AJC Report: Cobb New Ga. St. AD

[EastHallApp]

I was in Atlanta this week,Cobb is going to have a very hard time getting support with the braves,hawks,falcons,ga tech,uga,the new college football hof and other distractions there.

The biggest hurdle is the fact that GaSt is the UNCC of Georgia. No college experience = no fans.

Another hurdle is that it's Atlanta. City already doesn't care about Georgia Tech or the Hawks and is pretty lukewarm on the Braves considering how successful they've been. Not to mention losing an NHL team a couple years ago. Just not much of a sports town, so hard to see why GSU would be what captures its imagination.

[App1990]

Cobb was a great party planner, but that was made easy by the success of Moore and Armanti. GeorgiaSt will be a hard sell to the fans. Yes, Cobb did some things, but he largely rode off the coattails of Moore and Armanti. If you look around, Cobb had a huge number of fails--driving basketball to a 300+ ranking, Buxx, Capel, etc. and he did want to fire Moore before the three-peat, he even refused to extend Moore's contract which was the clear precursor. Fortunately, Moore pushed back by performing on the field. But it shows Cobb's questionable judgement, if Buxx and Capel wasn't evidence enough. But eventually he did fire him, and how this was done (ignoring whether it should have been done) also shows his lack of ability. It embarrassed Moore and fractured AppNation. Then there is the inappropriately involvement in sexual assault cases, only caring about "the people that matter", "SunBelt is a glorified FCS conf", misjudging CUSA and being outplayed by UNCC, pathetic feasibility study, and on and on. I admit he did good things, but he is nowhere near the AD that he and many others think he is. App grew in spite of him, and would be even better if we had a quality AD during this period.

[App91]

Cobb was a great party planner, but that was made easy by the success of Moore and Armanti. GeorgiaSt will be a hard sell to the fans. Yes, Cobb did some things, but he largely rode off the coattails of Moore and Armanti. If you look around, Cobb had a huge number of fails--driving basketball to a 300+ ranking, Buxx, Capel, etc. and he did want to fire Moore before the three-peat, he even refused to extend Moore's contract which was the clear precursor. Fortunately, Moore pushed back by performing on the field. But it shows Cobb's questionable judgement, if Buxx and Capel wasn't evidence enough. But eventually he did fire him, and how this was done (ignoring whether it should have been done) also shows his lack of ability. It embarrassed Moore and fractured AppNation. Then there is the inappropriately involvement in sexual assault cases, only caring about "the people that matter", "SunBelt is a glorified FCS conf", misjudging CUSA and being outplayed by UNCC, pathetic feasibility study, and on and on. I admit he did good things, but he is nowhere near the AD that he and many others think he is. App grew in spite of him, and would be even better if we had a quality AD during this period.

Wow, could not agree less! No CC apologist here, but you simply fail to see thru those colored glasses. Did you forget that 2001 to 2004 was 9,8,7,6 wins per season? I think Cobb had a large hand in facilitating that success with bolstering the FB program. Facilities enhancement? I mean, we came in from the dark ages. Capel was not of his own doing, his hands were tied.

Did he do everything right? Of course not, but to say that he embarrassed the Univ., etc. is simply wrong, the facts do NOT back up that claim.

[T-Dog]

and he did want to fire Moore before the three-peat,

But he didn't, and it was his decision.

he even refused to extend Moore's contract which was the clear precursor.

I'm guessing you're meaning about 2004. Who besides a close friend would extend Moore after 2004?

Fortunately, Moore pushed back by performing on the field.

Actually having pressure to perform caused Jerry to perform.

But it shows Cobb's questionable judgement

Thinking about firing Jerry after 2004 with massive pressure to do so isn't questionable.

But eventually he did fire him, and how this was done (ignoring whether it should have been done) also shows his lack of ability. It embarrassed Moore and fractured AppNation.

If Jerry didn't want to be let go like he was, he should have remembered his deal to coach one more year the previous year. No one is above the program, not even Jerry.

Then there is the inappropriately involvement in sexual assault cases, only caring about "the people that matter",

The inappropriate handling was more on the university and Lori Gonzales than anyone in the AD's office. Blaming Cobb for that is lunacy.

"SunBelt is a glorified FCS conf", misjudging CUSA and being outplayed by UNCC, pathetic feasibility study, and on and on.

Publicly slobbering over C-USA was a blunder. He really though ECU had enough clout to get us in. He was wrong. C-USA wanted media markets over tradition. The Sun Belt comment was back under their previous leadership, when they publicly sneered at FCS moveups.

I admit he did good things, but he is nowhere near the AD that he and many others think he is. App grew in spite of him, and would be even better if we had a quality AD during this period.

Well we won't know. It's happened and while people can say that a trained monkey could have done well, Cobb did well.

[BearlyDoug]

Just one comment that I want to make regarding the C-USA vs Sun Belt arguments, then I'll let you return back to hashing out the logic that divides the CC supporters and non-supporters:

Even as recent as 3 years ago, C-USA was, hands down, better than the Sun Belt. With all of their defections to the AAC, and the "legacy" of some of the newer teams being brought in, that is not the case right now.

Amongst the G5 conferences (AAC is not included here), the Sun Belt edges out Conference USA. Adding ASU, NMSU and Georgia Southern is what edged out C-USA.

We'll see where things shake out once the SBC and Idaho decide to do with each other (they're going to have to move all sports in within the next 4 years, or be de-invited (and probably move back into the Big West conference, since MWC doesn't want them).

I almost went off on a stray tangeant, so I'll hold off on the rest of my thoughts for now.

[SpeedkingATL]

All I will say is that Charlie left the program in much better shape than he found it. He was a very good fundraiser and had a big hand in the great improvement in facilities under his watch. He made some missteps like the Capel hiring and didn't manage the retirement of Moore very well but overall he was a big plus for the university. GaSt is trying hard to become relevant in the ATL market and for that they need funding and lots of new facilities upgrades.......the things that Cobb is very good at leading.

I thank Charlie and wish him nothing but the best. Living only a few miles from GaSt I would love to see their program grow stronger, especially since they are also in the Belt.

[BearlyDoug]

Living only a few miles from GaSt I would love to see their program grow stronger, especially since they are also in the Belt.

I love this part of your post.

The entire conference has issues getting respect. Nevermind that the SBC had the most bowl eligible teams last year. Nevermind the fact that APR is consistently one of the highest in all conferences.

The better ALL schools become, the more respect the SBC will garner.

This was a good move for GSU, though I hate it that it impacts ASU so heavily.

This all starts with the Mountaineers handling their business against Michigan in a couple weeks.... again. Make it HAPPEN, guys!

One thing's for certain, the App State vs Georgia State game got just that much more interesting.

[ASUMountaineer]

Cobb was a great party planner, but that was made easy by the success of Moore and Armanti. GeorgiaSt will be a hard sell to the fans. Yes, Cobb did some things, but he largely rode off the coattails of Moore and Armanti. If you look around, Cobb had a huge number of fails--driving basketball to a 300+ ranking, Buxx, Capel, etc. and he did want to fire Moore before the three-peat, he even refused to extend Moore's contract which was the clear precursor. Fortunately, Moore pushed back by performing on the field. But it shows Cobb's questionable judgement, if Buxx and Capel wasn't evidence enough. But eventually he did fire him, and how this was done (ignoring whether it should have been done) also shows his lack of ability. It embarrassed Moore and fractured AppNation. Then there is the inappropriately involvement in sexual assault cases, only caring about "the people that matter", "SunBelt is a glorified FCS conf", misjudging CUSA and being outplayed by UNCC, pathetic feasibility study, and on and on. I admit he did good things, but he is nowhere near the AD that he and many others think he is. App grew in spite of him, and would be even better if we had a quality AD during this period.

Whoa, is this accurate? Cobb was hired, IIRC, in July 2005. The first championship was in December 2005, the season started in September 2005. You are saying that the day he sat in the AD chair, Cobb wanted to fire Moore, but for some reason he didn't?

I'm not saying Charlie Cobb was/is the greatest AD to ever live, but come on man...he wasn't as bad as you make him out to be. I was at App from 1999-2003--the Cobb/Peacock leadership was so vastly superior to the Bobo/Lamely lack of leadership. If you look at it objectively it's easy to see that Cobb had successes and blunders--welcome to reality.

[AtlAppMan]

I must also chime in here to say some positives for CC. Overall I give him a B+ grade. He did many good things but everything he touched didn't turn to gold.

I don't see how you can argue that he didn't achieve good things over his 10 yrs. Probably a lot of that is because Peacock was Chancellor during this period but you still cannot take away from CC his contributions or minimize them. Since they were here together we will never know how one would have performed without the other so that is a mute point. The fact is they jointly made a good team that unquestionably left the university in a much better place than they inherited.

Some positives were facilities improvements, fundraising, football attendance, football season ticket sells, athletic program pride improvements, etc.

I think his mens b-ball coach managment was a weak point during his tenure. There were defintiely contributing outside factors impacting this situation but they always are in any larger university so that is not an excuse. His final hire, Fox, the verdict is still out but at least it looks good on paper so hopefully history will be kind to us.

At this point, it will be good to get some new blood in here with fresh ideas and energy. Sometimes after 10 yrs people accumulate baggage and this allows all parties a chance for a fresh start. Since we are starting a new phase of our history it is probably a great time for this to occur. CC brought us from a decent FCS program to an elite FCS program to the doorstep of FBS program. Now we need an AD that can make us a relevant FBS program. The skills we need are next level fundraising including individual donors and corporate donors, FBS scheduling, next-level facilities enhancements (i.e. football stadium expansion to 30-40k level), success with both b-ball programs in new confernce, etc. The ball is now in Dr. Everts court to show her savvy as a great talent and character identifier.

[moehler]

This will be one of the biggest hires she makes, a lot of alumi are going to form lasting opinions on her based on how the new AD performs, she can't screw this up.

[JTApps1]

I was in Atlanta this week,Cobb is going to have a very hard time getting support with the braves,hawks,falcons,ga tech,uga,the new college football hof and other distractions there.

The biggest hurdle is the fact that GaSt is the UNCC of Georgia. No college experience = no fans.

I'd say Ga. State is much worse due to the lack of a real campus. At least UNCC isn't just a group of big buildings among many other buildings.

[wataugan03]

An AD's legacy and achievements cannot be defined by how the school teams perform in his first few years. This is because an AD's primary roles are to raise as much cash as possible, spend the cash in the best way possible, hire and fire head coaches, create positive publicity, etc. The effects of these moves are never felt quickly. Many find it hard to believe, but from an administrative standpoint, the seeds of our national championship years were set during the Laney years. Maybe you think Laney was a bad AD, and maybe he was, but that only goes to show that having a great AD is not a prerequisite to winning big on the field.

There are still many things Cobb can claim. The Buzz/Capel years are his. Fox is his. The end of Moore's tenure is his. The hiring of SS is his. The facility improvements and expansions are his. The money we borrowed to pay for some of that expansion is his. Our move to the sun-belt is his. 10 years of marketing and branding our his.

Cobb's legacy can't be fully evaluated yet. We still don't know how some of those decisions will turn out. And its worth remembering that sometimes the best decision you can make based on the information you have turns out to be the wrong decision. And sometimes the worst decision you can make based on the information you have will turn out to be a good decision.

On a similar note: Linda Robinson's decision to give Fancher a 3 year extension was panned at the time. Many thought it should have been a year at most so that Cobb could bring in his own man at the end of the next season. But looking back, that was the best 3 year run we've had in the last 15 years. And its the third best 3 year run we've ever had. Its hard to argue with the result. But you might still argue it was a bad call based on the information available to her.

[AppAttack]

Beasley is interim AD just announced.

Edit Link: http://chancellor.appstate.edu/messages/id/39

Any chance Beasley could end up getting the job? Why not???

[bcoach]

All I am going to say about fundraising capabilities is, " are the facilities paid for yet?"

[APPpines]

At the end of the day ..... This is great for App ... Cobb was a terrible AD in my opinion and will forever be remembered as the man that fired a legend !!! ... He handled that and the hiring of Buzz and Capel so poorly and now all three major sports just went through losing seasons (something that hasn't happened in 30 years I believe)!!! ... At the end of the day ... Thank heavens we had Coach Moore to win football games ... Without the football successes what does Cobb have to brag about ... The 3 National Championships and beating Michigan built the new stadium ... Not Charlie Cobb ... But he did fire the man that built it ... No excuse ever for that !!! ... At the end of the day ... This was long overdue and I look forward to a new AD that can really lead us and take us to the next level .... And get the 3 major sports programs winning again !!! ..... Go Apps !!!!

[Maddog1956]

I was in Atlanta this week,Cobb is going to have a very hard time getting support with the braves,hawks,falcons,ga tech,uga,the new college football hof and other distractions there.

The biggest hurdle is the fact that GaSt is the UNCC of Georgia. No college experience = no fans.

For CC watchers (I won't be after he's gone), it will be a great chance to see how much he build a football team without Moore and AE. He'll be in a great media market several 500's to ask for funds from all the resources to build great programs.

[asu66]

Beasley is interim AD just announced.

Edit Link: http://chancellor.appstate.edu/messages/id/39

Any chance Beasley could end up getting the job? Why not???

No. Rick is a back-patting, baby-kissing politician. He's not accustomed to working with the large amounts of money that it takes to run an entire athletic department. He's where he needs to be. He's not an accountant or a big wheeler or dealer.

[bcoach]

Beasley is interim AD just announced.

Edit Link: http://chancellor.appstate.edu/messages/id/39

Any chance Beasley could end up getting the job? Why not???

No. Rick is a back-patting, baby-kissing politician. He's not accustomed to working with the large amounts of money that it takes to run an entire athletic department. He's where he needs to be. He's not an accountant or a big wheeler or dealer.

Very true but a really important part of the CC run. He was the guy who would interact with the folks that CC wouldn't look at. Good at what he does.

[asu66]

All I am going to say about fundraising capabilities is, " are the facilities paid for yet?"

No and they won't be for many years. The debt is set up to be paid back over 21 years, There should be 13 or 14 "debt service" payments remaining to be paid. Once per year plus interest (debt service). It was done through bonds. Bonds are repaid on a schedule designed to pay the lenders yields on their money.

[bcoach]

All I am going to say about fundraising capabilities is, " are the facilities paid for yet?"

No and they won't be for many years. The debt is set up to be paid back over 21 years, There should be 13 or 14 "debt service" payments remaining to be paid. Once per year plus interest (debt service). It was done through bonds. Bonds are repaid on a schedule designed to pay the lenders yields on their money.

Thanks. That is the first full explanation I have seen on here. I think it was a horrible way to do it but at least now everyone knows.