Tyra's good bye letter.
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Thanks for the nice letter. But I need to say that I was ready for you to move on to your next adventure in life some time ago. I believed you to be ineffective in your position here at UofL. Good luck in any future endeavors.
GO CARDS!!!
GO CARDS!!!
Tyra is a class individual and that letter was a reflection of that. He was tasked with a job that was outside the sphere of his professional experience - one made significantly tougher by an administration, board, and fan base that was fractured due to the competing power plays made by the previous crew and those appointed to take them down. An unenviable position to be sure and one that 99% of his detractors could not have lasted a week in. I am hopeful the university hires someone with significant experience as an AD but as a fan, I appreciate the efforts that Vince Tyra made during his tenure.
Absolutely. He followed an AD that was loved by the fans. Like a new coach following a legend. That was tough enough. Coupled with fans that didn’t think he was qualified and the nut jobs that thought he was a BBN mole. Yeah he didn’t have a chance. So in the end it’s best he moves on.
I never doubted Tyra was a U of L fan, and his letter supports that. Unfortunately that’s irrelevant to doing a good job as AD.
We paid an unbelievable price while he tried to be a good AD. Many quality people were lost along with tens of millions of dollars. I’m not sure how forgiving I am, and I’m definitely unsure how the people whose lives he destroyed feel about him. (I can guess.)
The bleeding he’s been directly responsible for needs to be stemmed. It’s up to the management still in place where we go from here. Our future is highly uncertain, and we’re poorly positioned to keep making mistakes…
We paid an unbelievable price while he tried to be a good AD. Many quality people were lost along with tens of millions of dollars. I’m not sure how forgiving I am, and I’m definitely unsure how the people whose lives he destroyed feel about him. (I can guess.)
The bleeding he’s been directly responsible for needs to be stemmed. It’s up to the management still in place where we go from here. Our future is highly uncertain, and we’re poorly positioned to keep making mistakes…
It’s laughable - though (laughably) entirely consistent - that you could lay all of that at Tyra’s doorstep. This type of nonsense is endemic to our society at large today - everyone easily points the finger but is incapable of pointing the thumb.
He’s directly responsible for the disappearance of 80% of the cash that was on the books when he arrived, the remaining 20% represented by Covid and the buyouts most of which he had final approval.
How laughable is a stadium that has sat for 2-3 years with blank spaces where a sponsor’s logo used to be? Yeah, he’s been “close” to that new sponsorship since the old signs came down.
Or the audio recording fiasco with Gaudio that ends up adding to NCAA allegations and his $4 million coach on suspension?
Truth be told, our former “AD” couldn’t find his a$$ with both hands. And a heart-wrenching letter after the damage he’s left in his wake is just about meaningless. He’s a fan and very little else worthwhile, and it’s unfortunate that his last name appears on a jersey in the rafters…
Lol - thanks for proving my point. Next time, perhaps you could try to be a little more succinct with your alternative facts.
“Unfortunate” is an internet boob who in one fail swoop attempts to denigrate the efforts and achievements of those individuals (father and son) especially when - on his best day - he couldn’t carry either of their jocks with both hands.
Apparently, I knew more about ULAA finances than he did. And I didn't bag $75,000 a month--which was in hindsight grand larceny...
I know one thing it is time to move on from Jurich and Tyra. The mess was created and we have debated how/why for 4 years still don’t agree.
Hopefully we can all get behind the new President and AD.
Hopefully we can all get behind the new President and AD.
Yet you defend a prior AD/coach that had sex in a restaurant, strippers in dorm rooms, coach on tape making a bribe, brings back a former football coach with a stupid buyout,,,,....do explain.
I don't defend anyone subjectively, only on the basis of objective information. Since most of the people you mention departed, thousands of fans and donors have left. And we're a financial dumpster fire that is operating on borrowed cash.
The new regime had their opportunity to re-recruit those same people and have failed miserably because they aren't/weren't trusted.
Those are the facts that I use to gauge the situation...
Given that your (and every fan’s) information is at best 2nd, 3rd or 4th hand, it is by nature subjective. That you would otherwise characterize it as objective is on its face - patently absurd.
Just as absurd is your subjective opinion that fans / donors went away because they didn’t “trust” the new people. It’s significantly more plausible that the old regime lost their “trust” due to steady drumbeat of negativity.
$14M that we had to pay out was on the old regime, as is the "dumpster" fire we have now. We are still waiting on sanctions from the old regime that you hold so tight.
If support was lost because of the old regime—which in my experience is BS—it was the new regime’s job to regain that, not lose it by increasing amounts. The facts show they have failed magnificently…
The clowns we brought in have not been financially impaired by the buyouts because they went out and hired cheaper replacements (…which was probably the strategy). They can’t use buyouts as much of an excuse…
Really, $14M is chump change?. Have you ever thought that the financial/donor situation has anything to do with strippers, probation, bad contracts, bribing, and other issues? I'm sure when Enron was going down people were still trying to invest.
UofL fans don’t wear Clemson gear. I was done with him 100% after seeing that picture.
Tyra was spending without bringing in the necessary revenue. His fundamental problem was he couldn’t balance a budget.
But all of the buyouts on a net basis have only drained about $10 of the $50+ million that was here when Tyra arrived.
If you want actual numbers to back up those statements, let me know…
The facts are that the magnificent failure(s) began with events that occurred - some known and some that later became known - under TJ. Did VT turn that around? No and as he was in charge - that’s his failure to own. But as I and others have posted numerous times previously - the constant stream of scandals for the previous decade made his task 100X harder.
There is a limit of negativity that donors and fans alike will stomach before losing their willingness to support a university. Unfortunately for the last number of years - UofL seems determined to put that to the test.
Zipp ….. I was in agreement with you when we both were on the Premium site expressing our disagreement with the termination of TJ. I also understood, but did not support the manner in which Rick was terminated as HC, based primarily on the lack of evidence that he had violated any NCAA rules. With that said, Pitino was totally guilty of gross negligence that could rise to “Lack of Institutional Control”; something that generally is assigned to the AD. Those terminations were executed before the facts could be sorted out, and the BoT believed immediate action was preferential to collecting the facts first. Cleaning House has consequences, and any suggestion of leniency from the NCAA for taking internal action has long been refuted by history.
Here is where I disagree with you now; assigning the dire condition of the Men’s Basketball and Men’s Football programs, along with the revenue losses and reduction in fan support to Vince Tyra. Vince does not deserve responsibility for where UL is right now.
The destructive events that occurred during the Jurich/Pitino/Petrino era were brought on by individual misbehavior on the part of a few assistant coaches, and ironically Tyra’s departure can be traced to yet another assistant coach (Gaudio) exercising extremely poor judgement. Mack may have been wrong for taping Dino, but without the evidence he would have gotten away with extortion.
One lesson that apparently has not been learned, his allowing such a huge disconnect to occur between the BoT, the University President, the AD, the HCs and their assistants.
Any company or organization is never any more effective than those functioning at the bottom of the chain of command. There has been a complete breakdown of responsibility at this University and it started with the lack of support by the BoT for Dr Ramsey when the CJ initiated an effort to remove him from power. Sometimes it best to weigh the good with the bad ……James Ramsey brought more advancement to UL than anyone before or since.
Here is where I disagree with you now; assigning the dire condition of the Men’s Basketball and Men’s Football programs, along with the revenue losses and reduction in fan support to Vince Tyra. Vince does not deserve responsibility for where UL is right now.
The destructive events that occurred during the Jurich/Pitino/Petrino era were brought on by individual misbehavior on the part of a few assistant coaches, and ironically Tyra’s departure can be traced to yet another assistant coach (Gaudio) exercising extremely poor judgement. Mack may have been wrong for taping Dino, but without the evidence he would have gotten away with extortion.
One lesson that apparently has not been learned, his allowing such a huge disconnect to occur between the BoT, the University President, the AD, the HCs and their assistants.
Any company or organization is never any more effective than those functioning at the bottom of the chain of command. There has been a complete breakdown of responsibility at this University and it started with the lack of support by the BoT for Dr Ramsey when the CJ initiated an effort to remove him from power. Sometimes it best to weigh the good with the bad ……James Ramsey brought more advancement to UL than anyone before or since.
@2330859, we're just gonna have to agree to disagree on the issue of Tyra because the chasm between us couldn't be wider...
I've spoken to many U of L people over the last four-plus years, and I can't recall any of them attributing U of L's current problems to the old regime. If anyone felt that way while Tyra was early in his tenure, that thinking changed as it should have. I'm sorry, but in his defense, a good AD doesn't get to point to a mess he inherited indefinitely. As I used to ask, how long does Tyra get, two years? Four years? Ten years?
If anything, it looks like things are getting worse at an INCREASING rate. Our cash burn as we speak is as high as it's ever been. There's absolutely no sign that this guy was making any inroads to changing our course. As I said above, it amazes me why it's taken this long for the truth to be known.
I can't change people's opinions, but I can for damn sure present a counterargument to the "Tyra was mistreated" mindset. And BTW, he's not at U of L anymore for good reason. There's evidently insiders at U of L--and evidently even himself--who recognized that he needed to be gone...
I've spoken to many U of L people over the last four-plus years, and I can't recall any of them attributing U of L's current problems to the old regime. If anyone felt that way while Tyra was early in his tenure, that thinking changed as it should have. I'm sorry, but in his defense, a good AD doesn't get to point to a mess he inherited indefinitely. As I used to ask, how long does Tyra get, two years? Four years? Ten years?
If anything, it looks like things are getting worse at an INCREASING rate. Our cash burn as we speak is as high as it's ever been. There's absolutely no sign that this guy was making any inroads to changing our course. As I said above, it amazes me why it's taken this long for the truth to be known.
I can't change people's opinions, but I can for damn sure present a counterargument to the "Tyra was mistreated" mindset. And BTW, he's not at U of L anymore for good reason. There's evidently insiders at U of L--and evidently even himself--who recognized that he needed to be gone...
Tyra was never going to be the AD long term - by his own admission, he didn’t want to be. He was asked to step in and try and put a better face on a scandal plagued athletic department. It was always a temporary gig for him.
After all these years I am surprised the community here has been unable to come to agreement on the "Vince" era.
Zipp …. The financial issues you raised are fair game, but to suggest this University’s problems with the Men’s BB and FB Programs are not attributable to those in charge prior to Tyra’s arrival is simply absurd.
Tom Jurich was one tuff act to follow, and perhaps had Tom not been fired, he quite likely could have navigated UL out of much of the mess. With that said, Tyra inherited a train wreck, and I am not sure anyone new could have stepped in and cleaned up this mess.
Tom Jurich was one tuff act to follow, and perhaps had Tom not been fired, he quite likely could have navigated UL out of much of the mess. With that said, Tyra inherited a train wreck, and I am not sure anyone new could have stepped in and cleaned up this mess.
Was unaware of this. Not saying I don’t believe it, but the Tyra narrative is forever evolving.
Tyra was planning to leave as soon as UofL got through the NCAA crap. He felt like he could navigate UofL through that and not dump it on a new AD. Then the NCAA moved glacially slow. Tyra then set a retirement date effective the end of this year. And then the Mack/Gaudio shit hit and Tyra then decided it was time to bolt because this added a layer that he couldn’t see all way through.
He and Neeli did not see eye to eye and that’s why he left in the first semester instead of second semester.
His short term plan to be AD was torpedoed by Neeli?
Doesn’t matter.
It’ll be a different story tomorrow.
The guy was asked by someone who he had a deep respect for (Grissom) to step in a help an institution that means a lot to his family - get through a difficult period as best as possible. It was never meant to be a forever situation.
FWIW - he was making comparable money in the private sector. Given that, and considering all of the administrative bullshit he had to put up with - not to mention the criticism from wannabes whose occupational highlights topped out at condo board member - I’m frankly surprised he stayed as long as he did.
A lot of talk is surfacing now that there's little or no retribution for talking. Really courageous, honorable, and transparent folks we have running our University. But I digress...
There's reportedly more to the way Tyra landed the AD job four years ago than just being at the right place at the right time. In fact, what I heard a few days ago was potentially criminal in light of other things than happened afterward like the stadium naming rights buyout.
Thank God our clown AD was SO BAD that he pretty much took himself out of the picture. I just hope more of what really happened since the Great Purge comes out instead of us speculating here...
There's reportedly more to the way Tyra landed the AD job four years ago than just being at the right place at the right time. In fact, what I heard a few days ago was potentially criminal in light of other things than happened afterward like the stadium naming rights buyout.
Thank God our clown AD was SO BAD that he pretty much took himself out of the picture. I just hope more of what really happened since the Great Purge comes out instead of us speculating here...
Not sure I understand your question. After the Gaudio stuff he realized that he wouldn’t be able (or didn’t want) to carry through the additional NCAA issues. Add on the issues between he and Neeli and it led to him seeking an immediate departure instead of later this school year. Had he know Neeli was leaving immediately, he would’ve stayed on longer.
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