As numerous places have reported, Pitt has hired Utah State Athletic Director Scott Barnes to replace some jagoff none of us liked. Barnes has an impressive resume since he took over for the Aggies in 2008, including chairman of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee and four consecutive bowl games under two different head coaches. Most importantly, Utah State set fundraising records during his tenure that resulted in success on the field and infrastructure improvements. No word yet on his opinion regarding an on campus stadium.
Per ESPN, DHR International was the search firm who headed up the effort.
NCAA Athletic Directors Salaries
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#34 Pittsburgh Steve Pederson – $596,595
#69 Utah State, Scott Barnes – $350,108
source: link to sports.usatoday.com
The kind of AD Pitt needs at this point. The kind of AD that was missing when that Cornhole Jagoff ran the show.
I’d love to ask him the question about the feasibility of an OCS. The right answer would be ‘Lets raise the funds to commission a feasibility study and let the data and facts tell us all.’
Scott will be worth millions if he can help change the mindset and culture of Pitt athletics.
Just so you know, Cornhole failed on 4 out of the 5 criteria. And we wonder why Pitt sports is on the trash heap.
Pitt’s stadium wouldn’t be a Turd hole. It would be referred to as the Pit or the Lair.
It would have more character and soul than that sterile bland ketchup stadium with screaming yellow seats.
Imagine Pitt’s scenery with the backdrop of TD Cathedral in the north end zone.
Heinz doesn’t even allow ACC logos on the field. I feel no connection with Pitt being at Heinz, a stadium built on the cheap by the Rooneys (see piss troughs) surrounded by a sea of asphalt. Do visiting fans even know where our campus is located?
I’m not smart enough to know how to do those things, but that it’s what the new AD will be charged with doing, he has that expertise.
He also likes MD, PSU, and Rutgers.
He honestly couldn’t go wrong with any of his choices. We (rightfully) rag on PSU and Rutgers for athletics, but they’re both top-notch universities, just like our own alma mater. MD is also a great school, especially for business.
I didn’t attend Pitt’s undergrad business school (A&S 2010 grad here), but a number of folks I knew did, and they seem be doing just fine out in the real world. Obviously if your grandson wants to continue on to Katz, starting out at Pitt is a great call. This is pretty much the opposite for kids wanting to go to Pitt’s Med school – they’re better off studying undergrad elsewhere.
I received compliments on my Pitt education from just about everywhere that I interviewed after undergrad. Eventually I was able to get a job. Unfortunately in the real world, it’s often more who you know that what you know that gets you hired. I don’t know if the business school has any job placement or internship programs that would help your grandson after graduation, but I also don’t know if the other schools on his list offer those kinds of services either.
All in all, Pitt is an excellent school for just about any field of study, and with the choices that your grandson has, it’s really more about where he feels most comfortable – they’re all excellent choices.
Just my two cents, and all the best to you and your grandson!
We’ll see, maybe I’ll feel a bit better after the presser.
@ PetePitt73 – as far as turning around football programs you can say that SP did exactly the same thing here at PITT. He was hired smack in the middle of the bad football teams in the mid-90s and we had winning teams 3 years afterward.
UPITTbaseball – perhaps you could take a minute and reread you posts before hitting submit.
If your grandson has any interest in IT, things are booming in the ‘burgh. CMU is going to build a 420,000 SF Inovation Center just off Craig St. The CMU biz school is excellent by the way.
And then this, from this morning’s fish wrap:
I agree with you . I think the student support the past couple of years has been good and spirited. Having attended a game at Virginia I found out they give away free tuition for a semester to one student in attendance during the 4th quarter of each home game. Pitt could afford that kind of enticement to further boost the students attendance. Also the Athletic department should focus on graduating seniors to buy season ticket plans, giving them a special discount not available to everyone, in order that the good times at Pitt football games continue in the future.
All I see is with my own eyes are the facts. Students don’t stay for the 4th quarter. Maybe you are the exception but certainly not the rule.
And all I hear and see in interviews and print is the moaning and bitching from students about the bus situation. If I were still a student, I’d probably chime right in.
When I went to school, I walked drunk up Cardiac Hill to see games played on campus. I then walked drunk down that hill from Pitt stadium.
The Pitt student body could do better for football. I don’t see a ‘ZOO’ at Heinz.
Dead on…