Hot Seat: Bob Toledo (Tulane)

Speaking of Tulane I think that with ULM and ULL making a push as "good" football programs Tulane will have to fight for in state recruits against them.

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Eta: people have to realize what holds alot of recruits back from tulane is the academics. And they aren't will to take the hit. Time and time again Scott tells me "we are not a football school. we are education first, sports second. "

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There you go.

Bob Toledo is a symptom of what is wrong with Tulane football(and all athletics), not the disease itself.

The disease itself is in Gibson Hall.

IMO, Scott Cowen would love to turn Tulane into the University of Chicago.

Unfortunately--his optimism notwithstanding--it would be a vastly academically inferior UC with no athletics.

That would be the worst of both worlds in Louisiana.

Unfortunately, it seems that a president of a private university is as much an all-powerful autocrat as the lord of a medieval manor--especially when he sits on his own board of supervisors.

Because of that, I despair of any paradigm shift in Tulane athletics.

Bob Toledo is not a bad coach-he and any other coach who comes to Tulane will be behind the 8-ball. In time however, you do get the right mix of athletes who excel both in the classroom and the field. When you actually have a good season, then you can attract those athlets who may otherwise go to Notre Dame or Stanford because they see you as a winning program and they-just like anyone else want to play at a winning program. I blame today's football troubles on that dumb woman athletic director yall had years ago. Yes, she made a great hire getting Tommy Bowden and after his perfect season, he went to Clemson recommending and saying all along he owed plenty of his success to Rich Rodriguiz. Remember, RR in addition to being the offensive mind behind the Wave, he was a great recruiter and had a great relationship with plenty of coaches in the area. Tulane was attracting the athletes that could play and qualify here. Many in the press and I'm sure in Tulane's upper ring thought it would be a slam dunk for RR to get the job. However, you know what happened-she snubs her nose at RR and hires Selfo. That was a terrible hire and that pretty much ruined Tulane football. RR would have been much more successful and would have kept getting the recruits needed to at least keep the program going.

Bob took over a horrible situation.

IMO extend his deal for 2 years and keep him short erm

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Who wants to play in an empty stadium every week?

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I agree. If I am an opposing coach recruiting a kid interested in Tulane, the first thing I do is show him video of a Tulane game and say "son, is THIS the atmosphere you want to play in?"

This in no way is a reflection on the faithful Tulane fans and students that do show up. Build an on-campus stadium of about 35K, have a decent, exciting team, and watch Tulane football take off.

But I am astounded at people on the Tulane boards who have their heads buried in the sand and say: "the Superdome is a recruiting tool for us!"

It sure is a recruiting tool--for the universities competing against Tulane for athletes.

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Who wants to play in an empty stadium every week?

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They need to go all out Tad Gormley and give the Dome a rest. TG seats like 26,000 people. When the program gets built enough to justify more seating then start looking at other possibilities.

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In time however, you do get the right mix of athletes who excel both in the classroom and the field. When you actually have a good season, then you can attract those athlets

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Ummmm, No. And here is why:

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who may otherwise go to Notre Dame or Stanford

Think: Georgia Tech.

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Notre Dame probably has the largest endowment of any FBS program. And Georgia Tech, Stanford, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Duke and Baylor are all in BCS confrences.

SMU got destroyed on probation and afterwards after the Southwest Conference broke up, but they are getting better because they went and got a great coach and relaxed the academic standards. TCU is really the exception to the rule, but I suspect they come back down to earth soon.

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I blame today's football troubles on that dumb woman athletic director yall had years ago. Yes, she made a great hire getting Tommy Bowden and after his perfect season, he went to Clemson recommending and saying all along he owed plenty of his success to Rich Rodriguiz. Remember, RR in addition to being the offensive mind behind the Wave, he was a great recruiter and had a great relationship with plenty of coaches in the area. Tulane was attracting the athletes that could play and qualify here. Many in the press and I'm sure in Tulane's upper ring thought it would be a slam dunk for RR to get the job. However, you know what happened-she snubs her nose at RR and hires Selfo. That was a terrible hire and that pretty much ruined Tulane football. RR would have been much more successful and would have kept getting the recruits needed to at least keep the program going.

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It would have been interesting to see.

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Pipe dream.

What was ever left of the Tulane "fan base" is pretty much all dead and buried, or at least with one foot in the grave.

Sad, but it's reality

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I'm a realist.

Tulane will never be a BCS powerhouse.

But build a realistic, state-of-the-art, on-campus stadium where the students can walk to the game, realize the moneymaker athletics, particularly football-is, put the program on par with other strong mid-majors ... and Tulane can realistically get 35-40K for home games.

FAR from a pipe-dream, friend.

Tulane needs to go the route of Washington U in St Louis. It needs to go Div I AA or III in football. The idea that Tulane will ever reach above mediocracy in football is long past.

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basketball's on campus yet i don't see tulane filling up fogelman...

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... and LSU fills up Tiger Stadium and doesn't near fill up the PMAC.

Your point is ...?