Thoughts on IU sports and academics (03/02/06)

To the editor:

Re: Ray Cooney’s column about Mike Davis and the Indiana Hoosiers. Yes, blame does belong on both sides.

There seems to be a current trend in college sports that the sports themselves are attracting too much attention, at the expense of the academic programs. It started, in our opinion, with Miles Brand and the IU trustees’ method of firing coach Bob Knight. That was Mr. Brand’s way of switching the emphasis away from sports and to academic programs.

Don’t get us wrong. The academic programs are the most important long term, but if a college sports program helps attract more qualified students and more endowment contributions, then the bottom line improves from the financial end, as well as the number of students who benefit from a quality education. When coach Knight was there, the sports program did not run in the red financially. We are not blaming coach Davis for that, even though the university made it plain they were paying him much more than they had paid coach Knight.

The difference comes from the switch in emphasis, plus the fact that coach Knight is no longer there to give reference on the TV program about money needed for something or other, or to make contributions himself from speaking engagements. I see the same pattern elsewhere in college sports, so it’s not just at IU. Long-term coaches have many contacts that seem to attract interest in scholarship and endowment money, and bring attention to the university. That gives much more clout to the academic programs.

When president Brand and the trustees chose the method they did in firing coach Knight, they tore the heart out of the IU sports program, as well as the hearts of the fans. We’ve talked to a number of people who feel the same as we do. That kind of damage leaves us all wondering what will they do next? We can only imagine the devastation it caused for the coach, his staff and the players. Sure, it happens all the time, but we’re sure it would have caused much less damage overall if they had discussed it with coach Knight and said, “We want to replace you on this date.”

Coaches, programs and fans survive this kind of thing in a much more logical and productive way, and things move on.

We’re sure coach Davis has put every effort into the Hoosiers, but wanting to coach at the professional level should have been left out of the discussions. It made it look like that was his ultimate goal, and IU was only a stepping stone. Maybe that also had some influence. Things haven’t been the same since.

Anyway, we wish the best to the athletic department search, and to the new coach, whoever he is.

It’s time to move on.

Sincerely,

Charles M. and Verna R. Loper

Portland

Legion thanks

To the editor:

I want to thank everyone who attended our first fish fry since the fire in August of 2005.

The response was overwhelming.

We are still recovering from the aftermath. So many things need to be done that insurance never covers, plus the loss of some precious possessions, pictures, plaques, history, etc.

A special thanks to Doug Davis for the restoration of our 1942 World War II Honor Roll Memorial.

Thanks again.

Bill Daniels, for the Pennville

American Legion and Auxiliary[[In-content Ad]]