Buyout of football coaching staff contributes to UH athletic deficit
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former University of Hawaii football coach Norm Chow
The University of Hawaii has closed the books on a $3,244,391 athletic department deficit for the recently-concluded 2016 fiscal year, it was announced.
It marked the fifth consecutive year of a deficit in the 21-sport department but showed a $990,890 reduction from previous year, athletic director David Matlin said.
The deficit included approximately $830,000 to buy out the previous football coaching staff.
The improvement was credited, in part, to an approximate $250,000 rise in the sales of basketball tickets, an early NCAA stipend and cost savings in several areas.
“I think we are trending in a good direction, but we still have more to do,” Matlin said. “Obviously, we can’t do it without all the support that we get from from others, the legislature, the business community and our partners and fans.”
In its most recent (2015) report, the NCAA said just 24 athletic programs in the 128-member Football Bowl Subdivision “reported positive net revenues for the 2014 fiscal year.”
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46 responses to “Buyout of football coaching staff contributes to UH athletic deficit”
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Not a surprise. These entertainment efforts seem always to drain funds away from the UH’s important academic programs. It is sad.
Allie, what type of benefit could be gained thru advertisement and awareness of the university’s name branch through athletics. You just cannot seem to grasp the effect athletics plays on the recruitment and name recognition. Someday, with enough years spent at UH, you may be able to educate yourself and understand the financial benefits of an athletic department and it’s worth.
I doubt that many are impressed by our minor league schedule or lack of success in most sports. I rather think students around the globe will be more impressed by the really fine programs here. This deficit does indeed drain money away from academics.
Well, it was your Coach Chow, that almost destroyed UH Athletics and created the deficit. Now that Coach Chow is finally gone and Coach Rolo is turning the Football program around, UH Football can get back in the black. Also what’s not on the books is the millions of dollars of tourism spending that UH Football brings in when visiting schools come to play in Oahu. The teams and their families & supporters spend a lot of money in the Islands and help to support our Tourism based economy, but you always seem to ignore these benefits.
NO.
I for one am impressed by the UH teams and if you would look a little closer you would see that most of our teams are successful. Did you even know we have one of the top women’s water polo programs in the country??
allie, when you talk about minor league what about our high school football smaller divisions? No opportunity to play, no memories, no school spirit, no friendships made and no proud parents?
What the heck is a “name branch?” I’m resentful that I have to pay $50 per semester to support a Füssball program. Why exactly should I?
Then go to a school in the mainland where you can pay more.
Some people will generously donate to the engineering department, marine biology, or arts, and some will donate to the athletic programs. Don’t confuse the two. There is room for everyone and a variety of life experiences when one goes to college. It’s too bad that costs are high right now, but a well rounded, educated populous is a good thing.
yeah I bet you think commercials and mailers and sending recruiters to college fairs are a waste of money too.
There you go showing your ignorance again, Allie. You do know that the athletic budget is totally separate from the rest of the funds that go to paying for education, right?
Not sure I agree with that; perhaps you can help explain it. From what I understand, the budget may be separate in the sense that the Athletic Department is responsible for planning and implementing where money is spent, but any UH funds that go into it is then not available for other programs. On the other hand, I think, except for football which should be subsidized by the NFL, the athletic department is worth every penny of taxpayer money directed its way. Our students need to learn how to keep their bodies healthy and strong throughout life.
football always pays for itself and more
allie, so?
Let’s see. Just for football, visiting teams and their fans have to fly in, stay at hotels, eat, and get tour buses to transport them around. Fans buy food and beer for tailgating from local stores. The stadium has to hire special duty police, people to sell and collect tickets, clean the stands and the parking lot, direct traffic. All these people are paid and pay taxes. The economic impact just from football benefits the state way more than the deficit costs UH. Someone who is supposedly a college student and supposedly works in Waikiki should understand the economic impact unless the supposed person is totally ignorant or totally a fraud. How would All Lies make any money on Kuhio without tourists?
Star Advertiser headlines for articles are a complete disaster! many people are saying that these headlines could be written differently. Why not make headline about how the deficit has gone down, year over year. The system is rigged! This is a conspiracy created by the nerds. Sad!
Just like the survey questions, who composes those???
Yes, the survey questions are over simplified.
Echoes of presidential election: “many people are saying” “The system is rigged” “This is a conspiracy.” You might want to lay off the news for a few days so you can clear out the memes.
Buyout well worth it.
Absolutely right. It’s just too bad Chow wasn’t bought out a year or two sooner. The additional cost would have been more than made up by the higher ticket revenue the football program would have earned with a competent coach.
Buying out old staff worth every penny.
Chow should be sued for malpractice.
AMEN TO THAT …..
LIVE ALOHA / PLAY WARRIOR / DEFEND THE ROCK … GO ‘BOWS !!!!!
Yeah! He should be sued for impersonating a head football coach. Just his name or picture just makes me madder than hell.
Well worth it. Sometimes nice guys finish last.
What a waste, thanks to Ben Jay’s incompetence. Chow should never have been hired. There was a compelling reason why Chow was passed over repeatedly for a head coaching position by other football programs. Not being able to adapt to the talent at hand and being so stubborn with an archaic offensive thought process, the team was doomed from the start. If Chow had no Hawaii ties and those meddling upper campus cronies did not push his hiring, there is now way he would have gotten the job. Now the UH has to pay for this egregious mistake!
Chow’s hiring was bad, but Fib Arnold’s hiring was absolutely a horrible decision. The guy said his mentor was Tim Floyd who had just been fired from USC for PAYING OJ Mayo to attend the school. We knew about Fib – we still picked him.
Very easy to make those comments in hindsight. When NC was hired the majority saw this as a positive move, there was much excitement. Say what you want but there are very few coaches who have been involved with that many Heisman QB’s. And before anyone states “look at the rest of the quality players on those teams and what he had to work with”, there have been many coaches who had equally talented teams and did not achieve what NC accomplished in his career. I will agree with you in that it appears he was not able to adapt to the existing team talent but again I’m making this statement after the fact. NC had his opportunity as a HC and now it’s time for us to move on. And I also agree with you on Ben Jay. I’m sure he’s somewhat competent based on his background but like so many others he was naive and couldn’t adjust to the local politics.
dogchow, 100% of the people will never agree to the pick. Hillary 5% Trump 92% and independents 3%. Heard that on the conspiracy network.
Sorry, there was no hindsight. When chow was hired, I did not renew my season tickets at Aloha Stsdium after 34 years. Also followed the football team at Termite Place with Larry Price at the helm.
Big difference in being a position coach or offensive coordinator. This was his calling, just not head coaching material. There was a compelling reason that despite all the allocades you note of Chow, no other program hired him despite numerous interviews. Same with the NFL, being a great OC or DC does not guaranty a translation to success as a head coach.
Sure there was excitement after Mack got let go with so many detractors. Chow is the worst head coach in UH football history in my opinion. Even below Fred Wot Hoppen. Chow could not even control his emotions on the sideline, yelling at players and incurring penalties to kill drives. Not understanding that getting into field goal position against New Mexico was key; his incompetence cost the Warriors that game.
dogchow, are you Norm Chow or related to him?
Difference between Norm & “Rolo” …..
“Rolo”: adapts the offense to the talent …..
Norm: this is what we’re going to do …..
LIVE ALOHA / PLAY WARRIOR / DEFEND THE ROCK … GO ‘BOWS !!!!!
Right on 808! Well put in a nutshell. Hey “dogchow”, take note, nuff said!!!
Take note of what? My comments reflect that NC was not able to adapt to the existing team talent, same as 808 states. I also wrote I agreed with you on that point. Also, my comments were in regards to his successes as an OC, and not justifying anything regarding head coaching. This was his chance and it didn’t go, time to move on. The majority received him with excitement, you on the other hand cancelled your season tickets. So you have to gloat about it now? What type of sad life do you live that you have to gloat in your prediction of someone’s failure?
OUCH! With football as the number 1 economic driver of the athletic program, Chow’s inability to get the job done crippled the revenue stream. He compounds it further by forcing UH to buy him out. For a guy many say has honor and integrity, and whom I assume doesn’t really need the money, I can’t understand why he didn’t step down. It was clearly the right thing to do and would have been honorable to acknowledge he wasn’t getting it done, did his best, but it was time for someone else to carry the load.
That buyout amounts to a lot of Chow Fun.
Royal Kitchen chow fun ok. But place next door has good black bean beef bell pepper chow fun. Very small place and only speak Chinese. RK bake manapua good if you don’t like real bready style, if you like bready, Libby’s steam is good. Anyone else has good recommendations?
YOU MAKING ME HUNGRY !!!!!
Aaah… Thanks for that post. We need more of those. Thanks for the dining tips, too!
We should have paid him in chowfun.
Let’s see. Just for football, visiting teams and their fans have to fly in, stay at hotels, eat, and get tour buses to transport them around. Fans buy food and beer for tailgating from local stores. The stadium has to hire special duty police, people to sell and collect tickets, clean the stands and the parking lot, direct traffic. All these people are paid and pay taxes. The economic impact just from football benefits the state way more than the deficit costs UH. Someone who is supposedly a college student and supposedly works in Waikiki should understand the economic impact unless the supposed person is totally ignorant or totally a fraud. How would All Lies make any money on Kuhio without tourists?
IRT el_burro_sabio: I’ve tried to make the same points for years, but the State Legislature seems to not even take up UH Athletics as an issue. First, there must be someone in Government with business/marketing/ executive experience. Also, it isn’t by accident the UH doesn’t even have a mascot. Recall it was jj who brought much more than coaching experience to UH. There was a name change, a mascot, uniform change, work ethic change, and a toughness that opponents feared. JJ also brought a style of play that was fun to watch. A successful athletic program, generates income and prestige for the State and the University, and provides a venue for thousands of athletes. I cannot understand why the State of Hawaii doesn’t take advantage of an opportunity staring them in the face. If the State doesn’t have the expertise, that’s “ok”, but then find someone who does. I was telling a friend, can you imagine what someone like Trump could do to the UH football program. Trump isn’t available, but that’s what the program needs.
bodies in seats for both football and basketball at home games. that’s what’s needed to cut the u.h. athletic department deficit.
the football team is playing and winning. the ncaa sanctions against the basketball team is being reviewed, making post season games and the return of two scholarships a possibility.
if fans of both teams can push home game attendance to 80% of the venues, the u.h. would have a chance of cutting the athletic department losses incurred from carrying many of the non-revenue sports required by title ix.
UH keeps doing that — Firing athletic coaches and staff early when there are significant penalties and termination costs for doing so. But they keep doing it. Last time, they terminated a coach without cause when they had ample causes. Cost them a lot of money.