupid decision after a great drive. That they weren't even set up to make a tackle on a run straight up the gut is embarrassing.

The punt return was a fluke - I have no idea how the team missed the tackles inside the 10. It was a perfect punt and they borked it into a TD.

ugarte
I have no idea why you'd squib it when you are kicking with the wind and can put it through the end zone. The only way is squib is better than a touchback is if they fumble it. Just an insanely stupid decision after a great drive. That they weren't even set up to make a tackle on a run straight up the gut is embarrassing.

The punt return was a fluke - I have no idea how the team missed the tackles inside the 10. It was a perfect punt and they borked it into a TD.

The coaching staff Archer assembled is, and has been, the weakest in the Ivy League. Example A: Archer hires his former high school football coach with NO prior college coaching experience, as the Assistant HC/QB coach. Dalton Banks regressed as did all the other QBs through his 4 years. Throwing for more INT than TDs in his senior season. And you wonder why the game planning and in-game decisions such as today's squib kick call are so bad. Archer has got to go.

Brown U. is firing their HC Phil Estes, their winningest coach in history after only 2 losing seasons. And we are stuck with Archer for 6 losing seasons, amazing.

Would love to see Estes in Ithaca (like bringing Bagnoli to Columbia).

CAS
Would love to see Estes in Ithaca (like bringing Bagnoli to Columbia).

He would be a huge upgrade over Archer. Brown will probably hire James Perry the head coach at Bryant U. Perry is the former standout QB at Brown, and a former OC coach at Princeton. It's the perfect fit there, although Perry is also the kind of experienced coach I wouldn't mind seeing at Cornell.

No news re football. Guess those overseeing the program are satisfied with losing 75% of games, with no improvement over the 6 years.

CAS
No news re football. Guess those overseeing the program are satisfied with losing 75% of games, with no improvement over the 6 years.

Hopefully it's just because of the Thanksgiving holiday break. I sent my email expressing the same concerns you have to Ryan Lombardi, Cornell VP for Student Affairs and the AD's boss, and received this email back:

Thanks very much for your note and your support of Cornell Football. Athletics Director Andy Noel evaluates every team at the conclusion of its season and will do the same for football. I have copied him here so that he has your perspective on this matter.

With Phil Estes available for example a coach with multiple Ivy Championships, Cornell needs to end the Archer era and move on.

Ken711

CAS
No news re football. Guess those overseeing the program are satisfied with losing 75% of games, with no improvement over the 6 years.

Hopefully it's just because of the Thanksgiving holiday break. I sent my email expressing the same concerns you have to Ryan Lombardi, Cornell VP for Student Affairs and the AD's boss, and received this email back:

Thanks very much for your note and your support of Cornell Football. Athletics Director Andy Noel evaluates every team at the conclusion of its season and will do the same for football. I have copied him here so that he has your perspective on this matter.

With Phil Estes available for example a coach with multiple Ivy Championships, Cornell needs to end the Archer era and move on.

A message from Andy Noel
to the Big Red Football family
Dear former players and friends of Big Red Football.

Happy holiday season to you and your loved ones. I hope that your travels are safe, and that your time together is relaxing and enjoyable.

I contact you to provide my decision re: our football staff with additional comment that I hope will provide a bit more understanding of my position.
This message will be mailed to a list of 2800 former players, parents and friends and forwarded to a selection of interested and supportive Cornell administrators and staff members.

Head coach David Archer has earned my full support and will continue to lead Big Red Football. Some question has arisen so I write to clarify.

I do not have the luxury of retaining members of our coaching staff, both head coach and assistants, based on my personal affection for them or their effort. Massive effort is a baseline expectation. And, I do not make personnel decisions based on the demands of others, who while invested in our success, do not have the opportunity to gain full internal program detail. My decisions are based on intimate knowledge gleaned from frequent, serious discussions with David Archer, and an understanding of his areas of focus and the improvements that have occurred and the ones that I recognize are in process.

My responsibility, first and foremost, is to the experience of individual players who consistently and mightily invest in their football team, their teammates, our coaching staff and university. Our players care deeply about their individual and team performance. They care about their record and their standing within the Ivy League. And, they compete for you and work to make you proud of Cornell Football.

Coach Archer will evaluate each element of our program with an eye toward improvement in every possible area. This analysis will include the assistant coaching staff, key support staff, returning player talent and player development, our training/sports medicine program especially as it relates to injury prevention/rehabilitation of injury and our strength and conditioning program. The internal recruiting process involving admissions and financial aid policy is essential to success on the gridiron while elements like student academic support, protective equipment, nutrition to name a few are of utmost importance as well.

I am particularly grateful to incredibly generous alumni who have challenged me and the CFA to provide all the support we are able to muster to address areas of Cornell Football that would most benefit from added attention. Working together, we seek to provide Coach Archer and his staff all that they need and much of what they want to advance our program.

Of course, some elements critical to success in football are influenced, and in some cases controlled by university policy or by administrators who oversee various areas critical to competitive success. The support within the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid has been the best ever under the leadership of Jason Locke. The advocacy within President Pollack’s cabinet from Vice-President Ryan Lombardi has been invaluable as our president navigates a huge list of university priorities that must be triaged. Critical help has been received from Provost Michael Kotlikoff as he approved a program of ongoing financial aid support that allows all Cornell applicants, athletes and non-athletes alike, to receive the same financial aid as offered by any Ivy school offering a more generous need-based package.

I hope that you and the many who care deeply about Cornell Football will continue to support Coach Archer, his staff and our players.

Respectfully,

Andy Noel

Head coach David Archer has earned my full support and will continue to lead Big Red Football. Some question has arisen so I write to clarify.

I do not have the luxury of retaining members of our coaching staff, both head coach and assistants, based on my personal affection for them or their effort. Massive effort is a baseline expectation. And, I do not make personnel decisions based on the demands of others, who while invested in our success, do not have the opportunity to gain full internal program detail. [b]My decisions are based on intimate knowledge gleaned from frequent, serious discussions with David Archer, and an understanding of his areas of focus and the improvements that have occurred and the ones that I recognize are in process.[/b]

This makes no sense. Nothing said at all about his record of "wins" or "losses". So what are these serious discussions about? The AD gave him a contract extension last year, and now we are stuck with him another year. Can't wait to look forward to another 2-5 Ivy League record. What an exciting time to follow Big Red football.

The 7 other Ivy football coaches applaud Andy’s decision. You are what your record is.
6 years & 60 games is more than an adequate
sample size. David Archer is 15-45, with zero improvement in record from year 1 to year 6.

CAS
The 7 other Ivy football coaches applaud Andy’s decision. You are what your record is.
6 years & 60 games is more than an adequate
sample size. David Archer is 15-45, with zero improvement in record from year 1 to year 6.

We are tanking for the No. 1 draft pick, oh wait....

Fire Andy.

I do not have the luxury of retaining members of our coaching staff, both head coach and assistants, based on my personal affection for them or their effort. Massive effort is a baseline expectation. And, I do not make personnel decisions based on the demands of others, who while invested in our success, do not have the opportunity to gain full internal program detail.

I'm pretty sure that's what is called "sniveling." Presumably some of the well-heeled donors are unhappy. I wonder how they'll take being lectured in such a defensive tone?

Trotsky

I do not have the luxury of retaining members of our coaching staff, both head coach and assistants, based on my personal affection for them or their effort. Massive effort is a baseline expectation. And, I do not make personnel decisions based on the demands of others, who while invested in our success, do not have the opportunity to gain full internal program detail.

I'm pretty sure that's what is called "sniveling." Presumably some of the well-heeled donors are unhappy. I wonder how they'll take being lectured in such a defensive tone?

Agreed. And all hear is the word "effort", but not a single mention of "results". And in the end, isn't that what coaches are hired to produce.

Then there's this telling sentence.

"The advocacy within President Pollack’s cabinet from Vice-President Ryan Lombardi has been invaluable as our president navigates a huge list of university priorities that must be triaged."

"Triaged"? - I guess the football is at the bottom of that triage. The President could care less of spending any money such as on a new head coach or an indoor practice facility for varsity sports.

while elements like student academic support, protective equipment, nutrition to name a few are of utmost importance as well.

We've got the secret weapon. The School of Human Ecology is all over this nutrition thing.

Ohio State put 62 points on Michigan today, breaking a record (for regulation time) set by (wait for it) Cornell in 1891, when the Big Red beat the Wolverines 58-12 in Detroit, before a crowd of 2300.

Ken711

Trotsky

I do not have the luxury of retaining members of our coaching staff, both head coach and assistants, based on my personal affection for them or their effort. Massive effort is a baseline expectation. And, I do not make personnel decisions based on the demands of others, who while invested in our success, do not have the opportunity to gain full internal program detail.

I'm pretty sure that's what is called "sniveling." Presumably some of the well-heeled donors are unhappy. I wonder how they'll take being lectured in such a defensive tone?

Agreed. And all hear is the word "effort", but not a single mention of "results". And in the end, isn't that what coaches are hired to produce.

Then there's this telling sentence.

"The advocacy within President Pollack’s cabinet from Vice-President Ryan Lombardi has been invaluable as our president navigates a huge list of university priorities that must be triaged."

"Triaged"? - I guess the football is at the bottom of that triage. The President could care less of spending any money such as on a new head coach or an indoor practice facility for varsity sports.

Placing “winning Ivy League football games” at the bottom of the university priority list seems entirely appropriate to me. There’s no national competition, no “next level” as in hockey and no sense of reaching a pinnacle of the sport. It’s a continuation game, where high school players can continue to compete at a reasonably high level while getting an Ivy education. If they’re competing and they’re happy it really doesn’t matter much.

Worth noting - I can’t recall an instance where Andy Noel fired a coach over won-loss record. The only mid-contract departures I can remember were either initiated by the coach or were vaguely tied to some failure to uphold the university code of conduct. I’m probably in the minority here but I don’t think that’s a bad policy for our AD to adopt. We’re not Michigan or Stanford.

If Archer is still under contract he’ll likely get to see it through regardless of on-field results. If the players were happy when the extension was granted that’d be reason enough to retain him. Honestly, I’m not sure another coach would succeed without major investment in other areas and it’s quite likely that investment isn’t going to happen.

To put this another way, winning at football is going to be expensive. You want hockey and lax to foot that bill?

Tom Lento
To put this another way, winning at football is going to be expensive. You want hockey and lax to foot that bill?

Well. THAT certainly changed MY mind. My answer is "Not only no - but HELL no."

Can I still get a full size indoor facility for lacrosse?

I believe it’s more expensive to run a losing football program in this manner, than to invest to win. Who now wants to write a check to Cornell football? Who wants to attend a game? Fielding a perennial loser hurts alumni engagement, which goes hand-in-hand with fundraising. Facility upgrades would help other programs, including lacrosse. Cornell football had a winning program from 1986-2000. It can be done - look at the turnaround at Columbia. If we accept losing, we will.

if we were solid you could go from 1-2K to 5-7K at the games. 5k more at $10 a ticket over a 4-5 home schedule probably adds 1 million+ to the budget once you factor in parking and concessions. does that make a big enough difference to make it a worthy thing?

Yes. Add in improved fundraising & school spirit. Columbia homecoming this year had the fourth highest attendance ever. Fix football, don’t accept running a doormat program

Tom Lento

Ken711

Trotsky

I do not have the luxury of retaining members of our coaching staff, both head coach and assistants, based on my personal affection for them or their effort. Massive effort is a baseline expectation. And, I do not make personnel decisions based on the demands of others, who while invested in our success, do not have the opportunity to gain full internal program detail.

I'm pretty sure that's what is called "sniveling." Presumably some of the well-heeled donors are unhappy. I wonder how they'll take being lectured in such a defensive tone?

Agreed. And all hear is the word "effort", but not a single mention of "results". And in the end, isn't that what coaches are hired to produce.

Then there's this telling sentence.

"The advocacy within President Pollack’s cabinet from Vice-President Ryan Lombardi has been invaluable as our president navigates a huge list of university priorities that must be triaged."

"Triaged"? - I guess the football is at the bottom of that triage. The President could care less of spending any money such as on a new head coach or an indoor practice facility for varsity sports.

Placing “winning Ivy League football games” at the bottom of the university priority list seems entirely appropriate to me. There’s no national competition, no “next level” as in hockey and no sense of reaching a pinnacle of the sport. It’s a continuation game, where high school players can continue to compete at a reasonably high level while getting an Ivy education. If they’re competing and they’re happy it really doesn’t matter much.

Worth noting - I can’t recall an instance where Andy Noel fired a coach over won-loss record. The only mid-contract departures I can remember were either initiated by the coach or were vaguely tied to some failure to uphold the university code of conduct. I’m probably in the minority here but I don’t think that’s a bad policy for our AD to adopt. We’re not Michigan or Stanford.

If Archer is still under contract he’ll likely get to see it through regardless of on-field results. If the players were happy when the extension was granted that’d be reason enough to retain him. Honestly, I’m not sure another coach would succeed without major investment in other areas and it’s quite likely that investment isn’t going to happen.

To put this another way, winning at football is going to be expensive. You want hockey and lax to foot that bill?

Football coach Tim Pendergast was fired in November 2003, after only 3 years due to his won-loss record by Andy.

CAS
Yes. Add in improved fundraising & school spirit. Columbia homecoming this year had the fourth highest attendance ever. Fix football, don’t accept running a doormat program

Brown is following the Columbia model by bringing in an outside consultant to do a top to bottom review of the football program, in addition to headhunting for their new head coach.

Tom Lento
Worth noting - I can’t recall an instance where Andy Noel fired a coach over won-loss record. The only mid-contract departures I can remember were either initiated by the coach or were vaguely tied to some failure to uphold the university code of conduct. I’m probably in the minority here but I don’t think that’s a bad policy for our AD to adopt. We’re not Michigan or Stanford.

I'm fine with it for our football and, to a lesser extent, basketball legacy programs we use to prop up the pretense of Ivy exceptionalism, which we monetize in other ways.

I wouldn't be fine with it in the sports where we are trying: hockey, crew, lacrosse, polo, track, ... um, maybe that's it?

Ideally we'd drop football as obsolete as bear-baiting, but as long as HYP clutch onto their programs we have play along. It'd be nice to figure out a way for them to pay us to lose to them, though, the way Vandy did.

So Brown fires a coach who won 3 Ivy titles & hires a consultant. Brown has financial constraints similar to Cornell. A big contrast to Andy’s inaction with a program that has lost 75% of its game in 6 years under Dave Archer. Wait, Andy did send an email out.

CAS
So Brown fires a coach who won 3 Ivy titles & hires a consultant. Brown has financial constraints similar to Cornell. A big contrast to Andy’s inaction with a program that has lost 75% of its game in 6 years under Dave Archer. Wait, Andy did send an email out.

It will be interesting to see what happens a year from now when Cornell ends next season with another 2-5 Ivy record.

reads to me like they'll make him make some staffing changes for next year though.

underskill
reads to me like they'll make him make some staffing changes for next year though.

Perhaps, but unless they suddenly announce some impactful transfers players, it's like re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

so is a coaching change at this point I fear.

underskill
so is a coaching change at this point I fear.

It can't get worse than Archer.

Ken711

underskill
so is a coaching change at this point I fear.

It can't get worse than Archer.

Andy: "Hold my beer."

my big fear is that dalton banks is much better than the guy replacing him and then we're really going to see what a bad team looks like

ugarte
my big fear is that dalton banks is much better than the guy replacing him and then we're really going to see what a bad team looks like

I don't think there is a replacement. Catanese runs only, a la Jates, as far as I can tell. The guy who could have replaced (or supplanted) Banks was Harley Kirsch, a highly-regarded recruit from Washington. But he developed a serious muscle-wasting disorder as a freshman and never took a varsity snap.

ugarte
my big fear is that dalton banks is much better than the guy replacing him and then we're really going to see what a bad team looks like

I would bet heavily on your fears. Cornell will have to rely heavily on Harold Coles in a run-based offense because there are no QBs with Banks' passing skills on the roster. If Cornell finishes better than 2-5 in the Ivy League they will be lucky.

Ken711

ugarte
my big fear is that dalton banks is much better than the guy replacing him and then we're really going to see what a bad team looks like

I would bet heavily on your fears. Cornell will have to rely heavily on Harold Coles in a run-based offense because there are no QBs with Banks' passing skills on the roster. If Cornell finishes better than 2-5 in the Ivy League they will be lucky.

But we'll get an A for effort.

Shit! If there was one thing I thought about the Ivy League, and especially Cornell, is that one doesn't find this kind of BS for rationalizing mediocrity. I thought that was something one mainly finds at factory schools, where grade inflation compensates for low standards and substitutes for remedial work that would take resources but actually help students who had been screwed out of a real education by their shitty high schools.

Trotsky

Tom Lento
Worth noting - I can’t recall an instance where Andy Noel fired a coach over won-loss record. The only mid-contract departures I can remember were either initiated by the coach or were vaguely tied to some failure to uphold the university code of conduct. I’m probably in the minority here but I don’t think that’s a bad policy for our AD to adopt. We’re not Michigan or Stanford.

I'm fine with it for our football and, to a lesser extent, basketball legacy programs we use to prop up the pretense of Ivy exceptionalism, which we monetize in other ways.

I wouldn't be fine with it in the sports where we are trying: hockey, crew, lacrosse, polo, track, ... um, maybe that's it?

Ideally we'd drop football as obsolete as bear-baiting, but as long as HYP clutch onto their programs we have play along. It'd be nice to figure out a way for them to pay us to lose to them, though, the way Vandy did.

... wrestling ...

David Harding
... wrestling ...

Is that you, Andy?

Brown is doing it the right way following the process that Columbia undertook which put their football program on the "winning track" not the "effort track" that Cornell seems to feel is adequate enough.

"Brown has hired a national search firm specializing in collegiate athletic searches (ADs and HCs).
They are interviewing alumni, athletics, administration, current players, and recent players.

They are moving fast, and focusing on all requirements of a successful program. No decisions or offers have been made.

The mission is to bring back Brown's football program to winning traditions and compete at the highest level in the Ivy league. The goal is to find an inspirational leader who has built sustainable programs that compete for championships, and understands the intricacies associated with the Ivy league as it pertains to admissions, recruiting, and fundraising."

Ken711
Brown is doing it the right way following the process that Columbia undertook which put their football program on the "winning track" not the "effort track" that Cornell seems to feel is adequate enough.

"Brown has hired a national search firm specializing in collegiate athletic searches (ADs and HCs).
They are interviewing alumni, athletics, administration, current players, and recent players.

They are moving fast, and focusing on all requirements of a successful program. No decisions or offers have been made.

The mission is to bring back Brown's football program to winning traditions and compete at the highest level in the Ivy league. The goal is to find an inspirational leader who has built sustainable programs that compete for championships, and understands the intricacies associated with the Ivy league as it pertains to admissions, recruiting, and fundraising."

Whether or not it results in winning football, I'm convinced Cornell needs to do this kind of consultant-assisted search for an AD. Andy has been lackadaisical about searches for two men's lacrosse coaches (firing DeLuca mid-year without any serious public explanation and then just promoting Kerwick; then, when Kerwick resigned -- or was pushed out -- he just promoted Milliman rather than do a national search). In both cases he took the easiest, cheapest way to replace the coach. Given that Cornell had pretty good players in both cases, even though he gave them "interim" titles, it was pretty predictable that their records would be decent in both cases, and he'd wind up promoting them to HC. But in both cases his lazy, cheap approach hurt recruiting. And Kerwick turned out to be a disaster (by Cornell lacrosse standards), and we're keeping our fingers crossed that Milliman will turn out to be the real thing. But we'll never know whom we might have had if Andy had been less lazy and cheap.

These characteristics of Andy are most clear for lacrosse, but we also see them in football and men's basketball. He's passive-aggressive, when we really need someone who's aggressive.

But hiring a consultant just to help find a new football HC is not what we need. We need to use Columbia's approach and have someone who can look at the entire program, from top to bottom, with a new HC being only part of the puzzle.

In fact, evaluation of the entire football program is still too narrow. Can you say "indoor facility" (for football, soccer, lacrosse, etc.) boys and girls?

Swampy

Ken711
Brown is doing it the right way following the process that Columbia undertook which put their football program on the "winning track" not the "effort track" that Cornell seems to feel is adequate enough.

"Brown has hired a national search firm specializing in collegiate athletic searches (ADs and HCs).
They are interviewing alumni, athletics, administration, current players, and recent players.

They are moving fast, and focusing on all requirements of a successful program. No decisions or offers have been made.

The mission is to bring back Brown's football program to winning traditions and compete at the highest level in the Ivy league. The goal is to find an inspirational leader who has built sustainable programs that compete for championships, and understands the intricacies associated with the Ivy league as it pertains to admissions, recruiting, and fundraising."

Whether or not it results in winning football, I'm convinced Cornell needs to do this kind of consultant-assisted search for an AD. Andy has been lackadaisical about searches for two men's lacrosse coaches (firing DeLuca mid-year without any serious public explanation and then just promoting Kerwick; then, when Kerwick resigned -- or was pushed out -- he just promoted Milliman rather than do a national search). In both cases he took the easiest, cheapest way to replace the coach. Given that Cornell had pretty good players in both cases, even though he gave them "interim" titles, it was pretty predictable that their records would be decent in both cases, and he'd wind up promoting them to HC. But in both cases his lazy, cheap approach hurt recruiting. And Kerwick turned out to be a disaster (by Cornell lacrosse standards), and we're keeping our fingers crossed that Milliman will turn out to be the real thing. But we'll never know whom we might have had if Andy had been less lazy and cheap.

These characteristics of Andy are most clear for lacrosse, but we also see them in football and men's basketball. He's passive-aggressive, when we really need someone who's aggressive.

But hiring a consultant just to help find a new football HC is not what we need. We need to use Columbia's approach and have someone who can look at the entire program, from top to bottom, with a new HC being only part of the puzzle.

In fact, evaluation of the entire football program is still too narrow. Can you say "indoor facility" (for football, soccer, lacrosse, etc.) boys and girls?

Spot on Swampy. A top to bottom review of the athletic department to include personnel and facilities as you rightly hit on. Where is the indoor practice facility that would benefit all varsity sport teams!

Princeton Tigers won football and men’s and women’s soccer. Ever been done? They also won men’s Ivy Hep cross country, men’s league water polo and reached Final Four in field hockey.

Brown just hired who I thought they would, James Perry the head coach at Bryant. Perry has a lot of experience in the Ivy League as a player, QB coach and Offensive Coordinator at Princeton. Smart hire by Brown.

CU77
Ohio State put 62 points on Michigan today, breaking a record (for regulation time) set by (wait for it) Cornell in 1891, when the Big Red beat the Wolverines 58-12 in Detroit, before a crowd of 2300.

We're still the Big Red of old in announced attendance. <sorry, that was cheap, but the pitch floated in just below the letters. Had to swing.>

Jim Hofher, former Cornell Head coach, just changed jobs again. For those who think you can’t win at Cornell, Hofher’s teams finished in the upper half of the Ivies every year he coached (‘90 -‘97). His overall Ivy record was 33 - 23.

CAS
Jim Hofher, former Cornell Head coach, just changed jobs again. For those who think you can’t win at Cornell, Hofher’s teams finished in the upper half of the Ivies every year he coached (‘90 -‘97). His overall Ivy record was 33 - 23.

I wonder if he regrets leaving Cornell for North Carolina. He's had a very peripatetic career -- 14 stops over 40 years, including two at Wake Forest and two at Syracuse. His record at Cornell includes one Ivy Championship (tie) and one second place finish - never finishing worse than fourth. Was he considered when Kent Austin left?

I don't understand all the complaining. By the transitive property of College Football, Cornell had a great year, with only 8 steps to the College Football Playoffs!

Cornell > Hahvahd > Yale > Maine > Villanova > Temple > Maryland > Texas > Oklahoma

Hofher was followed by Pete Mangurian, who went 11-10 in the Ivies from 1998-2000, including 10-4 in his last 2 years. Following Mangurian’s departure, Andy Noel, who became AD in 1999, has selected 4 coaches. Their combined Ivy record is 38-88 (2001-2018). Andy’s tenure as AD has seen Cornell football go from a consistent winner, contending for titles, to the bottom of the league.

CAS
Hofher was followed by Pete Mangurian, who went 11-10 in the Ivies from 1998-2000, including 10-4 in his last 2 years. Following Mangurian’s departure, Andy Noel, who became AD in 1999, has selected 4 coaches. Their combined Ivy record is 38-88 (2001-2018). Andy’s tenure as AD has seen Cornell football go from a consistent winner, contending for titles, to the bottom of the league.

Yeah, but how much has Andy saved on the budget for Cornell football?

CAS
Hofher was followed by Pete Mangurian, who went 11-10 in the Ivies from 1998-2000, including 10-4 in his last 2 years. Following Mangurian’s departure, Andy Noel, who became AD in 1999, has selected 4 coaches. Their combined Ivy record is 38-88 (2001-2018). Andy’s tenure as AD has seen Cornell football go from a consistent winner, contending for titles, to the bottom of the league.

Fielding a competitive football team that has a reasonable chance at winning the Ivy championship and at least finishes in the top half of the standings each year is possible with the right coach and administration support. Cornell I'm afraid due to Archer's contract extension is stuck with him for another season,