Valpo hired a search firm to get a D3 coach?
I am in the middle between Rez and 16 on this one. Being a head football coach at Valpo isn't easy and a stepping stone for bigger opportunities, except for Carlson who was a complete buffoon. Fox was not a bad coach and I think he was sacked when his contract ran out. Who knows if he would even stayed if Valpo gave him a paycut which would have been likely.
Valpo should also be able to compete against Drake. No excuses, both schools are similar.
Fox had to take a paycut to hire an external OC. I know that for an absolute fact. I also know that Hosmer was not able to retain All Wright and Cooper Schweiger. I also know for a fact , Hosmer's main objective right now is to turn a profit for the Athletic's department by cutting costs.
Football: 1-5
Baseball: 10-40
Track & Field: Bottom 25% in all meets
Womens BB: 13-19
Women’s Soccer: 4-13-1
Softball: 20-30
Basketball: 15-19
One winning sport last 12 months. Volleyball is 12-5 RN. To say she’s here to win… come on now
She increased profit's last year so she is in a sense doing the job she was hired to do. To say Valpo athletic's is there to compete at the highest level right now is just incorrect. There have been sports dropped, every player in every remaining sport that has enough remote success to leave, leaves.
Entire Athletic's department is hanging on the investment made in Roger Powell. Who was a big hire
Using the not keeping Cooper and all thing is entirely disingenuous the the situation. Both were very fond of their time at Valpo. Life changing money is life changing money. People can claim all they want that they would. (Hold true to their values and not transfer and) But I know for a fact that if you were offered a million dollars to do what you love, you would take it in a heartbeat. Every athletic program ever is there to be competitive, to claim that someone isn't trying to be competitive. Just shows you don't understand what you are talking about. How does Hosmer have any sway on keeping Cooper and All. Their major reason for leaving was because they were both getting either a 6 figure or 3/4 of a six figure paycheck to play for other programs. Thats not a Hosmer issue. Thats a donor issue. Which there have been multiple efforts into investing in donor/alumni/community engagement with Hosmer and her cohort to find those willing to give some cash for pay for play. If saving money was truly the top tier goal(not saying it isnt a goal, just not the focus) why would Valpo have opted in to the house settlement? Pay for Play costs a lot more money in scholarships and "paying for play"
An athletic org that doesn't "want to win" as you put it is just as oxymoronic as a chocolate factory that products cabbage. Be serious here.
Rez - but if Valpo athletics goal is to be competetitive, then we are failing miserably.
Rez - but if Valpo athletics goal is to be competetitive, then we are failing miserably.
Crack a few eggs to make an omelet. My major issue is with the notion that accepting mediocrity is a good thing and should be celebrated
Bingo. Can twist , bend, wrap around narratives. Proofs in W&L column.
As someone who put blood, sweat, and tears into Valpo athletics. Marketed for the football team for free. And followed closely for 15 years. Donated funds. People like Rez are a big reason alum are shying away.
Calling players a load of crap, coaches who people know mediocre. I can promise you, the poster would never say any of this to anyone’s face
Its like you said, proof is in the W&L column. Fox could only muster 1 season over 500 in conference play. 500 is the literal definition of mediocre, average, whatever you want to call it. Sure he was a good guy, and mediocre was a massive improvement over previous regimes, but to be ok with accepting 500 level play is just absurd. Regardless of the circumstances. There are plenty of cases where institutions at all levels (regardless of location, or revenue are able to be competitive and achieve top of the line results). Valpo was an example of this at one time. So are the 2025 Milwaukee Brewers.
Donors like to see wins. Fans like to see wins, communities like to rally behind winning teams. 500 ball doesnt increase support for a program. The reason alums/donors/the community is shying away is because of media representation and the lack of success on the field/court/pool/pitch. Its simple economics. People dont want to buy into a product that is just average. They would rather sit at home and tune in casually than spend money to be there in person. IU Football wasnt pulling good attendance and revenue until their magical season last year.
To make claims that the AD doesnt want to be competitive and is only looking for the profit margins is just simply absurd. Especially when there have been efforts directly contrary to that statement.
IU Has the second largest donor base for NIL in the nation. Yes, if Valparaiso had that I am positive you would see better results. Valpo is in self preservation mode financially, it is widely known. Hosmer, if you want to grade her on winning F, if you grade her on savings athletics money B-C.
Valpo is in the MVC now with ESPN+. Viewership capabilities have never been larger on a national level. They just aren't successful in the grand scheme of things. IU wasn't "magical" they started spending an absolute load of money on their football program. Which Valparaiso is unwilling to do for any program outside of basketball at the moment and that is relatively, not nationally.
I am going to give you a history lesson and then stop going back and forth. Mark Labarbara made the change for Valparaiso to leave the Horizon League and go to the MVC. Shortly thereafter Lottich was bought out taking funds up from the University (Enrollment is down, majors are down, law school is closed). During this period Valparaiso dropped men's soccer, alienating that alumni base. They then switched their mascot from the Crusader to the Beacon. Also during this time period there was a pitch and large battle about selling artwork from the VUCA so the University could find money for increased success.
Labarbara retired. Charles Small took the job and left. Hosmer was an interim AD made AD. Why? who knows, but the early returns are that the sports are in cost cutting mode because the University is tight on cash. Powell was a big splash and probably the biggest splash Valparaiso has made in a decade. I know you referenced All Wright and Schweiger leaving was unrelated but it is not entirely. 1) the corporate sponsorships are not there. Valparaiso had more students than Xavier currently has as recently as the mid 2010's. But it has been a downward slope in several areas. Wake Forest is in the ACC and I agree that Cooper could not have received a competitive offer at Valparaiso. But there is minimal NIL money at Valparaiso currently.
Alumni and people in the know understand the challenges the above present. So comparing Valparaiso to a IU, Minnesota, Northwestern, Wake Forest. Is extremely unrealistic. The acceptance rate is up to 97% meaning that if you are willing to pay the money, the school is willing to take you. This used to not be the case as recently as 15 years ago.
This is all before getting into campus life, lack of dorm renovations , etc etc. Spend a weekend at Dayton and a weekend at Valparaiso as a college kid. It is night and day. Couple in Northwest Indiana weather and lack of indoor practice facilities for outdoor sports.
And you land here. Hoping to be competitive in the modern college landscape. If any other old timers believe I am wrong, please chime in
Hosmer, if you want to grade her on winning F, if you grade her on savings athletics money B-C.
Not sure who you were thinking about but I doubt it was actually Laurel Hosmer. She has been on the job (as AD) for just over one whole year!
Clearly the University has financial issues but the dedication to athletics is large enough to let a head basketball coach go with the accompanying financial costs. She fired the football coach for underachieving, she fired the women's basketball coach for underachieving. She has hired three head coaches. All with previous successful HEAD coaching histories. That, I'm pretty sure cost a fair amount more than an assistant coach at Dayton or an assistant coach at Ohio (women's bb coach)
So to judge her on winning? As I noted, she has just completed ONE year. The athletic department just announced significant improvement in athletic fund raising year over year. Maybe that got her the B-C. She has made bold moves. Clearly softball made giant improvements. Let's give it a little longer to see how things go. I expect continued effort to turn other programs around. She just couldn't fire everybody all at once!
3 head coaches, 2 yielding improved results y/y. Let's hope all 3 do. FWIW I have heard she has increased funds in the Athletic Dept. I did not say Laurel was bad at her job by any means. I am saying that it is not likely Valparaiso will go all in financially over athletics to make us a destination location.
In terms of the F. 95% of athletic programs not producing winning results is not good. But I understand. Cannot clean house all at once
Perhaps the strategy is to place almost all the eggs in the men's basketball basket which is the big sport at Valpo, and reduce the other eggs to the other sports.
Being at the game, I cannot express how awful they were on Saturday. The player parents were pissed a sarcastic.
IU wasn't "magical" they started spending an absolute load of money on their football program. Which Valparaiso is unwilling to do for any program outside of basketball at the moment and that is relatively, not nationally.
@valpofb16 , you are spot on except for the quote above. it is not as if VU is unwilling to spend money, it is that they simply do not have the money to spend. Over the last decade (through June of 2024), VU has averaged annual deficits of $10.3M. VU has borrowed substantially under President Heckler and President Padilla, though that is now very difficult to do.
As to Coach Fox, he was no worse than many of the coaches at VU, and we all can appreciate the difficulties of the job. What is different here is the timing - if the new AD renews his contract, then the AD owns that decision and the outcome. Hiring a new coach allows the AD more time to turn things around across all sports, because no one will blame the AD if the new coach is not successful in year 1 or year 2. By years 3-5, if the new coach is not successful, then that decision rests with the AD.
IU wasn't "magical" they started spending an absolute load of money on their football program. Which Valparaiso is unwilling to do for any program outside of basketball at the moment and that is relatively, not nationally.
@valpofb16 , you are spot on except for the quote above. it is not as if VU is unwilling to spend money, it is that they simply do not have the money to spend. Over the last decade (through June of 2024), VU has averaged annual deficits of $10.3M. VU has borrowed substantially under President Heckler and President Padilla, though that is now very difficult to do.
As to Coach Fox, he was no worse than many of the coaches at VU, and we all can appreciate the difficulties of the job. What is different here is the timing - if the new AD renews his contract, then the AD owns that decision and the outcome. Hiring a new coach allows the AD more time to turn things around across all sports, because no one will blame the AD if the new coach is not successful in year 1 or year 2. By years 3-5, if the new coach is not successful, then that decision rests with the AD.
COuldnt have said it better myself
As for the IU thing. They were exactly as you described Valpo pre Cignetti fb. Albeit they had different monetary circumstances. IU had a boatload of money and a very profitable donor base. Said donor base was unwilling to support football largely due to, get this, success on the field. why would alumi/donors be interested in funneling their cash into the "worst FBS program of all time". Once cignetti comes in and IU starts to become a household name, their donations improved immensely. I know people close to the program who verified this, but you dont need insider information to figure that out. All that info is public knowledge. I dont need a history lesson either. You act as if I am a "new fan", but you know nothing about how long I have supported this program, or how I have seen the big machine of college athletics change just in the past few years. The points I made were not comparing Valpo to these other programs, but using your arguments and putting them onto other programs. if they seem unrealistic and odd. You might want to look at your original argument. As for Cooper and All. I said basically exactly what you said. Cooper and All loved their time at Valpo. Loved the people around them, but Valpo doesnt have 2 million dollars lying around to pay the both of them
Life changing money is life changing money. No matter how much you love a program and the people you met.
As for the cost cutting mode argument. I find it hard to believe the athletic dept has anything to do with the university as a whole. Typically, while both operating under the same budget, college athletic departments manage their own money and expenses. If the athletic department is not doing this I would be thoroughly surprised. Valpo has reported increased revenue over the span of a few years for athletics. Hosmer as the AD certainly hasnt the amount of cost cutting measures you have suggested. If anything, Hosmer has attempted to find new ways to earn cash that doesnt require cutting costs at other programs (UChicago med partnership, opting into the House Settlement, increased NIL budget, better community engagement and fan engagement, ect ect). I have received regular calls from the athletic department about how I am doing and what I believe could be done to improve the situation and fan experience. Previous administrations would likely never have done this As others have stated. Hosmer didnt end the Mens soccer program. Hosmer didnt change the mascot. Hosmer has been AD for a single year. What Hosmer has done is fire underperforming coaches, or let go of underperforming coaches at the end of their contract.
"I know people close to the program who verified this, but you dont need insider information to figure that out"
"I have received regular calls from the athletic department about how I am doing and what I believe could be done to improve the situation and fan experience."
Come on now
Other people have gotten those calls to. If you went to the basketball session inside of the chili bowl you had the opportunity to put your name on a list to receive such calls and regular updates via email. They followed through on that commitment. I suggest contacting Burns-McCourt inside of the athletic department. He was the one who made those calls.
As for the IU info. Most public schools, including IU, release their NIL figures and where they are going.
