Coach's Caravan May 12th

[Tintin]

@49r9r

[quote=“NinerWupAss, post:19, topic:30338”]What I take is that if we want a grass roots effort to impact conference alignment we need to focus on name and alumni involvement. Since the name thing isn’t changing under Phile we need to mobilize our efforts in getting more alumni involved both at games and giving.

Hypothetical Question: What would Phil’s reaction be if the SEC did actually come knocking on our door and say we are under consideration but we have to change our name? I hope the “name issue” does not become a reason/excuse we are held back. It has not held back USF, UCF, or UCLA.

There is no argument from me regarding the Alumni and Giving, but I think we would see a dramatic change if we would jump to a better conference, assuming the school reached out to them. Once we got rolling, many of our alums would want to jump on the bandwagon.[/quote]

I disagree. I think UCF and USF have absolutely been held down. Both of these schools have 50,000 students in huge markets and aren’t getting a sniff from any Big boy conference.

[system]

@Tintin

[quote=“49r9r, post:20, topic:30338”][quote=“NinerWupAss, post:19, topic:30338”]What I take is that if we want a grass roots effort to impact conference alignment we need to focus on name and alumni involvement. Since the name thing isn’t changing under Phile we need to mobilize our efforts in getting more alumni involved both at games and giving.

Hypothetical Question: What would Phil’s reaction be if the SEC did actually come knocking on our door and say we are under consideration but we have to change our name? I hope the “name issue” does not become a reason/excuse we are held back. It has not held back USF, UCF, or UCLA.

There is no argument from me regarding the Alumni and Giving, but I think we would see a dramatic change if we would jump to a better conference, assuming the school reached out to them. Once we got rolling, many of our alums would want to jump on the bandwagon.[/quote]

I disagree. I think UCF and USF have absolutely been held down. Both of these schools have 50,000 students in huge markets and aren’t getting a sniff from any Big boy conference.[/quote]

I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said about UCF and USF…but I will also point out that UCF/Orlando is Gator country and USF/Tampa is a hodge podge of UF, FSU, UM, etc., and much like Charlotte, has a large population of northern transplants that root for the likes of Cuse, Rutgers, Maryland, etc. What I’m getting at is that these markets are already tapped by the ACC and SEC, so what benefit does either conference get from adding more schools from markets they already own? That’s the thing about the SEC/Charlotte scenario…North Carolina is the 10th most populous state and Charlotte is a top 25 television market that the SEC would probably love to invade.

[s9er]

@NinerWupAss

When I asked about Davidson, explaining how much I hated them, he said there is a reckoning coming.

This is the best comment of the evening… And NWA had quite a few solid bits of info

[NinerWupAss]

Oh and one other thing. Lambert said Wake proposed a series, 2-1 and he said no thanks. He said we have bigger programs going 1-1, we aren’t doing that. He did say he really likes the GA State series, playing in GA and in ATL is good for the program. Price said they are still working on the schedule - one game in particular fans would really like if it happens. He did not mention names. Also said Oregon State game is a go. I said for real? And he said well they haven’t called to back out yet.

Ok so that was more than one thing.

[system]

@jfickett

[quote=“Tintin, post:21, topic:30338”][quote=“49r9r, post:20, topic:30338”][quote=“NinerWupAss, post:19, topic:30338”]What I take is that if we want a grass roots effort to impact conference alignment we need to focus on name and alumni involvement. Since the name thing isn’t changing under Phile we need to mobilize our efforts in getting more alumni involved both at games and giving.

Hypothetical Question: What would Phil’s reaction be if the SEC did actually come knocking on our door and say we are under consideration but we have to change our name? I hope the “name issue” does not become a reason/excuse we are held back. It has not held back USF, UCF, or UCLA.

There is no argument from me regarding the Alumni and Giving, but I think we would see a dramatic change if we would jump to a better conference, assuming the school reached out to them. Once we got rolling, many of our alums would want to jump on the bandwagon.[/quote]

I disagree. I think UCF and USF have absolutely been held down. Both of these schools have 50,000 students in huge markets and aren’t getting a sniff from any Big boy conference.[/quote]

I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said about UCF and USF…but I will also point out that UCF/Orlando is Gator country and USF/Tampa is a hodge podge of UF, FSU, UM, etc., and much like Charlotte, has a large population of northern transplants that root for the likes of Cuse, Rutgers, Maryland, etc. What I’m getting at is that these markets are already tapped by the ACC and SEC, so what benefit does either conference get from adding more schools from markets they already own? That’s the thing about the SEC/Charlotte scenario…North Carolina is the 10th most populous state and Charlotte is a top 25 television market that the SEC would probably love to invade.[/quote]

clt says the acc was dominant in charlotte 25 years ago. simply not the case now, clt agrees with you.

[bleedsgreenandgold]

@Tintin

Both of these schools have 50,000 students in huge markets and aren’t getting a sniff from any Big boy conference.

The BIG 12 has reached out to UCF but I’m not sure if the same has been done with USF.

[Niner_National]

[quote=“NinerWupAss, post:24, topic:30338”]Oh and one other thing. Lambert said Wake proposed a series, 2-1 and he said no thanks. He said we have bigger programs going 1-1, we aren’t doing that. He did say he really likes the GA State series, playing in GA and in ATL is good for the program. Price said they are still working on the schedule - one game in particular fans would really like if it happens. He did not mention names. Also said Oregon State game is a go. I said for real? And he said well they haven’t called to back out yet.

Ok so that was more than one thing.[/quote]I’m guessing either NCSU or a former CUSA rival (Louisville, Cinci, or Memphis).

Doubt Duke or UNC would give us the time of day and honestly, I’d rather not play them.

[ninerID]

alumni involvement is not going to happen with a 15k seat stadium with absolutely no communication with the alumni on aspirations and goals.

There is no grassroots effort that can overcome that.

There needs to be a cultural shift of communication between the POB and the alumni. Their group of a dozen friends may be the financial backing, but they can only fill a dozen seats. The department needs to be more engaging and including more people.

The absolute best case scenario for this school is to join the SEC. The next best case is for this school to do every attempt it can to be attractive to be considered by the SEC but fall short.

[NinerWupAss]

[quote=“ninerID, post:28, topic:30338”]alumni involvement is not going to happen with a 15k seat stadium with absolutely no communication with the alumni on aspirations and goals.

There is no grassroots effort that can overcome that.

There needs to be a cultural shift of communication between the POB and the alumni. Their group of a dozen friends may be the financial backing, but they can only fill a dozen seats. The department needs to be more engaging and including more people.

The absolute best case scenario for this school is to join the SEC. The next best case is for this school to do every attempt it can to be attractive to be considered by the SEC but fall short.[/quote]

I agree there are limits to what we can do, but I do think we can own reaching out to more people. We can be a conduit between the school and those that are not communicated to. We often know more than most alumni because we put effort into it and the school sucks at it. We can at least work to fill that gap.

[stonecoldken]

NWA did Judy state what the AD’s Office is going to do to be proactive about reaching more alums?

[emf]

[quote=“NinerWupAss, post:29, topic:30338”][quote=“ninerID, post:28, topic:30338”]alumni involvement is not going to happen with a 15k seat stadium with absolutely no communication with the alumni on aspirations and goals.

There is no grassroots effort that can overcome that.

There needs to be a cultural shift of communication between the POB and the alumni. Their group of a dozen friends may be the financial backing, but they can only fill a dozen seats. The department needs to be more engaging and including more people.

The absolute best case scenario for this school is to join the SEC. The next best case is for this school to do every attempt it can to be attractive to be considered by the SEC but fall short.[/quote]

I agree there are limits to what we can do, but I do think we can own reaching out to more people. We can be a conduit between the school and those that are not communicated to. We often know more than most alumni because we put effort into it and the school sucks at it. We can at least work to fill that gap.[/quote]
As unpopular as it is to say it, I think the majority of alums are a lost cause because they didn’t develop an emotional attachment to the university while they were students. I’ve seen tweets saying a $149 donation for a brick on alumni way was too much, or complaining about being asked to donate $49 because the university got paid tuition, that’s all they’re gonna get. The only way they’re going to re-engage with the university is SEC bandwagonism.

I think we need to take the long view and focus on making the current students’ experience as memorable as possible. The pieces are falling into place to help with that, and things like Black Lot / Alumni Pavillion that put alums and students together are going to go a long way in bringing those students back as (donating) alums.

[NinerWupAss]

[quote=“emf, post:31, topic:30338”][quote=“NinerWupAss, post:29, topic:30338”][quote=“ninerID, post:28, topic:30338”]alumni involvement is not going to happen with a 15k seat stadium with absolutely no communication with the alumni on aspirations and goals.

There is no grassroots effort that can overcome that.

There needs to be a cultural shift of communication between the POB and the alumni. Their group of a dozen friends may be the financial backing, but they can only fill a dozen seats. The department needs to be more engaging and including more people.

The absolute best case scenario for this school is to join the SEC. The next best case is for this school to do every attempt it can to be attractive to be considered by the SEC but fall short.[/quote]

I agree there are limits to what we can do, but I do think we can own reaching out to more people. We can be a conduit between the school and those that are not communicated to. We often know more than most alumni because we put effort into it and the school sucks at it. We can at least work to fill that gap.[/quote]
As unpopular as it is to say it, I think the majority of alums are a lost cause because they didn’t develop an emotional attachment to the university while they were students. I’ve seen tweets saying a $149 donation for a brick on alumni way was too much, or complaining about being asked to donate $49 because the university got paid tuition, that’s all they’re gonna get. The only way they’re going to re-engage with the university is SEC bandwagonism.

I think we need to take the long view and focus on making the current students’ experience as memorable as possible. The pieces are falling into place to help with that, and things like Black Lot / Alumni Pavillion that put alums and students together are going to go a long way in bringing those students back as (donating) alums.[/quote]

Judy mentioned that - that classes pre 1996 are the toughest to get to because those are the classes that did not have Halton and the school was markedly smaller. While I agree with that to an extent, many of those alums haven’t been on campus recently and still have the image of the school circa 1992. We need to get them back on campus to see things. I do agree though it is critical to capture new and recent grads. As the school grows the # of alumni we are going to start kicking out is going to grow exponentially.

[system]

We really need to get more alumni directed to and engaged in this website. It is our #1 communication vehicle and the best community we have.

[NinerWupAss]

@NinerAdvocate

We really need to get more alumni directed to and engaged in this website. It is our #1 communication vehicle and the best community we have.

I will tell you from my talk with Judy last night that Phil does not approve of any non-official group doing work that the AD and/or school is doing. Not that I care about that, but just something to think about. I agree we need to push this site and get more people involved, we just aren’t going to get the schools blessing in doing so.

[Niner_National]

[quote=“NinerAdvocate, post:33, topic:30338”]We really need to get more alumni directed to and engaged in this website. It is our #1 communication vehicle and the best community we have.[/quote]Then it needs to be more than just a message board about sports.

Just like our marketing for the school is a mish-mash of people and departments that don’t work together and don’t go by the same names, so are our alumni / grassroots mediums.

NNN is great, but then we have many of the same people here running / being active with Green Roots (which I personally think is not the best name because it is ambiguous nobody has any idea what it references unless they ask). Rather than unifying everything, and co-operating with other major Niner-related social media groups, there is no cohesion.

Next month we have “Green Roots presents light rail bar crawl 6.” That could be a HUGE event. I tell my coworkers about it and they think it’s an awesome idea. I would brand everything as Niner Nation unless the school holds some kind of trademark on that that won’t allow it. Although we don’t have the greatest brand presence in the city, Niner Nation resonates with a lot of people. Newscasters use that phrase sometimes when referring to our fans, Niner Nation shirts are seen around the city, banners with Niner Nation are found, not to mention we have tens of thousands of alums in the area that know the phrase. Hand out business cards with links to NinerNation.Net at Niner Nation events. You can get 500 good looking full color business cards printed at Staples for $9.99. The site could host contests to entice people to sign up / be more involved. If we actually had a very active userbase, we could very easily use the website data to solicit sponsorships for giveaways and contests.

I feel like a lot of people fall out of touch with Niner things because they feel like nobody else cares / they don’t have anyone else to talk to about it. I remember talking to a guy once when I was working at Sears in college and he was blown away that I was actually a fan. Said he never really had anyone to talk to about Niner sports. Hell, I’ve even hesitated to bring us up in conversations before because I feel like people won’t care or will make fun of the program.

I’m doing a lot of complaining for someone that isn’t really very active I know. Just trying to point out what I see as areas that could be improved on. It’s just a shame it has to fall on the alums to do this anyway because the administration does such a poor job of it. We have limited alums that really, truly care, and we should try to unify all of their efforts into one platform rather than having several with a small following.

I would incorporate State of Charlotte into Niner Nation so this site is a news site in addition to just a message board. I’d be happy to provide articles about construction and development as well as general University City news. I’m sure others here could keep us abreast to program developments and educational achievements.

[NinerWupAss]

Good stuff NN. Name change is up on the menu for GR. I was never a huge fan of the name, but we were a little nervous about making it sound too official or connected. At this point I don’t really care. We have a few things in the works and will announce when we are ready.

[Niner_National]

[quote=“NinerWupAss, post:36, topic:30338”]Good stuff NN. Name change is up on the menu for GR. I was never a huge fan of the name, but we were a little nervous about making it sound too official or connected. At this point I don’t really care. We have a few things in the works and will announce when we are ready.[/quote]Understandable, but also agree that you shouldn’t care.

If they don’t hold a trademark for the phrase (and I’m sure they don’t since the SF 49ers use the phrase too), I’d try to seem as official as possible. It’s not like we’re going to pull money away from the AD.

Let me know if/how I can help. I’m hoping to quit my job in the next few weeks, so I should have more free time.

[49er1]

[quote=“ninerID, post:28, topic:30338”]alumni involvement is not going to happen with a 15k seat stadium with absolutely no communication with the alumni on aspirations and goals.

There is no grassroots effort that can overcome that.

There needs to be a cultural shift of communication between the POB and the alumni. Their group of a dozen friends may be the financial backing, but they can only fill a dozen seats. The department needs to be more engaging and including more people.

The absolute best case scenario for this school is to join the SEC. The next best case is for this school to do every attempt it can to be attractive to be considered by the SEC but fall short.[/quote]

Actually the absolute best case scenario is for our football and men’s basketball teams to win, win, and win some more. THAT will bring out the borderline fans and alums who will initiate contact and WANT to support the programs. It’s very tough to be successful advocating and soliciting $$$ for LOSING programs. Some may just say it’s the chicken/egg thing, but WINNING is what REALLY makes a difference, especially to programs like ours that are not steeped in years of tradition and generations of family involvement.

[NinerGreene]

[quote=“49er1, post:38, topic:30338”][quote=“ninerID, post:28, topic:30338”]alumni involvement is not going to happen with a 15k seat stadium with absolutely no communication with the alumni on aspirations and goals.

There is no grassroots effort that can overcome that.

There needs to be a cultural shift of communication between the POB and the alumni. Their group of a dozen friends may be the financial backing, but they can only fill a dozen seats. The department needs to be more engaging and including more people.

The absolute best case scenario for this school is to join the SEC. The next best case is for this school to do every attempt it can to be attractive to be considered by the SEC but fall short.[/quote]

Actually the absolute best case scenario is for our football and men’s basketball teams to win, win, and win some more. THAT will bring out the borderline fans and alums who will initiate contact and WANT to support the programs. It’s very tough to be successful advocating and soliciting $$$ for LOSING programs. Some may just say it’s the chicken/egg thing, but WINNING is what REALLY makes a difference, especially to programs like ours that are not steeped in years of tradition and generations of family involvement.[/quote]

Correct, I really don’t dream of us being another Vanderbilt.

[Normmm]

[quote=“JaMiNNiNeR, post:39, topic:30338”][quote=“49er1, post:38, topic:30338”][quote=“ninerID, post:28, topic:30338”]alumni involvement is not going to happen with a 15k seat stadium with absolutely no communication with the alumni on aspirations and goals.

There is no grassroots effort that can overcome that.

There needs to be a cultural shift of communication between the POB and the alumni. Their group of a dozen friends may be the financial backing, but they can only fill a dozen seats. The department needs to be more engaging and including more people.

The absolute best case scenario for this school is to join the SEC. The next best case is for this school to do every attempt it can to be attractive to be considered by the SEC but fall short.[/quote]

Actually the absolute best case scenario is for our football and men’s basketball teams to win, win, and win some more. THAT will bring out the borderline fans and alums who will initiate contact and WANT to support the programs. It’s very tough to be successful advocating and soliciting $$$ for LOSING programs. Some may just say it’s the chicken/egg thing, but WINNING is what REALLY makes a difference, especially to programs like ours that are not steeped in years of tradition and generations of family involvement.[/quote]

Correct, I really don’t dream of us being another Vanderbilt.[/quote]

Why would anyone? I prefer trying to be like Louisville.

Having said that, I’d trade places with Vanderbilt in a heartbeat.